CTiW: Livestreamed Ecumenical Pentecost Mass

As current COVID-19 restrictions do not allow us to hold our usual live CTiW Pentecost Service, Churches Together in Westminster are pleased to announce that instead an ecumenical Pentecost Mass will be livestreamed from Farm Street Church of the Immaculate Conception at 6pm on Sunday, 31st May 2020. It is hoped that the service will include recorded music by Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir, and the choirs of Farm Street and All Saints, Margaret Street.

All are very welcome from whatever Christian tradition or none, to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and to pray for our country and world at this time of crisis.

A poster is above, and the link for the livestream is https://www.farmstreet.org.uk/livestream.

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Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir - The Prayer.

Advent - St Martin-in-the-Fields & Churches Together in Westminster

I will be preaching on Advent in the 10.00am Eucharist at St Martin-in-the-Fields tomorrow. Then I'll be leading the second in our Inspired to Follow Advent Course.

As part of our Advent preparations, we are running a new Inspired to Follow course exploring Advent Characters:

• 24 November - Elizabeth & Mary, Luke 1:35-49 / ‘The Visitation of the Virgin to Saint Elizabeth,’ Workshop of Goossen van der Weyden, about 1516.
• 1 December - Joseph, Matthew 1:18-25 & 2:13-15 / ‘‘The Dream of Saint Joseph,’ Philippe de Champaigne, 1642-3.
• 15 December - Zechariah & Elizabeth, Luke 1:57-71 / ‘The Naming of Saint John the Baptist,’ Barent Fabritius, probably 1650-5.
• 22 December – Herod, Matthew 2:1-12 & 16-17 / ‘The Massacre of the Innocents with Herod,’ Gerolamo Mocetto, about 1500-25

Like earlier Inspired to Follow sessions, these use fine art paintings from the National Gallery, along with Biblical story, theological reflection and conversation with others, as a way to explore big questions that we all wrestle with. ‘Inspired to Follow: Art and the Bible Story’ is a free resource produced by St Martin-in-the-Fields in partnership with the National Gallery. The course uses fine art paintings in the National Gallery’s collection, along with a Biblical text and a short theological reflection. To access this free resource register your details here

Following the viewing of art in Inspired to Follow, we will be making art in an Advent Oasis (Sunday 1 December, 1.30-4.00pm, George Richards & Austen Williams Rooms).



This ‘Oasis’ time will include quiet scripture reflection, prayer and practical art. Art materials will be available for you to explore, play with colour and be creative through collage, painting, drawing or writing. All are very welcome.

The artists and craftspeople's group who are organising the Advent Oasis have also contributed images to the Advent Meditations booklet for St Martin's entitled Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord. This is a booklet to guide our meditations through the Advent season and is available from the Stewards on Sundays or from the Vergers during the week for a suggested donation of £3.00.

Our Advent Carol Service begins at 5.00pm when, in words and music we explore our Advent theme with the Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields. The preacher is Revd Sally Hitchiner.

Churches Together in Westminster hold their Advent Service at 6.00pm at St James Piccadilly. The Light Shines in the Darkness has readings and music for Advent with Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir providing uplifting and inspirational songs. All followed by wine and refreshments.

Then we have Sacred Space for Advent at 7:00 pm at St Martin's. This is a reflective service using chants from the Taizé community focusing on the themes for Advent.

See Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir again at St Martin's on Sunday, 8 December at 6:30pm for
THE NIGHT WATCHMEN'S NATIVITY: HOW THE OUTSIDERS WERE WELCOMED IN. It's the Nativity story with a difference! And it's not just the catchy uplifting songs by Stevie Wonder and Jackie Wilson. It's the untold story of the outsiders at the heart of the Nativity: the low wage workers and rough sleepers watching the sheep, the Bethlehem night watchmen, the people God chose to reveal Jesus’s birth. The kind of people God finds it easier to talk with! The Night Watchmen's Nativity sees the birth of Christ through the eyes of the marginalised, using a mix of known and original contemporary gospel songs, secular as well as sacred, interspersed with spoken word and “sung scripture”.

Join Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir at St Martin-in-the-Fields on Sunday 8th December 2019 at 6.30 pm for the premiere of The Night Watchmen’s Nativity. The event is free and everyone is welcome to attend!

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Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir - Oh Come Emmanuel.

St Martin-in-the-Fields: Confirmation, Ascension, Chinese Art, Pentecost, Climate Change, Architecture

There are lots of significant events and services happening in the coming weeks either at St Martin-in-the-Fields or where we are playing a part. These include:

Confirmation
Wednesday 29 May, 6.30pm

We are delighted that the Bishop of London, Rt Revd and Rt Hon Sarah Mullally, will be with us to confirm members of our English-speaking and Chinese-speaking congregations.


