Owing to seriously dwindling numbers attending, the regular Friday evening Eucharist has been discontinued. There will however be a special Eucharist on Friday evenings if the date happens to be a 'red-letter day', as happens currently on other days of the week, and always on all Fridays in Advent and Lent. These Friday Eucharists will normally begin at 7.30 pm, not 7.00 pm as has been the case.

On Wednesdays in future, Evening Prayer (which begins at 5.00 pm and lasts between 15 and 20 minutes, will be followed by a period of silent prayer until 5.45 pm. Do please just 'drop in' for any or all of this time if it's convenient, or if you would like some unwinding time on your way home from work.

On Saturday, 5 July, starting at 7.00 pm, Eileen and Gerald England will be holding a 'Pudding & Plonk' evening in their garden. If you've been before you will already know what delights await you - a selection of delicious home-made puddings, both hot and cold, with wine and coffee. Tickets, priced at £7.50, are now available, with the proceeds going towards the re-wiring and lighting fund.

The July wedding bookings session will take place on Monday 7th at 8.30 pm, not on Monday 14th.

Monday 7 to Saturday 12 July – Richmond Shakespeare Society present their annual open-air production in the gardens of York House, Twickenham. More details here.

Sunday, 20 July will be the last day the choir are with us before taking their long and much-deserved summer break. Evensong will be at the earlier time of 5.00 pm. We shall see and hear them again on Sunday, 7 September, which will be celebrated as the Festival of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Patronal Festival. On all Sundays between those dates, Evening Prayer will be said at 6.30 pm.

In addition to the usual Wednesday celebrations, the Eucharist will be celebrated on Tuesday, 22 July at 10.00 am (St Mary Magdalen) and on Friday, 25 July at 7.30 pm (St James). In August it will be celebrated additionally on Friday 1st at 7.30 pm, before the PCC meeting, in memory of St Ethelwold of Winchester who died here at Beddington on an Episcopal visit on this day in 984 - and on Friday, 15 August (the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) at 9.30 am.

Sunday, 27 July at 11.30 am will be the last pre-Confirmation group until September. A reminder that the Confirmation itself takes place at St Paul's, Roundshaw on Sunday, 14 September at 10.45 am.

Our 'Fairer Shares' interview takes place on the evening of Monday, 28 July at 9.00 pm at St Paul's, Roundshaw. Please pray for Selwyn, Pat, Ian and Cassie as we present our case.

The St Thomas Episcopal Church choir from Florida will singing at Westminster Abbey on 2 & 3 August. Full details here.

On Saturday, 9 August, "Summoned by Bells", a parish concert in aid of the Tower and Bells Fund, takes place. Details here.

Service cover in August: On Sunday 17th the Presidents at the Eucharist will be Revd Andrew Wilson (chaplain to the Bethlem Royal Hospital) at 8:00 am, and Canon Adrian Esdaile at 9:30; on Sunday 24th, Canon Esdaile at 9:30; on Sunday 31st, Canon John Simpson (Rector of St Margaret, Lowestoft) at both services.

Advance notices for your diary:

20/21 September - Harvest Thanksgiving Weekend. More here.

Sunday, 28 September - Service of Thanksgiving for Marriage and Renewal of Vows. Details here.

Saturday, 11 October - Choir's 'Grand Tour of the UK and Europe' sponsored hymn-sing in aid of housekeeping and choir fund. Details here.

What’s on in July?

