The month of May was come, when every lusty heart beginneth to blossom, and to bring forth fruit; for like as herbs and trees bring forth fruit and flourish in May, in likewise every lusty heart that is in any manner a lover, springeth and flourisheth in lusty deeds. For it giveth unto all lovers courage, that lusty month of May.
– Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur, 1485
We seem to have waited a long time for spring this year. Perhaps it was worth it – everything suddenly bursting into life as if the plants were waiting as impatiently as all of us. We certainly struggled to have lily flowers rather than tight green lily buds in the church at Easter, and only just succeeded. But it all worked, as it always does, a tribute to Sheena’s flower arrangers. And the flowers were reflected in gleaming pews and polished wood – courtesy of Gaynor’s cleaning team. If you’d like to join either of these teams more volunteers are always welcome.
A sad hiccup to our Easter celebrations was the discovery on Easter Eve that all the children’s easter eggs had been stolen and only a mercy dash by the vicar to Sainsbury’s saved the day – there wasn’t a creme egg left in Hampstead that afternoon! Other things had gone as well, our store of coffee and orange squash for example but, cynical as I am, I find it hard to believe the Lucky Dip box was stolen too – has anyone borrowed it? You can’t miss it, it’s big, full of polystyrene packaging, bright pink and it really doesn’t seem to be anywhere in the building.
Lucky Dip box aside, this does remind us of the need for security and watchfulness. If you’re responsible for any part of the building and open a door please make sure you lock it again. If you see a door unlocked that you think shouldn’t be, please mention it to someone. And, of course, be especially careful of your belongings at all times in the church. Once someone gets the idea we’re an easy target they’ll keep coming back and the only way to stop them is to make sure they can’t find anything worth stealing.
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Looking ahead this month the big event in our church is the Hampstead and Highgate Festival, details of which can be found further on in this issue and the full Festival programme in their purple brochures, a stock of which is available on the shelf at the back of the church.
Drama events this month: Well, we start off with Grimm Tales, the Hampstead Players Youth Theatre event in the Crypt – seating is very limited and they may well be sold out but try for a ticket, I’m sure it will be well worth seeing; rehearsals for Julius Caesar, a Hampstead Players’ production under David Gardner’s direction, get under way – performances 6-8 July so we’ll be hearing a lot more about that next month and St Stephen’s, Pond Street, will be hosting an Antic Disposition production of Richard III just before they close for restoration so it looks as though their long haul to raise the money has paid off. Which is encouraging because we’re still well short of the £20,000 we need to complete the painting of the railings! Work has started on the ABG railing sup Holly Walk – St Mary’s have made a generous contribution to the funds for that part in the hope that they will be completed by the time of Papal Nuncio’s visit in July. The Trustees don’t have the money to go all the way up yet but they hope to have soon. For both lots it would be awful to have to stop before the work is complete – please help us get the last few thousand pounds we need. A special Thanksgiving Service is planned for the autumn but we haven’t fixed a date yet…………..
The Study Centre term starts on 10th May – Make a joyful noise unto God is the overall title, from which you’ll guess that the theme is Music. Details further on in this issue, including information about two outings in June, one to Dedham, one to Salisbury.
The AGM of Churches Together in Hampstead will be held here on Thursday 25th May, after the Ascension Day service. CTH comprises all the local churches – St Mary’s, the Baptists, the Society of Friends, Christ Church, St Andrew’s, Rosslyn Hill Unitarians and ourselves and it is from that group that our Lent courses come. Everyone is welcome to attend the AGM and perhaps meet up with our neighbours from other churches.
The wider church celebrates Christian Aid week from 14th – 20th May and I hope some of you will help by collecting at the tube station on 19th and on the streets on the 20th – please let me know if you can offer an hour on either day. Their new logo is being used for the first time – several months ago I was invited to a presentation of various designs and ideas, one of which was so obscure none of us got what it was about! We weren’t totally convinced by this one either but it was the lesser of two evils – perhaps that’s what they intended.
Finally, a reminder about the Summer Fair: June 10th, 10.30am – 2.30pm here in the church, crypt and grounds, we still have room for more helpers on the stalls. Please contact Chris Weatherhead [email protected] , 020 8458 3455, if you would like to help, either on a stall, setting up [some of this cane be done the day before, particularly bringing things down from the gallery] or clearing up on Saturday afternoon or, if you have transport, collecting goods from people’s houses in advance of the sale. And SELLING RAFFLE TICKETS – we have some excellent prizes so we need to sell! sell! sell! to make it worthwhile.
May
Judy East