Events this month
Whilst the secular world, who started Christmas at the beginning of Advent or so it seemed, had Christmas finished by Boxing Day, we as Christians still have 6 days to go, rounding off our celebrations with the Feast of the Epiphany which we’re celebrating liturgically on Sunday 8th. In true medieval style though we’re having a different sort of celebration on the 6th itself with the Peter Cook Foundation concert. The cast is largely under wraps but I can reveal that former ‘Python’ Terry Jones will be there, along with Ray Shell who took time off from The Lion King last year to join us and has been persuaded back for another turn. The concert will also feature our choirs, adult and junior, and the whole evening has, as ever, been devised by Father Stephen. If you’re wondering what the Peter Cook Foundation does you can read about it further on in this issue.
Later in the month the Study Centre term starts on 18th, there’s a Churches Together in Hampstead Service on 20th [during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity] which will be followed by refreshments in the Crypt
and the following night, 21st, the Hampstead Players will perform Shakespeare’s Kings, a show compiled by Ben Horslen in place of Julius Caesar last summer, which toured to France but wasn’t performed here. This is the first of several special events this year to mark the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Hampstead Players [I seem to remember some of us wanted to call it the ‘Hamsters’ but were turned down – I wonder why?]
The next day, 22nd, is the Friends of the Music AGM – held in the Crypt after Evensong. The speaker is Jenny Nex and the title of her talk Burglary, Fraud and Sex in the Musical Instrument Workshops of Georgian London.
Slightly in anticipation of the actual day we are celebrating Candlemas on Sunday 29th with an All Age Eucharist.
Moving into February [the next issue of the magazine will be out on 5th] on the 3rd we have a talk by Bill and Sylvia Fry of Theatre Roundabout, in the Crypt.
Finally on 4th February the Pepys Singers will perform here at 7pm.
Office News
I’m delighted to report that Katherine Reed started work in the office just before Christmas. Katherine takes over from Dorothy and I am once again contemplating semi-retirement! For the moment we are working together but ultimately will divide the week between us so that the office is almost always covered. Judy East
January
Judy East