Everyone in

Here's the sermon that I preached in this morning's Eucharist at St Mary's Runwell:

When the Covid-19 pandemic began, the government set up an initiative called Everyone In. This aimed to provide a hotel room plus support to everyone sleeping rough on the streets. This new national homelessness strategy proved extremely effective and resulted in a large number of formerly homeless people moving into longer-term accommodation and therefore leaving the streets.

The policy demonstrated that with the right levels of funding and support, homelessness can be almost eradicated. The government's motivation for this approach was not so much concern for homeless people, as concern that Covid-19 would circulate more rapidly and aggressively if homeless people remained on the streets.

Without that imperative driving government policy, approaches to tackling homelessness have now returned to what they were pre-pandemic and the numbers living rough on our streets have risen significantly once again, and will rise further due to the cost of living crisis.

In our Gospel reading today (Luke 14.1, 7-14), Jesus talks about the limitations of charitable activity that is based on calculations of benefit for ourselves but also uses self-interest as a motivation to move towards a greater degree of selflessness.

Jesus lived a life of self-sacrifice without benefit for himself in order to bring love to others. Through the incarnation he gave up equality with God the Father to become the servant of humanity, as the teacher of his disciples he gave them an example of service by washing their feet, and, on the cross, he laid down his own life for the sake of all.

His ultimate challenge to us is to live life for the benefit of others or, as he explains here, to invite and welcome all those unable to repay us for our hospitality precisely because they cannot repay. True love is only true when we gain no personal benefit from it. When we benefit from our relationships with others, even with God, it means that we are not loving simply for the sake of the other but for a range of other reasons.

Jesus recognises, however, the challenge that this poses to people like us - each and every human being – as those for whom self-interest and survival are hard-wired into our being. Therefore, he teaches us by means of the Parable of the Dishonest Steward, a story of a shrewd manager who learns the benefits of relationships through self-interest after losing his job or challenges us to go further towards self-sacrifice by saying in the Parable of the Persistent Widow that, if hard-hearted people, like the Judge in that story, can do kind things for selfish reasons, should we not go further.

On this occasion, he challenges those who are self-interestedly taking the places of honour at a meal by using the logic of their self-interest to argue for greater humility on their part. He says it's actually of greater benefit to you to take the lower place initially and be called up, than to take the higher place and be demoted. He makes this argument, however, to try to start them on a journey towards greater humility and awareness of others, not to simply maintain them in a mindset of self-interest.

So, where, I wonder, are we on this journey towards selflessness? Are we at the beginning, like the guests at the meal, competing for the places of honour but open to the idea that there may be a different way to achieve their goals? Or are we further down the road of selflessness finding ways to be with others that don't involve personal benefit for ourselves? The important thing is to begin and to recognise that it's a lifelong journey.

Like any journey, though, it is one with a destination. The destination towards which we are heading is heaven, a place where we enjoy God, others, and ourselves for who and what we are, rather than for the benefit we can receive from others.

In heaven there is nothing to fix and nothing we need – no more death, mourning, crying or pain - instead there is just the experience of being with others and growing in appreciation for who they are as themselves. That is the reality Jesus is looking towards here with his talk of relationships that don't involve repayments for us. Once we go beyond relationships from which we get personal benefit and move into relationships which are simply about enjoying others for who they are, then we are approaching heaven.

With that mindset, the name of the government's pandemic homelessness strategy takes on additional significance. Everyone in. That's what Jesus is talking about when he says we should invite to our meals those who are normally excluded and cannot repay us. Everyone in. That's what our churches should be like, because they should be providing a taste of heaven. Everyone in.

But note that what Jesus commends here is also just a stage on the journey. Inviting those who cannot repay because they cannot repay is a way of creating in us a mindset of seeing God in others by appreciating others for who they are, rather than what they can do for us. When we have that mindset, then we are in heaven by being with others and enjoying them for who they are. That is when inclusion becomes reality, with others and ourselves accepted and appreciated and understood and loved as we are. Everyone in. A real taste of heaven. That's the destination towards which Jesus wants us to travel. Have we begun?

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Ho Wai-On - You Are Not Alone.

St Martin-in-the-Fields: App and Exhibitions

If you are looking for things to do this Bank holiday weekend, then why not come into town and explore the parish – guided by our newly launched 'Beating the Bounds' app for St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Beating the bounds is an ancient custom, still observed in parts of the country, in which the clergy lead their parishioners on a walk around the boundary of their parish to instil in them the knowledge of its reach. St Martin’s has records from as early as the 1500s describing the annual beating the bounds procession here, led by the clergy, with the children of the parish in tow. The tradition died out in the twentieth century but with London now easing out of lockdown, beating the bounds of St Martin’s is a great way to re explore this most central and historic part of London. The app guides the walker on a tour of the parish boundary, stopping at key points to listen to some of the stories of the parish as well as some of the music inspired by this most central part of London.

The walk will take you about an hour and forty minutes, starting and finishing at St Martin’s. It leads you along the Embankment, through St James’s Park and Green Park, past Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace as well as the site of the old Palace of Whitehall and guides you through areas as contrasting as Covent Garden and St James’s.

The app guides you back to St Martin’s, where you can pop into the foyer to see a new map of the parish, created by the artist Adam Dant to mark the 300th anniversary of James Gibb’s design for the current church building. Dant’s 'Novel Map of the Parish of St Martin-in-the-Fields' forms the centre piece of an exhibition of his drawings and original prints celebrating Central London with all its quirks and foibles.

The Courtyard Café will be open all weekend for refreshments as well as the shop, which will be stocking a new range of gifts created by Adam Dant using his 'Novel Map of St Martin-in-the-Fields'.

You can download the app from our website, or you can use the QR code in the foyer.