BBC Radio 4 Ascension Day Eucharist
Thursday 30 May, 8pm, BBC Radio 4

We are delighted to welcome as our preacher the Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford. The music includes the premiere of Bob Chilcott's Samba Mass, and is sung by the BBC Radio 4 Daily Service Singers and St Martin's Voices, directed by Bob Chilcott. The service will be led by Revd Dr Sam Wells. Congregational admission is by ticket available from the vergers after services or from the Box Office. Please arrive in plenty of time for the service (doors open 7.00pm) and be seated in church by 7.40pm or tune into BBC Radio 4 at 8pm.


Pots and thrones: ritual bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties
Thursday 6 June 2019 6.30pm
St Martin’s Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JH

Talk (in English) followed by drinks reception. Yi Chen will speak on ‘Pots and thrones: ritual bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties’. Free tickets here or phone Jonathan Evens on 020-7766-1127 and leave your name and phone number.

This is the fourth lecture in our occasional series of art talks focusing on aspects of Chinese Art. Yi Chen is Curator: Early Chinese Collections at the British Museum.

Thy Kingdom Come
Sunday 9 June, Trafalgar Square

After the very first Ascension Day the disciples gathered with Mary, constantly devoting themselves to prayer while they waited for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. During the 11 days of Thy Kingdom Come.Through events including 24-7 prayer rooms, prayer days, prayer walks and half nights of prayer it is hoped that everyone who takes part will deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ, pray for God’s spirit to work in the lives of those they know and come to realise that every aspect of their life is the stuff of prayer. Thy Kingdom Come will culminate in a special Beacon Event in Trafalgar Square on Pentecost Sunday. This free, fun, family festival and Service is an event for Christians of all denominations. Be sure to register your interest now.

• 12noon to 3.30pm: At the top of the square there will be marquees in which different groups will be offering a rolling programme of prayer. In the main square there will be a gospel choir, an escapologist, a dance troop, steel band, Salvation Army band and other activities to join in with from jugglers, face painters, magicians and artists. Can I encourage you to come along to celebrate the gift of prayer in the joy of the Holy Spirit.
• 3.30pm to 4.00pm: The Kingdom Choir will take to the stage.
• 4.00pm to 6.00pm: The Pentecost Service will be hosted by Dan Walker and Lady T. Matt Redman is leading worship and there will be contributors including Pastor Agu, Archbishop Angaelos, Cardinal Nichols, Jonathan Bryan, Bishop Sarah Mullally and Archbishop Justin will be preaching.

Then, at St Martin’s, we will hold a service at 6.30pm with the Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir and the Choral Scholars of St Martin-in-the-Fields reflecting on Pentecost through traditional choral, and gospel, music.


The Time Is Now
26th June, Westminster

In Westminster on 26th June, as part of TCC (The Climate Coalition), Christian Aid is organising The Time Is Now, a huge event where we can celebrate our faith in action, lobby our political representatives, pray together and energise one another for the challenges to come. It’s an opportunity to tell MPs that it’s time to act on climate change and to put a net zero greenhouse gases target by 2045 into law, now.

To take part you need to sign up at www.thetimeisnowfaithevents.eventbrite.com for workshops held at St Martin’s and a speaker event at Church House, plus sign up for the lobby at https://www.thetimeisnowmap.co.uk. There is a lobby guide available which includes FAQs. When you sign up your MP will be e-mailed directly inviting her/him to meet you on the day. The MP may give a specific time but expect to be waiting around as the lobby is between 1-4pm.


London Festival of Architecture panel and building tour
St Martin’s Hall on 26th June, 6.30- 8.00pm

Today the more transient nature of cities and how we are now occupying public space and buildings, is allowing places to be inhabited more fluidly, creatively and imaginatively – the boundary between spaces and places is being released. How are public places evolving and responding to the changing nature of how people are inhabiting them?

A talk and panel discussion in St Martin’s Hall on 26th June, 6.30- 8.00pm, around the important of releasing these boundaries through considered, creative and imaginative design will be presented with the following participants:

• Revd Jonathan Evens (SMITF)
• Christopher Burton and Robert Kennett (EPA)
• Kathryn Harris (PCC)
• Vicky Wagner (Publica)
• Ruchi Chakravarty (Westminster)
• Chair – Andrew Caspari

A building and walking tour after the panel discussion, will focus on St Martin-in-the Fields and could expand to include the Strand, Aldywch and St Mary le Strand (the two James Gibbs churches within one parish). Free tickets/booking: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/st-martin-in-the-fields-10-years-on-releasing-of-boundaries-tickets-62046989215?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. 

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Al Green - People Get Ready.