Unveiled - Poetry & Prayer

The autumn programme of arts and culture events at St Andrew's Wickford (11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN) continues next Friday with 'Poetry & Prayer' (all events begin at 7.00 pm):

• 22 September – Poetry and Prayer: Hear Jonathan Evens speak about and read poems about prayer and poems that are prayers. Enjoy poems by John Berryman, John Donne, Carol Ann Duffy, George Herbert, Ann Lewin and Mary Oliver among others.
• 6 October – From Hong Kong to Wickford: See the multifaceted pictorial display at St Andrew’s created by Wickford-based composer Ho Wai-On. It features stories of a lifetime of interaction with UK-Hong Kong based artists/people that have resulted in many creative works. Hear Wai-On speak about the exhibition, her career and her creative projects.
• 20 October – An evening with the Ladygate Scribblers. Hear poetry and prose from a long-established Wickford-based writers’ group.
• 3 November – Wickford Heroes: Hear Steve Newman of the Wickford War Memorial Association and author of ‘Wickford Heroes - The Wickford & Runwell Roll of Honour Book’ speak about the War Memorial & some of those from Wickford & Runwell who made the supreme sacrifice in the World Wars.
• 17 November – Rev Simpkins in concert featuring songs from ‘Pissabed Prophet’ – “Melodious, chaotic, gloriously energetic, the fruit of the fevered musical imaginations of Matty Simpkins (Rev Simpkins) and Ben Brown (Dingus Khan, SuperGlu).”
• 1 December – Mission to Seafarers evening including Sea Shanties: The Mission to Seafarers provides help and support to the 1.89 million crewmen and women who face danger every day to keep our global economy afloat. Hear more about their work from Paul Trathen, Port Development Manager. Also enjoy a selection of sea shanties from local singers led by John Rogers.
• 15 December – Film Night: It's a Wonderful Life. The story of dejected and desperate George Bailey, who's spent his whole life in the small town of Bedford Falls, but longs to explore the world. Reaching rock bottom, he starts to believe that everyone in his life would be better off if he had never been born. An angel shows him how important a role he's had in the lives of friends and family.

These events do not require tickets (just turn up on the night). There will be a retiring collection to cover artist and church costs. See http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html for fuller information.

Our autumn exhibition is FROM HONG KONG TO WICKFORD A Multifaceted Pictorial Display with Stories, an exhibition by Ho Wai-On (Ann-Kay) and Friends running from 25 September – 16 December 2023 at St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN.

Dr Ho Wai-On: Surname Ho, known to colleagues as Wai-On. She comes from Hong Kong where the surname is followed by the given name that represents the individual. She has lived in Wickford for about 15 years and is known to locals as Ann-Kay (her childhood name). Before moving to Wickford, she lived in London for more than 30 years.

Best known as a composer and creator/director of combined-art works and projects, this multifaceted pictorial display features her lifetime of interaction with UK and Hong Kong based artists/people that have resulted in many creative works. It also tells the stories of these people and their work.

The Display features the following:

• ‘Acis & Galatea’: Dance-opera directed by Ho Wai-On for the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts
• ‘Blessed’ – Stations of the Cross with Beatitude: An offering to St. Andrew's from Ho Wai-On
• Clark Ainsworth (UK-HK): Hong Kong photographs
• Dr Juliet Chenery-Robson (Sunderland): Visual artist
• Ruth Cutler (Ramsgate): Mixed media
• Graham Ekins (Boreham): Hong Kong birds photographs
• Ho Wai-On (Ann-Kay HK-UK): Music videos; combined arts; design and photographs
• Inter-Artes: Performing group formed by Ho Wai-On
• Polly Hope (London): Artist
• Herry Lawford (Stockbridge): Chelsea Flower Show photographs
• Professor Stephen Matthews (UK-HK): Hong Kong birds photographs
• Ben Rector (Wickford): Photographer
• Roy Reed (UK): Photographer
• Martin Singleton (Wickford): UK birds photographs
• Albert Tang (HK-London): Stage/costume/poster/cover design and more
• “THEME HONG KONG“: Project
• Dr David Tong (Sidcup): Poetry
• True Light Old Girls (Ho Wai-On's old school): Choy May-Chu (HK-Taiwan); drawings/paintings; Kitty Kwan (HK-UK-AU-US) photos; Toby Man (HK-US) drawing
• Marcus West (Cardiff): Computer graphics
• Benson Wong (HK-UK-HK): Fashion/textile/jewellery design & digital portraits

N.B., ( ) indicates residency. E.g., (HK-UK-AU-US) = From Hong Kong, then lived in the UK, Australia, now lives in the US.

