In our morning service on Sunday July 29th we said farewell to Dave and Pat.
Seven members of our community took part in a specially composed blessing for these great friends of ours.
A Blessing for Dave and Pat as they leave the parish of St Luke’s West Holloway.
May God bless you on the next stage of your journey with a holy compass pointing you always to the true north of faith, hope and love.
May God bless you with a restless discomfort at easy answers and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.
May God bless you with a rich circle of friends to hold you in times of pain and dance with you in times of joy, to encircle you when the day goes wrong and guide you when the way is unclear.May God bless you with a holy anger at all that is unfair and unjust in this good world, and a holy energy to work for freedom and peace among all people.
May God bless you with the gift of tears for those who suffer from pain, rejection or loss, so that you may reach out your hands to comfort them, to transform their pain into joy.May God bless you with just enough foolishness to believe you can make a difference in this world… and just enough wisdom to know when it’s someone else’s turn.
May God bless you with the holy presence of your love for each other, that you may always cherish a beautiful friendship with St Luke’s West Holloway… and know that the friendship does not end.
May God bless you and keep you Pat
May God bless and keep you Dave
May Her Face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May God give you peace and may you share that peace wherever the road takes you.
Amen
(Written by Martin Wroe drawing on an original Four Fold Benedictine Blessing by Sister Ruth Marlene Fox, OSB (1985.)
What's next for St Luke’s FAQs
When is Dave’s last service?
Sunday, July 29th will be the last service that Dave and Pat are with us.
Why are Dave and Pat leaving us?
The Church of England has a strict policy of insisting that all vicars retire at age seventy.
Will we be celebrating Dave and Pat’s eighteen years (plus) time at St Luke’s?
Yes, there is an all age party taking place at St Luke’s on the evening of Friday 6th July which will also be Dave and Pat’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration.
Get tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk
Who will be our vicar after July 29th?
Over the next 6-9 months we will embrace the church of England process of recruiting a new vicar.
This is called an interregnum or vacancy.
We have planned for a variety of speakers coming to St Luke’s who will be delivering talks loosely themed on introducing us to characters from the bible.
The Eucharist will also be celebrated every week with a variety of visiting clergy and our own Richard Burridge and Martin Wroe.
Weddings and funerals will be arranged through the diocese and we also have access to pastoral care through the archdeacon.
Who’s keeping the show on the road during the interregnum?
The PCC appointed a small steering group to help lead St Luke’s in the period when we have no vicar.
The Vacancy Steering Group meets every couple of weeks to follow through on PCC decisions and help manage any day-to-day issues which arise.
This group also helps inform/respond to the work of the new Parish Administrator.
The members are made up of Joy Hinson, Lay PCC Chair, Susie Holland and Dean Willars the two church wardens, Martin Wroe, Associate Vicar and two PCC members Jif Thomson and Sarah Rowe.
Who is doing church admin once Pat leaves?
Tina Cooney started work a month ago learning the ropes.
You can find her through the door just beside the organ working with Lucy Blair (booking person) in the church office.
She is in 4 mornings a week and can be telephoned on 0207 607 4892
You can email her on admin@saintlukeschurch.org.uk
How does the recruitment of a new vicar work?
The PCC and church wardens are working on a parish profile and a person spec to send out through a formal advertising process in conjunction with our patrons, the Church Pastoral Aid Society and the Bishop of Stepney.
This process will start in September giving us time to consider assess what St Lukes is all about without Dave.
We have a target interview date for prospective new vicars in mid January.
If all goes well and we find the right candidate, then we could have a new vicar starting at St Luke’s next April or May.
If the first round of interviews does not result in a suitable candidate, then the process will continue until the right person is found.
What can I do to contribute to the (recruitment) process ?
There have been and will continue to be, meetings about the parish profile and a person spec.
Right up to it’s publication date around the end of October 2018.
These are the most important documents in attracting a new vicar as they describe who we feel we are and were we think we are going.
If you have something you particularly want to draw our attention to, please do approach a member of the PCC.
What if I still have questions?
Speak to any of the PCC or church wardens for an update or clarification.
Please pray that this process runs smoothly and is fruitful.
Party to say goodbye to Dave & Pat after 18 years
Friday 6th July, 7-11pm
Ticketed only: click here for Party Tickets
All age event.
No dress code.
