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The church is open daily
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Dear all
The start of our 150th Anniversary celebrations has finally arrived! We very much hope that you will be able to join us for our Festal Eucharist at 11.15 am this Sunday at St Mary Abbots, followed by a picnic in the Vicarage gardens. Our preacher will be the Ven Richard Frank, the Archdeacon of Middlesex, and we look forward to a full choral octet singing the Mozart Coronation Mass as the setting for our Eucharist. We shall be giving thanks for all those who have served and worshipped in the parish over the past centuries since it was established in the eleventh century, and also recognising the generosity and skill of those who worked to create our current building, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. We will be praying for the future of the parish as we move forward together under God. There will be a short Children’s Eucharist at 9.30 am, for those with small children (0-5), who may then proceed to the garden to play, but we do encourage older families to attend the main celebration, where there will be activity packs for use by children in the pews, and we hope those from our other congregations will also come together at 11.15 am to rejoice in our shared life and history together. The current highlights of our 150th Anniversary Year are shown HERE and include concerts, talks, exhibitions and a few other events to be confirmed. Please do make a note of the different events throughout the year. We are delighted to report that thanks to the wonderful fundraising efforts of Steve Atack and the Friends of St Mary Abbots, we are nearing the amount required for our new Anniversary access ramp. We shall shortly be beginning the complex business of seeking the necessary permissions before construction can begin! Thank you to everyone who has so generously contributed to this appeal, and to any who still intend to do so - details of how can be found in the newsletter. Meanwhile, a reminder from Fr Christopher that we shall be holding a lunch in church on SUNDAY 22ND for anyone interested in joining the new Outreach team, described by him in this message last week. Building on the work already done with Afghan and Ukrainian refugees, and our parish’s longstanding commitment to the homeless in this area, he hopes to establish new projects and to form a group who would reflect on any outside charities we might decide to support financially as a church. Please get in touch with him if you are interested. “We give you thanks that, though the heaven of heavens cannot contain you, and your glory is in all the world, yet you choose to hallow places for your worship and in them you pour forth gifts of grace upon your faithful people.” [Common Worship, Dedication Festival] With my love and prayers – and looking forward to seeing you on Sunday! Mother Emma 11th May 2022 |
Virtual Donation Plate
If you would like to make a donation during our services, or at any time, we have set up an online virtual collection plate below. Click here for this week's Newsletter
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