Tue	1	Parents and Toddlers Group meets in church	10.00 am
		Bible Study Group meets at 23 Mortlake Close	8.00 pm
Wed	2	St Mary's Guild meets at St Mary's Court - Jenifer Davison speaks about 'St Benedict'.	2.30 pm
Thu	3	MU&OG. 'Getting to know us' evening. Church Centre	8.00 pm
Sat	5	May Queens' Annual Service	2.00 pm
		Pudding & Plonk Evening	7.30 pm
SUN	6	TRINITY 3
		Confirmation Group meets. Church Centre	11.30 am
Mon	7	Bible Study Group meets at 23 Mortlake Close	8.00 pm
SUN	13	TRINITY 4
		Sunday School Annual Party	11.30 am
		Baptisms	3.00 pm
Mon	14	Visit from the Bishop of Croydon	From 10.45 am
		PCC meets. Church Centre	8.00 pm
Tue	15	Bible Study Group meets at 23 Mortlake Close	8.00 pm
Wed	16	MU Corporate Eucharist	10.00 am
		Sutton Deanery Synod meets at St Michael, South Beddington	8.00 pm
Thu	17	MU&OG. 'Dining-In' evening. Church Centre	8.00 pm
SUN	20	TRINITY 5
		Confirmation Group meets. Church Centre	11.30 am
		Carew Manor Open Day
		Evensong	5.00 pm
Tue	22	ST MARY MAGDALENE.
		Eucharist	10.00 am
		Social Committee meets at 2 Caraway Place	8.00 pm
Wed	23	Bible Study Group meets at 23 Mortlake Close	8.00 pm
FRI	25	ST JAMES.
		Eucharist	7.30 pm
		Finance Committee meets at The Rectory	8.00 pm
SUN	27	TRINITY 6
		Confirmation Group meets in Church Centre (last meeting until September)	11.30 am
Tue	29	Bible Study Group meets at 23 Mortlake Close (last meeting before summer break)	8.00 pm

What’s On in August?

Fri	1	Eucharist	7.30 pm
		PCC meets. Church Centre	8.00 pm
SUN	3	TRINITY 7
Mon	4	Magazine Panel meets at 35 Vanguard Way	6.00 pm
Tue	5	Parents & Toddlers group meets in church	10.00 am
Wed	6	THE TRANSFIGURATION.
		Eucharist	10.00 am
		St Mary's Guild meets at St Mary's Court. Rev'd Margaret Engler will give a talk on 'A Prison Chaplain'	2.30 pm
Sat	9	'Summoned by Bells' Parish Concert in aid of the Tower and Bells Fund	7.30 pm
SUN	10	TRINITY 8
		Baptisms	3.00 pm
SUN	17	TRINITY 9
Wed	20	MU Corporate Eucharist	10.00 am
SUN	24	ST BARTHOLOMEW
Mon	25	Bank Holiday. Church and Tower Open Day	11 am - 5 pm
SUN	31	TRINITY 11

Readings for Sundays in July

Sun 6 July

Trinity 3

Ezekiel 2: 1-5 (page 617)

2 Corinthians 12: 2-10(page 618)

Mark 6: 1-13(page 619)

Sun 13 July

Trinity 4

Amos 7: 7-15 (page 623)

Ephesians 1: 3-14(page 624)

Mark 6: 14-29 (page 625)

Sun 20 July

Trinity 5

Jeremiah 23: 1-6 (page 629)

Ephesians 2: 11-22 (page 631)

Mark 6: 30-34, 53-56 (page 632)

Sun 27 July

Trinity 6

2 Kings 4: 42-44(page 635)

Ephesians 3: 14-21(page 636)

John 6: 1-21(page 637)

Readings for Sundays in August

Sun 3 Aug

Trinity 7

Exodus 16: 2-4, 9-15 (page 642)

Ephesians 4: 1-16 (page 643)

John 6: 24-35 (page 644)

Sun 10 Aug

Trinity 8

1 Kings 19: 4-8 (page 648)

Ephesians 4: 25-5:2 (page 649)

John 6: 35, 41-51 (page 650)

Sun 17 Aug

Trinity 9

Proverbs 9: 1-6 (page 653)

Ephesians 5: 15-20 (page 654)

John 6: 51-58 (page 655)

Sun 24 Aug

St Bartholomew

Isaiah 43: 8-13 (page 1125)

Acts 5: 12-16 (page 1126)

Luke 22: 24-30 (page 1127)

Sun 31 Aug

Trinity 11

Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-9 (page 664)

James 1: 17-27(page 665)

Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15 & 21-23 (page 666)

From the registers

Baptisms

June 8 Jack Alexander Williams,

of 24 Cedars Road, Beddington

June 8 Alicia Rebecca Downer

of 168 Demesne Road, Wallington

June 8 Joshua Brandon James Bullock

of 25 Earlswood Avenue, Thornton Heath

Funerals

May 20 Maureen Sylvia Foster, aged 64,

of 15 Harrington Close

Saints in July

Fri 11 Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino

Father of Western Monasticism, c550

Tue 15 Swithun, Bishop of Winchester, c862

Sat 19 Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, and his sister, Macrina, Deaconess

