We are delighted to welcome Kilda Carpenter as a soprano singer as part of our choral scholarship scheme. Kilda says of herself:

“I am delighted to be joining the choir of St Michael and All Angels Church.
I discovered my love of choral singing whilst a student at New College, Oxford where I studied Medicine. I primarily sang as a soprano choral scholar with the Chapel Choir of St Peter’s College, and was a member of several other ensembles during my studies.
I graduated in March and when I am not singing in Oxford and London, I can be found in Buckinghamshire working as a junior doctor in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care.”

SERVICES THIS SUNDAY
8am Low Mass
9am Morning Prayer
10am Sung Mass
Psalm 119 verses 65-72.
Offertory anthem: O for a closer walk with God – Charles Villiers Stanford
Final Voluntary: Fanfare – William Mathias, played by Ben Law
11.30am Children’s Service
6.00m Evensong

PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS
Sick: Lorraine Thys, Frances Harman, Rosalyn Fletcher, Oscar Townsend, Geoff Parkinson, Tina Wilkinson, Basil Moss
Recently Departed: Heather Fraser
Anniversary of Death: Arthur Ford, Pamela Foster, Yvonne Richards, Joan Blackburn, Richard Tarr, Penny Waterhouse, Scarlett Berryman, Catherine Leach, John West

SERVICES THIS WEEK
Monday 21^st – 9am Morning Prayer
Tuesday 22^nd – 9am Morning Prayer
Wednesday 23^rd – 9am Morning Prayer and 12 Noon Mass
Thursday 24^th – 9am Morning Prayer
Saturday 26^th – 9am Morning Prayer and 9.30am Mass

VISITING PRIEST and ANNUAL LEAVE
Both Mother Judith and I are away this week on annual leave and Mass this Sunday is celebrated by Fr Alan Trigle, Associate Priest at our neighbouring parish of St Nicholas, Chiswick. He will be assisted by our curate, Fr Martin. Please make Fr Alan welcome.

Between this Sunday and Saturday 26^th whilst we are on annual leave, please contact the Parish Office or Fr Martin (curate@stmichaelbarnes.org) for any urgent pastoral matters.

NEW CHORAL SCHOLAR
We are delighted to welcome Kilda Carpenter as a soprano singer as part of our choral scholarship scheme. Kilda says of herself:

“I am delighted to be joining the choir of St Michael and All Angels Church.

I discovered my love of choral singing whilst a student at New College, Oxford where I studied Medicine. I primarily sang as a soprano choral scholar with the Chapel Choir of St Peter’s College, and was a member of several other ensembles during my studies.

I graduated in March and when I am not singing in Oxford and London, I can be found in Buckinghamshire working as a junior doctor in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care.”

COVID SAFE CHURCH
As you will know the government has introduced new regulations about social gatherings limiting them to six people – these do not apply to public worship which are fully risk-assessed and Covid-secure. I want you to feel safe when coming to church and thank you all for continuing to comply with the various measures that are currently in place. Naturally, it does affect other areas of our life as we will be unable to hold some of our customary events such as refreshments after church. 

FATHER MARTIN’S ORDINATION AS PRIEST AND FIRST MASS
Fr Martin is  due to be ordained as a priest on Saturday 17^th October and his first Mass will be on Sunday 18^th at 10am. Unfortunately, it won’t be possible to attend his ordination due to restricted numbers, but we hope that as many parishioners as possible will join us for his first Mass. As there will be additional guests at the service, and in order to maximise safe attendance within current social-distancing guidelines, we ask anyone wishing to attend the service emails the Parish Office admin@stmichaelbarnes.org with your name and the number of people who will be in the group (remembering that this is currently limited to 6 people together) so that we can allocate seating. There will be some limited availability of unreserved seating, but once this is full, I’m afraid it may not be possible for you to attend the service. As usual, there will be an 8am Low Mass and a Children’s Mass at the slightly later time of 12 Noon on that day. 

If you would like to contribute towards a gift for Fr Martin from St Michael’s please could you let us know asap. If you would like to put your name down for an amount by email, you can then drop it in or transfer it at a later date. Donations can be brought to the Vicarage, cheques should be made out to ‘St Michael & All Angels, Barnes’, and transfers can be made to the church bank account. Barclays, account no. 10774065, Sort Code 20-72-33 (Ref. PRIEST).

APCM CHANGE OF TIME
Please note that we have decided to hold the APCM directly after the 10am Mass on Sunday 11^th October at 11am (rather than 11.30am as previously mentioned). It will be possible for people to depart or arrive at the end of the service – but we ask all those who wish to attend to remain in their places. This will allow a prompt start and also reduce the amount of movement in the building.