From 1 - 8 May, the Adam Dant Exhibition and Courtyard Café will be open everyday from 12 – 5 pm. Click here to visit our website. (After 8 May, please double check website for opening times)

Also in the Foyer is ‘With the Heart of a Child’ by Nicola Ravenscroft which sees seven life-size bronze children, one from every continent on Earth, simply dressed in soft silk tulle, hesitate in time, leaning forward, hopeful, poised to dive, eyes closed, dreaming into their future, anticipating things unseen.

Nicola Ravenscroft writes that, ‘As an artist, I am visionary, sculptor, mother to many, and grandmother to even more’, she breathes life into life taking ‘clay, dirt and stardust, shaped and twisted torn smoothed and broken lost, found and moulded wax and singing molten bronze through white-hot crucible-refining fire, Earth’s own core breathing life into revealing-truth, a giving-birth to energy.’

The result is this installation of eco-earthling-warrior-mudcubs – children intimately connected to the earth – reminding us of our duty of care to life, to love, to planet Earth.

Nicola has recently been commissioned to create a memorial to honour the bravery of front-line NHS and care workers in the fight against Covid. The project has the backing of Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock and members of the public are currently being asked to propose a fitting name for the memorial. Her work has consistently inspired musicians, including her husband saxophonist Raphael Ravenscroft (‘A little child shall lead them’) and, most recently, Tim Watts, assistant director of music at St. John’s College Cambridge, who is composing a piece in response to bas sculpture reliefs on paper titled ‘Among the Words of Trees’. Examples of work from each of these projects are included in this exhibition in addition to ‘With the Heart of a Child’.

The ‘fifth plinth’, in the Courtyard at St Martin’s, currently features an exhibition that has featured on the BBC News, Evening Standard, Metro, and in several publications internationally. 'Out of Home' is a project telling a story of what life was like for a group of people without a home, during the time we were all told to stay at home.

The photographs were taken by Carly, Darren Fairbrass, Craig, Joe Pengelly, Andre and Kelly, using disposable cameras.

Loose guidelines were agreed with each, to allow them creative control:

• Try to take photographs in the day if possible, when there is light, but if not possible night is fine
• Take photographs of things you find interesting, or would like to photograph
• For each camera, you’ll be paid £20, with ideally a maximum of 1 camera per day, but flexible where it could help
• Try to spend less than 1 hour 45 taking photos in any given day, meaning that the work was paid at London Living Wage

The photographers retain copyright of the images, and any book and print sale profits go to them, with a smaller percentage to St Martin-in-the-Fields. Over lockdown, the project resulted in thousands of photographs, showing the ‘capital of the world’, at a unique time in its life, and from the unique perspective of some of those who were out of home, during the time we were all told to stay at home.

The Out of Home exhibition is also running in memory of Kelly Francis, one of the photographers, who sadly died during the project. The exhibition is open each day in the Courtyard, with its own outdoor café. Outdoors, and free, to be as accessible as possible.

The exhibition is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Cultural Recovery Fund, St Martin-in-the-Fields and by Panos Pictures.

Further information on the exhibition is available on our website. Further information on the project, and its participants, including sales of books and limited edition prints, is available at: www.outofhome.org.uk.

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ChoralCast - The Lord's My Shepherd.

Exhibitions at St Martin-in-the-Fields

We are very happy to have reopened our Shop and Courtyard Café at St Martin-in-the-Fields. Our outdoor café is celebrating the best of British with delicious new soups, new sandwiches and – you guessed it – a new selection of drinks both hot and cold. Going with the theme of all things new, the St Martin's shop also has something fresh to offer. Whether you are looking for greetings cards, gifts, or something to treat yourself we have you covered. We are open Thursday-Saturday 12pm-6pm and Sunday 11am-5pm.

As the Courtyard Cafe and Shop reopen there are also several excellent exhibitions that can be seen straightaway or very soon:

‘With the Heart of a Child’: A sculpture installation and exhibition by Nicola Ravenscroft

Thursday 15 April 2021
Sunday 25 July 2021



‘With the Heart of a Child’ sees seven life-size bronze children, one from every continent on Earth, simply dressed in soft silk tulle, hesitate in time, leaning forward, hopeful, poised to dive, eyes closed, dreaming into their future, anticipating things unseen.

Nicola Ravenscroft writes that, ‘As an artist, I am visionary, sculptor, mother to many, and grandmother to even more’, she breathes life into life taking ‘clay, dirt and stardust, shaped and twisted torn smoothed and broken lost, found and moulded wax and singing molten bronze through white-hot crucible-refining fire, Earth’s own core breathing life into revealing-truth, a giving-birth to energy.’

The result is this installation of eco-earthling-warrior-mudcubs – children intimately connected to the earth – reminding us of our duty of care to life, to love, to planet Earth.

Nicola has recently been commissioned to create a memorial to honour the bravery of front-line NHS and care workers in the fight against Covid. The project has the backing of Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock and members of the public are currently being asked to propose a fitting name for the memorial. Her work has consistently inspired musicians, including her husband saxophonist Raphael Ravenscroft (‘A little child shall lead them’) and, most recently, Tim Watts, assistant director of music at St. John’s College Cambridge, who is composing a piece in response to bas sculpture reliefs on paper titled ‘Among the Words of Trees’. Examples of work from each of these projects are included in this exhibition in addition to ‘With the Heart of a Child’.

Out of Home Exhibition

Friday 23 April 2021
Saturday 31 July 2021

What would the Covid-19 Pandemic have been like if you had no home?

Out of Home tells a story of Central London, by a group of people – Carly, Darren, Kelly, Craig, Joe, and Andre – for whom that was the case.

During a time when we were all told to ‘stay at home’, lockdowns have presented unique challenges for homeless people.
Even if selling The Big Issue was allowed, few regular customers were on the streets.
Even if a stranger wanted to give you £5, there have been few strangers on the streets.
And even if you had money, particularly in Central London, there were few places to spend it, and often only in shops where costs were higher.