Teachers of the Faith c394 and c379

Tue 22 Mary Magdalene

Wed 23 Bridget of Sweden, Religious, 1373

Fri 25 James the Apostle

Sat 26 Anne & Joachim, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Tue 29 Mary, Martha and Lazarus, companions of our Lord

Saints in August

Fri 1 Ethelwold, Bishop of Winchester. Died at Beddington, 984

Mon 4 John Vianney, parish priest and confessor, 1859

Tue 5 Oswald, King of Northumbria, martyr, 642

Wed 6 The Transfiguration of Our Lord

Fri 8 Dominic, priest, founder of the Order of Preachers, 1221

Mon 11 Clare of Assisi, founder of the Minoresses (Poor Clares) 1253

Fri 15 The Blessed Virgin Mary

Wed 20 Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, teacher of the Faith, 1153

Sun 24 Bartholomew the Apostle

Wed 27 Monica, mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387

Fri 29 The beheading of John the Baptist

Pastoral Care and Visiting

In cases of pastoral need or if you would appreciate a regular visit from a church member, please contact the Rector who will arrange for a member of the Pastoral Team to call.

Enter Churchwarden - Stage Right

It is said a volunteer is worth a dozen pressed men. To say Ian Akhurst volunteered to be churchwarden is probably stretching the truth a little but he had once rashly offered his services to Selwyn in any way that he considered appropriate, so when a vacancy for churchwarden occurred, Ian seemed the obvious choice.

Having just returned from two years in Miami and entering retirement, he found himself with time on his hands. What better way to fill the gap than to try a new career as a churchwarden. Ian felt his business experience could be of use and also he wanted to make a contribution to parish life. (Judging by the number of committees he’s volunteered for, that wish is certainly going to be fulfilled!)

Ian is a Kentish Man, having been born and bred in Rochester - though with Rochester straddling the Medway, I suppose it depends which side of the river he was. He attended the Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, known locally as The Math, and then read French and German at Clare College, Cambridge. He had a variety of jobs after that, all connected with banking and finance. He worked in the East End, Bordeaux, New York and three years ago went to Miami as Chief Credit Officer in Latin America.

Ian came to St Mary’s where Pam was worshipping and they married in 1996. Although they moved to Sutton, they decided to stay at St Mary’s, as they liked the style of worship.

Ian’s mother had taken him to St Nicholas’s church near Rochester Cathedral when he was a lad but he says the greatest influence on his faith was his older sister. She didn’t try to “convert” him but talked to him about her faith and it stuck in his mind.

As a boy at school he had done some singing and in Miami had joined the church choir. It didn’t take our organist long to realise Ian would be a valuable addition to the back row of St Mary’s choir! He says he is feeling his way a bit, not having been a chorister in a choir like ours, but is enjoying the challenge.

His main hobby has always been amateur dramatics. He joined Wallington Operatic in 1997 and used to come all the way from Teddington to take part. His dramatic involvement certainly influenced his move to Croydon in 1980. After many years “treading the boards”, he eventually moved into directing. It seems to me as though he has just the right talents for his new post - it will make a change to have an “all-singing, all-dancing” churchwarden!

I asked Ian if there were any changes he would like to see at St Mary’s. His answer was obviously cautious (new broom and all that) but he did say he would like to see some kind of group structure for young people who have grown out of Sunday School. He feels they need to be able to socialise together, to discuss the things that interest them with people of their own age and yet to feel part of the family of the church. (He thinks Mrs A. and young Rhodri may have some ideas, so watch this space.) And thinking of Mrs A. and Rhodri - I hope they are tolerant of churchwardens’ hours. At least they’ll know where he is!

(But you must find time to relax in your lovely pool, Ian, and I’ll teach you how to swim - or at least to keep your head above water!!)

Jean Kimber

Funday Fun Day !

We prayed for sunshine and our prayers were answered!

A small gathering (34 to be exact) of ma's, pa's and wee ones and one granny congregated on the paddock at 10 am for the 'Families at St Mary's Funday', and what an event it turned out to be.

The tension grew as Geoff De Ritter and Robert Churchyard reached the finals of the Daddy Raw Egg Throwing competition. Geoff came out champion: that's when he wasn't trying to saturate our two 'big girl' Sunday School helpers, Rachael and Stephanie, with water bombs!

