Today/All Saints & All Souls; All Saints at 10am and All Souls Requiem at 5.00pm. At these services we will be remembering all those who have died in the last year who have been members of St Martin’s or connected with our church.
Today/Crèche at St Martin’s. For the 0-4 age group, with trained childcare leaders, takes place in the Austen Williams Room every Sunday. Please ask a steward to show you where to go.
Today/Children’s C-Club Programme/11.30am, DSC. We will discover who the saints of God are and why we remember them.
Today/Extraordinary Parochial Church Meeting/11.30am, St Martin’s Hall. The PCC Planning Group has, on a six-yearly cycle, and after competitive tendering, selected a new set of auditors: www.haysmacintyre.com. Since the approval of auditors is an APCM matter, we need to call an Extraordinary Parochial Church Meeting to affirm this decision (expected to last around 30 seconds.) All members of our electoral roll are entitled to vote. If you have any concerns about this appointment please speak to the vicar or churchwardens in advance of the meeting.
Today/Book Sale/11.30am. After the 10am service. All proceeds to relief in Indonesia.
Today/Inspired to Follow Advent Course/Beginning Sunday 4 November, 12-1pm, Austen Williams Room. This course explores life’s big questions: Death, Judgement, Heaven & Hell. Further dates are 18 November, 2 and 16 December. Like earlier Inspired to Follow sessions, these use fine art paintings from the National Gallery, along with Biblical story, theological reflection and conversation, to explore big questions that we all wrestle with. All are welcome.
Today/Encountering our International Neighbours. This week we pray St Mary’s Cathedral, Johannesburg, that it may be a beacon of light and hope and a place of healing and growth. Bless our partnership as together we strive to live as your children. For more information, please see the Encountering our International Neighbours booklet in church.
This Week/Autumn Lecture Series/ Continuing 5 November, 7.00-8.30pm: Encountering the Sacred: Neil MacGregor with Richard Coles, Ben Okri and Nicola Green. Followed by Woven Gold in Concert (18 Nov); and Encountering God: Justin Welby in conversation with Sam Wells (19 Nov). The cafe will stay open until 10pm for refreshments afterwards and a chance to meet the speaker. This year for the first time all lectures are being filmed so you can catch up with the lecture on line.
This Week/Club Wednesday/Wednesday 7 November. Choral Eucharist at 1.00pm followed by lunch at 6, St Martin’s Place. Revd Jonathan Evens and Georgie Illingworth will be talking about the exciting development of HeartEdge network of churches and the Sheppard Scholarship Programme.
This Week/Bread for the World/Wednesday 7 November, 6.30pm. Everyone is welcome at this informal Eucharist, with prayer, music, word and reflection, followed by food and fellowship.
Next Week/Junior Theology/Sunday 11 November, 11.30am, Benenson Room. A monthly group for older C-Club members where they can bring their questions and explore the Christian faith in an informal way. The next session will be on 9 December.
Next Week/Sunday 11 November. The bells of St Martin’s, along with bells in churches and cathedrals around the country, will be rung from 12.30pm to 1.00pm as a national moment to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.
Next Week/Planned Giving Open Session/Sunday 11 November, 12noon. Colin Pincott, our new Planned Giving Officer, will be holding an open session on all you’ve ever wanted to know about Stewardship and Giving to St Martin’s.
This Month/Stewards’ Advent & Christmas Briefing/Sunday 25 November, 11.30am. This will take place in church directly after the 10am service. If you would like to volunteer at one of these services and have to yet done so, please contact Helen Riley (hm.riley@gmail.com) or Kristine Wellington (kristinewellington@gmail.com)
Next Week/Patronal Festival/Sunday 11 November. The Patronal Festival is St Martin’s Birthday Party. Last year we celebrated 30 years of our enterprise. This year the occasion falls on 11 November, the centenary of the armistice that ended WW1. The theme of the service is Martin: Soldier for Peace. There will be a service at 5pm followed by food and a ceilidh. Tickets for the Patronal Party are available from Bronwyn Sanders or the Vergers for a suggested donation of £5 towards the food and drink. All are welcome.
Next Week/Reading Theology/Wednesday 14 November, 6.30pm. Reading Theology is a new group for those wanting to go deeper, with others, into different works of theology. In advance of each session, we will read a different book, which we will then discuss on the evening. The group will take place 3-4 times a year, led by Sam Wells. Meetings will be on Wednesday evenings, after Bread for the World at 6.30pm, and the simple supper. The group will run from 8-9.30pm. We will discuss Christianity Rediscovered by Vincent J. Donovan. The book may be purchased from the Shop at St Martin’s. Future dates are Wednesday 13 February and Wednesday 22 May. For any questions, please contact georgina.illingworth@smitf.org.
Thank You/Tom, James and the Choir wish to thank all the members of the St Martin’s congregation for its huge support of the recent tour to South Africa. Without your financial contributions it simply would not have been possible and we are all so grateful for your help. We thank God for all the blessings of the partnership with St Mary’s Cathedral, Johannesburg, and pray His continual blessing on the friendships formed and those that will be formed in the future.
Coming Up/Friday 16 November/6.00-10.30pm. Connection with Choral Classics in aid of the Friends of the Connection: talk and discussion on the Government’s new Rough Sleeping Strategy, meal in the Crypt, choral concert in St Martin’s. Details and booking: www.friendsoftheconnection.org.uk/events or email: friends@cstm.org.uk
