It is important to be leading in the efforts to demonstrate the necessity for social distancing to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 infection and save lives. We will continue to minister to you by holding services online and finding new ways of being Church in our local communities.

Please contact Fr Stephen or any of the clergy at any time if you need to. Fr Stephen can be contacted on vicar@stmichaelbarnes.org or 020 8878 7589. Please also let us know if you are self-isolating so that you can be prayed for and supported as required.

The suspension of public worship, and the whole crisis we are facing, provides a dramatically new perspective on what it means to walk with Christ on the Way of the Cross during Lent and Holy Week, and to share in the joy of his Risen Life at Easter. As difficult as this time is, let us also see it as an opportunity to be more faithful, to spend time in contemplation and prayer, and to increase in love for our neighbours and community. This is a time that tests our faith, but may also be a time of renewal when we learn what it means to be a disciple of Christ and beacon of God’s light and hope.

Sunday 22nd March – Mothering Sunday

Prayer and Pastoral support during current outbreak

18th March 2020

Dear Parishioners,
 
Many of you will already know that all public worship has been suspended in all churches for the time being. This is a deeply distressing but necessary action in light of the current crisis. Most other church activities are also currently paused as well. Nevertheless it is essential to remember that the rhythm of prayer never ceases and therefore we have put the following in place with immediate effect:

• The church will be open every day (as usual) from about 8.45am until the early evening for private prayer. I strongly encourage you to come into the house of God to pray for yourself and your loved ones, our nation and vulnerable people all over the world at this time. Resources will be provided in church such as prayer sheets and cards.
• Morning Prayer every day (except Friday) and Mass on Wednesday and Saturday will continue (privately) and be broadcast so that you can join in. We are working out how to do this more effectively, perhaps with live streaming, but for the moment we are recording services and you can access them online either on Facebook or You Tube. For example here is Morning Prayer from today: https://youtu.be/gvEUPvaddLI and the Noon Mass: https://youtu.be/cRT60NfAZJQ. The aim is that these services should be available to view at around the same time that they would normally take place so that you can maintain a pattern of prayer. They can also be accessed through our website (see ‘Online Services’ under ‘Worship’) and Facebook. We are being encouraged to ring the bell at the usual times so that the people of the parish know they are being prayed for even if they cannot attend.
• On Sunday, Mass will be uploaded or broadcast for 10am on our website and, and we will try to make it as much like a normal St Michael’s service as possible with hymns and music. I urge you to gather with your families at home and come together to worship in this way to take part in what is known as Spiritual Communion – when we are unable to come together in person we can receive the same grace we would have done by receiving the Sacrament in person. The Blessed Sacrament will be placed on the altar for adoration all Sunday from 9am until 7pm.
• It may be possible for some church groups and meetings to take place (with appropriate social-distancing) whether online or in person, depending on how many people would attend and the age profile of the group. If you lead a group, please consider how you keep going and support one another during this time.
• Be pastoral. The clergy will be telephoning all members of the congregation regularly, and especially the elderly and vulnerable, please do care for other church members, for your neighbours, and anyone you know who is vulnerable – this means, above all, taking strenuous precautions at all times to avoid infecting those who are in the vulnerable category. Informal support can be a major help at this time but in the coming days I hope to tell you more about formal arrangements St Michael’s, in connection with other organisations in Barnes, plan to support people over the long-term. It is my intention that a leaflet should go out to everyone in the Parish in the next few days.
• Please contact me or any of the clergy at any time if you need to. I can be contacted on vicar@stmichaelbarnes.org or 020 8878 7589. Please also let me know if you are self-isolating so that I can pray for you and also support you as required.
• The Pews News will continue in a new format so continue to send in prayer requests to the Parish Office.

The suspension of public worship, and the whole crisis we are facing, provides a dramatically new perspective on what it means to walk with Christ on the Way of the Cross during Lent and Holy Week, and to share in the joy of his Risen Life at Easter. As difficult as this time is, let us also see it as an opportunity to be more faithful, to spend time in contemplation and prayer, and to increase in love for our neighbours and community. This is a time that tests our faith, but may also be a time of renewal when we learn what it means to be a disciple of Christ and beacon of God’s light and hope.

With all my love and best wishes at this time,
 
Father Stephen

Bach Mass in B minor – Sunday 8th March

Sponsored by Friends of the English Chamber Singers

St Michael’s church was the setting for another splendid concert in the 2020 Barnes Music Festival programme: Musical Journeys.

After memorable performances in previous Barnes Music Festivals of Bach’s St John and St Matthew Passions, and in 2019 of the Magnificat, the English Chamber Singers and St Michael’s Choir with the Barnes Period Instrumentalists took on arguably the most demanding of all Bach’s choral masterpieces.  The Mass in B minor is not only one of Bach’s greatest works, but can also be perceived as an amazing musical and theological journey on the part of the composer.  From the unforgettable solemnity of the opening Kyrie to the final jubilant resolution of Dona nobis pacem, Bach’s genius is apparent throughout.  He takes us on an extraordinary voyage, which stretches the boundaries of even his creative powers.  In the Credo, the sublime, mysterious sequence in the closing bars of the Crucifixus still feels revolutionary over 250 years after it was written.  The Mass does indeed belong, to quote Karl Geiringer, to the “immortal documents of humanity’s quest for the eternal truths”.

Colette Boushell soprano
Elspeth Marrow mezzo-soprano
William Blake tenor
Laurence Williams bass

English Chamber Singers
St Michael’s Church Choir
Barnes Period Instrumentalists
Alison Bury leader
Martin Neary conductor

Organ Recital by Philip Berg – Tuesday 17th March

This event was sadly and reluctantly cancelled following government coronavirus advice.

Philip Berg MVO, is Master of the Music at The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy, and until recently was Director of Music at St Paul’s Juniors, and Organist, St Paul’s School.

The programme called to mind Bach’s 200-mile walk to hear Buxtehude play the organ, and his ‘mental journey’ in incorporating Italian influences in one of his most impressive pieces for the instrument.  Debussy’s impressions of sailing, two of Reuchsel’s walks in Provence, Messiaen’s evocation of the nativity shepherds, the steady tread of a funeral cortège, and Parry’s mighty Toccata and Fugue – ‘The Wanderer’ were all due to be part of this impressive recital.

It is hoped to stage this event at a future date.

Please see this year’s Lent Leaflet 2020

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.

Kerensa Briggs, the first choral scholar appointed at St Michael & All Angels says her love of sacred music emanated from her choral background, singing as a soprano in the Gloucester Cathedral Youth Choir and later in the Choirs of Trinity College Cambridge and King’s College London, where she held a choral scholarship and undertook an MMus in Composition. Kerensa currently works in the music department at Godolphin and Latymer school.

As an award-winning composer, her music has been performed internationally in venues such as St

Paul’s Cathedral and the Sistine Chapel and recorded for CD and for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio Scotland by ensembles such as The Tallis Scholars and the choirs of Hereford, Worcester and Gloucester Cathedrals.

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 statement about the path through the church yard here.

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

Please follow the links below:

Community audit results

Community Audit Word Cloud