There were small, medium and large pillowcase races; an obstacle race - where Felix and James Taylor won the stuck-in-the-tunnel award and the wettest child was Emily De Ritter who in her excitement decided to throw two cups of water over herself; we even added an extra race 'The Sam Race' as there were four children all called Sam (Samuel or Samantha!). It was a sight to behold watching St Mary's families lined up with their offspring for the piggyback race, which was greeted by most jockey's at the end with "again, again please" - who needed the Epsom Derby!

We all settled under a gazebo to enjoy our picnic lunches and decided that this would definitely become an annual event.

Our thanks once again to everyone who came and took part - it wouldn't have been fun without you all. But in particular to the Atkins clan who came complete with pop-up gazebo, glorious 'Winner' certificates and a granny!

Everyone had said that they enjoy the Families events so much we are planning to add an extra one in September - a Latin night - following our family outing in August to Holmbush Farm.

Carolyn Churchyard

Give me, give me, give me

I asked God to give me patience.

God said, No. Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness.

God said, No. I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to give me all the things that I want to enjoy in my life.

God said, No. I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.

St Swithun - Saint for a rainy day

St Swithun is apparently the saint to blame for rainy summers. It is said that if it rains on his special day, 15 July, it will then rain for forty days after that.

It all began when he was made Bishop of Winchester in 852 by King Ethelwulf of Wessex. It was an important posting: Winchester was the capital of Wessex, and during the 10 years Swithun was there, Wessex became the most important kingdom of England.

During his life, instead of washing out people's summer holidays and damping down their spirits, Swithun seems to have done a lot of good. He was famous for his charitable gifts and for his energy in getting churches built. When he was dying in 862, he asked that he be buried in the cemetery of the Old Minster, just outside the west door.

If he has been left there in peace, who knows how many rainy summers the English may have been spared over the last 1000 years. But, no, it was decided to move Swithun. By now, the 960s, Winchester had become the first monastic cathedral chapter in England, and the newly installed monks wanted Swithun in the cathedral with them. So finally, on 15 July 971, his bones were dug up and Swithun was transferred into the cathedral.

That same day many people claimed to have had miraculous cures. Certainly everyone got wet, for the heavens opened. The unusually heavy rain that day, and on the days following, was attributed to the power of Swithun.

Swithun was moved again in 1093, into the new Winchester Cathedral. His shrine was a popular place of pilgrimage throughout the middle ages. The shrine was destroyed during the Reformation, and restored in 1962. There are 58 ancient dedications to Swithun in England.

Daily prayer topics in July

Tue 1 Our Parents and Toddlers Group

Wed 2 The Diocesan Synod meeting tonight at Guy's Hospital

Thu 3 The Board for Church in Society meeting tonight

Fri 4 Fire brigades, ambulance and emergency medical personnel

Sat 5 The Church in Central America

Sun 6 The Church of North India

Mon 7 All being prepared for confirmation and baptism

Tue 8 Our Bible Study Group

Wed 9 The Diocesan Board of Finance meeting tonight

Thu 10 Woolwich Area Council Meeting tonight

Fri 11 All Benedictine religious communities

Sat 12 General Synod meeting this week in York

Sun 13 Give thanks for the Church of Bangladesh

Mon 14 Bishop Nick's visit to the Parish today

Tue 15 The local clergy fraternity

Wed 16 Deanery Synod meeting tonight

Thu 17 Church hospitals staff and patients

Fri 18 Those in prison and those who minister to them

Sat 19 Refugees and asylum seekers

Sun 20 Give thanks for the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)

Mon 21 Children and teachers beginning their summer holidays

Tue 22 Those preparing play schemes for the holidays

Wed 23 The Church of Sweden

Thu 24 The elderly and staff in our local nursing homes

Fri 25 All called to positions of leadership in the church

Sat 26 Manicaland, Matabeleland and Central Zimbabwe

Sun 27 Give thanks for the Church of the Southern Cone of America

Mon 28 Fairer Shares meetings taking place this week

Tue 29 The Society of Mary and Martha

Wed 30 For justice and peace between Israel and Palestine

Fri 31 The Society of Jesus

Daily prayer topics in August

Fri 1 Our PCC meeting tonight

Sat 2 All who are getting married today

Sun 3 Thanksgiving for our Saviour who became one of us

Mon 4 Workers in the holiday industry

Tue 5 The safety of all who travel this holiday season

Wed 6 Thanksgiving for the revealing of Christ in Glory

Thu 7 All who are married and every parent and child

Fri 8 All who teach and preach the good news of Jesus

Sat 9 Thanksgiving for the founding of the Mothers' Union

Sun 10 Thanksgiving for Christ who offers us life eternal

Mon 11 The Minoresses (Poor Clares)

