Feeling festive

If you happen to visit St Luke’s over the August bank holiday weekend, you’d be forgiven for thinking the congregation is a little on the sparse side. That’s because a lot of St Lukers decamp to Cheltenham for the weekend for the Greenbelt Festival. If you haven’t heard of Greenbelt, it’s a fantastic faith, arts and justice festival, where around 20,000 people descend on Cheltenham Racecourse to listen to great music, learn and debate at talks and seminars, spend time catching up with old friends and new, and chill out in the famous Tiny Tea Tent (and hopefully stay dry - last year’s torrential rain turned the site into a mudbath!).

St Luke’s has a long association with Greenbelt. Many of our members are involved in running and overseeing different parts of the festival – you might see a few familiar faces on the programme, too. For many years, Greenbelt even had its offices in St Luke’s (that was before we opened up the east aisle of the church and installed our swanky new kitchen).

To learn more about our favourite festival, check out the website at www.greenbelt.org.uk. This year is Greenbelt’s 40th birthday, and there’ll be lots of exciting events happening over the weekend.

However, if you’re in London on Sunday, rest assured St Luke’s will still be open for business. There’ll be an 11am service as usual, and friendly faces to greet you. The rest of us will see you when we get back!

St Luker wins top theological award

Here at St Luke’s, we like to celebrate each other’s successes, however big or small – and this one’s a biggie!

One of our members, Richard Burridge – who, when he’s wearing his ‘Reverend Professor’ hat, is also the Dean of King’s College London – has been named a recipient of the 2013 Ratzinger Prize. What’s more, he’s the first non-Catholic to receive the award.

The Ratzinger Prize – sometimes referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize in Theology’ – is a highly prestigious award, given to individuals who’ve distinguished themselves in academic research relating to the work of Joseph Ratzinger, former Pope Benedict XVI.

Cardinal Camillo Ruini, academic committee president of the Ratzinger Foundation, said, ‘Richard Burridge is an eminent figure in the field of Biblical studies and has made a great contribution in the area of the historical and theological recognition of the gospels’ inseparable connection to Jesus of Nazareth.’

Richard will receive the award from Pope Francis in October, after delivering a paper on the literary genre of the gospels at a three day symposium in Rome.

‘This award has come as a huge surprise,’ says Richard. ‘I’m extremely honoured and excited to be named as one of this year’s recipients, not least as the first non-Catholic to be awarded the prize.’ On top of that, Richard has just been invited to become Canon Theologian of Salisbury Cathedral – which, after he has been formally installed in October, will make him ‘Reverend Canon Professor’! But we're glad to say he’ll still be a regular at St Luke’s.

Well done, Richard – you’ve done us proud!

A Footnote To All Prayers

Here is the poem Dave used his talk today... ‘A Footnote To All Prayers’ by C.S. Lewis

He whom I bow to only knows to whom I bow
 When I attempt the ineffable Name, murmuring Thou,
 And dream of Pheidian fancies and embrace in heart
 Symbols (I know) which cannot be the thing Thou art.
 Thus always, taken at their word, all prayers blaspheme
 Worshipping with frail images a folk-lore dream,
 And all men in their praying, self-deceived, address
 The coinage of their own unquiet thoughts, unless
 Thou in magnetic mercy to Thyself divert
 Our arrows, aimed unskilfully, beyond desert;
 And all men are idolators, crying unheard
 To a deaf idol, if Thou take them at their word.

Take not, O Lord, our literal sense. Lord, in thy great
 Unbroken speech our limping metaphor translate.

Helping the hungry in Holloway

Every day, people around the UK are going hungry. Problems such as redundancy, illness, benefit delays, debt, family breakdown, low income and the increasing cost of living mean that 13 million people in the UK now live below the poverty line. People in our own corner of north London will struggle to feed themselves and their families this week. So two of our young people, Grace and Wes Wroe, have decided to take action. They’ve launched a weekly food collection at St Luke’s to contribute to a local foodbank, where people in crisis situations can get emergency food and support. It’s part of the Trussell Trust, which has partnered with churches and communities to open over 325 foodbanks nationwide.

“For this to work, we need two things,” says Grace. “Firstly that, each week, those who can should bring one or two items of long-life food to church, and leave them in the collection box outside the kitchen. Suitable products include powdered milk, sugar, tinned soups, packets of rice and pasta, cereals, pasta sauces, tea bags, instant coffee, instant mash, tinned meat and fish, and tinned vegetables and fruit.

