Dear Friends, On Monday night, I attended the first mass of a priest friend of mine; Fr Peter Wolton. It was held at the beautiful church of St John the Baptist, Holland Park Road. It was a wonderful evening, with the mass setting Missa Princeps Pacis; by William Lloyd-Webber, father of Andrew and Julian beautifully performed by the choir. It was an occasion to celebrate the rite of passage of […]

Dear Friends We are well and truly in the midst of Petertide, the traditional time for ordinations. There are two periods in the year when ordinations take place – around the feast of St Peter and Paul (Petertide) and at Michaelmas, the feast of St Michael and All Angels in September. This Sunday I will be at Manchester Cathedral at the ordination to the diaconate of a parishioner from my old […]

Dear All ‘Oh what a night’ Was popular the last time I got up on the  dance floor with any enthusiasm, well, that’s all changed. What a a fabulous Summer Sizzler. I can’t begin to tell you what prayers were offered for the right weather, evidently God was pleased to hear our entreaty.Everything went perfectly and we did have a ball. Huge thanks are due to Fr Andrew and Suzette. To […]

Dear All And who is my neighbour? (Luke 10:30) It still amazes me how this great City of London manages to operate, how, despite, the traffic, the hustle and bustle of daily life, some very compact living and working conditions, we manage to go about our daily lives. I think it has something to do with our ability to recognise the other.  Those small daily ‘thank-you’s’ which acknowledge our neighbour; be […]

Dear All Thursday and Friday of last week were spent sorting out Dad’s care package. I have to say Social Services and my Father’s GP have been magnificent, it’s extraordinary the amount of time they have spent with him. I’m in Manchester for the next few days meeting doctors, carers and spending a bit of quality time with my father. Distance caring is something of an emotional roller coaster. You love so you […]

Dear All A huge thank you to everybody who made Sunday such a special day. Particular thanks to Hayley, Hilary and the children. Although this week is half term I think it was right to launch our Development Campaign on such an important Sunday. Pentecost celebrates the possibility and power of God, it is the call to trust our creator, redeemer and friend. Incidentally, do look at our redesigned website, it’s excellent, […]

Dear All So after much conversation and a lot of very hard work it is here – we launch our Development Appeal on Sunday. We have called it “Treasure by the Thames, Transforming Lives”. ‘Treasure by the Thames’  acknowledges our history and the significant contribution this church community has made to this part of London over the years, also an indication  where we are; simply by the Thames. “Transforming Lives” gives a […]

Dear All As many of you know we will be launching our Development Campaign on Sunday 24th May at our 10.30am Parish Mass. Sunday 24th is the feast of Pentecost, forty days after Easter, celebrating the birth of the Church. Pentecost is a celebration of what God can do in Christ and among his people. It is a celebration that all things are possible, if God’s Spirit moves among us. We therefore offer this Development Campaign […]

Dear Friends, I was talking with the St Paul’s Boys School, Christian Union, on Sunday afternoon. They are a great bunch of young people and I always come away from our encounters filled with hope for the church. They are deeply concerned for our world, its environment and its people and use their faith to inform their thinking and action, as I said these encounters and encouraging and hope filled. For […]

  Dear All It’s not often I am astonished and frankly angered by a piece I read in the Church Times, however last Friday’s edition was the exception. The Bishop of Willesden, Bishop Peter, was talking to a group of evangelicals about responses to the Green report, recently published, which looks at the future management of the Church and its direction. His comments were interesting and I quote “A lot […]