When the kids met Boris

Those St James's kids get everywhere!

Here they are helping London Mayor, Boris Johnson, publicise the charity, Penny for London, which lets you make a small donation to help disadvantaged young Londoners every time you use a contactless card with a participating retailer. Full details here

Today I was in the school to meet with prospective parents for next year's Reception Class to tell them a little about church-school links and the school's Christian distinctiveness.

Our problem at St James's is one of success with four applicants for every place at the school.

Most years we can take only 60 children and with such a densely populated area as Bermondsey that meant last year that you needed to live within 500 feet of either school site to be sure of a place if you weren't a member of the nursery, a regular church attender, or a parent of a child already at the school.

We need more schools! Thank God there is at least one new one for Bermondsey in the pipeline.

Opening the church

In a moment of weakness I volunteered to produce a website for the Deanery as part of our goal to encourage more churches to be open to the public, and to publicise the interesting and historic church buildings of our deanery which covers both Bermondsey and Rotherhithe.

Now the Deanery Synod has coughed up the princely sum of £6.95 we have our own domain name and you can view the finished product at here

Pause, discover, pray

To St Pancras Church in Euston Rd to 'An Open Presence,' an event organised by the Diocese of London designed to encourage churches to open their buildings to the public as much as possible.

This is a cause dear to our heart in Bermondsey where we are trying to have our church buildings open as often as we can.

There was lots of good stuff at this afternoon's conference, including sensible practical advice from Ecclesiastical, the people who insure most church buildings. Interestingly, they are definitely pro churches being opened as much as possible.

Particularly heartening was the story of St Mary's, Islington which has recently moved from being a church that is closed most of the week to one that is open every day for most of the day.

They've had precious little damage, and a few minor thefts (kettles and biscuits being particularly popular among the light-fingered community of Islington), but (unsought) donations from visitors have more than covered their costs - and, more significantly, 40-50 visitors  have been able to visit the church to every day to 'pause, discover, pray.'

St Mary's vicar, Simon Harvey, describes their story here

Salmon fishing in SE16

Yesterday was the Annual General Meeting and Commissioning Service for the Salmon Youth Centre, and today in St James's and St Anne's churches, it was Salmon Sunday, the day we particularly remember the work of the centre, formerly called the Cambridge University Mission (CUM), which has served the young people of Bermondsey for over 100 years.

In the past year Salmon received over 20,000 visits by young people to the 30 club sessions run every week.

Salmon organised 50 day trips and 8 residentials. 98 young people received mentoring and 475 participated in adventure activities.

I had been asked to lead the commissioning service for staff, trustees, and violunteers and to give the talk afterwards.

I said Salmon was a John 10.10 organisation. It took seriously Jesus words in that verse when he said ' I have come that they might have life and have it to the full.'

Getting creative in the Salmon art room

Through its sports, its music, its dance, its art, its adventure activities and outings it gave the young people a fuller and richer experience than they might otherwise have - and at the same time it pointed unashamedly to Jesus Christ who came to give us the fuller, richer life, connected to the God who made us, which only he can give.

Today at St James and St Anne's we heard from Salmon General Director, Sam Adofo, about the work of the centre. We watched a video showing some of the activities available (see below). We prayed for them and we concluded by singing the hymn 'Lord of the Years' written by Timothy Dudley-Smith when he was Warden of the Cambridge University Mission (now renamed Salmon after the mission's founder, Rev Salmon or 'Pa Salmon') and given its very first hearing in CUM in Bermondsey all those years ago. 

We are certainly blessed to have in Bermondsey such an amazing resource for our young people as the Salmon Youth Centre.

Take 350 vicars..

For most of this week you couldn't have found a vicar for love nor money in large tracts of south London.

350 of us had been transported by a specially chartered train to Derbyshire for the Southwark Diocesan Clergy Conference which comes round every 4-5years.

Here (left) is a selection of jolly conference-goers waiting for the Hogwarts Express at St Pancras.