Tue 12 Join with the Mothers' Union in praying for our world

Wed 13 The Diocese of Down and Connor

Thu 14 All who have given up their lives to save others

Fri 15 Thanksgiving for the life and example of the Virgin Mary

Sat 16 Families away on holiday and those who cannot afford a holiday

Sun 17 For a greater awareness of the presence of Christ

Mon 18 Our local shops and industries

Tue 19 Our armed forces

Wed 20 The Salvation Army

Thu 21 The Church Army

Fri 22 All Chaplains to the Armed Forces

Sat 23 Amnesty International and prisoners of conscience

Sun 24 Thanksgiving for all who encourage, support and help others

Mon 25 The people of Zimbabwe

Tue 26 The leaders of the nations

Wed 27 Parents and Carers of children with special needs

Thu 28 All new Christians that they may grow in faith

Fri 29 Thanksgiving for the life and example of John the Baptist

Sat 30 All writers of spiritual books

Sun 31 Missionaries and Evangelists

A 'Switched On' Church

The congregation assembled for the Ascension Day Sung Eucharist were astonished to hear some most un-church-like noises coming through the PA system. Whilst we were all pretending nothing untoward was taking place, it took the Rector to realise that we were picking up the sound from Zippo's Circus in the field next door!

Who says the Church is on a different wavelength from the world outside?

Grave Concern

"Why", asked the young visitor, "are there so many graves out there?". Well, because …..

Unlike many local churches, St Mary's has been here a very long time and even before this church was built a community of people had lived, and died, here - all of them with the right to be buried in the churchyard. That is - nearly all of them, because for several hundred years certain people were excluded. These were, as quaintly described in the language of former times, the infidels, apostates, heretics and schismatics. But even without them this had already added up to a lot of graves - such a lot that by the early nineteenth century, religious and public health reformers were seriously concerned.

Representatives of religious minorities advocated public burial grounds where people had the right to be buried with the services of any denomination, and public health reformers were worried about the health and safety risks of overcrowded urban churchyards.

So the modern cemetery was laid out, often in the style of parkland. New churches being built from the last nineteenth century onwards no longer needed to be surrounded by a burial ground and cremation and burial in a cemetery became the norm for many urban communities.

Which is why, I guess, our young visitor, accustomed to going to church in a modern building surrounded by a car park, was so surprised by what he found here.

Pat Kingsbury

Choir's 'Grand Tour' …

If you've ever sung in a church choir you will know some of the strange things you discover as you learn to find your way around a music copy of the hymnbook. One of the first of these is likely to be the fact that composers or publishers always give the hymn-tunes names, so that they can all be quickly and easily identified (and probably so that composers could claim some sort of copyright in a recognisable set of harmonies, and maybe even get the royalties when a tune was reprinted).

These names are largely a matter of personal whimsy. Sometimes they identify that a tune has been extracted from a much larger piece, like 'Bach's Passion Chorale'; sometimes they come from the text of the words the tune is set to, in the original language - eg 'Were you there?' or 'Resurrexit'. Frequently they have personal names, if a composer wants to pay a slightly lop-sided tribute to a friend or colleague, and often these personalities get canonized to look respectable alongside 'sacred' words. Victorian composers, Sullivan especially, were particularly prone to this - that tune to 'Onward, Christian Soldiers' was christened after the wife of the friend with whom he was staying when he wrote it, and she has come down to posterity as 'St Gertrude' in the hymnbooks ever since. This could sometimes backfire; his equally unsquashable waltz-tune to 'The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended' was called 'St Clement' as a compliment to the curate of the church where he was organist at the time, but owing to an original misprint it has been attributed to the curate himself, Clement Scholefield, for 130 years. And sometimes a tune bears an unexplained name that can look anything but complimentary - like 'Batty'.

But by far the biggest category of tune-names is geographical. Composers have enshrined the places where they were born, or where they worked, or spots which they had a fondness for, all over the world. Out of more than 500 tunes in our own hymnbook, something like 180 bear the names of places in the UK or in Europe. Idea ……..