ELECTORAL ROLL REVISION INFORMATION
In order to attend and vote at the APCM you will need to be on the church’s Electoral Roll, the current list can be found on the notice board at the back of church. Electoral roll forms can be obtained from the Stewards on Sundays or by emailing the Parish Office. Remember that the church ER is different from the council roll for voting, and is simply a reflection of church membership – if you regard St Michael’s as your church then please fill out a form – and you can be on the roll of more than one church.

CHURCH CHARITIES 2020
As we approach the Annual Meeting we are seeking to nominate a new local charity (our international charity, Jeel al Amal, was nominated last year for two years). Nominations for charities will close on Sunday 27^th September and a shortlist will be circulated and voted on at the Annual Meeting in October.
To nominate a charity please read our charity giving policy and only then fill out a form. Links to both the policy and form can be found below.

Charity Giving Policy 
Charity Form

WORLD PEACE DAY PRAYERS, Monday 21^st September.
Peace One Day, was initiated 20 years ago by a Richmond resident (Jeremy Gilley) . It was taken up by the United Nations as the International Day of Peace. Many lives have been saved because of it; cease-fires have been negotiated, so that mass immunisations could take place in the Third World.

In 2005 Steve McGarrity and Jane Sherwin brought the celebration to Barnes, in the form of a Candle-Lit Vigil at Barnes Pond, with singing and a two minute Silence. This year will have to be different. We are asking our local churches to set up a table with candles in jars, so that parishioners can pop into their church and light a candle and pray for peace.

FiSH IS SEEKING A NEW CHAIR OF TRUSTEES
Following the recent announcement that Crispin O’Brien will be stepping down as Chair of Trustees, FiSH Neighbourhood Care is seeking a new Chair. Applicants should be able to demonstrate strong leadership credentials and ideally have charity or volunteering experience Full details are available here. Closing date for applications: 30^th September.

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Sunday 27^th September: MICHAELMAS
10am Festival High Mass
6pm Choral Evensong and Benediction
Preacher: Fr Milne, Precentor, St Paul’s Cathedral.

Sunday 4^th October: HARVEST FESTIVAL
10am Harvest Festival Mass
11.30am Children’s Harvest Mass
Please bring non-perishable gifts to be donated to our local foodbank.

Sunday 11^th October: APCM SUNDAY
10am Mass of Thanksgiving followed by Annual Meeting
The Children’s Mass will take place at 12 Noon today

Sunday 18^th October: FR MARTIN’S FIRST MASS
10am High Mass
Preacher: Fr Desmond Tillyer
The Children’s Mass will take place at 12 Noon today

Sunday 25^th October: CONFIRMATION SUNDAY
NO 10AM MASS – please support our candidates and attend in the evening, if possible.
6pm Confirmation Mass with the Bishop of Southwark

Sunday 1^st November: ALL SAINTS SUNDAY
10am High Mass
11.30am Children’s All Saints Mass

Monday 2^nd November: ALL SOULS’ DAY
8pm: Requiem Mass (with sections from Faure’s Requiem)
Preacher: Bishop Martin Seeley, Bishop of St Edmondsbury and Ipswich
There will be said Requiem Masses every Saturday during November.

Sunday 8^th November: REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
10am Requiem Mass w. Act of Remembrance
11.30am Children’s Remembrance Mass

Sunday 22^nd November: FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING
10am Sung Mass
11.30am Children’s Mass

We are delighted to introduce Clover Summers, who is taking on a volunteer role as ‘Children’s Ministry Leader’. Clover’s role will be to help us develop and lead our work among children and parents so that we can deepen the Christian faith of families in our parish and be a church for all ages that reaches out to our community. You can contact Clover on children@stmichaelbarnes.org .

“In normal times (whatever they are) I am a civil servant working on climate change policies. At the moment I’m on a career break to look after our three children (aged 7, 5 and 3). I’ve been coming to St Michael’s since around  2005 with my husband Bennet, and I’m really looking forward to getting more involved in church life.”

PASTORAL REFLECTION

On the use of face coverings at worship

Dear Parishioners,

I’m sure many of you are now becoming used to using a face covering in shops and other places. It felt strange to begin with, but it now feels increasingly routine, albeit a little inconvenient and sometimes uncomfortable.

As mentioned last Sunday, the government has extended the use of face coverings to other indoor settings including churches. There will be a range of views and feelings about this, but whatever each one of us may think, it is law rather than guidance and we have only limited discretion in its application.

No one should feel discouraged from coming to church because of this, for the following reasons –

First, because it is really a very unimportant thing compared to the great joy of being able to worship together, which is our duty and our joy as Christians, and this is surely more important than any small inconvenience such as this.

Second, we are in the fortunate position of having a spacious and well-ventilated building that lowers any risk considerably. The introduction of face coverings may look and feel disconcerting, but the wider measures we have put in place make us Covid-secure.