The first 100 to arrive were promised first class accommodation and the rail company in a fit of generosity promised everyone a complimentary bacon butty once on board.

For the first two days it rained continuously but the Dean tweeted that the sun was shining in our hearts.

In the main conference hall

We had some great speakers, some inspiring times of worship, plus time to relax, to catch up with old friends and do justice to the famed catering of Swanwick.

In the evening there were various types of entertainment: films, a scratch Joseph & his Amazing Technicolor dreamcoat, line dancing, a Quiz Night (the Bermondsey team came 3rd), Strictly Come Southwark, and, just to raise the tone a bit, The Queen's Six, straight from St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle who gave a wonderful concert on the last night that ranged from Early Renaissance church music, through negro spirituals, to the Beach Boys.

The Queen's Six

They got a well-deserved standing ovation at the end. Hear them here

On the final day we gathered together for Holy Communion. Our Diocesan bishop, Christopher, presided.

In the Eucharistic Prayer he prayed for Justin, our Archbishop, and our area bishops Michael, Richard, and Jonathan,  and then for himself, 'your unworthy servant.'

That is one of many moments from Swanwick 2014 that will stay with me for a long time.

St James uncovered

Some recent visitors to St James's belfry got some great shots inside the bell tower, of the local area from the church roof, and of some hidden corners of the building (thanks Alex). Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them:

The bell that chimes the hours

A peal for two special occasions

A peal from 1845 when the church was just 16 years old, a mere  teenager

View from the church roof showing St James's School, the Walkie-Talkie, Tower Bridge and the Cheesegrater

South gallery

South-west stairs

The poor man's angel

I don't know how many Londoners are aware that this familiar landmark is the national memorial to the greatest Christian social reformer this country has ever produced - but the children of St James's School definitely do know.

Today in our assembly series on famous Christians we heard about the amazing work of Lord Shaftesbury setting up ragged schools for the poor and legislating to stop little boys being sent up chimneys.

In a long parliamentary career he campaigned for a host of other causes, including the rduction of working hours for children, better care for the mentally ill, and the ending of child labour in mines - and everything he did he did a deep Christian motivation.

When he died, London's poor lined the streets in a mark of respect for the great man who had campaigned relentlessly on their behalf and the 'Poor Man's Earl' was commemorated by construction of the Shaftesbury Memorial at Piccadilly Circus (above).

By the way, that's not Eros on the top there. It's actually the 'Angel of Christian Charity.'

As Michael Caine might say: not a lot of people know that.

All is safely gathered in

We had a bumper Harvest Festival this year at St James and St Anne's with lots of gifts from the two churches and the children of St James's School for the work of the Manna Centre at London Bridge and their work among homeless people.

An added bonus this year was to receive ten large boxes of goodies for Manna kindly donated by Grosvenor who own the biscuit factory site and the Campus site. Here's a couple of their staff with the first two boxes. We (and Manna) are really grateful for their support.

New Reader

To Southwark Cathedral last night to see Adrian Greenwood (left) licensed as a Reader after training for three years on the Southwark Readers Course.

'A Reader' is a kind of Church of England lay preacher. From now on Adrian is fully licensed to lead services or preach in St James or St Anne's.

When he is not doing that he keeps busy as a member of the General Synod, as lay chair of the Diocesan Synod, and as Chair of Trustees for the Salmon Youth Centre.

It was Salmon, then known as Cambridge University Mission, that first brought Adrian to Bermondsey over 40 years ago.

He was a Resi (or Residential worker) straight from Cambridge, but he and Marian have stayed in Bermondsey ever since and thrown themselves fully into the life of the church here, for which we thank God - and congratulate Adrian on the new phase of his service for God's kingdom - as a Reader.

Unfortunately, he had whipped his Reader's robes off too quickly for the sight of Adrian in a cassock to be captured for posterity by the Blog's Official Photographer (J. Downey, curate), but all is not lost - the wonders of modern technology have allowed the re-creation (right) of what the scene might have looked like, especially for readers of this blog.