“Secondly, we need several more volunteers to take collections to the Islington Foodbank on Tufnell Park Road, five minutes from St Luke’s. If we get enough volunteers, each person will only have to do this once every two months.”

In 2012-13, foodbanks fed 346,992 people nationwide – and of those, 126,889 were children. If you’d like to help, please get into the habit of bringing your contributions every week, and consider joining the rota to transport goods. To volunteer or find out more, have a word with Grace, or email Pat at patriciatomlinson@mac.com and she’ll pass your message on.

“Thank you for helping us,” says Grace. “Here’s to feeding the hungry.”

For a comprehensive list of foods suitable for donation, visit www.trusselltrust.org/resources/documents/foodbank/ShoppingList.pdf

Mark Thomas does Housing Justice

Mark Thomas fans, listen up! The comedian and activist is heading to St Luke’s on Sunday 21 July to perform a special preview of his new show 100 Acts Of Minor Dissent, before it heads to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

If you’ve seen or heard Mark before – live, on his various TV shows, or on Radio 4’s The Manifesto – you’ll know we’re in for a real comedy treat… and perhaps a challenge or two. As with all Mark’s shows, we’ve been promised something ‘subversive, hilarious, occasionally inspiring and mainly legal’!

This special performance is a benefit in aid of Housing Justice, a charity that supports churches in delivering services to homeless and badly housed people. It’s supported by the Islington Churches Cold Weather Shelter, a project in which seven churches (including St Luke’s) open their doors to homeless people throughout the coldest months of the year, offering them a hot meal, a bed for the night, a hearty breakfast, and help accessing services and permanent accommodation.

Alison Gelder, CEO of Housing Justice, says, ‘Housing Justice has been intensifying its human rights focus in the campaigning area over the last two years, and we’re absolutely thrilled that Mark should have chosen us to preview his new show.’

The show, starting at 7.30pm, also features writer and performer Bob Boyton. Bob will read passages from his book, Bomber Jackson Does Some, a novel about a homeless ex-boxer, based on his own experiences of working with rough sleepers in London.

Tickets cost £12 (concessions £10) and can be bought from www.evening4housingjustice.eventbrite.co.uk Get your ticket quickly – we’re expecting it to be a sell-out!

The Singaround is back!

Here at St Luke’s, we love music of all styles. Among our members, we have many talented singers and musicians – some professional, some who make music for fun – but mostly it’s about the sheer pleasure and camaraderie of joining together to raise our voices in joyful harmony.

If you fancy brushing off your vocal chords for a rousing sing-song (lubricated by a few drinks, perhaps), we have just the thing. Back by popular demand, the Singaround returns this Friday 12 July, at 7.30pm, in the church hall. It’s an informal evening of communal singing – think folk and singable songs – that anyone can join in with. (A bit like the singalong section of Crispin’s Speakeasy events, if you’ve been to one of those.)

‘You don’t need to be able to read music or even have a good singing voice to enjoy the Singaround,’ says organiser Bernadette Cagnoni. ‘Just come along, join in and have fun.’

If you want to sing a solo or lead a song (or indeed tell a joke or read a poem), you can certainly do that. Bring along your guitar or banjo, if you fancy it. But if you’d rather keep a low profile, that’s fine too. There’ll be lots of songs you can pick up as you go along, and words will be provided where needed.

If you’re planning to come along, please email Bernadette on stlukespcc@hotmail.com so she has an idea of numbers. Then just bring yourself, and something to drink, and get ready for a hearty Singaround. (There’s no charge, but please make a contribution towards the cost of using the hall.)

The Prophet cometh!

For the last few months, our resident community choir Vox Holloway has been rehearsing hard for their latest extravaganza – and the time has come for the rest of us to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

On Sunday 7 July, Vox Holloway will be performing The Prophet by Harvey Brough, a major oratoria based on the bestselling book by Kahlil Gibran. This is the piece’s London premiere, for which the choir will be joined by a full band, and celebrated soloists Clara Sanabras and Irene Serra. Thanks to funding by the Arts Council, they’ll also be joined by choirs from Camden School for Girls and City of London School for Girls. Composer Harvey Brough will be conducting. (You can learn more about The Prophet at http://voxholloway.com/the-prophet/ )

Please join us on Sunday at 7.30pm for what promises to be an amazing performance. Tickets cost £12 (£5 concessions). If finances are tight, there’s also an opportunity to come along to a free open dress rehearsal at 4pm (mainly for local schools), or you can volunteer to help out with stewarding in the evening. Email voxhollowayn7@gmail.com or call 07970 785641 for details.

