The Vicar of mirth

 

Great article in the South London Press by local historian, Graham Taylor, about George Balleine, vicar of St James from 1908 to 1938. You can read Graham's article 'Vicar of Mirth Who Died with a Smile' here

Bermondsey Daily Message 156

Today's church assembly

Bermondsey Daily Message 155

Today's service

Training and growing as disciples

Today's message comes from the sports hall at the Salmon Youth Centre 

Troubling times

On Wednesday just at the time that children were leaving school at Alexis St there was a very serious incident just by the school which involved a young man being shot

We're very proud of St James's School and the teachers who moved quickly  to herd children and parents back into school following the shooting and a car driving at speed down a narrow residential road.

Yesterday we visited every class to pray with the children and then, at playtime individual children had the opportunity to come and talk with us about their fears and concerns - quite a number did so and we talked with them and prayed with them individually and in groups. 

All had seen the ambulances, police cars, the helicopter, the armed response police, many had seen the injured man, and they had all heard the gunshots. 

 It was good to reassure them they were safe in school. It was good to pray for all involved.  

Here is Jacob's Bermondsey Daily Message where he shares what he told the children and what God's word says to us in troubling times

Bermondsey Daily Message 152

Today's Church Assembly at St James's School

Bermondsey Daily Message 151

Today's service

Life in a pandemic

 

I've been reading these novels alongside each other, one from the 18th century by Daniel Defoe, one from the 20th by Albert Camus. Both explore life in a pandemic. 

 

Neither could be recommended if you're wanting to cheer yourself up, but they are full of so many insights and points of contact with our current experience.

 

This from Camus is particularly powerful:

 

 'A pestilence isn't a thing made to man's measure; therefore we tell ourselves that pestilence is a mere bogey of the mind, a bad dream that will pass away. But it doesn't pass away and, from one bad dream to another, it is men who pass away.....

 

Our townspeople were not more to blame than others, they
forgot to be modest - that was all - and thought that everything was still possible for them; which presupposed that pestilences were impossible. 

 

 They went on doing business, arranged for journeys, and formed views. How should they have given a thought to anything like a plague, which rules out any future, cancels journeys, silences the exchange of views? 

 

They fancied themselves free, and no one will ever be free so long as there are pestilences.'

Bermondsey Daily Message 150

 Wow! We have reached our 150th Bermondsey Daily Message:

Get ready for the Bermondsey harvest festival

Today we have been out filming for our online Bermondsey Community Harvest Festival which will go live on YouTube during the first weekend in October.

From Russell's fish stall at the Blue, to Maltby Greek under the arches, to Nancy's flower shop in Jamaica Rd, to all the things we buy and enjoy from the local supermarkets, like the Co-Op in Thurland Rd, all the benefits of God's wonderful harvest will be celebrated in our online harvest festival.

Harvest is also a time, not just for giving thanks, but also for sharing and this year, as every year, we will be collecting non-perishable foods for the work of the Manna Society at London Bridge in its work among homeless people - so our last visit was to Manna to speak to the director, Bandi Mbubi.

I first got to know Bandi in 1991 when, soon after he became a Christian, he joined the congregation at St Luke's, West Norwood, where I was the curate. It was excellent to see him again and wonderful to think of all the good work that Manna does and how our harvest gifts can make such a difference to so many people.

We've still got some filming to do down at the allotments, but it looks like our Bermondsey Community Harvest Festival is going to be a great event - look out for it here, on Facebook, and on YouTube during the first weekend of October.

Blitz over Bermondsey

Eighty years ago this month the bombs started falling on Bermondsey and they continued to fall for 57 consecutive days.

The first day of the Blitz, 7th September, was a terrible one for our community with 23 people killed on Linsey Street and 29 dying when  Keeton School, which was being used as a rest centre, was hit. In all, in 1940 Bermondsey experienced 395 air raids in the space of three months.

 

Here is today's Bermondsey Daily Message from the crypt of St James's Church which was used as an air raid shelter during the war:

 

 

On the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the blitz Sir Simon Hughes said this on Twitter: 'We must never forget the price paid by our communities at home during WW2, always be thankful for the transformation of Germany into a great, democratic and peace-loving ally, & always be watchful & prepared should others use force to take freedom from their own people or others.' Wise words.

Today's Church Assembly at St James's School

Bermondsey Daily Message 148

Today's Sunday service

Bermondsey Daily Message 147

A Bermondsey Daily Message special about a special couple who had a big impact on the people of Bermondsey:

Bermondsey Daily Message 146