St Anne's plan

Today at St Anne's we had the launch of our Mission Action Plan, thinking of Jesus's command in Matthew 28 to go and make disciples of all nations.

At the end of the service we moved outside singing 'We are marching in the light of God' for a final prayer of blessing - and for this church photo (thanks Emily):

Click on the picture to enlarge it

On the estates, thy will be done

Today St James's hosted the annual conference of the National Estate Churches Network, a cross-denominational body that links together Christians ministering and living on local authority estates in our country.

The theme of this year's conference was 'Farewell to Welfare' and focussed on how changes in the welfare system affect local communities.

The NECN website explained the theme of the conference like this:

"This year's annual conference explores the effect that the Cuts are having on the people of our poorer housing estates. We are really excited that our keynote speaker at both venues is John Battle the brilliant long-time campaigner and advocate for those who are marginalised."

"As well as high quality input, there will be time to share and reflect together. What does our Christian Faith demand of us who live and work with those who really feel the impact of benefit reform? Can we make the system better or is it really 'Farewell to Welfare'?"

Bishop Michael was there at the beginning of the conference to welcome the delegates and as the host church we led the opening worship, including Jos's video, God Loves Bermondsey, to give our visitors an overview of our united benefice in Bermondsey.

With many estates in our two parishes it was good to host this network which does such an important role in highlighting a crucial but often overlooked aspect of the Church's mission to the nation.

During the conference Bishop Laurie Green, chair of the network, led us in a moving scriptural meditation which concluded with the Lord's Prayer and a reminder that Jesus encouraged us to pray for God's kingdom to come, and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Amen to that as we pray and labour for that in Bermondsey (and as others do the same for their urban communities across the nation), offering the word of life and building up communities of the kingdom a.ka. the Church.

Headlines for discussions groups at the NECN conference

From Finland to Jerusalem (via Southwark Park Rd)

London's only church with a sauna was the venue for today's meeting of the Bermondsey Deanery Chapter (the clergy of the 7 parishes of the deanery plus the Finnish and Norweigan churches in Rotherhithe).

Rotherhithe's Finnish Church (left) played host to our meeting and provided the chapter members with a delicious Scandinavian meal. It was good to meet up and to share news across the parishes of the deanery.

Next up was the annual remembrance service at the Age Concern Healthy Living Centre in Southwark Park Rd. Around 70 members gathered together in the sunshine of the Age Concern garden for a service, which we had been asked to lead in commemoration of members of the centre who had passed away in the past year.

It is an amazing centre, presided over by the indefatigable Simone, a marvellous asset for the community and a place which is always a joy to visit.

And then this evening there was a great turnout for our new Bermondsey Christian Training course on the book of Acts. This links in well with our current focus on mission as we start to implement our mission action plan.

Tonight we looked at Acts chapters 1 and 2, and saw how the Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and the message of the Gospel started out by being in Jerusalem before spreading through Judea, Samaria and then to the ends of the earth.

There was some great questions and comments tonight from the floor and it felt like we had got off to a really good start.

Mission Action Plan

Click on the picture to enlarge

 

Today was the launch of our Mission Action Plan at St James (St Anne's turn will be on 5th October).

We watched Jos's video of Bermondsey, previously premiered on this blog, the churchwardesns spoke about the PCC awayday at the Salmon Youth Centre, I introducted the Mission Action Plan, and preached on Jesus's Mission Action Plan a.ka. the Great Commission in Matthew 28 ('Go into the world and make disciples of all nations..), and at the end, singing 'We are marching in the light of God' we processed out of church for a final prayer of blessing on the portico steps, and the chance for a congregational photo of a memorable day (thanks Jos).

It was good to end the service outside the church building, with the congregation facing outwards into the parish because that, after all, is what Mission Action Plans are all about.