Ho Wai-On says: “My memory of life in Hong Kong is about 15 years, which is about the same as I have been living in Wickford. In between, for more than 30 years, I lived mostly in London and went back to Hong Kong from time to time. With UK-based professionals in creative and performing arts, I created and staged performances of works/projects that combine music, dance, drama and visual art across different cultures, sometimes with relevant displays. This multifaceted pictorial display at St. Andrew's Church features stories of my lifetime's interaction with UK-Hong Kong based artists and people and the resulting creative works, and tells you about these people and their work. I hope this might encourage audiences' interest in getting to know more.”

Special opportunities to view the exhibition include:

• Mid-Autumn Harvest Moon Celebration Viewing with Refreshments, Friday 29 September, 7.00 – 9.00 pm: Friday 29 September is the Mid-Autumn Festival (Harvest Moon to the English) - one of the most important festivals celebrated by ethnic Chinese, and also celebrated in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other countries in East and Southeast Asia. People, and especially family members, gather together to eat and to look at the moon at its brightest and roundest in a year. Rod Reed's photos of "Mid-Autumn in London Chinatown", commissioned by Inter-Artes, are featured in the Display.
• ‘Flying Wild – Beautiful Birds and Insects’ talk by Martin Singleton (Wickford Wildlife Society) with exhibition viewing, Monday 2 October, 7.30 pm: Martin Singleton will talk about the creatures found with his photographs which are included in the Display.
• Unveiled exhibition viewing evening, Friday 6 October, 7.00 – 9.00 pm: Meet Ho Wai-On and hear about the exhibition, her career and her creative projects.

Ho Wai-On’s Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AKLHWO/videos
Ho Wai-On’s Website: www.howaion.co.uk

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Mary Gauthier - Prayer Without Words.

The Art of Creation

This one-day conference brought together speakers from a wide range of disciplines to explore the intersection of art, theology, and ecology. The event, at King's College London, fostered dialogue and collaboration between these fields and encouragement of innovative approaches.

The programme included short papers that explored the relationship between art, theology, and ecology in relation to three works of art from the National Gallery’s collection: Monet’s 'Flood Waters', Van Gogh’s 'Long Grass with Butterflies', and Ruysch’s 'Flowers in a Vase'. It also featured a reflection on the 'Saint Francis of Assisi' exhibition at the National Gallery, from co-curator Joost Joustra.

The presentations were:

• Art At Creation’s Extinction: Ecological Theologies in Ruysch’s Flowers in a Vase and Regan O’Callaghan’s St Paul and the Huia – Steve Taylor
• ‘God Saw All That He Had Made and Found it Very Good’ – Melissa Raphael
• Letting Creation Speak: A Theology of Resonance and the Ecological Art of Vincent van Gogh – Wes Vander Lugt
• Nouvelle Theologie, Van Gogh, and Artist Practice – Anna Yearwood
• Reflections on St Francis of Assisi – Dr Joost Joustra, as Howard and Roberta Ahmanson Associate Curator of Art and Religion and one of the curators of the exhibition
• ‘We Are Water Spirits’: An Ecofeminist Theological Response to Monet’s Floodwaters in Conversation with South African Poetry – Ninnaku Oberholzer

My paper 'Job 38.1-11 and The Art of Creation' explored the way in which the abundance of nature exceeds human constraints in the three images. Claude Monet depicts river waters exceeding their natural banks to flood surrounding lands in Flood Waters, Vincent Van Gogh paints an expanse of grass extending beyond his canvas in Long Grass with Butterflies, while Rachel Ruysch’s Flowers in a Vase brings flowers that bloom at different times of year together in one image. This evidence of our inability as human beings to corral nature was equated to the intent of the questions posed by God in Job 38.1-33, as these are intended to show Job (and the readers of this text) the limits to human understanding. The ways in which the three artists use their canvasses was also explored in order to contrast the limits of human understanding and the fecundity of nature with the necessity of edges, frames, and other constraints in order that human beings sub-create or co-create. In these ways, the paper reflected on the possibilities and limits to human creativity in relation to divine creativity, using the attempt by artists to depict the beauty and wonder of God’s creation on canvas as a paradigm for creation-care more generally.

