O hushed October morning mild1
Hushed October. Rhymes around autumn are often soft, ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ ‘gathering nuts and shooting pheasants’ – I don’t think I’ve go that quite right but the thought is there, gathering in, shutting down, hibernating.
We’re not doing that. October starts with Dedication on 2nd. Last month Father Stephen preached about Place – the hard place of Jesus [you can read this sermon in the following pages]. Now he didn’t mean THIS place, this building, he meant God as place. And he went on to talk about community. But Dedication IS about a place – this place, this church – and about a community – this community, you and me. And it’s about all the other worshippers who’ve prayed here in the past and will pray here in the future and for whom we hand on this building, impregnated with our prayers and fears. And it’s about rededicating ourselves to God:
to the love of God the Creator
to the service of Christ the Redeemer
to life in the Spirit, the Giver of Gifts 2
At Evensong that day in place of the sermon there’s a dialogue between Father Stephen and Revd Dr Ian Bradley. And we’ll have Traidcraft goods available at both services – a special treat.
Immediately following on Dedication we’re into Harvest Festival on 9th with an All Age Eucharist, Harvest Lunch and another rather special Evensong when the choir will sing One foot in Eden still, I stand – see Ralph Allwood’s explanation further on.
Offerings at Harvest are welcomed by the Simon Community and can be food or toiletries for their work with the homeless. As well as nightly soup runs they have hostels for guests in varying stages of rehousing. You can find out more about their work at simoncommunity.org.uk
After all that you could be forgiven for hoping for a quiet time and indeed there doesn’t seem to be anything special happening on 16th October [except isn’t Sunday always special?] but scarily then the 23rd is the Last Sunday after Trinity which makes one think – Advent ➔ Christmas. Time to make the Christmas pudding. Certainly time to start thinking about the Christmas Market [19th November – you knew that, didn’t you?] We sell home-made Christmas puddings and mincemeat as well as selection of other home-baking and there are Christmas cards and gifts from a range of charities; there’s an extra special Traidcraft stall, Morning Coffee and a Soup lunch. It’s actually great fun and really by mid-November there’s no escaping the fact that Christmas is only a matter of weeks away so you may as well give in and enjoy the fun. And on the subject of Christmas don’t forget your Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes – they need to be in by Sunday 5th November for blessing during the 10.30am Eucharist before being sent off to Mozambique.
What’s in a name?
The Oktoberfest in Munich has been held since 1810 and begins in September. It’s called Oktoberfest because it ends in October. And now lots of other places hold their own Oktoberfests – it’s a catchy title. Names are important. In 1986 we launched the Hampstead Cookery Book and in 2012 we plan to launch a new recipe book for which we need recipes – and a name. The Second Hampstead Cookery Book? Perhaps something more original. The title will wait but we need to get going with receiving and testing recipes so please send your favourites to Maggie Willmer [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> or leave in her tray in the vestry. We’ve already been promised Chris Weatherhead’s Toulouse Sausage that went down so well at the Friends of the Music Garden Party. What can you offer? The first Hampstead Cookery Book was packed with exciting and useful recipes – I still use Lady Willmer’s Mulled Wine and Dorothy Meade’s Apple Chutney and a host of others. It’s a bit of an historical record as well because whilst some of the contributors are still very much with us and will undoubtedly contribute to the next edition some, alas, are not and it’s nice to look back on those we remember with affection when we try their recipes.
So, then tasks this month: bring something for Harvest / prepare a shoebox* / find a recipe / start thinking about what to make for the Christmas Market. Should be enough to keep us all busy.
October
Judy East