Living dangerously at the Men's Breakfast

The day before the MAP launch,  Des Scott (left) of the Church Army was the speaker at our men's breakfast. 

He spoke on the topic ' the nights I slept with a gun under my pillow,' recalling his days as a police officer in the RUC at the height of Northern Ireland's troubles.

In an enthralling address Des spoke powerfully of how he had sought to live as a Christian in a highly challenging environment, trusting God for his safety, trying not to succumb to feelings of anger and revenge, and working to bring healing and reconciliation between the warring communities, pointing to the radically different values of the Kingdom of God.

The trouble with living in Ireland during the troubles, said Des, was that it all started to seem normal. But its not normal and, God's ways give you a new kind of normality to live by

A good time was had by all, the usual copious quantities of egg, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, beans, toast, cornflakes, tea etc were consumed, and the blokes of the parish are set to reconvene for their next early morning feast on 6th December.

And then God made the buses

It must come from living on a bus route.

Today when I asked the kids in key stage 1 (aka the infants) at St James's School in an assembly on the creation story what God did after he had made the sky, the sea, the dry land, the birds, the fishes, the animals and human beings (I was thinking of God having a rest), one lad put his hand up and said 'He made the buses.'

I like the inventiveness of that addition to the creation story.

There is sadly no mention of buses as such in Genesis chapter one, but God did make provision for them when he made people, for uniquely among his creatures, men and women, like God, can make things.Such as buses.

Happy Birthday, Stan

Both churches got the chance this morning to celebrate Stan's 70th birthday.

Stan was one of the first Ordained Local Ministers. people who belonged to local churches and trained for ordination to serve in those churches, whilst holding down a full-time job - in Stan's case as a senior vehicle engineer with London buses (where he was also a shop steward - read the diocesan newspaper's article about Stan, 'Priest and Shop Steward? No Problem'  here).

Stan has lived in Bermondsey all his life.

As a teenager his faith was nurtured by 'the club' also known as C.U.M. also known as Cambridge University Mission, now known as the Salmon Youth Centre.

In time he became a leader at CUM in his own right and then came the call to ordination,and fifteen years ago he was ordained to serve at St James's (and now St Anne's, too) which he has done ever since.

Happy birthday Stan and thank you for all you have done for the people of Bermondsey through the club and the churches.

C.U.M (now Salmon)

Bid for the Blue

Guest contributor, Paul Warren writes:

Thursday evening saw the first Blue Bermondsey Bid Networking event held at Duns café in the heart of the Blue market place. 

Organised by the Blue Bermondsey Business Association the event was an opportunity to bring together representatives from across the area that have common interest developing the Blue for the benefit of the people of Bermondsey. 

Those represented came from the local traders, Bermondsey Councillors, Council Officials and Governor Estates as well as St James and St Anne’s churches. 

 BBBA Chairman Russell Dryden, a well-respected trader in the market, spoke about the need for co-operation between all those represented to develop and improve the Blue. 

He showed a newly commissioned short film (in which Russell stars as himself) to highlight the ever changing face of Bermondsey and the bid for funding to continue to improve the area. Here's the film:

Keeping it fresh

Church Army's research unit have got wind of our Mission Action Plan and have been on the phone today to find out more about it.

Later this month we will be launching the MAP, as agreed by the church councils, in services in both churches. The bit the Church Army was interested in was the bit about Fresh Expressions of Church.

Fresh Expressions of church are new types of churches designed for people who don't go to church. As the following video from the Church Army research unit shows, Fresh Expressions are one of the modern success stories of the Church of England.

We'll say more about our own plans (which are at a very early stage) in due course, but wouldn't it be good if there were some new Bermondsey-based fresh expressions of church coming into being by God's grace to serve our local community?

God loves Bermondsey

Jos is our new curate (a.k.a trainee vicar) at St James and St Anne's and already he is making his mark. Here is his video (it lasts 2mins 30 seconds), God loves Bermondsey, giving an over view of the two parishes which we are going to use in the services this month when we launch our new 'Mission Action Plan.'
 
