St Mary Magdalene Windmill Hill, Enfield, Middlesex www.stmarymagdalene.church

Member of The North-West Enfield Group of Churches

PARISH MAGAZINE

FEBRUARY 2018 50p donation

30, The Ridgeway, Dear Friends, This year, Ash Wednesday falls on St Valentine’s Day in the middle of Half Term, and Easter Day is April Fool’s Day. I didn’t vote for either of those! The dating of Easter (and thereby of everything that relates to it, in Lent, and afterwards at Ascension and Pentecost), hinges on the phases of the moon, for us in the Western Church at least. Eastern Churches use other methods, including some who keep Easter rooted to Passover, which itself is hinged on a thirteen month lunar month year. It works more or less, but our 364.25 day year is more accurate seasonally. So Easter is, for us, the Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (21 March). This gives a 24 day range in which Easter may fall. In 1922 an Act of Parliament decreed that Easter should be designated as the Second Sunday of April ‘when the churches agree’. You might have noticed that has not (yet) happened! So we are lumbered with a variety of dates that are not easily predictable. We notice this immediately as, at Candlemas we turn from looking backwards towards Christmas – the season now ended on February 2nd after 40 days since December 25th. Then we look towards Easter, with its 40 day preceding Lent. Calendars and diaries rule most of our lives. The writer of Ecclesiastes gives a sobering perspective of the business of our lives and the tendency to be guided, even ruled by calendars or diaries: “What gain have the workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (3:9-10). For no matter how busy we are, or how full are calendars, time marches on, and everything we do or plan to do, or have done, needs to be placed in perspective against the eternal, divine time of God. Astrophysicists tell us that before the Big Bang there literally was no time, and that there may yet be a context in which there is no more time. This is not so different from the idea that the ‘end of the world’, however nigh it is, will transform time and space into something else, something incomprehensible to us here and now. Our calendars map out our little zone of time, keeping us busy, but are almost meaningless in the great scheme of things. This is not something to be depressed about though, but is rather something to be humbled by. We can stand before our calendars in awe of God, under whose creative loving gaze, everything ‘which is, already has been’; and that that which is yet to happen, is already happening to God; and perhaps even more profoundly, what we consider to have happened in the past, is still real to God, who seeks out the past, present and future simultaneously. For God the trinity is not only three persons in one, but past, present and future, three times in one, too.

Gordon 2 THIS YEAR’S LENT BOOK AND COURSE

God has an agenda for cities. Steve Brady is convinced of it. The Bible is full of significant cities and the biblical story is full of imagery of cities-culminating in God's 'holy city', birthed in and through his people. Towards Jerusalem is a unique Lent book, a call to live for a vision bigger than ourselves, marching to a different drumbeat towards 'Zion', God's New Jerusalem and all that this means in transformative terms for today's Christian believer.

Copies of the book are now available at the bac of church. Please put monies in the slot in the wall or give to the Vicar. We have used the BRF series for many years now, and next year’s one will actually be by our Vicar!

Discussion Group sessions will be at the Vicarage at 8.15pm from 19th February -19th March inclusive. The book is also available for purchase on the Kindle Store.

SCIENCE AND RELIGION STUDY DAY

As per the separate flyer, please do email me to secure your place on this fascinating day, which we are opening up to members of other parishes and churches locally. Places are, technically speaking, limited. So please do book accordingly. A few volunteers to help serve tea would be much appreciated – let us know.

Gordon Giles and Mark Leonard

FROM THE PARISH REGISTERS

FUNERAL 15 January 2018 Aidan Dewhurst (57)

INTERMENT OF ASHES IN THE MEMORIAL GARDEN 23 December 2017 Ruth Daniel Jill Gwendoline Collins

3 LUNCHTIME RECITALS

Matthew Geer, organist and composer studying at the Guild Hall played for us at the January recital. He played organ music from JS Bach to Walter Matthias. The audience found much of his music relaxing and enjoyable.

At 12.30 pm on Wednesday 14 February Adriana Lucia will play the violin for us. All are welcome. If you are free do come along to listen to her. Recently we have had some good young musicians playing to us at recitals and it seems a shame that only a few come to listen to them. Ploughman’s lunch including hot soup will be available afterwards for those who wish.

