February 14 – March 29 2018
What is Lent? Click here for a liturgical guide by Cathie James, Master of Ceremonies
Lent services in 2018 Lent Appeal: Creating jobs for young people in Ghana
At St Michael & All Angels, we mark Lent in a variety of ways – in services and in other activities (scroll down for more details of each activity):
– Lent Sermons: The Sunday morning sermon series will focus on the theology of Redemption
– Lent Lunches: Lunch in homes (right) or the Parish Hall to raise money for our Lent Appeal
– Why me? At Evensong, 6.30pm Sundays, members of the congregation give personal reflections on their life and faith (details below)
– Events and Courses, Reflection and Prayer
Lent Sermons
‘Redemption’
During the Sunday morning Eucharist, there will be a series of sermons reflecting on the theology of Redemption as lived out in the Christian life
Lent 1: Sunday February 18th
Lent 2: Sunday February 25th
Lent 3: Sunday March 4th
Lent 4: Sunday March 11th – Family Mass for Mothering Sunday
Lent 5: Sunday March 18th – Passion Sunday
Lent Charity Appeal
Christian Aid’s Community Partnership – Creating jobs for young people in Ghana
The SMAAA Lent Appeal this year will support young people in Ghana, helping them gain employment opportunities – and particularly remembering those with disabilities and suffering from discrimination, where more than one fifth of the population in Ghana have disabilities.
In Ghana, almost half of the young people are unemployed and, of those looking for jobs each year, only about 2% are employed in the formal sector. The Christian Aid Project will be working with CA’s Community Partners in Ghana creating new enterprises – such as sustainable fish farms in the coastal areas – and enabling more young people to be trained in paid jobs. And there is more to this project – with support for women in work, diversification in existing business, and starting-up new businesses including education in finance, marketing and understanding about taxes etc.
We have personal links with Ghana in our congregation and this particular project carries the prospect of matched funding 3:1 from EU. If we can raise £5,000, it will give £20,000 to the project in Ghana – but this is a challenge!
During Lent we are holding four lunches to raise money for our Lent Appeal. We will also have our green Lent Jar for donations at the back of the Church. And we’ll be raffling a Divine Chocolate Hamper, provided by Divine Chocolate, which grows its beans in Ghana, in support of SMAAA’s Lent Appeal. The draw will take place on March 18th during the last Lent Lunch in the Parish Hall.
Lent Lunches
You are warmly invited to join other members of the congregation and their families for lunch on four Sundays during Lent in the homes of parishioners and in the Parish Hall. There is no charge but donations are invited to our Lent Appeal (see above). They start at 12.30pm and all the venues are close enough to be reached easily from St Michael’s:
Sunday February 18th – hosted by the Women’s Group in St Michael & All Angels Parish Hall
– to include a Christian Aid Presentation by Jill Coombe (CA’s London Churches Coordinator)
Sunday February 25th – hosted by Margaret Hill – see notice in church for address
Sunday March 4th – hosted by Carol & Torin Douglas – see notice in church for address
Sunday March 11th – Mothering Sunday, no Lent lunch
Sunday March 18th – hosted by The Choristers in St Michael & All Angels Parish Hall
Why Me ?