Third, we are in an area which currently has very low community transmission, we pray that this may continue, and that these measures, which arise from an abundance of caution, may further help in this regard.

Fourth, our Christian faith requires a particular attention for the needs of the vulnerable and to consider others before ourselves. The wearing of face coverings protects others more than it protects us, and we may therefore see it as an act of loving care to our neighbour.

I want to emphasise the breadth of the term ‘face covering’ which can mean a scarf, mask, bandana or anything else that covers both nose and mouth. Bearing this in mind, please put your face covering on before or as soon as you enter the church for a service. Please do not be offended if a Steward gently reminds you, and they will have some spare disposable face coverings available for those who come without. On principle, I do not believe anyone should be turned away from worship whilst still upholding the law.

Of course, there are exemptions for children and for adults for a variety of health reasons, some of which may be invisible, so we must not judge someone who is not wearing a face covering, and I leave it to individual consciences to consider how exemptions may relate to their own circumstances. If you have reason to be exempt then please mention this to the Stewards, but you are not required to give the specific cause for your exemption.

Those leading worship in some way, such as readers, cantors, readers and intercessors, are permitted to remove their face covering to aid communication, especially when they are more than two metres away from anyone else. For the same reason, clergy will only wear a face covering at the distribution of the Sacrament when close proximity is inevitable. When receiving Holy Communion, remove or pull down your face covering immediately beforehand, replacing it after you have consumed the Body of Christ.

Finally, let us redouble our efforts in praying for our world, the church and our parish at this time when many people are suffering and fearful for the future. I write this reflection on the feast of the Transfiguration when Christ’s glory is revealed to the disciples on the mountain top. Likewise, in the midst of a world thrown into confusion by this virus, may we as Christians still discern the light of God’s glory shining through the darkness, as we look forward to the day when we can be close together again.

Father Stephen, Vicar
6^th August 2020
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

It brings me great joy to tell you that public services at Saint Michael’s resume this Sunday 5^th July, following national guidelines. The last few months have been very difficult for all of us, in different ways, for some more so than others, and the future is still very uncertain. Nevertheless, coming together to worship is an important step and a sign of hope, and I want to encourage as many of you as possible to feel confident about coming back to church. With a variety of services there is something for everyone:

8am Low Mass – this is a smaller service and it might be more appropriate for those who feel they are vulnerable.

10.00am Parish Mass – this service will also be live streamed on social media and accessible through the website for those who are unable to come to church.

11.30am Children’s Mass – families with children are encouraged to attend this service (at present there is no Sunday School at the 10am Parish Mass).

6.00pm Evening Prayer with reflective music and address. Each Sunday in July I am inviting someone from St Michael’s to share how the pandemic and lockdown has affected them and we begin with Mother Judith Roberts, Assistant Priest. The aim of this service is to provide silence, music and words to help us reflect on our ongoing experience.

Mid-week Services also resume with Morning Prayer at 9.00am every day (except Friday) and Mass at Noon on Wednesday and 9.30am on Saturday. These services may be especially appropriate for those who would prefer smaller gatherings than on Sunday.

Remember that the church is open every day (except Friday) from 8.45am until dusk for personal prayer.

Safety Measures

Below, I describe some of the measures in place for everyone’s safety so that you know what to expect and what we are doing to keep you safe:

• Entry to the church is by the main entrance on Charles Street only. We would ask that you don’t use the Priest’s Door on Elm Bank Gardens.
• Please aim to arrive early. A good few minutes before the service will help us regulate arrivals.
• It’s particularly important to use the hand sanitiser on arrival.
• Most services will be in the Nave to facilitate social distancing.
• There will be stickers on the backs of the pews indicating suitably distanced ‘seating areas’. Please only sit in these places. Each of these can be for one person, a couple or for a family of up to five people.
• Orders of service will be on the pews – extra ones will be laid out individually on a table at the back of church. The orders of service will be ‘quarantined’ afterwards, so that they are safe to use the following week. You are also welcome to keep your order of service and bring it back with you, or print off your own personal copy. Download a copy here.
• Sadly, current guidelines mean we are unable to have singing except for a solo cantor with all responses being spoken. However, we have an opportunity to enjoy our wonderful organ even more!
• At Communion, please follow the directions of the Stewards. Communion will be distributed in one form – the Body of Christ – in a standing station in the Nave. I realise that there are particular anxieties around receiving the Sacrament. I want to reassure you that every effort is made to ensure hygiene. Obviously, the moment of receiving Communion is one of the very few moments when social distancing isn’t possible. However, the moment of proximity is so brief that risk of transmission is considered almost negligible. Even so, some people may choose not to receive the Sacrament at this time and that is understandable.
• After larger services both of the north and south doors will be open to aid departure. Unfortunately, we must ask you not to stay and socialise in church after the service is over so that we can clean the building and prepare for any services that follow.
• You are invited to make a donation to the collection at the end of the service rather than at the offertory.
• With these precautions in place a facemask isn’t necessary but, of course, you are welcome to wear one if you wish to.