Over lockdown, Dan Barker & Lucy Wood paid homeless people to take photographs each day, using disposable cameras.

Loose guidelines were agreed with each of the people in the project.
Try to take photographs in the day if possible, when there is light, but if not possible night is fine
Take photographs of things you find interesting, or would like to photograph
For each camera you’ll be paid £20, with ideally a maximum of 1 camera per day, but flexible where it could help
Try to spend less than 1 hour 45 taking photos in any given day, meaning that the work was paid at London Living Wage

Many others ebbed and flowed in and out of the project, some stayed with it throughout. During the project, some have filled a few disposable cameras, some have filled a camera with photographs every day.

This exhibition features the work of six of them: Carly, Darren, Kelly, Craig, Joe, and Andre.

Kelly Francis died during the project, age 39, and this exhibition is also in her memory.

Credits:

The Out of Home exhibition is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, St Martin-in-the-Fields Trust, and supported by Panos Pictures. The book Out of Home is available at www.outofhome.org.uk. Proceeds from the exhibition go toward the positive works of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and to the photographers.

The Out of Home project was funded and organised by Dan Barker & Lucy Wood. Other kind people offered assistance. Full acknowledgements can be found at www.outofhome.org.uk.

Visit www.panos.co.uk for more information on Panos Pictures

Visit www.outofhome.org.uk for more information on the Out of Home project, to buy prints, or to buy the book, to further support St-Martin-in-the-Fields or the photographers


Adam Dant – The Return of London at St Martin-in-the-Fields Exhibition

Saturday 01 May 2021
Saturday 31 July 2021

We are delighted to announce Adam Dant‘s solo exhibition – The Return of London at the Crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields. A collection of limited edition prints and original drawings including maps that salute London’s Theatres, Lost Rivers and bustling London Squares.

Adam has created a brand new commemorative map to mark the 300th anniversary of the first foundation stone being laid at the Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Unveiled for all to enjoy for the first time at The St-Martin-in-the-Fields Crypt Gallery ‘The Novel Map of the Parish of St Martin in the Fields’ forms the exciting centrepiece for an exhibition of the artist’s lively depictions of London public spaces. Using Dant’s novel map, visitors are encouraged to revive the tradition of ‘beating the bounds’ of The Parish of St-Martin in the Fields, walking its perimeter so to reaffirm their memory of the streets and sights that have lain unvisited through a year of lockdown.

Visitors to the exhibition will also be able to enjoy large scale prints from Dant’s series of depictions of ‘London Squares’ including, on show for the first time, his depiction of the vibrant tumult and turmoil of nearby Leicester Square. The exhibition is the perfect way to celebrate a return to our extraordinary capital after twelve long months and salute St Martin-in-the-Fields’ significant 300th anniversary.

Adam Dant – The Return of London at the Crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JH Open daily 12 – 5pm
For further information and images please contact Hobby Limon info@tagfinearts.com
t + 44 (0)20 7688 8446
m + 44 (0)7968 099 945

About artist, Adam Dant:

Adam is an international renowned artist whose large-scale narrative drawings and prints can be found in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon as well as many leading private collections including that of HRH The Prince of Wales
Adam was the recipient of a prestigious Rome Scholarship in etching and engraving, is a winner of the Jerwood Drawing Prize and in 2015 was appointed by the UK Parliament as official artist of the General Election
Dant’s ‘Maps of London and Beyond’ book was awarded the gold award at the 2018 International Creative Media Awards and First prize in the travel category at the 2019 Catholic Herald book awards
Limited edition prints are published by TAG Fine Arts and available at www.tagfinearts.com

Exhibition details:

‘The Return of London’ exhibition will be on view in the Crypt at St Martin-in-the-Fields, from 12pm to 5pm, from May 1st, and will run throughout Summer at St Martin’s (Entrance via the glass Pavilion on St Martin’s Path)
The church’s famous Courtyard will be open for food and refreshments during exhibition hours
The St Martin’s Shop will be stocked with several new, bespoke ‘beating the bounds’ gifts
Nearest London Underground stations; Charing Cross, Embankment and Leicester Square

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Stile Antico - Josquin Des Prez: Ave Maria, Virgo Serena.

Living God's Future Now - January 2021

'Living God’s Future Now’ is the HeartEdge mini online festival of theology, ideas and practice.

We’ve developed this in response to the pandemic and our changing world. The church is changing too, and - as we improvise and experiment - we can learn and support each other.

This is 'Living God’s Future Now’ - talks, workshops and discussion - hosted by HeartEdge. Created to equip, encourage and energise churches - from leaders to volunteers and enquirers - at the heart and on the edge.

The focal event in ‘Living God’s Future Now’ is a monthly conversation where Sam Wells explores what it means to improvise on God’s kingdom with a leading theologian or practitioner.

The online programme includes:

• Regular weekly workshops: Biblical Studies (Mondays), Sermon Preparation (Tuesdays) and Community of Practitioners (Wednesdays)
• One-off workshops on topics relevant to lockdown such as ‘Growing online communities’ and ‘Grief, Loss & Remembering’
• Monthly HeartEdge dialogue featuring Sam Wells in conversation with a noted theologian or practitioner

Find earlier Living God’s Future Now sessions at https://www.facebook.com/pg/theHeartEdge/videos/?ref=page_internal.

