Parish News/Diary/Special Notices

Today/Children’s C-Club Programme, 11.30am, Dick Sheppard Chapel. Join us to learn some more about today’s readings and colour with your friends.

Next week at our 10am Eucharist we will be celebrating Chinese New Year with our Chinese congregation and remembering Homelessness Sunday. After the service, our Chinese congregation
will be hosting refreshments in St Martin’s Hall.

Bread for the World/Wednesday 22 January, 6.30pm. Franciscan Brother Clark Berge joins us to reflect about his new book Running to Resurrection.

Next week/Junior Theology, 11.30am. For more information, email francesco.aresco@smitf.org.

Theology Group will next meet on Sunday 2 Feb, 12noon in the Austen Williams Room. Future dates are 21 March (Awayday), 19 April and 3 May. This is an update to dates previously listed.

Exploring Faith course/confirmation course begins on Sunday 9 February for ten weeks. 12.00-1.30pm including an away day on 29 February. This is an opportunity for those wishing to explore the
Christian faith for the first time or wishing to be Confirmed this year to explore Christianity within the particular inclusive theology that we share at St Martin’s. Lunch is provided. Please talk to Revd Sally Hitchiner for more details.

Theology Book Group/The next meeting is on Wednesday 19 February at 8pm, after Bread for the World. We shall be reading Francis Spufford, Unapologetic. It’s available from the Shop at St Martin’s.

Lent Course: The Desert in the City. Using Richard Carter’s new book The City is my Monastery: A contemporary rule of life. For more information and to sign up, pick up a leaflet in church or visit: http://bit.ly/2ZcljTm.

Next Week/Archers, Thursday 30 January/7.00pm, Austen Williams Room We meet for Holy Communion followed by supper and watching the documentary The Choir: Aylesbury Prison for discussion and reflection. Please inform Ruth Hutchinson or Michael Moran, mtj_moran@yahoo.co.uk/07810 261686, if you would like to join us.

Coming up/Deepening Spirituality HeartEdge Day, Saturday 1 February, 9.30am-3.15pm. Cost £10. Lunch provided. Held at the London Centre for Spiritual Direction, The Church of St Edmund the King, Lombard Street, EC3V 9EA. Register on Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/deepeningspirituality-tickets-84159333833 Speak to Revd Catherine Duce or Revd Jonathan Evens for more details.

JPIC Meeting. The next meeting of the Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation group will take place on Sunday 2 February at 12noon in the Desmond Tutu room. All interested in current issues of Social Justice and how we might respond as a community are welcome.

Crèche volunteers Following Diocese advice, we are exploring the possibility of volunteer-led crèche provision. If you would be interested in being part of our team looking after pre-school children during Sunday services, please contact harriet.merz@smitf.org for more information on the application process.

Insights from History for a Divided Nation, Monday 17 February, 7.00 – 8.30pm. Diarmaid MacCulloch, author, historian, broadcaster and Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford, will be in conversation with Roger Bolton, with a response from Revd Dr Sam Wells. Organised by the Religion Media Centre in partnership with St Martin-in-the-Fields. Book your free
ticket at: stmartininthefields.eventbrite.com

This week/The 2020 Churches Together in Westminster AGM and talk will be held on 20 January at 6pm for 6.30pm at Hinde Street Methodist Church, W1U 3QJ. The talk is by Kevin Hyland OBE, former UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner on the subject of ‘Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking’. There will also be information about specialist support provided by The Salvation Army.

This week/Art making day/An opportunity to do some art work on the theme of ‘The Desert in the City’ on Saturday 25 January from 10.30am to 4.00pm at 30 Cator Rd, Sydenham, SE26 5DS. Materials and soup will be provided. Please ask Sarah Sikorski for more information and contact jonathan.evens@smitf.org (020 7766 1127) to attend.

The changing monthly display by St Martin’s artists’ and craftspeople’s group in the Foyer of the Crypt for January is by Asanka Lekamalage. Each month a different member of the group or artists linked to it will show examples of their work, so do look regularly to see the changing display.

Save the date/Theology Awayday/Saturday 21 March. Led by Revd Dr Sam Wells. The theme is ‘Improvising the Kingdom’. No theological training necessary. The Awayday will be held at the Royal Foundation of St Katharine, London E14 8DS, at the subsidised price of £25 with lunch and all refreshments included. Flyers will be available shortly.

St Mary’s Cathedral Johannesburg Visit. A group of 12 young people and adult leaders from St Mary’s Cathedral Johannesburg will visit St Martin’s from 6 – 22 April 2020 and we need people to help host this group. If you think you may be able to help in any way (providing accommodation or a meal, taking the group out for a meal, or funding a meal) please talk to Jonathan Evens.

Save the date/Parish Weekend. In 2020 we will once more return to Worth Abbey for our Parish Weekend. Due to availability of Worth Abbey the time has moved to August 14-16. Save the date for a wonderful weekend away; more information about the weekend to follow soon.

Meditation Group meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 6.30pm in the Dick Sheppard Chapel. All are welcome.