This is just a summary of the temporary safety measures we are putting in place. We have tried to keep them subtle, common-sense and proportionate while also taking risk seriously. If you are uncertain or anxious please feel free to talk to me and I am happy to explain in greater detail. I realise it all sounds rather daunting but I’m sure we will get used to it. It’s true that worship will be rather different for a time, but by also keeping our worship as familiar as possible, I hope it will feel like a joyful homecoming.

Life after lockdown

Many of you have shared stories of life under lockdown; the positives, the negatives, how it has affected your spiritual life and a vision for a different future as a result. It is with these mixed feelings and difficult experiences that we re-enter the House of God to lay them before the Lord in prayer. At this time, I am mindful that the word ‘church’ means ‘those who are called together’ and so it is the very nature of our Christian faith that we should come together to worship if we possibly can. Nevertheless, there will be people who are still shielding and if that is your situation then you remain very much in our prayers. Please do let me know so that we can keep in touch and support you. Thank you for bearing with this lengthy letter, but let me finish with the beautiful words from this Sunday’s Gospel, as both encouragement and comfort:

‘Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
(Matthew 11.28-30)

May the Lord who brings rest to the weary, and strength in time of need, grant you his blessing.

With love and prayers,

Father Stephen
Vicar

A printable version of the below can be found here.

We are delighted to announce that Ismail Mardin has been invited to take on the honorary role of Organ Scholar at St Michael’s. Ismail Mardin is an 8^th Form Pupil at St Paul’s School, and also attends the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music. He has been studying the organ for several years with Philip Berg,  Master of the Music at The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy . He is an admirer of all organ music, and one of his lasting memories is a visit to Bach’s church in Leipzig, the St Thomas Kirche, during a family road trip through Saxony and Thuringia.  

Apart from classical music, he is also an avid fan of jazz and has played with St Paul’s groups at the Bull’s Head in Barnes. As Ismail has played at St Michael’s over the last year and grown in expertise in liturgical music we felt it was right to honour him with this voluntary position as a sign of our thanks and hope it will be of benefit to him in the future as we continue to enjoy his musical skill.

We have produced a beautiful card with an image of the Adoring Angel from one of the windows in the Lady Chapel.  Packs of 6 for £5 and 15 for £10! Available from the Parish Office.

Vision Card 2019 In preparation for our PCC Away Day on 21st September, Fr Stephen would like to give the congregation a chance to write some comments for the PCC to take into account as they consider St Michael’s new Mission Action Plan.

Please return comments via the card to the Vicarage or Parish Office (email to admin@stmichaelbarnes.org) no later than Wednesday 18th September.

We are delighted to announce that applications are open for up to four
choral scholarships (SATB) to commence in September. Please see this Choral Advert for additional information.

Click here to read Annual Review

Click here to view 2018 Annual Accounts and Report

The business case for the Church Hall project is now online and can be viewed here. Please get in touch with any questions or comments.

If so, we need your help playing for the 11.30am Family Service on some Sunday mornings.  It’s a good chance to dig out old music and enjoy playing it again as well as a few hymns.  Please let the Parish Office know if you, or anyone you know, could help us out.

Tel: 020 8876 5230 or email admin@stmichaelbarnes.org

Parish Calendar 2020 can be viewed to see upcoming services and events.

Please see the link below for a statement from The Vicar and Wardens of St Michael & All Angels, Barnes

Statement regarding a Definitive Map Modification Order Application through the churchyard

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into force on 25 May 2018, superseding the Data Protection Act 1998.

Organisations will no longer be at liberty to contact people on their mailing list with circulars, appeals or general information, without their explicit consent.

Read our Privacy Notice by clicking on the link setting out your rights and our obligations (see SUMMARY below).

Please click here to view the consent form.

If you are already on St Michael’s database:

• you will receive a personal email or letter where no email address is available;
• you will have been asked to confirm whether or not you wish us to continue to hold your details and to use them to send you information;
• if you choose to remain, you will be given access to your personal information and will be able to correct or update it yourself online at any time.

SUMMARY (Privacy Document)

Our commitments:

• we understand that it is very important that we protect the privacy of your information and we will store it securely;
• we will only use the data for the church’s administrative needs, including claiming Gift Aid on donations, and to contact you about church activities;
• we will not supply your data to anyone else (unless legally obliged to do so);
• we will not hold the data longer than is needed to enable us to fulfil these purposes.

Your rights:

• You have the right to see the data we hold on you, to correct errors, to have it deleted from our records and to complain to the authorities if you believe it is being misused.

Please click here to read the Church Hall Newsletter