You have seen the house built, you have seen it adorned
By one who came in the night, it is now dedicated to God.
It is now a visible church, one more light set on a hill
In a world confused and dark and disturbed by portents of fear.
And what shall we say of the future? Is one church all we can build?
Or shall the Visible Church go on to conquer the World?
From The Rock,TS Eliot
In 1745 our predecessors saw clearly that they must pull down their dilapidated medieval church and build something better – something bigger, something grander, a church set on a hill, fit for the growing population of an expanding Hampstead. This “new” building was completed and dedicated on 8th October 1747. This year we celebrate that Dedication on Sunday 7th with a modest number of services. In an extract from the Parish Magazine for October 1904 we learn that they did things on a somewhat grander scale:
“(1) Festival Services on Sunday 9th as follows:
7am First Celebration of Holy Communion
8am Second Celebration of Holy Communion
11am Matins (chants only)
11.30am Choral Celebration of Holy Communion, with Sermon by the Lord Bishop of Islington
3pm Public Baptism of Infants
3.30pm Children’s Service with procession and address by the Revd G M Clibborn, Vicar of St Gabriel’s Willesden Green
7pm Evensong with procession and Sermon
(2) Choral festival on Thursday October 13th, 8pm including Processional Hymn “Hail, Festal Day” Mendelssohn’s “Hymn of Praise”, Sullivan’s “Peace” Te Deum. The augmented Choir will be accompanied by Organ and Orchestra.
“The Vicar hopes that all communicants will make their communion on some occasion during the octave October 9th to 16th and that as many as possible, though they may communicate at some other service, will attend the Choral Communion on October 9th, as the central act of Praise and Thanksgiving to Almighty God for His mercies vouchsafed to this Parish during the past year. It is by union in thanksgiving, in prayer, and in work, that we may best ensure yet more abundant blessing on our Parish.”
Revd Brooke Deedes also noted that October was “always a busy time” and that’s as true now as it was then.
We have no less than FOUR musical events this month starting with the Lunchtime recital on Wednesday 3rd under the intriguing title “The Girls in the Magnesium Dress”; on Saturday 6th the Magnard Ensemble will again be entertaining children with another of their very special concerts demonstrating the extraordinary things you can get sound out of and playing some very attractive music along the way; Sunday 7th, as well as being Dedication Sunday, is the birthday of the Community Choir and they’ll be providing a short entertainment after the 10.30am service. Finally on Saturday 20th the Hampstead Players and the St Martin Singers will be doing a concert in memory of Jane Garland, former president of the Friends of the Music and a long-time supporter of music in the church – as well as being a long-standing member of the St Martin Singers. This concert will be given in aid of Sightsavers.
But if the spoken word is more to your taste then don’t miss the Literary Hour on Wednesday 17th – “Wind and Weather” – about which Barbara Alden writes further on in this issue. Or the two study groups – the Bible Book Club and Hampstead Christian Study Centre Reading Group (HCSC), dates for which can be found in the Diary.
Looking ahead: although Remembrance Sunday isn’t till November please read the piece in this issue about how YOU can get involved this year. I was inspired by something Jeremy told me about what they did at York Minster, to try to come up with a way for the congregation to remember their family’s dead as well as those from this parish, which we’ve been doing in the intercessions over the last four years, and who will be remembered by a poppy each on the pulpit fall.
But as ever shortage of space requires some ingenuity – I can’t take up floor space because we need every available inch for the Scratch Requiem the night before Remembrance – even a flower arrangement would be in the way – so the focus of our remembering will be the chancel rails. And because no one comes to church every week the labels (read the article, you’ll see what I mean) will be available on two previous Sundays (28th October and 4th November) and weekdays inbetween.
Only a week after Remembrance, so quickly the dates come round, we have the Christmas Market. Saturday 17th from 11am – 3pm in the Parish rooms. The Friends of the Music will be running a coffee and lunch stall, Traidcraft will have a range of their goods, augmented by Christmas specials, Christian Aid and the North London Hospice will be there and hopefully one or two others. If you know of a charity looking to sell its wares do let us know – space is limited but we can squeeze a few more in. Contact Elizabeth Beesley or myself – you’ll find our email addresses in the information pages of this magazine. This also goes for offers of help because the church always runs a Gift Stall for the Fabric Fund. And of course – COME! Join your friends for Morning Coffee, buy your Christmas cards, browse the stalls, bring your children to their special activity room. And there’s me trying to avoid Christmas till December! Heigh ho.