The soundtrack is from: Venite (Psalm 95) by Jon Lindsay Scott, and can be heard and purchased at: http://jonlindsayscott.wordpress.com/.

London Christian Heritage Walk

Here are the walkers on the London Christian Heritage Walk that I led today from Bermonsdsey to Trafalgar Square.

Our route took us from Southwark Cathedral (tomb of Lancelot Andrewes, one of the translators of the King James Bible), to Fen Court in the City (the memorial to the abolition of the slave trade opened by Desmond Tutu in 2007), to St Helen's, Bishopsgate (the oldest City church, scene of a weekly bible-based ministry to hundreds and twice the victim of IRA bombing) and to St Mary Woolnoth, close to the Bank of England, where John Newton, author of Amazing Grace, was the vicar.

After a coffee break, we slipped into Wesley's Chapel (left) on City Rd, just before a bride arrived for a wedding, admired his statue with its slogan, 'the World is my Parish', and crossed the road to Bunhill Fields where 123,000 dissenters are buried, among them William Blake, Daniel Defoe, and John Bunyan.

The latter's tomb has pride of place, showing, on one side, pilgrim struggling under the weight of the burden of sin and, on the other, pilgrim set free, with his burden having fallen off at the cross.

Next we successfully negotiated the complexities of the  Barbican Highwalk to see the flame-shaped memorial to John Wesley's  conversion in 1738, close to the modern Museum of London, and the location of our group photo at the top of this post.

In the main hall of the museum, we were delighted to see the exhibition on WW1 giving pride of place to this photo of Grenadier Guardsmen proudly testifying to their roots.

After lunch in the museum grounds we went via St Paul's Cathedral to Victoria Embankment Gardens and Whitehall Gardens to see statues of Robert Raikes (inventor of Sunday schools), Michael Faraday (one of our greatest scientists and a keen Christian) and William Tyndale (first translator of the New Testament in English and the martyr who died praying 'O Lord, open the King of England's eyes.').

A quick glance at Oliver Cromwell outside Parliament, clutching a Bible and a sword (is that right? You decide), and it was off to Westminster Abbey to see the statues of the ten twentieth century Christian martyrs on the west front of the building.

Twentieth century martyrs at the Abbey

We were nearly at journey's end, but not before we had the chance to admire the wonderful vista which runs the length of the national gallery and culminates with Cima da Conegliano's Incredulity of St Thomas. 

It's as if everything in the gallery points to the Risen Lord Jesus, just as all the people we have considered in London's rich Christian heritage have also, in word, and deed - and sometimes in giving their very lives - have been witnesses or signposts pointing to Him.
 

Walking on water at St James's School

Meet the Jesus Christ Lizard, so-called because he has mastered the art of walking on water.

It wasn't so much the lizard, as the real Jesus Christ and his astonishing walking-on-the-water-feat as related by St Matthew's Gospel that was the theme of the beginning of term service for St James's School this morning in the church.

The children poured into the church and suddenly the building was filled with happy smiling faces, eagerly awaiting the challenges of a new term.

New headboys and head girls were announced and then our service started.

Three children helped me act out the night time encounter between Jesus and the disciples out in the middle of the lake.

The disciples were terrified. They thought it was a ghost. Then Jesus said 'It is I. Don't be afraid.'

Then Peter says 'tell me to come.'

And when Jesus says 'come' (his word giving Peter the power to do the otherwise impossible), Peter, too, starts to walk on the water.

Then he starts to sink - when he 'noticed the strong wind' and started to be afraid. Then Jesus grabbed him. Then they worshipped him and said 'truly, you are the Son of God.'

Starting off in a new class, or with a new teacher, or on a new site, can be scary, but Jesus knows every boy and girl. He loves them. And if you ever start to sink, he can grab hold of you.

So let's keep believing and trusting in Jesus in our school this new term.