At the 6.30pm Evensong service, members of the congregation give a personal reflection on their life and faith:
Sunday February 18th – Tony Simkin
Sunday February 25th – Helen Wareham
Sunday March 4th – Andrew Maud
Sunday March 11th – Vicky Brooke
Sunday March 18th – Nicola Chater
Sunday March 25th, Palm Sunday: 7.30pm Sacred Concert:
Part 2 of Handel’s Messiah
Events and Trips: Delighting in God
During Lent we make a series of visits to places where we can reflect on the connections between faith and art as a means of inspiring and guiding us on our Lenten journey. Please sign up at the back of the church:
Friday February 23rd: The Wallace Collection – Art
A guided tour of an extensive collection of fine and decorative arts from 15th to the 19th Centuries, situated in the former townhouse of the Seymour Family, Marquises of Hertford. After the tour we intend to have lunch in The Wallace Restaurant. Cost: £10 (excluding lunch) Departing from the front of the church at 10am
Thursday March 1st: The Charterhouse – History
Founded in 1348, the Charterhouse has served as a Carthusian Monastery, private mansion, boys school and almshouse. We will be guided by one of the resident Brothers and finish with a visit to the Thackeray Coffee House. Cost: £15 (excluding coffee)
Departing from Turnham Green Tube at 12.30pm
Monday March 5th: Spencer House – Architecture
The magnificently restored 18th Century home of John, first Earl Spencer, in St James’s Place, Piccadilly is recognised as one of the most ambitious aristocratic town houses ever built in London. The visit will comprise of a guided tour lasting approximately 1 hour. Cost: £11 Departing from Turnham Green Tube at 10.00am
Saturday March 17th: Nuns on The Run (certificate PG) – Film
For some, another chance – and for others a first opportunity – to watch this classic 1990 comedy, filmed in and around St Michael’s and starring Robbie Coltrane, Eric Idle and Janet Suzman. The bar will be open, so whether you’ve seen it a hundred times or never before this will be an enjoyable social occasion with a unique connection to the parish. Cost: Free. In the Michael Room: 7pm for 7.30 start
Friday March 23rd: Hyde Park walking tour – Gardens and History
The largest of the four Royal Parks, established by Henry VIII in 1536 and first opened to the public in 1637. This will be a guided walking tour at a gentle pace ending at a cafe. Cost: Free
Departing from outside the church at 10am
Study Groups
The Journey To Emmaus: Liturgy as Encounter with the Risen Christ
Sundays at 11.30am in the Gabriel Room Canon John Gibaut, Director of Faith and Order in the Anglican Communion, will lead us into the depths of liturgy; reflecting how we encounter Christ through Christian Worship, the Liturgy of the Word the Sacraments and Liturgical Time.
February 18th, 25th, March 4th and 18th
‘Who Am I?’: An exploration of authenticity, the self and identity.
Mondays 8pm in the Vestry. Fr. Edward will examine the way we understand ourselves as individuals and in relationship with the world, with each other, and with God, drawing on the ideas of philosophers such as Descartes and Sartre.
February 19th, 26th and March 5th, 12th and 19th
Re:Imagining Forgiveness: A Meditation about Forgiveness in 20th Century Film
Wednesdays 8pm at St Peter’s Church, Southfields Road. Fr. Fabrizio will lead an exploration of Forgiveness and Reconciliation, through films including The Railway Man, Invictus and Silence.
February 21st, 28th and March 7th, 14th and 21st
The Depth of the Creeds / The Riches of the Lord’s Prayer
Wednesdays 1.30pm in the Vestry. Lay Ministers Anne Mower and Timothy George will lead accessible and informative discussions on the Creeds and the Lord’s Prayer in this series of weekday sessions
The Creeds: February 21st, 28th and March 7th
The Lord’s Prayer: March 14th and 21st
Study Book
Our recommended study book for Lent is:
‘God Curious: exploring eternal questions’ – Stephen Cherry
In a world where religion refuses to expire, two responses predominate. The first, to retrench within the certainties of one’s native or adopted faith, questioning nothing; the second, to sneer and snarl from the secular side-lines. Here Fr Cherry, the Dean of King’s College Cambridge, offers a third alternative for religious believer, agnostic, and atheist alike – to engage with the study of theology.
Prayer and Worship
Stations of the Cross
A short meditative service (30 minutes) journeying with Christ on the way of the Cross
Fridays in Lent at 6.30pm from February 23rd. Venue: St Michael & All Angels Church
Daily Office and Mass
Come and join the Church’s regular daily prayer, which takes place before Mass.
Mondays 5.30pm, Wednesdays 12 noon, Thursdays 9.30am, Saturdays 9.30am. Venue: St Michael & All Angels Church
Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)
By appointment. Please contact the Parish Office or speak to one of the priests. Further times will be advertised during Holy Week. Venue: St Michael & All Angels Church[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]