NEWSLETTER Parish of St George Hanover Square St George’s Church Grosvenor Chapel November 2018 — February 2019: issue 41 Inside this issue The Rector writes 2 Mayfair Organ Concerts 4 Services at St George’s 5 Jake Thompson 7 Grosvenor Chapel services 8 St George’s School 9 St George’s Undercroft 10 Prisons Mission 12 HPPEC 15 road works have not only add- ed to the cacophony but ren- electing an appropriate er detail on pages ten and dered vehicular access to the photograph for page one eleven. church during the ‘working of this august publication week’ even more trying than S exercises the editor per- But what of the photograph? usual. Which is not for a mo- haps more than it should. Re- Angelo Hornak’s timeless shot ment to suggest we are inno- cent editions have tended to of the tranquil interior is a cent bystanders in this may- reflect our current preoccupa- timely and most welcome re- hem. Our abortive second – or tion with the conversion of the minder of what St George’s is was it third – attempt to get Undercroft now, we are told, in the context of noisy build- an electrical cable across Mad- in its final stages of comple- ing work beneath our feet dox Street to power the ‘new’ tion. Mercifully, the splendid and all around us. Hanover Undercroft involved closing new lavatory facilities are al- Square itself has been a the street for a whole week. ready available for people building site for a number of And yes, the whole exercise coming to the church for even- years now and is likely to re- has to be repeated in mid- ing concerts and Sunday ser- main so until the eventual November but with this time, vices and the access lift for opening of the Bond Street we hope, better results. disabled people will be in Elizabeth Line station. But place before too long. Michael nothing had prepared us for For loftier matters, please Beckett, Church Warden at St the fact that most of the turn the page noting in partic- George’s until the end of April western side of St George ular the Rector’s trenchant and still very much the Under- Street south of Maddox Street words on ‘balance’ and the croft’s guiding hand, has writ- is currently enveloped in state of the National Church in ten about the project in great- scaffolding. The attendant its absence. The Rector writes . of God and people with vision. It’s hard to maintain balance. The ‘managers’ really should be Most of the time, we’re proba- those who flourish as ‘Number bly tipped too far one way or 2s’. So the problem we face is the other – either we work too that we are increasingly ‘led’ much, or not enough. Either by ‘Number 2s’ who might be we’re too busy doing chores at good administrators and man- home, or we neglect them too agers but cannot cut it as much. It’s easy to develop bad ‘Number 1s’. And this lack of habits and live an unbalanced leadership has led to the disas- life. trous collective failure of the House of Bishops in recent What about our spiritual life? years in matters such as human How balanced is our relation- sexuality. It seemed obvious to ship with God? How do we en- many of us when Civil Partner- joy the balance of the Holy ships were introduced that Trinity? One lovely prayer that there should have been an au- perhaps captures the sense of thorised service of celebration balance is by a former Dean of for couples in this position. And St Paul’s, John Donne (1571- s we approach the seem- I note that in recent years 1631): ing mad rush and frenetic there are Catholic bishops who lead up to Christmas – a are making a similar call. Had Bring us, O Lord God, at our A time of year for charity this happened, then the heat last awakening into the house and kindness and still for a num- might have been taken out of and gate of heaven, to enter ber of people, for religion too – I the debate, a real pastoral into that gate and dwell in am thinking about the idea of need met, and the C of E al- that house, where there shall balance. How to spread out and lowed time to discuss the much be no darkness nor dazzling, spread around the spirit of gen- more problematic and compli- but one equal light; no noise erosity and thinking of others cated issue of Same Sex Mar- nor silence, but one equal mu- that becomes so compressed and riage. The point is that rather sic; no fears nor hopes, but one ultimately fleeting as soon as than ‘leading’ on whatever the equal possession; no ends nor Christmas day is come and gone. issues might be, they are in- beginnings, but one equal eter- stead ‘managed’. nity: in the habitations of thy Traditionally one of the gifts of majesty and glory, world with- Anglicanism has been built Perhaps with a more ‘balanced’ out end. Amen. around a spirit of balance, in- leadership we would not be in formed and influenced as we such a lamentable position as At the beginning of August, we have been by the humane bal- the National Church. Time was welcomed Jake Thompson to anced life of Benedictine com- when the three most senior ap- our team of Vergers. On Page munities. This used to be one of pointments in the Church 7, Jake has written a short in- the main attractions of a broad aimed at a balance between troductory autobiographical Church of England, and our sense Evangelical, Broad Church, Tra- note. of balance was allegedly part of ditional and Liberal Catholic. our genius. Sadly, perhaps even Gone. Time was when there From Monday 29th October – the scandalously, the checks and was an eye to appoint learned day after the clocks go back – balances of the Church of Eng- and gifted theologians to the our weekday opening hours will land have been gradually eroded bench of Bishops – not least to be 8.30am – 4.30pm. Over the by a creeping managerialism Durham but also to Oxford and years I have noticed that rela- (though, as always with the C of Winchester. Gone. The tively few people come into St E, conforming to already outdat- ‘balance’ is now heavily George’s between 8.00 and ed ideas). The Welbyfication of weighted in favour of a certain 8.30am but when locking up at the C of E, though it all started sort of Evangelicalism. And now 4.00pm there are very often long before him. of course, gender trumps eve- people in the building whose rything. visit has to be cut short. The We cherish the three-fold minis- Vestry hours have been similar- try of Deacons, Priests and Bish- What about our own lives? How ly adjusted. ops inherited from the early days to balance time spent at work, of the Church - and all Priests or at home? And when home The All Souls Requiem for de- and Bishops need to be mindful how to balance enjoying your- parted loved ones will be cel- of their Diaconal role of service, self, relaxing, building relation- ebrated on Friday 2nd November and the importance of attending ships with family members, or at 1.10pm. Please inform one to administration. However, we spending time doing chores – of the Vergers if you wish to seem now to have forgotten the fixing this, cleaning that? Both include names for prayer. Their wisdom of appointing holy and are necessary. contact details will be found on wise Bishops with gifts of leader- the back page. One person we ship and inspirers of the people shall remember will be David 2 Vermont (13th February 1931 – Prioritise: divide your ideas in- Calm at 8.45am on weekday 1st September 2018) who was a to three categories – ‘Quick mornings during academic term good friend to me and to the Wins’: things that can be intro- times. This is a short medita- parish – involved for many years duced and make an impact tive ‘service’ starting with sev- with the London Handel Festival quickly. ‘Medium range’: things en or eight minutes of (usually) and a long serving member of that will require preparation. piano music, played by post- our PCC. Among other things, ‘Long range’: things which will graduate students from the David was a distinguished mem- need an investment of signifi- Royal College of Music, fol- ber of the Worshipful Company cant time and resources. lowed by a time for private si- of Mercers with a great passion lent recollection and conclud- and commitment to the work of Do please join us if you can in ing with one or two short pray- Gresham College. May he rest in the Vestry between 10.00am and ers. Further details will be pub- God’s peace. midday. lished in due course. th On Saturday 10 November Christmas Services Holy Cocktail Hour Open members of the PCC and others The Parish Carol Service (the House – all are welcome for from the St George’s congrega- drinks on Wednesdays 28th No- traditional Nine Lessons and th tion are meeting to review and Carols) is to take place this vember and 16 January at revise our Mission Action Plan. year on Sunday 16th December 6.30pm until 8pm at the Recto- Most helpfully, the Diocese has at 6.00pm followed by refresh- ry, 21a Down Street W1J 7AW - jotted down the following bul- ments.