Confirmation Service

Ian Benjamin and Sheila Permal were confirmed tonight at Christ Church Wanstead by The Rt. Revd. Dr. Trevor Mwamba, Assistant Bishop of Chelmsford, Rector of Barking and Vicar of St Margaret's. They were part of 31 candidates from seven churches who were confirmed. +Trevor spoke about possessing an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness.

Ian and Sheila were part of the Lyfe Course that we ran earlier in the autumn and they really took the sessions to heart identifying ways of putting what they were learning into practice in their everyday lives. I had the privilege of baptising Sheila at St John's Seven Kings last Sunday. Thankfulness was again part of the mix as I reflected on the way in which Jesus' baptism answers the questions 'Who am I?' and 'Why am I here?':

'Who are we? We are the beloved sons and daughters of our Father God. Why are we here? To use our God-given abilities to do work for God that only we can do. Take a moment to truly take it in and then say thank you to God your Father for who you are and why you are here.'

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Anton Bruckner - Locus Iste.

Transfiguration: beyond sensorial reality

I was at Christchurch Wanstead for the Mothers' Union Deanery Festival Service today, so was able to see the paintings there by Janet McKay.

These include a commissioned work which is an optical illusion design by Janet and her collaborator Martin Jones which from one perspective depicts the sorrow and pain of Good Friday and from another perspective the joy and glory of Easter Day. In addition, her images Transfiguration, Hypercube 1 and Transfiguration, Hypercube 2 also hang in the church on a temporary basis.

The inspiration for the Hypercube paintings came from early abstraction, P.D. Ouspensky, E. Abbot, C. Hinton, C Bragdon and non euclidean geometry. The paintings and associated animation explore the idea that our physical selves are a vehicle for a consciousness that goes beyond sensorial reality, beyond time and beyond space.


Janet's interests include science, psychology/illusion and ideas of consciousness. She often works with oppositional paired themes such as perception and illusion, human and spiritual, conscious and subconscious, science and religion. Zest for life even through adversity, the humour, and the tears of the human condition is key. Her work uses a mix of media and experimentation with materials is a strong theme throughout.

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Janet McKay and Martin Jones - Hypercube painting and animation.

New commission at Christchurch Wanstead

Last Sunday a new artwork was dedicated at Christchurch Wanstead during the Wanstead Art Trail.

The new work is an optical illusion design by Janet McKay and Martin Jones which from one perspective depicts the sorrow and pain of Good Friday and from another perspective the joy and glory of Easter Day.

Both artists were at the church over the past weekend to show their work, including an animation which has been shown in New York's Times Square, and to talk about this new commission.

The new commission will be added to the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area - click here for details.

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Tom Jones - Soul Of A Man.

Wanstead Art Trail & local churches

Great to see local churches, Christ Church and St Gabriel's participating in the Wanstead Art Trail this weekend.
Find thought provoking art and land art in and around Christ Church Wanstead, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. A special art feature and demonstration are planned by Karen Davies-James and Maggie Widdecombe.

At St Gabriel's Aldersbrook there is art by the Tuesday afternoon class at the church and by Aldersbrook Primary School pupils and Philip Joseph's Rascal's Art Club plus members of Art Group Wanstead. Also at the church will be Milda Stockiene's acrylics; expressions of feelings inspired by music and life.

The Art Trail is organised by Art Group Wanstead whose aims include: to promote artists, to help artists to network with other artists (amateur and professional), to promote art classes and art clubs, to make Wanstead a more interesting and vibrant place, to add to a sense of community – and to organise the art trail.

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The Alarm - Unsafe Building.

Using the hand you have been dealt

The Rt. Revd. Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford, preached on two questions at his Welcome Service for the Barking Episcopal Area on Thursday at Christ Church Wanstead.

The first was, 'how have you used the hand you have been dealt?' which concerned our recognition and use of the unique combination of gifts, experiences and circumstances which has been gifted to us by God. The second was, 'how we have used these with the Church to bless others?'

These are questions of reckoning, which Bishop Stephen suggested may be asked of us on the Day of Judgement but which are concerned firstly with the many and various ways in which we are accepted and blessed by God and then with the way in which we, in turn, bless others.

What he had to say chimed well with his inaugural sermon as Bishop of Chelmsford, when he said:

"You’ll probably hear me say this hundreds of times over the next few years, but let me say it loud: You can go to the Church of England for a lifetime and nobody gives it to you straight. You are loved. You are precious in God’s sight. He has a purpose for your life.


And, together, our task as God’s people in this great diocese is to know and reveal that love which God has for us in Christ. This is my prayer for myself and for our diocese." 

It chimes too with his vision of Christian leadership, as set out in Hit The Ground Kneeling, which "is one that is always drawing more people in, helping them discover their gifts, and constantly expanding and sharing leadership ... The cherishing of the gifts of others – even if they outshine us in their own areas – is a vital gift of leadership."

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Lauryn Hill - His Eye Is On The Sparrow.