'Thank you for all you are supporting and enabling - I absolutely love everything that comes out of HeartEdge.' The Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester

January 2021

Theology Reading Group: Sunday 10 January, 19:00 GMT, zoom – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/st-martin-in-the-fields-heartedge-theology-reading-group-tickets-125865341625. The Reading Group will discuss 'Jack' by Marilynne Robinson. Marilynne Robinson is an American award winning novelist and essayist; Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, National Humanities Medal in 2012, and the 2016 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. Also in 2016, Robinson appeared on Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people. ‘Jack’ is Marilynne Robinson’s latest book, it is a love story set in postwar St. Louis. Love, shame, guilt, segregation, risk and redemption; are a just a few themes that follow the relationship between Jack and Della. 'Grace and intelligence . . . [her work] defines universal truths about what it means to be human' Barack Obama.

Biblical Studies class: Monday 11 January, 19:30-21:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcOmgrTgsHt2ceY7LepLhQYqQxS1G1ix9. Join Simon Woodman to explore the New Testament Epistles.

The Tawney Dialogue - David Lammy MP, Rev Dr Sam Wells, Dawn Foster - Families or Factions? Monday 11 January, 19:30 PM (GMT). Register at https://www.facebook.com/events/zoom/the-tawney-dialogue-david-lammy-mp-rev-dr-sam-wells-dawn-foster-families-or-fact/902388756833003/. In this world of polar-opposites, divisions and binary choices, are we cultivating community or harming harmony? Chaired by journalist and writer Dawn Foster, our two speakers bring their perspectives on whether our groupings and allegiances look more like families or factions... and what can we do about it? Featuring David Lammy MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Rev Dr Sam Wells of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Chaired by Dawn Foster (Guardian, Independent, Tribune, Jacobin Magazine).

Sermon Preparation Workshop: Tuesday 12 January, 16:30 (GMT), livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge/. Discussion of preaching and the lectionary readings for the coming Sunday with Sam Wells and Sally Hitchiner.

Community of Practitioners workshop: Wednesday 13 January, 16:30 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org to register. A gathering for church leaders, lay and ordained, with opportunities for reflection on experience and theology.

Leadership skills for the next 10 years: Wednesday 13 January, 15:00 ET (20:00 GMT), zoom webinar – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trytank-presents-leadership-skills-for-the-next-ten-years-registration-115755687377. For almost 20 years, beginning just after 9/11, futurist Bob Johansen has been wrestling with the question of leadership profiles that will be required to thrive in the VUCA World (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous). He wrote a trilogy of books that share the profile he's convinced will work to help us get ready for the next future shock. The profile includes: Ten skills (think competencies) introduced in Leaders Make the Future; Five literacies (think disciplines or practices) introduced in The New Leadership Literacies; and One mindset (think worldview) introduced in Full-Spectrum Thinking. Join for an impactful webinar with Dr. Johansen as he covers his leadership trilogy, with a special emphasis on the skills required to thrive in the coming decade.

‘Living God’s Future Now’ - HeartEdge monthly dialogue: Thursday 14 January, 18:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting - https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/living-gods-future-now-conversation-presiding-bishop-michael-curry-tickets-132832608909. Sam Wells and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will be in conversation to discuss how to improvise on the kingdom. The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. He is the Chief Pastor and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as Chair of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church. The descendant of enslaved Africans brought to North America by way of the trans-Atlantic slave routes, his father was an Episcopal priest and his mother a devout Episcopalian. Presiding Bishop Curry maintains a national preaching and teaching ministry and has authored five books: Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Time (2020); The Power of Love (2018); Following the Way of Jesus: Church's Teachings in a Changing World (2017); Songs My Grandma Sang (2015); and Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus (2013).

Book Launch: Towards a Theology of Same-Sex Marriage – Friday 15 January, 16:30 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launch-towards-a-theology-of-same-sex-marriage-tickets-131505206613. Towards a Theology of Same-Sex Marriage: Squaring the Circle is a transformative exploration of queer theology and the debate around same-sex marriage within the Church. In this book Clare Herbert draws on her experience as a priest within the Church of England in a committed same-sex relationship and considers the questions that have shaped religious debate for many years. Interweaving stories from Christians struggling to reconcile their faith with their sexuality alongside wider queer theology and the theology of marriage, Clare explores the unique understanding of God provided by the experience of committed same-sex love, and lays the groundwork for redefining the traditional definition of marriage. Joining her for this discussion are: Dr Philomena Cullen: Researcher working on domestic social justice issues with UK faith- based charities; Charlie Bell: Fellow in Medicine at Girton College Cambridge, and ordinand at St Augustine's College of Theology; and The Very Revd David Monteith (Doctor of Laws), Dean of Leicester.

Reconciling Mission: Joining in God’s Work - Monday 18 January, 16:00-17:30 GMT, Zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reconciling-mission-joining-in-gods-work-tickets-131913377463. How might we understand Christian mission as joining in with God’s reconciling work in the world? What are the implications of such an understanding for how local churches approach their missional outreach to a local neighbourhood? And how might this understanding envision and re-energise lay people for sharing God’s good news in their community? Speakers: Alastair McKay, director, Reconciliation Initiatives; Tricia Hillas, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, and trustee of Reconciliation Initiatives; Martin Anderson, vicar of Norton, Stockton-on Tees, Diocese of Durham; and Sarah Hills, vicar of Holy Island, Diocese of Newcastle (and former Canon for Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral, and former trustee of RI).

The Church and the Clitoris: Monday 18 January, 18:00-19:30 GMT, zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-church-and-the-clitoris-tickets-133863987791. Drawing on some nineteenth-century claims about the clitoris, this lecture shows how science and religion may interact not just to ignore female sexuality but also to damage women’s bodies. A lecture and Q&A with Helen King, a member of the History Working Group of the Living in Love and Faith project. Part of the St Brides, Liverpool series of occasional lectures, with HeartEdge and the 'Living God's Future Now' festival of theology, ideas and practice.

Biblical Studies class: Monday 18 January, 19:30-21:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcOmgrTgsHt2ceY7LepLhQYqQxS1G1ix9. Join Simon Woodman to explore the New Testament Epistles.

