This is the weather the cuckoo likes,
And so do I;
When flowers betumble the chestnut spikes,
And nestlings fly;
And the little brown nightingale bills his best,
And they sit outside “The Travellers’ Rest”
And maids come forth sprig-muslin drest,
And citizens dream of the south and west,
And so do I.
Thomas Hardy
If it’s June it must be the Summer Fair – even if some of us still have difficulty not referring to it as a Spring Fair! It doesn’t make any difference to the focus of the day or the desired outcome – we want to make money! All the money raised goes to charities supported by the parish so dig deep and spend freely. And there’ll be lots to spend your money on: wonderful raffle prizes, delicious cakes and bakes, the best lunches in Hampstead [allegedly], unsurpassable White Elephants. The only thing we may not have, unless someone offers to take it on, is a clothes stall. Any offers?
Just before the Summer Fair, Thursday 7th we celebrate Corpus Christi with an evening Eucharist. It’s not a festival we’ve celebrated here for some years, preferring to join with our neighbours at Emmanuel but this year they’re not having a service so we are.
The 17th June is our annual Sunday School Open Day and Junior Choir Prom. Lunch will be available in the Crypt between the end of the 10.30am service and the start of the Prom and there will be a chance to look at displays of the children’s work over the last year.
The month ends with the Ordination of Deacons at St Paul’s Cathedral on Saturday 30th at 5pm. Of particular interest to us, of course, is the fact that Jim Walters, our own new deacon will be ordained then. The service at the Cathedral is for ticket-holders only but we hope you will all join him at the 10.30am service here the next day which will be followed by a welcoming party. [There will be no 12.15pm service that day].
An important discussion going on at the moment is that concerning the possibility of Church of England secondary school for Camden. If you don’t have much to do with edu cation you may be surprised to find there isn’t one already. Please read the article on page 13 and take your views to one of the meetings. As a church with a primary school this concerns all of us.
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In the last few weeks, I’ve found myself looking back over the last 18 ½ years and wondering what I’ve learnt in my time as parish clerk.
First, that a parish is a geographical entity – it’s not just the people who worship here, but all the people who live within its boundaries. That’s why we pray, day by day, for streets of the parish. It’s why we question people who come for baptism or marriage about where they live and why, if they don’t live in the parish, they want to be associated with us. Beating the bounds’ is out of fashion now but it was a way of delineating the parish, walking and knowing the boundaries. It mattered. Of course now people travel to worship and we welcome, and couldn’t do without, the contribution of many parishioners who choose to worship in a different geographical parish from the one in which they live. It’s very London, very modern. It doesn’t alter the fact that the people who live within our boundaries have a special relationship with us. Hence our voluntary rate which asks the people living in the parish, rather than our congregation, to help maintain the building; we invite them to share that special relationship – and they most generously do.
Second, the history. Up in the roof space of the oldest part of the church you can see the bare bones of the building and it’s where I feel closest to the people whose vision set this splendid church just here for generations of Christians to worship in. One more light set on a hill. I don’t know why they chose exactly here, slightly down the slope, sheltered maybe, less good farmland perhaps, but this is where the people of Hampstead have worshipped, in one way or another, for hundreds of years. History, continuity, woven into the fabric of the building. My own connections with the parish go back quite a long way – my grandparents were married here, I have a relative from the early 20th century buried here, my children were baptised and confirmed, and my daughter married, here. But a parish can’t live in the past. Looking ahead we need to develop the building, make provision for the future and purists will argue that it’s listed, it’s historic, we can’t do this or that, but we know that a church is not just its walls, it is people and changing needs that have to be met and growth and development that have to be accommodated.
Third Tradition but if I make tradition a third heading I have to confess that I have reservations about it. I have always tried not to look back, not to say, We used to do it this way’ Inevitably, over the years I’ve developed my own ways of doing things that suited me but which may not work for someone else and may be superseded by better ways. I hope Katherine, the clergy and their team of helpers will want to change things and no doubt they’ll soon find themselves saying “Why on earth did Judy do it that way?” And maybe, seeing what transpires, I shall find myself saying “Why didn’t I think of that?”
This could be the start of a new and exciting time for the parish. But give them time. What I used to do is going to be divided amongst Cleaners, Volunteers, Katherine and the Clergy so please don’t expect Katherine to suddenly have all the answers. I’ve spent months writing down all I do, we’ve had meetings, discussed, re-ordered, discussed again and laid plans to cover the work in a variety of ways. It may not immediately be clear to whom you need to address your question. It’s been hard for all of us and no doubt it’ll take only a few days for them to find I forgot to mention something absolutely vital! So be patient. If things don’t run quite smoothly for the first few weeks give them a bit of space to settle into their new patterns of work. Some years ago when we were feeling the strain of adverse comments I wrote:
The Addressing of Staff [with apologies to T S Eliot]
Sometimes you need to write a letter
To let us know you think it better
That things stay as they are.
We want to know your feelings, true
But the words you use can make us rue
Ever inviting your comments.
So think before you write that ode
Using that tone, those words, that mode
Must you address us quite like THAT!
I hope no one now or in the future will be made to feel like that.
With love and best wishes
Judy East
June
Judy East