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Water into Wine  Band - Harvest Time.

'Unveiled' - talks, conversations and concerts

Unveiled
A new, regular Friday night arts and performance event at St Andrew’s Church, 7.00 – 9.00 pm, 11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN
Exhibitions, open mic nights, performances, talks and more!

• Unveiled – a wide range of artist and performers from Essex and wider, including Open Mic nights (come and have a go!).
• Unveiled – view our hidden painting by acclaimed artist David Folley, plus a range of other exhibitions.

Autumn Programme

Friday 21 October, 7.00 pm, St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN. Wickford Famous, a talk by Ken Porter of Basildon Heritage on famous people from Wickford.

Friday 28 October, 7.00 pm, St Andrew's. Henry Shelton in conversation. Meet the artist and hear about his work with Stephen Cottrell, Ranulph Fiennes, Trevor Huddleston, David Lean and others. Plus commissions in Goodmayes, Hutton, Romford, Stoke and elsewhere.

Friday 4 November, 7.00 pm, St Andrew's. Jackie E. Burns in conversation. Meet the artist and hear about her work as a Space Artist. Jackie is a Fellow of the International Association of Astronomical Artists whose members are dedicated to creating images of space - galaxies, stars, planets, moons – combining science and art to expand the human mind and soul.

Friday 11 November, 7.00 pm, St Andrew's. Jonathan Evens will give a presentation on 'Congruity and controversy: exploring issues for contemporary commissions.' Modern art commissions have led to debates about the Church working with artists that have significant mainstream reputations versus those without, and between secular artists and artists who are Christians. In his illustrated presentation Jonathan shows work made for churches by all these groups of artists and examines the resulting debates.

Friday 18 November, 7.00 pm, St Andrew's. Rev Simpkins & the Phantom Folk: Rev Simpkins’ music mixes the colourful folk tradition of Appalachians Mountains with the melodiousness and carefully-observed lyrics of the Kinks. Close harmonies intertwine with banjo, French horn, and bass. At this concert the band will perform the Rev’s acclaimed fourth album and book, 'Saltings' in its entirety.

Created with the Illustrator, Tom Knight, Saltings is a loving portrait of the mystery and beauty of Essex's salt marsh wilderness, and a meditation on the real human cost of the wilderness time of the pandemic. 

Found within 50 miles of London, the saltings are one of England’s last natural wild spaces. Working as a parish priest a few miles away, Matt came to the saltings to retreat and compose these compelling and compassionate songs about his community’s real-life experiences during the pandemic. Saltings portrays hope found amid wilderness.

The Reverend Matt Simpkins is the fourth generation of his family to be ordained priest in the Church of England. Prior to ordination, Matt was a professional musician having been a choral scholar at Oxford University and a Lecturer in Music. He collaborated with Kenney Jones of the Small Faces to reconstruct the orchestral parts of their 1968 psychedelic masterpiece Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake. In 2019 a diagnosis of cancer and a period of illness brought an opportunity to make new music and the Rev released the hope-filled album Big Sea in 2020, which was selected as one of Louder than War’s albums of 2020.

‘a triumph…hypnotic and compulsive listening’ Fatea on Saltings

‘tender...magnificent...outstanding’ Vive le Rock on Saltings

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Rev Simpkins - Gathering Grounds.

Remembering Ervin Bossányi

Remembering Ervin Bossányi was an event held at the Liszt Institute dedicated to Hungarian-born artist Ervin Bossányi, best known for his stained glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral.

Ervin Bossányi (1891-1975) was born in a small village in southern Hungary and educated in Budapest. He worked as a painter and sculptor mainly in northern Germany until his forced emigration in 1934. In due course, he would establish a new career as a notable stained glass artist in England. He created stained glass windows for Senate House Library, University of London, the Tate Gallery (‘The Angel Blesses the Women Washing the Clothes’), the Victoria and Albert Museum (‘Noli me tangere’), as well as for York Minster, the President Woodrow Wilson memorial chapel in Washington National Cathedral, Washington DC and Canterbury Cathedral, among others.