Make sure you keep some or all of Saturday, 11 October free in your diary. On that day the choir will be leading us on a musical mystery tour of the British Isles, by means of the geographical directions supplied in the pages of the New English Hymnal - the choral equivalent of the journey from John o'Groats to Land's End. With frequent intervals for rest and refreshment, the trek is likely to take eight hours or more, commencing at 12 noon in Caithness ('O for a closer walk with God') and ending somewhere around 8:00 pm with a great and final shout of praise in Truro ('Jesus shall reign where'er the sun').

Naturally they are not doing this just for the sheer unalloyed pleasure of standing and singing hymns for eight hours at a stretch! Throughout September choristers taking part will be inviting sponsorship for this exercise - at so much per hymn, or per hour, or per county - and the money raised will go to choir funds. This being an equal opportunity event, there's room for members of the congregation to earn some money for the Shopping List in the same way; come along and take part and get yourself sponsored to do so. Full details and forms of some kind will be available as soon as possible. Or just drop in for a while and enjoy the singing, and perhaps a cup of tea in the Centre, and make a contribution as you go. There may even be some kind of prize for whoever guesses nearest to the precise time the whole journey will take (a new UK atlas for the car, perhaps?!)

The exact route to be followed will be devised by Selwyn and Andrew, whose decision is final in all cases of dispute (is Belmont a couple of miles up the road or in Lancashire? Does Elgar's house in Sussex count as a 'place'? Is Glenfinlas a location or something we might need to revive us all afterwards?)

It should be fun as well as exhausting - don't miss !

Selwyn Tillett

Music at Evensong in July

Sunday 6 July

Canticles: Purcell in G Minor

Anthem: Like As The Hart - Howells

Sunday 13 July

Canticles: Stanford in C

Anthem: How Lovely Are The Dwellings – Rawsthorne

Sunday 20 July (at 5 pm)

Canticles: Dyson in F

Anthem: Hear My Prayer -Mendelssohn

Choral Evensong resumes on Sunday, 7 September

Who Said That?

"I could hardly be called a pillar of the Church, I am more in the nature of a buttress, for I support it from the outside."

"If you don't have faith, pray anyway. If you don't understand or believe the words you're saying, pray anyway. Prayer can start faith, particularly if you pray aloud. And even the most imperfect prayer is an attempt to reach God."

Answers here…

A Celebration of Marriage

On the last Sunday afternoon in September five years ago (1998) we held a special service that we called 'A Celebration of Marriage'. This was a marriage thanksgiving service for all who wanted to remember their wedding day and the promises they made - and all the couples who had been married at St Mary's over the previous five years were invited back. The invitation to attend was also widely given to anyone else who wanted to give thanks to God for their marriage, whenever and wherever it took place, and one of the most moving parts of the service came when all the sixty or so couples present renewed their vows.

Five years on it seemed appropriate to do the same once more, and so there will be a similar service on Sunday 28 September at 3:00 pm. We shall be inviting specifically all those couples who have been married at St Mary's since September 1998, but of course the same invitation is there to anyone else who wishes to come and give thanks and renew their vows likewise.

If you would like to be one of these couples, then please let Selwyn or Heather know on or before Sunday 7 September. It would also be useful to know when and where you were married, if not at St Mary's, and how many family and friends are likely to be here to celebrate with you.

Selwyn Tillett

London Bridges Walk

Saturday, 13 September 2003

WALK LONDON’S BRIDGES AND RAISE FUNDS FOR THE CHILDREN’S SOCIETY

As The Children's Society representative at St Mary's, I would like to raise funds for the Society by taking part in this sponsored walk. Would you and your family like to have a go too at what promises to be a really good day out?

Joining in the walk will by those children’s television favourites Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine and the Fat Controller, Angelina Ballerina, Pingu and Tubb the frog from Rubba-dubbers.Children taking part in the event will receive a free, special edition T-shirt featuring these characters and will have a chance to have their photo taken with Thomas the Tank Engine.

The London Bridges Walk sets off from Tate Modern and takes in eight of the capital’s bridges. Walkers can choose a 5 or 10 mile circuit past many famous landmarks including St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. The route is pushchair and wheelchair friendly. Free refreshments and entertainment will be provided and walkers can picnic along the way.

Adult walkers are asked to make a donation of £5 to register and are encouraged to raise as much sponsorship money for The Children’s Society as possible. The registration fee for children is £2.

For more information please contact me on 020 8773 1064.

