Our Grace

Today on what would have been her 114th birthday, the funeral of Grace Jones, Bermondsey's and the UK's oldest resident took place in Camberwell.

The funeral cortege, with the words 'Our Grace' depicted in flowers at its head, paused at the Blue for a short open air service in which I read from the Scriptures and led prayers, and Simon Hughes MP gave a brief tribute on behalf of the people Bermondsey.

Quite a few local people and shoppers stopped to join in, including the pearly King & Queen, and Councillor Anood. It was good to remember Grace in the heart of the community where she lived for more than a century.

Earlier we had our men's breakfast back at St James.

A good turnout of men sat down to bacon, sausage, egg, beans, toast, etc (we did promise a 'full English'), and Paul gave a talk on 'My Journey to Bermondsey', explaining how as a young man he became a Christian following the tragic death of a friend, how God called him from being a full-time builder to a full-time sharer-of-the-faith, and how a Church Army journey that began on the St Helier Estate in Morden led, via a spell in Leamington Spa, to a new phase of ministry in Bermondsey as our first Urban Missioner.

It was a spellbinding talk and there was general agreement that the men's breakfast should be repeated early in the new year.

After all that activity there was the opportunity to relax and enjoy our local community choir, Bermondsey
Voices (who practise in St James each week), give their annual Christmas concert in a candlelit St James.

They did brilliantly and we are now looking forward to their contribution to our service of Carols by Candlight on 22nd December where they are going to sing three songs.