Art historian Monica Bohm-Duchen, founding director of Insiders/Outsiders, led a panel discussion with family members, stained glass experts and others to explore the extraordinary life and unique cultural contribution of this still too little-recognised artist.

Panel participants:

• Ilona Bossányi: granddaughter of Ervin Bossányi
• Revd Jonathan Evens: Team Rector for Wickford and Runwell, who writes regularly on visual arts and has a special interest in émigré artists who worked for the Church
• Alfred Fisher MBE: stained glass artist, who worked with Bossányi
• Caroline Swash: stained glass artist and author of The 100 Best Stained Glass Sites in London

The video of this event is above. Due to technical issues, recording ended after Alfred Fisher had spoken. In my presentation, which is as a result absent from the recording, I briefly mapped out the context within which Bossanyi’s work and vision can best be understood and appreciated, by showing the extent to which aspects of his approaches were shared with others in his day and time. My paper will be published by ArtWay shortly.

My Artlyst interview with Ilona Bossanyi about her grandfather can be found at Ilona Bossanyi: Tate’s Ervin Bossanyi Stained Glass Window Mothballed After 2011 Redevelopment.

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Zoltán Kodály - Missa Brevis.

Remembering Ervin Bossányi, Stained Glass Artist

 

Yesterday I took part in an event held at the Liszt Institute dedicated to Hungarian-born artist Ervin Bossányi, best known for his stained glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral.

Ervin Bossányi (1891-1975) was born in a small village in southern Hungary and educated in Budapest. He worked as a painter and sculptor mainly in northern Germany until his forced emigration in 1934. In due course, he would establish a new career as a notable stained glass artist in England. He created stained glass windows for Senate House Library, University of London, the Tate Gallery (‘The Angel Blesses the Women Washing the Clothes’), the Victoria and Albert Museum (‘Noli me tangere’), as well as for York Minster, the President Woodrow Wilson memorial chapel in Washington National Cathedral, Washington DC and Canterbury Cathedral, among others.

Art historian Monica Bohm-Duchen, founding director of Insiders/Outsiders, led a panel discussion with family members, stained glass experts and others to explore the extraordinary life and unique cultural contribution of this still too little-recognised artist.

Panel participants:

• Ilona Bossányi: granddaughter of Ervin Bossányi
• Revd Jonathan Evens: Team Rector for Wickford and Runwell, who writes regularly on visual arts and has a special interest in émigré artists who worked for the Church
• Alfred Fisher MBE: stained glass artist, who worked with Bossányi
• Caroline Swash: stained glass artist and author of The 100 Best Stained Glass Sites in London

In my presentation I briefly mapped out the context within which Bossanyi’s work and vision can best be understood and appreciated, by showing the extent to which aspects of his approaches were shared with others in his day and time. My paper will be published by ArtWay shortly, while the session as a whole was recorded and will be made available by The Liszt Institute and Insiders/Outsiders.

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Bartók Jazz Café.

Ervin Bossányi, The Christian Hope in Art, God's Collections, The Artist as Truth-Teller and André Girard

In June I will be giving several presentations on different aspects of the Arts.

Remembering Ervin Bossányi, Stained Glass Artist is an event at the Liszt Institute on 9 June dedicated to Hungarian-born artist Ervin Bossányi, best known for his stained glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral.

Ervin Bossányi (1891-1975) was born in a small village in southern Hungary and educated in Budapest. He worked as a painter and sculptor mainly in northern Germany until his forced emigration in 1934. In due course, he would establish a new career as a notable stained glass artist in England. He created stained glass windows for Senate House Library, University of London, the Tate Gallery (‘The Angel Blesses the Women Washing the Clothes’), the Victoria and Albert Museum (‘Noli me tangere’), as well as for York Minster, the President Woodrow Wilson memorial chapel in Washington National Cathedral, Washington DC and Canterbury Cathedral, among others.

Art historian Monica Bohm-Duchen, founding director of Insiders/Outsiders, will lead a panel discussion with family members, stained glass experts and others to explore the extraordinary life and unique cultural contribution of this still too little-recognised artist.

Panel participants:

• Ilona Bossányi: granddaughter of Ervin Bossányi
• Revd Jonathan Evens: Team Rector for Wickford and Runwell, who writes regularly on visual arts and has a special interest in émigré artists who worked for the Church
• Alfred Fisher MBE: stained glass artist, who worked with Bossányi
• Caroline Swash: stained glass artist and author of The 100 Best Stained Glass Sites in London

In my presentation I will briefly map out the context within which Bossanyi’s work and vision can best be understood and appreciated, by showing the extent to which aspects of his approaches were shared with others in his day and time.