Sermon Preparation Workshop: Tuesday 19 January, 16:30 (GMT), livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge/. Discussion of preaching and the lectionary readings for the coming Sunday with Sam Wells and Sally Hitchiner.

Community of Practitioners workshop: Wednesday 20 January, 16:30 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org to register. A gathering for church leaders, lay and ordained, with opportunities for reflection on experience and theology.

Theology Group: Sunday 24 January, 18:00 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/st-martin-in-the-fields-heartedge-theology-group-tickets-130240413583. An opportunity to reflect theologically on issues of today and questions of forever with Sam Wells, who will be responding to questions from David Jones, a member of the congregation of St Martin-in-the-Fields. David will also chair the session and encourage your comments and questions.

Biblical Studies class: Monday 25 January, 19:30-21:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcOmgrTgsHt2ceY7LepLhQYqQxS1G1ix9. Join Simon Woodman to explore the New Testament Epistles.

Art and social impact: Tuesday 26 January, 14:30 GMT, zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/art-and-social-impact-tickets-134763030853. This workshop is a conversation with artists whose work has a social impact dimension in order to explore the relationship between art and social change. There will be discussion of personal journeys in addressing issues of social concern, approaches used, and expectations in terms of impact. The session will also explore ways in which churches can engage with such art and use it for exploring issues with congregations and beyond. Jonathan Evens will be in conversation with André Daughtry (http://www.andredaughtrystudio.com/), Micah Purnell (https://micahpurnell.com/), Nicola Ravenscroft (https://nicolaravenscroft.com/) and Hannah Rose Thomas (http://hannahrosethomas.com/).

Sermon Preparation Workshop: Tuesday 26 January, 16:30 (GMT), livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge/. Discussion of preaching and the lectionary readings for the coming Sunday with Sam Wells and Sally Hitchiner.

Community of Practitioners workshop: Wednesday 27 January, 16:30 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org to register. A gathering for church leaders, lay and ordained, with opportunities for reflection on experience and theology.

CEEP/HeartEdge transatlantic conversation on Homelessness: Thursday 28 January, 8.00 pm GMT, zoom webinar - link TBA. US panellists TBC. UK panellists include: Pam Orchard and Fr Dominic Robinson. Pam Orchard joined The Connection at St Martins as their CEO in April 2017. She has worked in the charity sector for over 25 years, including 17 years based in Edinburgh. She was the Training Programmes Manager at YMCA Scotland, Deputy CEO at Edinburgh Cyrenians and the CEO at Providence Row, a homelessness charity based in Shoreditch. Pam specialises in organisational innovation and change, and has worked closely across the public, private and voluntary sectors to achieve this. Rev Dr Dominic Robinson SJ is Vice Chair of the Society for Ecumenical Studies and Parish Priest of the Immaculate Conception, better known as Farm Street Church in Mayfair, London. At Farm Street he leads a Jesuit and lay team serving a city centre ministry which attracts a large and very diverse group of people. As the Jesuit church in the heart of London they hope and pray that their faith in Jesus Christ truly present in all things inspires them to grow as a community of welcome to all at the service of others.

How to Rage: Saturday 30 January, 10:00 – 15:30 GMT, £10 full/£5 unwaged. Register at https://scmpress.hymnsam.co.uk/events. Think about the links between activism, theology and the church. With: Jarel Robinson-Brown: Prophetic Rage: Fire Shut Up in My Bones; Andrew Graystone: How to Rage (With a Smile); Samantha Lindo: Songs and Poems – Why we are Here & Naming the Water; Hannah Malcolm (and panel) – Raging with the Earth; Azariah France-Williams – Raging against Institutions; Ellen Loudon – Tools for Raging.

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Blessid Union of Souls - I Believe.

You can help us keep our doors open…

Covid-19 Emergency Appeal: please respond today…

Dear Friend

Given the current crisis, we’ve had no choice but to close our doors for the first time in the long history of St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Although our buildings have fallen silent, our vital work in the community must still continue – now, more than ever. That’s why today, we’re launching our St Martin-in-the-Fields Covid-19 Emergency Appeal to visitors and supporters like you.

DONATE NOW

You’ll know how important it is that we’re able to provide people who are homeless – or vulnerably housed – with shelter, food and advice when they need it most.

During this time, we are working incredibly hard to ensure that people continue to receive the support they need. We are helping people who were sleeping rough into accommodation to enable them to self-isolate, and are delivering food and other essentials. Your extra support at this time could provide frontline workers with the supplies they need to continue their work in spite of the unfolding challenges of this crisis.

Please, take a second to send your urgent gift today. I can assure you; your generosity will make a real difference to people’s lives at this incredibly frightening time.

I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well. Thank you so much for your continued support.

Revd Dr Sam Wells
Vicar - St Martin-in-the-Fields

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St Martin's Voices - Agnus Dei.

This Stuff Matters

This Stuff Matters is a new exhibition created by Museum of Homelessness in partnership with the Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Curated by people from the Connection at St Martin’s, working with members of Museum of Homelessness community and supported by artist Chloe Osborne, this capsule exhibition takes the largely hidden history of homelessness in the UK as it's starting point and uses it to ask questions about what is happening today.

There is a hidden history of homelessness in the UK that shines a light on today’s crisis. This is a history that shows us what has happened on the streets, in hostels, in politics and in people’s lives over the last 70 years. The curators have selected 13 items from the archive at the Museum of Homelessness to share with the public. These include placards made to protest the recent housing crisis, obscure archival records that highlight long lost social agitators and campaigning material from the past as well as today.

Rather than a typical exhibition or a timeline of homelessness history, the curators are offering an experience from the heart; a series of glimpses into what has gone before and what is happening today. Labels and documentary evidence within the show has been written by people who either are or have been homeless.

