CHURCHES AND PEACE

Church leaders throughout the world have spoken out against the drive to war in Iraq. American church leaders came to Britain in February and joined an ecumenical delegation to Downing Street, asking for a way to be found other than war. British church leaders including Peter Price, former Bishop of Kingston, accompanied them.

A group from Churches Together in Putney joined the huge peace march on 15th February. At the Eucharist held in St. Mary's beforehand, the Vicar, Giles Fraser, described in his sermon how Picasso's famous painting "Guernica", of civilians being bombed in the Spanish Civil War, was covered up during debates on Iraq at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The group joined the march under the shadow of Big Ben and most of them got as far as Hyde Park. It was extremely moving to see more than a million people marching together, all speaking with one voice in their humanitarian concern. The atmosphere was full of a wonderful friendliness.

REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2002-2003
to the 13th annual Covenant Meeting of the Churches Together in Putney
The Twelfth Annual Covenant Meeting of Churches Together in Putney was held on May 22, 2002 in the Putney Methodist church.

The officers for 2001-1002 agreed to stand for re-election and were elected for 2002-2003 as follows:
Chair: Christopher Road
Secretary: Gina Rogers
Treasurer; Nigel Murray
Publicity Secretary: Margaret Yearsley
At the meeting of the Co-ordinating Body on September 11, 2002 Brian Nixon agreed to act as Vice-Chairman. At the meeting on February 6, 2003 Christopher Taylor Davies agreed to assist the Publicity Secretary.

During the year there were changes in the representatives to the Co-ordinating Body: for St. Margaret's the Rev. Peter Milligan replaced Marie Evans; for St. Mary's with All Saints' Christopher Taylor Davies replaced Diane Purcell and the Rev. Richard Sewell replaced the Rev. Jan Rushton.
The Rev. Peter Milligan, Curate at St. Margaret's, was ordained priest on October 5, 2002, and the Rev. Richard Sewell was ordained deacon on September 29. The Rev. Jan Rushton, who had faithfully supported the Churches Together in Putney during her time at All Saints', has become Vicar of St. Michael and All Angels, an ecumenical parish in Oxford, and our good wishes go with her.
This year we mourned the death of Vera Hughes Jones. She was an early Chairman of the Putney Council of Churches and supported Christian Aid as Chair of both the Putney and Wandsworth committees. Her work for this and many other charities was celebrated at her funeral service in St. Mary's on January 22, 2003, attended by members from all the Churches.

At the Annual Covenant Meeting the Treasurer presented the accounts for the year ending April 3, 2002, which showed a credit of £96.68. These were considered and approved. Nigel Murray also presented a budget for the year 2002-2003. After discussion it was suggested that the annual contribution of St. Mary's with All Saints' should be raised to £250, in consideration of the increased membership of the two churches. This would bring it into line with the contribution of St. Simon's. Subject to this the budget was approved and Nigel Murray was thanked for the preparation of accounts and budget.

The dates of meetings for 2002-2003 were fixed and the Co-ordinating Body met three times during the year. The usual occasions for meeting for prayer and worship were arranged: the summer festival at St. Margaret's, the Advent Carols at St. Mary's; and the Methodist Covenant Service in January. On October 11 a service of prayer for peace was held in St. Simon's, attended by the MP for Putney, Tony Colman, and members of other Putney Churches. Leaflets were distributed with prayers for Unity Week, but no joint services were arranged.

The pattern of services in Holy Week was similar to that in 2002: Evening prayer at 9 p.m. in the Methodist church on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; Holy Communion at 8 p.m. in All Saints' on Maundy Thursday; the Good Friday Walk from St. Margaret's to St. Mary's, arranged by the Rev. Peter Milligan, starting at the earlier time of 10.15; Easter Vigil at 8 p.m. at St. Margaret's on Holy Saturday. It has been proposed that next year the Good Friday Walk should be replaced by a procession on Palm Sunday.

For the Lent Lectures in 2003 the theme of 'Church in a Time of War' was taken by a number of distinguished speakers: Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford; Michael Kirwan, Lecturer at Heythrop College; Rt Rev Wilson Sitshebo, Bishop of Matabeleland; our own Christopher Road and Richard Sewell; James Allison, author and theologian.

The Womens' World Day of Prayer, on March 7 was celebrated in the afternoon at Holy Trinity, Roehampton and in the evening at St. Mary's. It had been prepared by the Christian women of the Lebanon on the theme 'Holy Spirit fill us'.