The event is free but registration via Eventbrite is required. Doors open at 6.00 pm, event starts at 6.30 pm.

Then I'll be giving a presentation on 'The Christian Hope in Art' to ordinands and Licensed Lay Minister at South West Ministerial Training Course. This presentation will share three artworks shown at St Martin-in-the-Fields which show aspects of Christian hope plus initiatives in music and drama from St Martin's that enable engagement with the hope of Christianity.

Later in June I'll also be giving a tour of artworks at St Martin-in-the-Fields to participants in a seminar organised as part of Gods’ Collections, a project looking at why and how collections at places of worship have developed, how they have been looked after, and how understanding of them has changed over the millennia. Places of worship of all traditions have always accumulated collections. Today some places of worship have generated great art museums, while others just keep a few old things in a sacristy cupboard. Recent years have seen a considerable study of 'collection', 'collecting', and why people collect. God's Collections considers collections in the very distinct context of places of worship.

Finally, I will be talking about André Girard in The Artist as Truth-Teller and The Legacy of French Artist Georges Rouault, a symposium in Paris on Friday 17 June 2022, sponsored by the Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art (ASCHA), The Department of Art History, ICP, and Institut supérieur de théologie des arts (ISTA), ICP, at Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP), 74 rue Vaugirard 75006 Paris, René Rémond lecture hall. For a complete schedule, see The Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art (ASCHA). The symposium is free of charge but registration is required. To register go to https://colloque-georges-rouault.eventbrite.fr.

In my paper entitled ‘True humility is not mediocrity’ I will explore the influence of Rouault on the life and work of André Girard. I discovered the work of Girard through Christianity in Art by Frank and Dorothy Getlein, a book which views Rouault as being ‘the twentieth century artist above all others who fused into one monumental testament all the elements of the social revolution and the new Christianity’. Girard, as student and friend of Rouault, is seen by the Getlein’s as developing ‘the first move of Christian art toward the universal audience of today’.

Although he enjoyed considerable recognition in his own day and time, the reputation of Girard has diminished with time, unlike that of Rouault. As a result, his work is ripe for rediscovery. In this paper, in addition to highlighting key strands of Rouault’s influence on Girard such as humility and risk taking, I will also explore some of the reasons why Rouault’s work transcends his age, while that of Girard seems to remain within his. Additionally, I will share the contrasts in their work noted by their friend André Suares - penitence and affirmation.

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Arcade Fire - The Lightning I, II.

Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking

The 2020 AGM of Churches Together in Westminster will be held on 20 January 2020 at 6.00pm for 6.30pm at Hinde Street Methodist Church, Hinde Street, London W1U 3QJ.

Following the AGM there will be a talk by Kevin Hyland OBE, former UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner on the subject of “MODERN SLAVERY and HUMAN TRAFFICKING”.

It is hoped to have displays and information from various other organisations working in this field which will give everyone the opportunity to find out further about the work that is being done.

Refreshments available. Everyone welcome.

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Van Morrison - Let The Slave.

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.

Apocalypse in Art: The Creative Unveiling

Apocalypse in Art: The Creative Unveiling was a conference organised in June by CenSAMM at the Panacea Museum in Bedford.

The word ‘apocalypse’ originally indicated an ‘unveiling’, and the speaker in the Book of Revelation is a ‘seer’. This is perhaps one of the reasons that this ancient text (and others like it) have generated such a ferment of creative responses in the visual arts – as well as those other non-visual strands of the arts which have their own way of engaging our mind’s eye.

The rich variety of types of artistic unveiling (visual, musical, dramatic, literary) makes an engagement with the creative arts a deeply valuable way of understanding and appreciating the idea of apocalypse, alongside more traditionally academic modes of enquiry.

This conference sought to explore our relationship to art, its practice, its study and what the arts unveil to us. As artists or as audiences of art we can be profoundly transformed by our encounters with artistic creativity; indeed, we can find ourselves using the language of revelation to describe such encounters, regardless of our individual faith, religion or beliefs. Mark Rothko is quoted as saying, “the people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience I had when I painted them.”
All presentations, including my own, are now on the CenSAMM website here: https://censamm.org/conferences/apocalypse-in-art/apocalypse-in-art-the-creative-unveiling-june-2018-media-archive or can be found on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLeX_GYWBJdMF_Iydw_0LBg/videos?disable_polymer=1.