History is something we pay close attention to at the Museum of Homelessness, yet all too often in the debates about homelessness and housing, it is forgotten. The lessons that history could teach us are not being learned. In 2018 Shelter estimated that at least 320,000 families were homeless and research by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism tells us that between October 2017 and March 2019, 800 people have died whilst homeless, many in tragic and avoidable circumstances.

This Stuff Matters is an exhibition about learning from history, and about the questions that matter about homelessness today. This work is driven by direct experience of homelessness. Do visit to support and celebrate those participating and to explore the questions that matter.

This Stuff Matters will run until 2nd September 2019 in the Crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields.

This Stuff Matters would not be possible without the support of St Martin-in-the-Fields who are hosting the exhibition, and Turning Point who have funded the project.

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Dire Straits - On Every Street.

Lambeth Palace Garden Open Day

Lambeth Palace Garden Open Day
Friday 5th July
12.00 noon – 3.00pm

Supporting work with people who are homeless or living with Mental Health Issues.

This is an opportunity to visit the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury and help people in need at the same time.

Barons Court Project has been successful in securing this prestigious event as a fundraiser and they hope to have as many visitors to the palace gardens as possible, there is also access to the Great Hall and the Chapel. Lunch will be on sale for visitors and we have secured some wonderful entertainment for the event. The event is open to all and for just £5 you can come along and support their work. There is no need to book, just turn up on the day between 12.00 noon and 3.00pm.

Barons Court Project is the only drop-in centre in Hammersmith and Fulham for people who are homeless or living with mental health issues. Rough sleeping sadly rose by 30% last year and they are busier than ever at the centre. They provide a range of practical services to support people living on the streets, including showers, laundry, postal address, access to IT facilities and meals. They also serve people living with mental health issues and have a range of activities designed to promote wellbeing.

Barons Court have to fundraise each year to ensure their service continues. This day will raise funds for a great cause, as well as giving everyone who comes a wonderful day out.

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Michael McDermott - Wounded.

A Year Outdoors

The church of the ever open door (St Martin-in-the-Fields) has received 10 painted doors as part of A Year Outdoors, an initiative by conceptual artist Beau to raise awareness of the increase in the numbers of street homeless throughout the UK.

To Beau, a front door symbolises having a place to live – something which many people across the UK do not have access to. “Everyone should have a door and if not we need to look at our own to imagine being without it," he explains. These doors speak of the critical situation of poverty and homelessness found in the UK’s cities today where cuts to housing, mental health and social services are driving more and more people into critical situations. “There are almost twice as many people without a home than there was this time five years ago. This is happening right around us, yet we walk on past. I hope Outdoors will act as a catalyst for conversation. Across the UK, we’re experiencing many of the same problems, in different cities. Hopefully things like Outdoors will help bridge the growing gap between us all.”

The reclaimed front doors were originally exposed to a year on the streets by being hung across the streets of Bristol during 2017. Hung in plain sight on the city streets they were, in the main, ignored by passers-by, although street-art culture did adopt some of the sites integrating them into graffiti artworks. The lack of attention originally paid to these doors is symbolic of the hidden homeless community who are often out of sight – sofa surfing, crashing with friends, staying in squats or communal homes, hostels and long-term B&B residences, all forms of homelessness often experienced for years.

Now, attention from well-known artists from across the globe (such as Ralph Steadman, China Mike, Will Barras, Alex Lucas and Jane McCall) has helped breathe new life into the doors. The doors are being exhibited around the country before being auctioned off in December 2019, with The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields one of the homeless charities that will benefit from the project.

The Connection at St Martin’s works with approximately 4,000 homeless people every year to move away from, and stay off the streets of London. Central London attracts thousands of vulnerable people, who wish to start their lives over or believe there are more opportunities available to them here. If these do not materialise, people can find themselves at risk of homelessness. The Connection at St Martin’s works with people to overcome their homelessness through a range of specialist day and night services which empower people living on the edges of society to take control of their lives and achieve recovery.

Organisations like The Connection at St Martin’s can open doors to accommodation and work for those who usually have to bed down outside closed front doors, The literal and symbolic resonances of doors mean that this installation is a conversation starter about the real issues facing rough sleepers and the significance of the rise in numbers of street homeless. Catalyzing these conversations is the concept underlying Beau’s installation.

Outdoors is in the Courtyard at St Martin-in-the-Fields until 31 October.

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Michael McDermott - Shadow In The Window.

Prisons Mission Prayer Vigil

Churches Together in Westminster's Prisons Mission Prayer Vigil took place at Notre Dame de France on Friday evening and included a sequence of readings, dialogue, testimonies, reflections, music and prayer on the themes of prison reform, rehabilitation of prisoners, needs of victims and the Christian response.

Fr Pascal Boldin welcomed us to Notre Dame de France. John Plummer introduced speakers who described experiences and observations of prisons and the prison system from several very different perspectives:

• Paula Harriott. Lead Prisoner Involvement. Prison Reform Trust
• Erica. Ex-offender and Award winning artist
• Ruth Fogg. Specialist in youth crime and related matters.
• Marcel McCarron. Managing Chaplain HMP & YOI Bronzefield.
• Joanna Ex-Offender. St Giles Trust
• Josie Bevan. Wife of a serving prisoner.
• Gethin Jones. Care system to youth crime, custody and reformer.

