G'day from the Vicarage!

The current Vicar's letter in the quarterly Parish Magazine

Dearly Beloved in the Lord,

Welcome

We thank God for bringing Tom Brown, a student on the Cornhill Training Course, to live in the church flat and help with the youth work. We also welcome a student from Oak Hill College, Martijn Mugge, with his wife Laura and daughters Lydia, Micah and Miriam. Martijn comes to us from the Diocese of Sheffield, and previously worked in a “people and organisational development company”: I secretly hope he can help us with some of that, which sounds so tantalising…

70th Anniversary Lunch

We look forward to welcoming our previous vicar Jonathan Trigg (now the Vicar of St Michael’s Highgate, where Thomas Renz is to become curate on Sunday 13th December at 6pm). Jonathan will be our Guest of Honour on Saturday 24th October at a catered lunch in the church hall. The consecration of the (unfinished) church building took place on the 21st of October 1939.

Work in Uganda

A great booklet “Take my hand” has been written by Hamlet Mbabazi and Julia Challender. It is about the work of the Kirima School and its sister organisations in rural Uganda. A number of people at St Thomas’s sponsor a child at the school. Sandra Channon has been the organiser at St Thomas’s for a number of years, and has raised thousands of pounds through the Taste of Talents Craft Fair. This year’s craft fair is to be held on Saturday 14th November from 10 till 12. We thank Sandra for all she has done, as Elsa Maycock takes over the administration of sponsors. Elsa would be delighted to hear from you if you would be able to sponsor a child at the Kirima School (currently £10 per month, £120 per year). The booklet on the work in Uganda is also available from Elsa.

A Passion For Life

On the 15th of October at 8pm, there will be a prayer meeting at St James’s New Barnet, for A Passion for Life. This prayer meeting gathers many of the local churches, and will be an encouragement to us. It’s sad to see so few guests when we have evangelistic meetings: let’s pray for the Lord to lead us.

Men’s Breakfast

On the 17th of October Andrew Mitchell will be giving a talk at the Men’s Breakfast on Men and Medicine. Don’t tell the men, but I plan to offer a healthy breakfast that morning.

Nick Howard

What seems ages ago there was a Jewish Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer, Michael Howard. You may remember reading that his son was training for Church of England ministry, but in the end became a full time evangelist. We look forward to welcoming him on Sunday 25th October at the morning service. His topic will be ‘Finding God in the 21st century’. Who can you invite to hear him?

Christian Institute

On Wednesday the 11th of November, from 7.30pm, the Christian Institute will be leading a meeting in St Thomas’s Church, that will bring us up to date on the important areas where government needs challenging from a Christian point of view. This is the first time the Christian Institute has held a meeting locally, and I expect we will welcome many visitors.

Local Meetings

On Tuesday 3rd November at 8pm Oakwood Baptist Church is having a meeting looking back to the Brighton Bomb. This will be a relevant meeting to bring someone who is troubled with the problem of suffering.

Churches Together will be holding seminars on the Thursday nights of November, at the Bourne Methodist church, 7.45pm Topics covered include science and faith, worship, morality and prayer.

Christmas Services

Yes – get ready – The Christingle service will be on the 13th of December at 4pm; the Nativity Play on the 20th of December at 10.30am; the Carol Service the 20th of December at 6.30pm

I thank God that I have now been the vicar here for twelve years. I apologise to you all for my manifold sins and offences, and look forward under God’s loving grace to the years ahead.

With thanks for your partnership in the gospel,

Christopher

From the Registers

Funeral

Leslie Wheybrew