Eleanor Pritchard 12.30pm – 1pm Retiring Collection Ploughman’s Lunch £3.50, if required, in the Choir Vestry afterwards

CONCERT PROGRAMME FOR 2018 14th March 12th September Enfield Grammar Brass Group Bush Hill Recorder Consort 11th April 10th October The Anern String Trio Serafini Trio 9th May 14th November Gordon Giles and Roddy Elmer ~ Michael and Marion Smith flute and piano ~ organ and piano 13th June 12th December Catherine Leonard ~ piano Carols from 11th July Sandra Sinclair ~ violin The Cambridge Carol Book August ~ no concert

BACH BY CANDLELIGHT – 4TH MARCH AND 11TH

Our good friend and professional ‘cellist, Nigel Blomiley will perform J.S. Bach’s 6 ‘Cello Suites in Church, after evensong on Sundays 4th and 11th March. These works are beautiful, profound and spiritually deep, and this will be a rare treat indeed. There will be a brief gap between Evensong and the ‘concerts’, but they may be seen as one.

4 COFFEE MORNINGS

I was delighted to host another Christmas coffee morning with 32 people attending eating cake, drinking coffee, buying raffle tickets etc. and, of course, the highlight was the singing of Christmas carols accompanied by Eleanor on keyboard and Gordon on flute and my thanks go to them for this. I was amazed and happy that we raised £307.70 which brought the total for 2017 to £2856.75 towards our organ fund appeal. I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy, healthy 2018 and once again to thank all the hosts and attendees - you are all amazing in your support for our beautiful church. So please keep it up for 2018. The next coffee morning is on 20 February 2018, 10.45 am at ‘Toad Hall’, 12 The Glen – Eleanor’s home – in aid of the Organ Fund.

Rita Barker

FELLOWSHIP NEWS AND PROGRAMME FOR 2018

Our Oak Hill student Ross gave our January presentation. He treated us with a whistle stop tour through the Bible and what God has to say about clothing. We were challenged to think of a time when we arrived wearing inappropriate dress to an event. As Christians when we come face to face with God will we be dressed in Christ?

February 21st We look forward to hearing about MAF, Flying for Life. A charity that organise emergency flights across the world. March 21st We welcome our friend David Nash, who will share poems that reflect Spirituality. April 18th We will be treated to a talk from a local Bee Keeper. May 16th Jessica Giles will be sharing her work in the field of 'Religious Freedom' and how we might support her. June 20th Jackie Fish will be with us. July 18th A bring and Share Picnic lunch in the Church Garden. We don't meet in August. September 19th Still TBA (hopefully Catherine). October 17th Songs of Praise. November 21st TBA. December 19th We will be celebrating with our usual Christmas Lunch at a venue to be confirmed.

Kind regards to all from Mo 5 CALENDAR FOR FEBRUARY

Thurs 1 10.30 am Holy Communion

Sun 4 THE SECOND SUNDAY BEFORE LENT 8.00 am Holy Communion 10.00 am PARISH COMMUNION & BAPTISM 3.15 pm CHORAL EVENSONG SUNG BY ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL CHOIR AT ALL SAINTS’ EDMONTON 6.30 pm No Evening Prayer at St Mary Magdalene 7.15pm Hall Committee Meeting

Mon 5 10.00 am Matins

Thurs 8 10.30 am Holy Communion

Sun 11 THE SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE LENT 8.00 am Holy Communion 10.00 am PARISH COMMUNION 12.30 pm Interment of Barry Oakley’s ashes by Bishop Rob followed by Reception in Hall 6.30 pm Evening Prayer

Mon 12 10.00 am Matins

Wed 14 12.30 pm Lunchtime Recital – Adriana Lucia - Violin 8.00 pm Ash Wednesday Communion with ashing

Thurs 15 10.30 am Holy Communion

Sun 18 THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT 8.00 am Holy Communion 10.00 am PARISH COMMUNION 6.30 pm Evening Prayer

Mon 19 10.00 am Matins

Tues 20 10.45 am Coffee Morning at Eleanor Pritchard’s

Wed 21 2.00 pm Fellowship 6 Thurs 22 10.30 am Holy Communion

Sun 25 THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT 8.00 am Holy Communion 10.00 am PARISH COMMUNION 6.30 pm Evening Prayer

Mon 26 10.00 am Matins

Thurs 1 Mar 10.30 am Holy Communion

Sat 3 Mar 6.30 pm Evening Prayer 7.15 pm Bach by Candlelight - Nigel Blomiley (‘Cello)

Sun 4 Mar THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT 8.00 am Holy Communion 10.30 am PARISH COMMUNION 6.30pm Evening Prayer

EVENSONG on FEB 4th

Nearly 15 years ago we were delighted to welcome St Paul’s Cathedral Choir to sing evensong in what turned out to be a thoroughly memorable occasion. For the first time since then the choir are returning to the Deanery and will sing Choral Evensong at All Saints’ Edmonton on February 4th. So we shall attend that rather than meet at St Mary Magdalene’s. Do note the time. It is a very rare occurrence – not to be missed!