Emma Thompson

Choir CD

Following the performance of the Rutter Requiem held on Passion Sunday, a number of those who were there to listen and meditate said how moved they were by the experience.

The good news is that the concert was recorded by Chris Kimber and the standard of this live performance was high enough to warrant the production of a CD

If you would like to experience again this performance of various Passiontide Anthems, Chorales, organ music and, of course, the Rutter Requiem, the CDs are now available at St Mary's, from choir members, or from the Oasis bookshop in Wallington.

Kevin Winstone

PS It is hoped to produce a CD of Christmas Carols in the autumn.

St Thomas Episcopal Church Choir

While they were living in Florida, Pam and Ian Akhurst were members of the choir of St Thomas Episcopal Church, Coral Gables. The choir, which is about thirty strong, has a wide repertoire, which has been broadened considerably over the past two years by its Australian Director of Music, Ken Willy. Ken has studied and sung in England (at Norwich and Bristol cathedrals), and is steeped in the traditions of Anglican choral music: the choir has relished the challenge of its introduction to Tallis, Byrd, Purcell, Howells and Stanford!

The St Thomas Choir will be touring a number of English cathedrals and abbeys in July and August. After a week's residency at St Alban's (during which they will be singing at Canterbury on their "day off"), they move to Westminster Abbey for the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd August, and then complete their tour by singing at Bristol, Winchester and Wells. To their delight, Pam and Ian have been invited to rejoin the choir for these two weeks, which happily begin shortly after St Mary's choir has started its summer break.

The choir has a different sound from what we are used to, partly because it uses sopranos as opposed to boy trebles. If you would like to hear this difference, and to take part in the worship at Westminster Abbey, they will be singing Evensong at 3.00 pm on both Saturday and Sunday, 2nd and 3rd August. On the 3rd, Matins will also be sung at 10.00 am, followed by a choral Eucharist at 11.15 am.

And if you can't join them, please pray for them as they set about this somewhat daunting, though very exciting, challenge.

One Year On

When the Worship Group met in June 2002 to consider Sunday Evensong, they had a long and thoughtful discussion about the place of this service in St Mary's pattern of worship. It seemed to have an undeservedly low profile in the parish.

Their conclusions were that Sunday Choral Evensong here is something very special, both devotionally and musically, and that however small the congregation, it was and should continue to be an integral part of worship at St Mary's.

One year on it is good to see that the congregation is slowly but steadily growing. Fifteen people, as well as some of the younger choristers, are on the reading rota. The atmosphere of peace and prayerfulness remains and the choir, with its wonderfully varied repertoire, gets better and better.

Thank you everyone.

Pat Kingsbury

"Summoned by Bells”

The Ringers are hosting a “home-grown” parish concert on Saturday, 9 August. All the performers are members of the congregation or ringers and their friends and family. There is quite a wealth of talent amongst us - some of it as yet undiscovered! We felt we should put it to good use and raise money for the bells while being entertained.

You will quite literally be “summoned by bells”, the handbell ringers will also be taking part, there will be vocalists, instrumentalists and any combination of the above!

There will be refreshments in the form of cheese and wine during the interval and this enjoyable evening out will cost you just £5.00 if you pay in advance and £6.00 if you turn up on the door. Tickets are available from any of the ringers or you can phone 8660 4254 to place an order. Please come and support us.

And an advance date for your diary: Saturday, 18 October - a Beetle Drive for Tower funds.

Children

Extract from The Children's Society church diary for July:

"The Children's Society believes children should be involved in the decisions that affect their lives, not just because they have a right to participate, but because they are often experts on their local communities! The more we encourage children to share in important decisions that affect their lives, the more we discover the wisdom and knowledge they have."

Visit by Bishop Nick Baines

I think by now you will all probably know that the new Bishop of Croydon, the Rt Rev Nick Baines, will be spending Monday, 14 July in the parish. As part of his wish to meet as many people from the church and parish as possible, there will be a reception in the Centre at 6.10 pm, prior to a meeting of the PCC at 8.00 pm.

There will be drinks of various kinds provided, and we would also like to have nibbles, for which we need your help. There will be lists in the Centre - one for the offer of food and one for an indication of how many people will be attending. Please sign as appropriate. It would be lovely if St Mary's could turn out in force; we can spill out of the Centre into the church or churchyard (weather permitting). There will be no charge and no tickets.

