An item on Radio 4 on the same Sunday as this sermon was preached proposed that most people, even those who attend church, are actually atheists; that they go to church for the community and fellowship, rather than for worship. One hopes, if that is the case, that a little of the worship might rub off on them eventually! Surely just being in a place where prayer has been offered for hundreds of years lends a little spirituality to the atmosphere, to say nothing of the content of the service.
Visitors often comment favourably on our open church policy – open churches are all too rare these days – and those who come don’t only come to look round the building, read the memorials, or take pictures of the architecture. They come to pray, to sit, to absorb the atmosphere. And some of them are glad to see a steward, to learn a little more about the building and the parish. They don’t get to see a steward as often as we’d like.
We cover Wednesdays and Saturdays and Bank Holidays and the occasional lunchtime slot on weekdays – but we’re relying on very few people, really, to do that. We need more! It isn’t difficult work – you don’t have to learn about the history, there are guide books, you don’t have to offer conversation, you just have to be there with whatever you want to do to fill the time – sewing, reading, writing – so long as you can offer a smiling face and a readiness to respond if anyone wants to talk. Please let me know if you could help – particularly over the summer when we have extra visitors.
Some of those visitors may be coming to join in our WW1 commemorative events or to look at the graves of those who died in that conflict. We have some 30 commemorations, not all of them buried here because mostly they were buried where they fell but we’re clearing and marking all the graves we can for the commemorations, which start this month. There’s information on many of them further on this issue, talks and concerts and drama, and more precise details will be available soon.
For national events you could try 1418now.org.uk.
There’s also information about All’s Well that Ends Well – the Hampstead Players’ summer production and Treasure and Riches, the literary hour this month. If you still haven’t tried one of these Wednesday lunchtime events (concert on 1st Weds, readings of various kinds on the 3rd Weds from 1pm and usually lasting about 45 minutes to an hour) why not come along to one this summer? There’s no charge, though we do suggest a retiring collection, and coffee and tea are available after each event.
A very special celebration of our own this month is the Ordination of Diana Young on Friday 20th June and the Celebration of her First Mass on Sunday 22nd. Diana’s invitation is printed further on in this issue – we hope you’ll all come to one or both of these milestones in her ministry.
June
Judy East