COFFEE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY - 2018

20th February ELEANOR PRITCHARD 20th March JACKIE FISH 17th April GILL & DAVID BIRD 15th May JUNE CARR 19th June LAURA & KEN COPE 17th July KATE & BOB BISSETT 21st August BETTY BUCK 18th September BERNARD QUINN 16th October GORDON GILES 20th November MAUREEN & KEITH REW 18th December RITA BARKER

7 A MESSAGE FROM THE ACTING BISHOP OF

Dear friends,

Our plans for the next 5 years and budget for 2018

With the start of the New Year, we wanted to share with you some of the key elements from the London Diocesan Fund 5 year plan (which we refresh each year) and the 2018 budget, which were approved at the end of last year. Our overall purpose remains the same – of doing everything we can to support the mission and growth of the church in London. This is put into practice in the 5-year plan which consists of two parts: the planned activities and the financial plans to resource them. We have summarised the activities we will be undertaking in 6 major objectives, 5 of which are carried forward from the current plan:

1. Taking forward Capital Vision 2020 2. Investing in establishing a Christian presence in London’s major new development areas 3. Encouraging growth in lay discipleship and leadership and promoting diversity 4. Investing in the well-being of our clergy and chaplains 5. Developing existing and new services to support our clergy and parishes well 6. Overseeing the transition to a new

These plans are built on the aim of being affordable and sustainable. We have three core parts to our financial framework, and the key points from each are:

- General Fund

 This is balanced for 2018 as a result of your generous common fund pledges along with the increased investment property income (which we have increased by over £1.5m, or more than doubled, over the last four years)  We foresee challenges in years 3 to 5 if the trust income reduces and the costs of training the increased number of ordinands are not partly covered by the National Church. As a result, we are actively looking at ways to address this.

- Capital Vision 2020

 This is now fully funded to 2020, partly as a result of the successful fundraising for the Fund for London.

- Capital strategy

8  This sets out our plans to release capital sums from parsonage developments over a number of years and how we will be re-investing a large proportion of these funds in installing double glazing in vicarages (as part of the quinquennial and ingoing works programmes) and establishing some new churches in major development areas.

We have also been successful in securing trust funding for our Capital Youth strategy and for work overseen by the Bishop of . This has enabled us to fund some additional posts funded outside of the General Fund. If you would like to understand more about our plans please have a word with ourselves, or speak with one of the team. We are blessed with talented people across the Diocese, an inspiring strategy in Capital Vision 2020 and some resources to invest – but we are reminded that it is God’s work. So we pray that God will take our plans, and use them, and shape them as he sees fit, and for his glory. Thank you for all you are doing and for your partnership,

Pete Broadbent Richard Gough Acting Bishop of London General Secretary

MAGAZINE AND ROTA

Items for the March 2018 edition to the editor by Sunday 11 February. Please use the magazine section of the pigeon-holes or email to [email protected]. Documents should be in Microsoft Word or plain text. If you know of anyone who would be able to help with stapling or if you are unable to keep the above dates please contact either Michael or Janet Dixon (8363 0338) or Janet Whelpdale (8363 5410)

24 February 2018 - Ken & Laura Cope, Gill Bird 31 March 2018 – Peter & Carol Lamb, Eleanor Pritchard 28 April 2018 – Ju (Yezi) Lan Zhen, Val Hayes Shivane Woodger 26 May 2018 – Vic Harrington, Pam Hagan, Helen Clarke 30 June 2018 – Ju (Yezi) Len Zhen, Val Hayes, Shivane Woodger 28 July 2018 – Ken & Laura Cope, Gill Bird (10.00 am Saturday Morning in the Church or earlier as arranged)

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Nelito’s Ristorante

Italian Restaurant 61-63 Windmill Hill Enfield Tel: 020 8366 0595

Nelito’s has been a closely run family business since 1994. The atmosphere is warm, friendly and relaxed and gets lively at weekends. The food specialises in Italian Cuisine which is markedly stylish. 10% discount for parties of up to 4 people to Friends of St Mary Please ask to see the special menu! Magdalene on presentation of this advert. We have special menus for parties and functions for up to 60 people. Open Monday-Friday lunch 12pm to 2.30pm & dinner 6.30pm to 11pm Saturday 6.30pm to 11.30pm Sunday All day

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House Sales in Enfield and the surrounding area Chartered Surveyors Valuers Estate Agents Letting Agents

SURVEYS AND VALUATIONS : ESTATE MANAGEMENT

49, Windmill Hill Tel: (020) 8370 4800 Enfield, Middlesex EN2 7AE Fax: (020) 8367 5112

Email: [email protected]

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