Heather Cosgrove

(And may I just repeat the request for some volunteers afterwards to get the Centre turned back into a meeting room in time for the 8.00 pm PCC meeting!)

Don't miss…

the gender-bending Rector’s wife performing in the Forest of Arden

… actually it's Cassie, cast as Rosalind, spending most of her time disguised as a boy in the Richmond Shakespeare Society’s outdoor production of As You Like It. Performances at York House Gardens, Twickenham, are from July 7 to July 12 inclusive at 7.45 pm, with a matinee on Jul 12 (Sat) at 3 pm.

Lists are available for those either wishing to join a parish outing on the 12th which Heather is co-ordinating, or wanting a ticket for another performance.

Harvest Weekend - 20th and 21st September

At our Harvest Thanksgiving this year we will be giving thanks for gifts received from our multicultural society; for the friendships, the inspiration and the culinary delights. Our preacher at the 9.30 am Thanksgiving Eucharist will be Eric Dearman who was a missionary in India and Papua New Guinea for many years before retiring to Beddington, was a Reader at St Mary's and is now living in St Leonards-on-Sea.

Harvest supper will be food from as many parts of this country and the world that we have the culinary skills to produce. Any offers will be gratefully received by Pat or Heather; ideas and offers so far promise that the evening will give us the opportunity to taste a great variety of food.

Heather Cosgrove

Bara Brith - Cajun Chicken - Gado-Gado - Kefta - Yorkshire Pud - Bara Brith - Cajun Chicken -Gado-Gado - Kefta - Yorkshire Pud - Bara Brith - Cajun Chicken - Gado-Gado - Kefta - Yorkshire Pud - Bara Brith - Cajun Chicken - Gado-Gado - Kefta - Yorkshire Pub - Bara Brith - Cajun Chicken - Gado-Gado

The Mothers' Union - Give Them Credit!

Spend your money shopping - and support families worldwide

The Mothers' Union has recently launched a Visa credit card with a difference - one that will help make a positive difference to the lives of families worldwide.

Developed in partnership with the Co-operative Bank, the new card supports the work of the MU to act on family issues ranging from parenting and literacy and development to AIDS education, media awareness and much more.

For every account opened, the MU will receive £5. A further £10 will be donated if the card is used within the first six months of opening an account and for every £100 spent on the card, 25p will be donated back to the charity.

Shoppers will benefit by receiving 1.9% on purchases and balance transfers until six months after their account is opened, no annual fee and discounts off full brochure priced holidays.

Reg Bailey, Chief Executive of the MU said:

"As an organisation, we are dedicated to providing families in the UK and overseas with the support and help they need. Through this new credit card, we hope that those who do not have the time to join the MU or take part in fundraising campaigns will do their bit by shopping! The card is used in the same way as any other credit card. The only difference is that each time you spend with it, someone in the UK or abroad will benefit."

For details, please ring the Mothers' Union on 020 7222 5533.

Gwen Whiting

Thoughts…

The little boy was saying his go-to-bed prayers in a very low voice.

"I can't hear you, dear," his mother whispered.

"Wasn't talking to you," said the small one firmly

Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

What a difference a comma makes!

A report in the media last year sparked off a public debate about the value of good grammar - and in particular the correct usage of the apostrophe. An 'Apostrophe Society' had been set up to promote its correct use, because many people are irritated to see it used incorrectly.

But there is another punctuation mark which can affect meaning in a very subtle way - the comma. In the modern version of the Nicene Creed recited each Sunday, it is common to hear: "We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ", as though there are lots of other Lord Jesus Christs about, but we choose to believe in just one. Yet what the sentence actually says is that "We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ", acknowledging that there can only be one Lord, and his name is Jesus Christ.

There is a subtle change often made to the preceding paragraph too. Listen to how congregations recite the words next time you are in church and you are likely to hear: "We believe in one God, the Father, the almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen".

Yet, look again, there is a comma after the word "is", which subtly changes the meaning. We should say: "…... of all that is, seen and unseen". In other words we are not simply acknowledging that God made the world around us, the parts that are visible and those which are out of view, but that God made everything, "all that is"; this world, the next world, the past, the present, the future, the tiniest particle in existence to the greatest galaxy in the heavens, everything. What a difference a comma makes!

So, perhaps we need a 'Comma Society' too.

Answers to Who Said That?

1 Winston Churchill

2 Cary Grant.

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