NEWSLETTER Parish of St George Hanover Square St George’s Church Grosvenor Chapel July—October 2016: issue 34 Inside this issue The Rector writes 2 Organ Concerts 3 Services at St George’s 4 Services at Grosvenor Chapel 7 Prisons Mission 8 Parish Officers etc 9 Neighbours 10 St Mark’s Church, Lobatse in the Diocese of Botswana Hyde Park Place Estate Charity 11 s the Rector mentions on now parish priest at St Mark’s, Lo- Africa calling 11 page 2, thanks to the batse in southern Botswana and in generous support of need of funds to enable the parish Contacts 12 A members of the St to purchase a piano. Details may be George’s congregation and wider found on page 11. Please be as gen- took place on Maundy Thursday 1882 family, we have recently honoured erous as you can. when all seems to have been less our pledge to raise £5,000 in sup- than amicable between ourselves Churches Together in Westminster port of a Christian Aid Community and our Salvation Army neighbours features twice between these cov- Partnership project in Kenya. Now on Oxford Street. This came to ers. John Plummer provides an up- light earlier in the year when we have an opportunity to give a date on the CTiW Prisons Mission in Churches Together’s Meet the helping hand a little further south which St George’s has played a pio- Neighbours project invited partici- in Botswana. Links between the St neering role. If you would like to pating churches to visit the Sally George’s Vestry and Southern Af- receive further information or ex- Army’s premises at Regent Hall. We rica are well established. The pre- plore the possibility of becoming are grateful to Richard Stock for sent Parish Administrator lived more directly involved in the Pris- providing the extract from The Daily and worked in South Africa for ons Mission, John may be contacted News of 7th April 1882 and the pho- many years. His predecessor re- at [email protected] tograph of Captain Baugh, first Com- mains heavily engaged in charita- or at St George’s most Sunday manding Officer of the Salvation ble work in Cape Town and his mornings. Army at Regent Hall, and his musical predecessor, James McKeran, has cohorts. worked as a priest in Lesotho and And then on a somewhat curious Botswana since 2011. James is note, we record an incident that The Rector writes . precisely the lack of leisure – the of co-operation from a willing inability to be at leisure – that was partner. Leisure is about recover- a clear indication of idleness and ing our freedom – Christ’s free- sloth. The refusal of leisure was dom, the freedom to do good, to seen as nothing less than the in- run in the ways of the Gospel ability to be open and receptive to rather than limping through an the gifts of knowledge and being. unending round of duties. You can They would have identified at be very busy, very creative, even once the bitter restlessness of our very productive and have leisure, task-drenched society as accedia – but it is a difficult art. And it re- (listlessness, not caring about any- quires discipline. thing, negligence). And in case of any doubt or confusion, accedia Find the precious pearl – go to the was seen not as a sin against the monastery or retreat house if you work ethic…or the joy of produc- want, but don’t stay too long or tion…or Holy industry. No – accedia return too often. The pearl is hid- is a sin against the Third Com- den in your own life, not someone mandment – the commandment to he Tablet ran a series of else’s. You may have to sell all you keep holy the day of rest, the Sab- interesting articles over have to make it yours, but it is bath. the summer holiday period there to be found. a number of years ago un- T The frenetic modern world of The St George’s-tide Community der the general title The lost art of work, marked by constant and ab- leisure – ‘to help readers embrace Concert in April raised nearly solute activity, is not the reverse leisure without guilt’. The opening £1,300 which, along with a couple of idleness but its symptom. If article explained why leisure is both of very generous top up donations scholars realised this and had the the normal state of humankind and helped us achieve our target of courage to defend leisure and the proper state of scholars, and £5,000 by the June deadline. teach it to their children and from it I have made a few notes be- Thank you for your support over grandchildren, you could stand low. the past 2 years – this total will against the relentless drive to turn attract triple match funding from people into slothful workaholics. The Greek word σχολή skhole the European