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Melbourne Mass Choir - When He Returns.

plus+ presentations: Women on Company Boards

As part of further developing the relationships St Stephen Walbrook has with the business community in the City of London, we have begun a new series of events to explore the place of faith in the world of business. This new ongoing series of events is entitled ‘plus+ presentations’, as the series is one part of the way in which St Stephen seeks to add value to the City.

The format for ‘plus+ presentations’ is:

• 6.15pm: Evening Prayer (optional)
• 6.30pm: plus+ presentation
• 7.00pm: Drinks reception & networking
• 7.30pm: Close

As part of her talk on campaigns to see more women on company boards, Sally Muggeridge highlighted the examples of two remarkable woman. The first was Revd Paula Vennells. Sally said that "Paula happens to be Chief Executive of the Post Office and is an ordained self-supporting minister like myself. Prior to her present role Paula, like myself, had had a long business career, starting with Unilever in 1981. I listened to Paula speak last week as to how she manages to work at the heart of two national institutions that shape and support us in our communities all over the UK. Paula also has three Parishes in Bedford!"

The other example she quoted was that of Liza Strong, the group head of organisational talent and diversity at Royal Mail saying that: "Liza had put a whole new meaning into diversity when she asked a transgender champion to speak on a panel at an event for female employees, alongside the business’s CEO and a range of distinguished authors and experts. Liza said that she wondered if the organisation was ready, but she told me people loved it and Liza was the one who got all the questions afterwards. Other key signals were Royal Mail taking part in the Pride Festival in London for the first time, together with a Post Box at Mount Pleasant sorting office in the Capital being painted in rainbow colours."

Sally noted that Royal Mail has also pioneered balanced shortlisting, where any shortlist for frontline roles must have an equal gender split. To some, she said, these might seem small changes but from little actions, larger ones emerge, and it helps change the ethos of the workplace. 

The overall message has been that ‘Our CEO believes that employing more women will change the culture.’

The programme of plus+ presentations going forward is as follows:

• 9th November Barbara Ridpath, Director of St Paul's Institute, will speak on Transitions: how to make life-changing career changes by choice or necessity.
• 18 January 2018, our presenter will be Professor Richard Higginson (Director of Faith in Business, Ridley Hall Cambridge) speaking about Christian entrepreneurs living out their faith.
• 15 February 2018 - Revd Dr Fiona Stewart-Darling, Canary Wharf MultiFaith Chaplaincy.

Each plus+ presentation is preceded by Evening Prayer at 6.15pm.

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Karen Peris - First Days In The City.

plus+ presentations: adding value to the City

As part of further developing the relationships St Stephen Walbrook has with the business community in the City of London, we have begun a new series of events to explore the place of faith in the world of business.

This new ongoing series of events is entitled ‘plus+ presentations’, as the series is one part of the way in which St Stephen seeks to add value to the City.

The inaugural plus+ presentation was given by Douglas Board, founder of Maslow’s Attic, on 21 September. Douglas, who is a senior visiting fellow at Cass and also writes on management, faith, society and humour, as well as careers, share practical, intellectual and spiritual reflections on flourishing at work in a presentation entitled ‘In an open plan office, can anyone hear you scream?’

Douglas began by referencing a sense of loneliness versus connectivity as characteristic of digital age and workplaces. Managers have become attuned to giving pseudo-recognition but there are not often "authentic" connections between people as work. There is a sense of "investing in people" but the reality is usually different. This is often due to leaders lacking emotional intelligence. Loneliness in the workplace is a poverty of recognition. Genuine/authentic connections are needed, not the round-robin "well done" one-liner emails etc. Is there a role for church here? Listening, supporting? Outside of the politics of workplace and away from familiarity at home? He suggested the example of authentic listening as developed by Samaritans, as pioneered at St stephen Walbrook. Douglas talked about our "real" hierarchy of needs, not with individual/self at the peak - but relationships with each other: (Peak) Recognition (Mid Tier) Respect (Foundation Tier) Unconditional Love. What can we do to overcome the issues he addressed? More face to face contact, less reliance on email. More time to get to know people. Create space to talk.
The format for ‘plus+ presentations’ is:

• 6.15pm: Evening Prayer (optional)
• 6.30pm: plus+ presentation
• 7.00pm: Drinks reception & networking
• 7.30pm: Close

Going forward, we plan to run the plus+ presentations on the third Thursday of each month, although the remaining 2017 dates will be 19th October; 9th November:

• 19th October Revd Sally Muggeridge, Curate at St Stephen Walbrook, will speak from personal experience about campaigns to increase the numbers of women on Boards. 
• 9th November Barbara Ridpath, Director of St Paul's Institute, will speak on Transitions: how to make life-changing career changes by choice or necessity.
• 18 January 2018, our presenter will be Professor Richard Higginson (Director of Faith in Business, Ridley Hall Cambridge) speaking about Christian entrepreneurs living out their faith.
• 15 February 2018 - Revd Dr Fiona Stewart-Darling, Canary Wharf MultiFaith Chaplaincy.

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Peteris Vasks - Lord, Open Our Eyes.

plus+ presentations: adding value to the City of London

As part of further developing the relationships St Stephen Walbrook has with the business community in the City of London, we plan to begin a new series of events in the autumn to explore the place of faith in the world of business.

This new ongoing series of events is entitled ‘plus+ presentations’, as the series is one part of the way in which St Stephen seeks to add value to the City.

The inaugural plus+ presentation will be given by Douglas Board, founder of Maslow’s Attic, on 21 September (6.30pm). Douglas is a senior visiting fellow at Cass and also writes on management, faith, society and humour, as well as careers. Previously, he was consultant, director and then deputy chairman of Saxton Bampfylde, a top 10 UK search firm.

Douglas will share practical, intellectual and spiritual reflections on flourishing at work in a presentation entitled ‘In an open plan office, can anyone hear you scream?’

The format for ‘plus+ presentations’ is:

• 6.15pm: Evening Prayer (optional) 
• 6.30pm: plus+ presentation 
• 7.00pm: Drinks reception & networking 
• 7.30pm: Close 

Going forward, we plan to run the plus+ presentations on the third Thursday of each month, although the remaining 2017 dates will be 19th October; 9th November.

On 19th October Revd Sally Muggeridge, Curate at St Stephen Walbrook, will speak from personal experience about campaigns to increase the numbers of women on Boards.

On 9th November Barbara Ridpath, Director of St Paul's Institute, will speak on Transitions: how to make life-changing career changes by choice or necessity.

On 18 January 2018, our presenter will be Professor Richard Higginson (Director of Faith in Business, Ridley Hall Cambridge) speaking about Christian entrepreneurs living out their faith.

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Deacon Blue - Wages Day.

In an open plan office, can anyone hear you when you scream?

As part of further developing the relationships St Stephen Walbrook has with the business community in the City of London, we plan to begin a new series of events in the autumn to explore the place of faith in the world of business.

We are already marketing St Stephen Walbrook, and some specific business-related offers, using ‘plus+’ to talk about St Stephen Walbrook adding value to the City. As a result, this new ongoing series of events will be titled ‘plus+ presentations’.

The inaugural presentation in our new series of plus+ presentations will be given by Douglas Board, founder of Maslow’s Attic, on 21 September, 6.30pm, at St Stephen Walbrook

Douglas Board is a senior visiting fellow at Cass and also writes on management, faith, society and humour, as well as careers. Previously, he was consultant, director and then deputy chairman of Saxton Bampfylde, a top 10 UK search firm. Douglas will share practical, intellectual and spiritual reflections on flourishing at work in a presentation entitled ‘In an open plan office, can anyone hear you scream?’

The format for ‘plus+ presentations’ is: 

• 6.15pm: Evening Prayer (optional); 
• 6.30pm: plus+ Presentation; 
• 7.00pm: Drinks reception & networking; 
• 7.30pm: Close. 

There is no charge for the presentation/reception and no need to book. All are welcome – just come on the day.

Going forward, we plan to run the plus+ presentations on the third Thursday of each month, although the remaining 2017 dates will be 19th October; 9th November. On 18 January 2018, our presenter will be Professor Richard Higginson speaking about Christian entrepreneurs living out their faith.

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Arvo Pärt - Da Pacem.