The Cross on Victoria Street – Good Friday Walk of Witness

It was a pleasure to represent Churches Together in Westminster today for The Cross on Victoria Street – Good Friday Walk of Witness. The walk went from Methodist Central Hall Westminster to Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, with the Cross carried by people from The Passage and accompanied by the CEO, Mick Clarke

Reflections were given by The Venerable David Stanton, The Rt Rev John Wilson, Rev Preb Rose Hudson-Wilkin. The Rt Rev John Wilson shared two images. The first being the shimmering cross in the devastation of Notre-Dame; an image of God's love seen in the suffering of the Cross. The second being the sun glinting on an unopened tin of sardines given to torment Magda Elefant in Auschwitz which led to her rescue by the Allies; the instrument of torment become the means of salvation. Rev Preb Rose Hudson-Wilkin said, 'Today must not be a 'Holy Huddle. If the cross is going to make any sense then we must witness to what the cross is about.'

This Walk of Witness is held in association with The Passage, Churches Together in Westminster, and the Ecumenical Society of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

See photographs here and here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Graham Kendrick - The Servant King.

#Joytotheworld

Today the Church of England launches its #JoyToTheWorld Christmas campaign with www.AChristmasNearYou.org and four special videos.

Over 27,000 services and events, ranging from the contemporary to traditional carols and nativity stories, have been added to a new website that enables the public to enter their postcode and find Christmas services and events happening near them.

Smartphone users will also be able to geo-locate the nearest services and add a reminder to their calendar. So far more than 2,300 congregations are providing mulled wine and 3,500 sharing mince pies after services.

In addition to the www.AChristmasNearYou.org website, there are four videos being released throughout December, each one sharing a moment of true Christmas joy. The short films star Gogglebox vicar Revd Kate Bottley, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Becoming Revered author Revd Matt Woodcock and comedian Paul Kerensa.

Underpinning the launch of the campaign will be a targeted nationwide social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter to encourage the public to share Christmas #JoyToTheWorld.

Speaking about her moment of Christmas joy from her former church in East London, Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin said:

"Mine has got to be at the very end of the Midnight Mass then we hear the words 'Yea, Lord we greet thee' - our first acknowledgment that Christmas has now arrived.

"Most Sundays people rush home to their rice and peas and dinner but we mingle, we stop and we greet each other and it's a wonderful moment. The Christmas Mass has got people attending who you wouldn't normally see and we get to pass on this Christmas joy."

Watch Rose's film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFjyw_njzvg

Commenting on the launch of the new website, Revd Arun Arora, Director of Communications at the Church of England, said:

"We think a perfect Christmas includes a Church Christmas. No matter how good the dinner or how expensive the present, a deeper joy is to be found in Church at Christmas.

"Whether it's midnight mass, a nativity play, a carol service of the joy of welcoming the Christ child on Christmas day, the best kind of Christmas involves a visit to Church."

Visit www.AChristmasNearYou.org to find out more.

Church of England parishes across the country can get still involved by uploading their services to www.AChristmasNearYou.org/upload and also by sharing their moments of joy on social media using the hashtag #JoyToTheWorld.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pentatonix - Joy To The World.

Bring #JoyToTheWorld with www.AChristmasNearYou.org

Bring #JoyToTheWorld with www.AChristmasNearYou.org

This Christmas the Church of England will be launching a new website inviting people across the country to attend local parish services at Christmas.

On the 1st of December www.AChristmasNearYou.org will be live for anyone to be able to find the nearest Christmas services to them (or search for services in a particular location), including those at St Stephen Walbrook. It will be able to filter by date, whether there will be carols and accessibility such as wheelchair access, sign language and parking and more. They'll also be able to find which Christmas services are serving mince pies or mulled wine! For smartphones, the website will be able to use geolocation to find where the person is and show which Christmas services are happening nearest to them.

To promote the website and accompanying Christmas social media campaign, there will be four videos on the theme of Christmas Joy. The videos star Gogglebox vicar Kate Bottley, comedian Paul Kerensa, Matt Woodcock and Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons Rose Hudson Wilkin - each talking about a moment of Christmas Joy in their lives.

Commenting on the new plans the Rev Arun Arora, Director of Communications for the Archbishops' Council, said: "We think a perfect Christmas includes a Church Christmas. No matter how good the dinner or how expensive the present, a deeper joy is to be found in Church at Christmas. "Whether it's midnight mass, a nativity play, a carol service of the joy of welcoming the Christ child on Christmas day, the best kind of Christmas involves a visit to Church.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chris Tomlin - Noel (Live) ft. Lauren Daigle.

Prayers on the Move @ Stations of the Cross 2016

Station ​Two on the Stations of the Cross 2016 trail is Philip Jackson's statue of Mahatma Gandhi (2015) in Parliament Square.

"Jackson took inspiration from a 1931 photograph of Gandhi standing outside Downing Street, where he had come to argue the case for Indian self-governance. Befitting Gandhi’s radically egalitarian vision, the sculpture stands on a modest plinth, humbly approachable by passerby. As Gandhi himself recognized, his dedication to non-violence and the pursuit of truth resonate powerfully with Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels. Jesus was, Gandhi wrote, ‘the highest example of One who wished to give everything, asking nothing in return, and not caring what creed might happen to be professed by the recipient…I believe that He belongs not solely to Christianity, but to the entire world; to all races and people.’ Much as Jesus stood before Pilate, Jackson’s Gandhi looks toward the Houses of Parliament with gentle but steadfast resolve. Both were imprisoned and killed for the principles they espoused. Are we willing to take up the cross for our beliefs?"

Today, Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Speaker's Chaplain, spoke and prayed at this Station as part of the prayer walk organised by Prayers On The Move. The prayer walk started at Westminster Abbey and ended at Trafalgar Square. Along the way, those walking stopped off at some major landmarks and discussed prayer and spirituality in the modern world. Most importantly, they joined together in some prayer! Speakers included the Bishop of London and Seth Pinnock. A free #prayersonthemove Oyster Card Wallet was given to all participants and the walk involved multiple prayer exercises and discussions.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aretha Franklin - I Say A Little Prayer.