Union. This means (leisure) is the root of our word that our Christian Aid Community The second article in the series school. The Greeks, Romans, and Partnership in Kenya will receive highlighted a few practical sugges- our medieval ancestors had a deep grants totaling £20,000 in Narok tions on ‘how to use the summer respect for the dignity of work, but County for maternal and child to step off the escalator into na- as the means, not the end of life. healthcare projects. ture’s rhythms’. For a start – get They saw leisure as lying at the root up really early before the dawn. st of things, as the principle and foun- Starting on Friday 1 July, for at Watch and wait for the great sym- dation of the higher life. Aristotle least a six month experimental bol of resurrection and renewal to said we work in order to be at lei- period the time of the Friday rise in the east. Enjoy your morn- sure (we are not-at-leisure in order Eucharist (and all Red Letter ing prayers – go out for a walk to be-at-leisure). The modern West Saints Days) will move from (ideally in the countryside but has turned all this on its head and 12.10pm to an hour later at pavements will do). Consider the we need to justify leisure strictly in 1.10pm. There are more people in lilies of the field or the roar of relation to work. Idleness that is our locality taking a lunch break traffic, and come back to a good needed to recharge the batteries to between 1pm and 2pm and we book and a good breakfast. Luxuri- get back to work. We think that hope to attract more worshippers ate in the morning. Don’t com- everything depends on our effort, into church for these celebrations. plain if it rains: you and the morn- and what is gained without effort is ing are both charged with the to be somehow distrusted. Even Dates for your diaries: glory of God. though our very existence is given to us without any effort on our part. Renewal of Marriage Vows on Most people cannot do much of th We forget that everything we re- Sunday 10 July followed by a this floating like a feather on the ceive is gift. And we can’t see how Champagne Reception breath of God, but nearly every- odd it is in our day to associate lei- one can find time for a bit of it sure with idleness. Renewal of Baptismal Vows on most days, and holidays are a good th Sunday 18 September followed by time to start practising. If you For our medieval ancestors it was a reception have children you will need a lot 2 Mayfair Organ Music Tuesdays Tuesday 19th July at St George’s or St George’s Edward Tambling Grosvenor Chapel St James’, Spanish Place at 1.10pm Tuesday 26th July Tuesday 5th July Grosvenor Chapel St George’s Douglas Mews Travis Baker New Zealand St Mary’s Putney Tuesday 2nd August Tuesday 12th July St George’s Grosvenor Chapel Nicholas Haigh John Kitchen Edinburgh City & Tuesday 9th August University Organist Grosvenor Chapel Tba Tuesday 4th October Grosvenor Chapel Tuesday 16th August James Johnstone Rector (continued) St George’s Guildhall School Ben Bloor Harvest Festival and Prisons Sun- Brompton Oratory th th Tuesday 11 October day on Sunday 9 October fol- St George’s lowed by a reception Tuesday 23rd August Andrew Benson Wilson Grosvenor Chapel The Royal Society of St George Basingstoke are invited to join us for their An- Edmund Aldhouse th nual Parade Service on Sunday 16th Ely Cathedral Tuesday 18 October October Grosvenor Chapel Tuesday 30th August Simon Williams Prayer is offered daily in the St George’s St George’s Hanover Square church. The Midday Office is said Richard Hobson at 12.10pm except when the Grosvenor Chapel Tuesday 25th October Eucharist is celebrated on Fridays St George’s and Saints Days (at 1.10pm). Tuesday 6th September Please join us if you are in the Richard Moore area. Grosvenor Chapel London Christopher Marks st Requiem for departed loved ones USA Tuesday 1 November will be celebrated on Friday 16th Grosvenor Chapel September at 1.10pm. Please in- Tuesday 13th September Andrew Benson Wilson form the Verger (whose contact St George’s Basingstoke details may be found on the back Frederick Stocken page) if you wish to include the St George’s Southwark Tuesday 8th November names of loved ones. St George’s Tuesday 20th September Holy Cocktail Hour Open House Robin Walker Grosvenor Chapel with drinks on Wednesdays at the St George’s Rectory, 21a Down Street W1J 7AW David Graham th - entrance in Brick Street opposite Farm Street Church Tuesday 15 November the tapas bar on the following Grosvenor Chapel dates: 21st September, 12th Octo- Tuesday 27th September Thomas Allery ber, 30th November.