Vox Holloway is a community project that gives anyone from the local area (and further afield) the chance to join an enthusiastic group of singers and perform a wide variety of music. Rehearsals are held on Tuesday evenings at St Luke’s. To find out more, visit www.voxholloway.com

By popular demand: an evening with Nicholas Mosley - Part 2

STOP PRESS: You can now listen to Part 1 at https://soundcloud.com/revdavetomlinson/nicholas-mosley-in

Here at St Luke’s, we’re fortunate to have some extraordinary people in our congregation - and every now and then, we persuade one of them to share a little more of their lives and wisdom with us at a special event. One such person is Nicholas Mosley, award-winning novelist and screenwriter, decorated war hero, aristocrat, and son of the infamous politician Oswald Mosley.

By popular demand, on Friday, 28th June, at 7.45pm, St Luke’s is hosting a second evening with Nicholas. In conversation with Andy Harrison (actor and fellow member of St Luke’s), Nicholas will be sharing stories and insights from his long and fascinating life. Admission is free. The title of the evening, Efforts At Truth, is also the name of Nicholas’ acclaimed autobiography. Bring your questions, and enjoy a glass or two of wine at this rare opportunity to hear from the man himself. If you want to know more about Nicholas in advance, you need only Google his name – although you may want to set aside a few hours to read through the thousands of pages dedicated to his life and work!

£10,000 raised for the Not For Sale campaign

On Easter Monday, St Lukes’ resident community choir, Vox Holloway, delighted an enthusiastic audience with a programme of old and new spirituals. The concert celebrated the history of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the first all-black choir in America, which was made up of former slaves. The concert raised an impressive £5,000 for the Not For Sale campaign, which works to end people trafficking and modern slavery. A generous anonymous donor stepped forward to match the money raised by the concert, so we were able to donate a fantastic £10,000 towards the charity’s Amsterdam project, which supports vulnerable women who’ve been trafficked into the city from around the world as sex slaves. You can learn more about Not For Sale at http://www.notforsalecampaign.org

Thank you and well done to everyone who makes Vox Holloway possible – singing, directing, working behind the scenes, and not forgetting the audiences who come along to enjoy concerts and raise money for important causes. Visit http://voxholloway.com to learn more about Vox Holloway, its upcoming events and how you can join (rehearsals are held on Tuesday evenings at St Luke’s).

The choir’s next big concert is a performance of The Prophet by Harvey Brough, based on the book by Kahlil Gibran, on 7 July. Put it in your diary!

‘Can we fix it? Yes we can!’

At St Luke’s, we’re privileged to have a wonderful, versatile building in which to meet and run our many activities – from Sunday morning services to youth clubs; yoga classes to concerts; toddler groups to self-improvement seminars; and church lunches to our winter night shelter for homeless people. Plus, it’s a gorgeous old building with a beautiful garden that the whole community gets to enjoy. On the downside, maintaining a 150-year-old building and keeping it in functioning condition requires a lot of work and effort (and yes, money too). In recent years, we’ve had the tower refaced, so you’re no longer in danger of being hit by falling masonry as you come to services. We’ve had the organ refurbished so it doesn’t fart shamelessly during solemn moments in the hymns. And we’ve completely remodeled the main space of the church to fit in the increasing numbers of people who join us on Sunday mornings – completely with swish new kitchen for preparing after-service refreshments and monthly church lunches. Plus there are all those health and safety requirements to make sure the people who use the space remain… well, healthy and safe.

Of course, the major work has to be undertaken by experts, and the cash to pay for it comes from fundraising, such as our annual auction, and various grants and charities. But for general maintenance and tidying up, we arrange occasional ‘work days’, when members of the church get together to tackle those miscellaneous tasks that have been building up – some decluttering here, a lick of paint there…

Our next work day is on 8 June, from 10am to 4pm. So if you can spare any time to help out, even if it’s just half an hour, your efforts will be much appreciated. Work days are vital to the running of the church, and they’re also a great way to get involved and get to know people better. So pack a picnic lunch and pop along to show off your DIY skills – or if you don’t have any of those, just exercise a bit of muscle power to keep the church looking beautiful and welcoming, and functioning as it should. Thanks!