Shirley Vaughan sang pieces by Handel and Fauré, both of whom wrote on themes of imprisonment. This performance was followed by ‘Voices from Prison’, a drama for three voices written and compiled by Richard Carter, Associate Vicar at St Martin-in-the-Fields, based on: ‘Koestler Voices: New Poetry from Prisons Volume One’. This book presents some of the best poetry from the 2016 and 2017 Koestler Awards. Poetry and prose has a long tradition in secure establishments and the criminal justice system. With the only materials needed being a pen and paper, poetry is the most popular type of Awards submission to Koestler Awards – with around 3,000 poems each submitted annually across Poem, Anthology, Poetry Collection and our Themed Category. One prisoners who writes explains the impulse like this: ‘Jail is like purgatory. You are still around, but you have no impact. No effect. The point of your existence is void. You slowly begin to die … In his introduction to ‘The Illustrated Man’, Ray Bradbury says that he writes “so as not to be dead.” And that is it.’

The Prison's Mission Team at Notre Dame de France led by Sister Catherine Jones guided us in our first prayer session based on Desmond Tutu's prayer: 

Goodness is stronger than evil;

Love is stronger than hate;
Light is stronger than darkness;
Life is stronger than death;
Victory is ours through Him who loves us.
I led the next prayer session based on prisoners & homelessness. Between April 2017 and March 2018, 38% of people (approx 491) seen rough sleeping in Westminster are known to had had experience of prison. 3% (14 people) of those new rough sleepers seen by outreach teams in Westminster were people who had been in prison prior to their rough sleeping. The majority (approx 79%) of these would have had alcohol, drugs or mental health support needs or a combination of these.

We prayed about the issues depicted in ‘Coming out after Fourteen Years’ by P and E (Manager): 'E and I created this piece by using cuttings from today’s newspapers about the complexities of society, which you are shielded from in prison. After 14 years I was that figure walking out into an overwhelming society, full of problems.'

P and E are both at KPH House, a hostel for 20 men convicted of criminal offences who have recently left prison. Their residents come to them from prison under license to continue their sentence within the community. It is one of 12 Independent Approved Premises in the country and is funded by the Ministry of Justice. We prayed for the ministry of KPH House and West London Mission.

The next time of Prayer was led by Major Richard Mingay, Corps Officer Regent Hall Corps. This session focused on Supporting Victims and was divided into four parts-

• 'The God of our Support'
• 'The God of Healing'
• 'The God of Forgiveness'
• 'The God of Hope'

Each section included a Scripture verse; a thought; prayer time and the song verse 'O Lord Hear my Prayer'.

Finally Prisons Mission volunteers presented their personal stories from prison visits and read contributions from other volunteers. Suggested areas for prayer included: those wrongly imprisoned; those who are depressed or lonely; those held beyond the end of their sentence; those experiencing ill health; and those fearing deportation.

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Gabriel Fauré - Prison.

Street Requiem

On Thursday Sept 20 at 8pm in St Cuthbert's Parish Church Edinburgh, ‘Sing The World’ will be presenting the Edinburgh premiere of the award winning STREET REQUIEM, In memory of all those who have died nameless, homeless or innocent on streets around the globe.featuring singers from Australia, USA and Scotland and The Highland Divas from the USA in support of the Grassmarket's Project Choir!

BOOK ONLINE NOW AT: www.trybooking.com/XHSQ

Earlier the same day is Bill Viola & the art of contemplation: a HeartEdge church & culture seminar, Thursday 20 September, 2.00 – 5.30pm, The Parish Church of St Cuthbert, 5 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH1 2EP. 

St Cuthbert's is currently showing Bill Viola's 'Three Women' (http://www.st-cuthberts.net/info/viola2.pdf) and this seminar has been organised as the final event that the church is hosting relating to the installation.

The seminar will focus on:

• approaches to curating exhibitions in churches (Revd Matthew Askey, Chaplain Southwell Minster); 
• Bill Viola's church-located installations (Laura Moffatt, Director Art + Christianity); and 
• art as contemplative or meditative practice (Alexander de Cadenet, artist, and Revd Jonathan Evens, Associate Vicar St Martin-in-the-Fields). 

Register for free tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bill-viola-the-art-of-contemplation-tickets-48161881484.

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Street Requiem - Ubi Caritas.

Beyond: Art from the Edge

BEYOND is an opportunity for people to explore spirituality through a variety of creative approaches.

The aims of BEYOND are:

• To help people to a deeper understanding of spirituality through the arts and other creative activities.
• To explore non-traditional ways of being Christian.
• To be a resource for church people who wish to further explore their relationship with God.

Using art, poetry, philosophy and theology, BEYOND curates provocative spaces in order to inspire and stimulate discussion.The installations and events create environments for questions and grappling with ideas about God without signing up to an established line of dogmatic thought.

6th May sees the launch of their ART FROM THE EDGE exhibition as part of the Brighton Artists Open House festival. The sub-title to this evening event is 'a spiritual private view', and it will be a chance to view the art along with some reflections and meditations inspired by this work and the situations of the artists involved.

ART FROM THE EDGE is an exhibition featuring work from and about the marginalised of society. St Luke's Prestonville hosts drop-ins for homeless and various recovery groups and the artworks on display will be work created by people from these groups or by artists working with them. This exhibition will be an eclectic mix of styles and formats and will give a glimpse into the world of those in our society who are often seen as being excluded or unable to contribute.

The image above is a pointillist sketch in ballpoint pen created by Richard Fletcher which will be on display with other examples of his work.

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Michael Kiwanuka - Tell Me A Tale.

The Connection at St Martin's: Winter Exhibition

THE WINTER EXHIBITION
8th - 28th February
The Crypt at St Martin-in-the-Fields
Free Admission

The Winter Exhibition is a striking collection of colourful artworks by people who attend the art room at The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

The exhibition will give you the chance to learn more about the artists, and the inspiration behind their work. Plus, some of the artworks are for sale, so you can buy original pieces which will also support the people involved!

As part of the collection there is a large painting on display, in the renaissance style, which was kindly donated by artist Rosa Branson. The detailed painting depicts homelessness and some of the ways The Connection helps people recover. You can also buy tea-towels and jigsaws with Rosa’s artwork here!