There will be a bread and cheese style supper and some drink provided but please also bring a bottle of something you like to drink.
If you can make a cake/little cakes, please let Susie know.
There will be Speakeasy-style entertainment.
If you would like to be in the setting up team (during the day/afternoon) or the clearing up team (at the end) please let Susie know.
Knowing Me, Knowing You (aka Dave’s Enneagram workshop)
‘Knowing Me, Knowing You: How the Enneagram can help transform you and your relationships’ is a workshop led by Our Dave (and is unrelated to Alan Partridge). There’ll be teaching from Dave and panel discussions by different enneagram types. Dave promises it’ll be “very insightful, potentially life-changing, lots of fun.”
It’s on Saturday 23rd June, 10:00-17:00. You can pay a voluntary contribution of £10 for the day, with drinks provided. Bring a packed lunch. Email Pat to reserve your place: patriciatomlinson@mac.com.
Don’t miss The Stony Field!
This Sunday, 20 May, St Luke’s is hosting a musical evening with our community choir, Vox Holloway, celebrating the ife and legacy of Richard Cloudesley, and 500 years of support in Islington. A great evening, not to be missed!
Holy Week at St Luke's
Easter is one of the busiest periods in the Christian calendar, and St Luke's will be buzzing with activity over Holy Week.
Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter) commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, before the tide turned, leading to his crucifixion five days later. So on 25 March, we'll start our 11am service in the garden before processing into the church carrying woven crosses.
On 29 March, we'll gather in the church for a Maundy Thursday supper at 8pm. Food is provided - this year, with the help of two Syrian cooks - and you're invited to bring a bottle. A relaxed and sociable meal will be followed by a brief meditation and table communion. (Please email patriciatomlinson@mac.com if you intend to come, so we know how many to cater for).
Good Friday meditations at 12 noon on 30 March will be a short, reflective service, when we'll use a series of 'stations' to aid our contemplation. These artworks or installations are created by members of the congregation - this year the theme is 'The Strong Hands of Love'.
On Saturday 31 March, we'll gather at 11.15pm for the most dramatic service of the year. The Vigil of Fire & Midnight Mass uses darkness, fire and light to meditate on the dark hours after Christ's death, followed by his glorious rising.
On Easter Sunday, 1 April, we'll be back in the church for the family Easter celebration at 11am - a light, bright service, including activities for the kids.
Whether you're a regular at St Luke's, an occasional visitor or have never joined us before, you're very welcome at any of our Easter events.
Easter at St Luke's
Maundy Thursday Supper 29th March 8pmA sit-down meal organised by Jacqui with two Syrian cooks, followed by table communion. It really helps to know numbers, so please let Pat Tomlinson (patriciatomlinson@mac.com) know if you would like to be included. This is an ideal opportunity to introduce friends to St Luke's, or to meet new friends.
Good Friday Meditations 30th March 12 noon Based on stations created by members of St Luke’s around the theme of ‘The Strong Hands of God'
Vigil of Fire & Midnight Mass Holy Saturday 31st March 11.15pm
Easter Sunday Service 1st April at 11am
Painting the Stars
Tonight's Painting the Stars session is cancelled due to bad weather. The series restarts next week, 8th March.
Can You Help Us Run Things...
... or do you know someone who could?
We are St Luke's West Holloway, an Anglican church in north London, and we're looking for a skilled administrator to help us manage parish life.
Working on a flexible basis, up to 20 hours a week, and based in the church office, the role involves carrying out the day to day administrative functions of the parish in partnership with clergy, churchwardens and PCC.
The Parish Administrator is often first point of contact with local community and church members and so the successful applicant will have excellent communication skills and be comfortable multi-tasking.
If you'd like to see a detailed job description and for details of how to apply, please email Joy on joyhinsonraven@gmail.com
Closing date for applications is 11th March at 5pm.
Mr Darwin's Tree
Next Friday (12th January) at 8.00pm, Andy Harrison is performing his one-man play ‘Mr Darwin's Tree’ in the side hall at St Luke’s. It’s a great opportunity to experience an evening of entertainment in aid of the Fighting Fund for St Luke's.
He'll be performing Murray Watts' play, 'Mr Darwin's Tree'. Here's a flyer.
Tickets available from Jean: jean@willsonfamily.co.uk. or £10 on the door.
Don’t miss it!