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Deacon Blue - Bethlehem Begins.

'Baptism- A Radical Act’

'Baptism- A Radical Act’: An art exhibition featuring artwork produced by those who live with homelessness, and by other artists associated with Bloomsbury. It invites reflection on the theme of radical dissent within the religious and political sphere.

23-27 January, 10am-4pm, Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8EP

An installation of artwork and photography will be on display daily, with further information on the history of the Baptist tradition of radical religious dissent, and the politics of water in the contemporary world.

Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church has been working with the homeless and vulnerable of Central London for nearly 170 years, and has a philosophy of ‘inclusion’, where all are invited to participate in the community life of the church. Many of those who live with homelessness are artistic and creative, and the purpose of this exhibition is to display artwork by a diversity of artists.

This project is part of the ‘Still Reforming’ programme by the ‘Reformation’ churches of Central London, to mark 2017 as the 500th anniversary of the reformation. www.reformation500.uk. Find out more about these reformation events by downloading the brochure "Still Reforming".

https://www.facebook.com/BloomsburyBaptist/posts/1539525669410772

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Michael Kiwanuka - Always Waiting.

Start:Stop - The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light

Bible Reading

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. (Isaiah 9. 2-4)

Meditation

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Following Homelessness Sunday this passage from Isaiah, which we have heard throughout Advent and Christmas, provides a paradigm through which we can consider our current experience of homelessness. It enables us to reflect on the journey that those leaving the streets make from darkness to light and to consider what the breaking of the yoke of oppression in a nation in order that all people experience abundance and joy might mean today for those who are homeless.

To be homeless is in a very real sense to walk in darkness. Those who are rough sleeping are exposed and vulnerable in the darkness of the night. It is difficult to avoid slipping into hopelessness and despair. In the dark you are invisible and that cloak of invisibility is what seems to cover people who embarrass society (us) with their need, their lack of a place to be, their unbelonging. The Christmas Appeal at St Martin-in-the-Fields told the story of Richard, whose story shows how quickly and easily people can move from relative stability and security into the dark place that is homelessness. Two and a half years ago Richard was a stay at home dad living in a nice apartment, in a nice complex in a very nice part of town. His relationship with his wife broke down and he started sleeping rough over the road from where he had been living so he could look after his children and take them to school. From that point onwards, he says, “Things started going downhill.”

When people are in this dark place it is very hard to then move back into the light. It has taken Richard over two years to get to the point where he is leaving the support of The Connection at St Martin’s in order to stand on his own two feet. With the help of staff at The Connection, Richard is now living in Building Prospects, af, affordable housing managed by The Connection in Westminster, where he sees his children regularly. He has also worked hard to gain skills to be able support himself in the future. Richard’s next step is to work as a trainee in a hostel for homeless women, putting into practice some of the skills he’s learnt while at The Connection.

Richard’s story shows how agencies like The Connection can make a real difference in helping those trying to leave the darkness of homelessness. Churches make a significant difference: "For example, there are 12,000 people working as volunteers in church-run winter shelters right now. We also have a great history of churches initiating housing associations and other responses to housing need." However, the paradigm provided by our passage from Isaiah suggests that by themselves these organisations and services are not enough to prevent homelessness occurring.

For that to happen, our society and our social and political structures need to be transformed in ways that prevent homelessness happening in the first place. The passage says that before a sense of abundance and joy in which all can share can be seen and felt within the nation, a yoke or rod of oppression has to be broken. That yoke or rod of oppression is the social and political structures which cause homelessness within our society. The extreme growth in the numbers rough sleeping across the UK and in London is not attributable simply to the individuals themselves but also to political policies that have left those individuals unable to remain in the security and stability of their homes.

Shelter recently claimed that two families in London are made homeless every hour. Their prediction, based on government homeless statistics, is that 1,260 families in the capital will lose their home in the next month and 7,370 over the next six months - the equivalent of a household every 34 and 35 minutes respectively. While political policies are not the only factor causing homelessness in the UK, the combined effect of welfare reforms, austerity cuts, immigration controls and a lack of affordable housing has come at a time when there has been a considerable increase in rough sleeping across the country and especially here in London. This combination of government policies acts as a yoke of oppression causing homelessness and making the journey back from darkness to light more difficult to achieve. As Isaiah states, the yoke of oppression must be broken before there is any widespread prospect for rough sleepers and sofa surfers to experience abundance or joy within our nation.

Churches and Christian charities are seeking assurances from the government over what they're describing as the "shame" and "political failure" of rising homelessness levels and are calling on the state to develop a "comprehensive, long-term" plan to wipe out homelessness. Were that to happen, we would see in our own day and time the light of hope, the lifting of burdens and the smashing of oppression of which Isaiah spoke. We would enable the journey, from darkness to light, that those sleeping rough, like Richard, have to travel, to become less burdensome and difficult.

Intercessions

Heavenly Father, we pray for the Government and all people who take decisions which affect the lives of people who are homeless. Guide them to follow your will and make decisions for the common good. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Loving God, encourage all people who work for and with homeless people. Give them the gifts and skills they need. May they be a listening ear and a witness of your presence. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Spirit of God, protect all people who are homeless. Shelter them from all that is harmful, enable them to seek out your face and build their lives anew. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Risen Lord, we pray for those services that support people who are homeless. Social services, health services, the benefits agency and the many voluntary groups and organisations including The Connection at St Martin’s and Church-run winter shelters. May they be professional, efficient and always have the needs of those they serve at the forefront of their work. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

The Blessing

May the blessing of light be on you, light without and light within. May the blessed sunshine shine on you and warm your heart till it glows like a great peat fire, so that the stranger may come and warm himself at it, and also a friend. Amen.

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Graham Kendrick - Beauty For Brokenness.