Christian Aid Week in 2002 raised the record amount of £9,774, and a carol singing by the All Saints' Junior Choir, arranged by Alison Hunka, collected £245. A further sum of £100 was donated by the Putney Exchange in consideration of the failure to grant the singers the most favoured site.

There were a number of opportunities for members of Churches Together in Putney to join in national lobbying and protest marches. In June there was a lobby of Parliament in the cause of justice in World Trade; in September John McHugo invited others to join a march for justice and peace in the Middle East; on January 21 there was an anti-war lobby; on February 21, after a Eucharist at St. Mary's. many joined the mass peace march which converged on Hyde Park.

The tercentenary of the birth of John Wesley was celebrated in St. Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday, May 25 at 6 p.m. and the Rev. John Cooke arranged for members of all Churches to attend.
Suggestions had been made at the Annual Covenant Meeting of 2002 for various joint activities in Putney. A small committee was considering the organisation of an art exhibition. Details of the Churches in Putney are now displayed on a web site, together with the mission statement and the text of the Newsletter. No leaflets giving the Christmas services were given out, but the Easter services were shown on the leaflets handed out on the Good Friday Walk.

Christopher Road, with the agreement of the other clergy, completed a questionnaire for the Churches Together in England National Forum at Swannick on July 18. He gave details of all that we had done together during the last two years. The most significant, it was felt, were the two Peace Services held at St. Simon's. The most difficult is enthusing congregations. Our aim of course is full reconciliation.

NEWS FROM THE CHURCHES

ST MARY'S WITH ALL SAINTS
The bells of St. Mary's rang a quarter peal to celebrate the birth of Felix Emmanuel Fraser recently, son of Giles & Sally. A new arrival of a different kind will be the priest taking over All Saints Church this summer, Diane Rees, who is married to Alain and they have a baby called Joseph.

Richard Sewell is now well established as curate at St Mary's with Julie-Anne his wife, who works as a teacher and Relate counsellor. They have two small children, Nathaniel and Eliana. Richard worked with John Cooke to produce a memorable Advent Carol Service last December, and will soon be taking part in the joint Sunday evening service at the Methodist church. At present Anglican readers play a part in the Methodist preaching plan at these services.

Giles Fraser, the vicar, continues to write in the Guardian and Church Times. He flew to Washington in January to report on a special service for peace being held in Washington National Cathedral. It was Martin Luther King's birthday and he had preached his last sermon in the same cathedral. Now filled with scores of bishops and church leaders, he was quoted as saying "We must find an alternative to war and bloodshed". Giles is still working endlessly behind the scenes on the building plans for new recreation rooms at St. Mary's.

All Saints has kept its 9:30 a.m. sung Eucharist which is appreciated as a quiet and reflective space but the 11 a.m. service which follows is now also a Eucharist except for once a month when there is a family service.

During Lent there was a group at St. Mary's on Wednesdays 10 to 11 a.m., following the Christian Aid Lent Course, "Jesus, Way of Peace". This was inaddition to the Lent Lectures on Wednesday evenings. There will also be the vicar's Lent Lunches on Sundays in aid of the Bishop of Southwark's Lent Call.

ST. MARGARETS
Frank Simmonds who has been a Reader at St Margaret's for twenty eight and a half years has retired from his regular duties to become a Reader Emeritus. Frank's ministry has included regular preaching, teaching and leading worship. Among his many activities he has run Alpha courses, Bible study groups, chaired a number of church committees and served under seven vicars. His last official sermon as a reader took place on Sunday 9th March and was followed by a presentation.
The Bishop of Matabeleland.

By the time the newsletter is printed, we shall have recieved a visit from Rt Rev Wilson Sitshebo, Bishop of Matabeleland. The Anglican Church in that area of Zimbabwe (linked with our area own area of Southwark Diocese) is having a very tough time, due to the political climate, and desperately needs our prayers.

Bach - St Matthew Passion takes place at St Margarets at 7pm on Saturday 5th April. It promises to be a wonderful way to prepare for Holy Week.

PUTNEY METHODIST CHURCH
This year is the Tercentenary Anniversary of the birth of John Wesley the founder of the Methodist Church. The BBC has arranged a 1000 Methodist Voices Choir for a special Songs of Praise to be recorded on 30th March at the Royal Albert Hall. On the birth date of John Wesley, the 17th June, there is a special Ecumenical Service held at Lincoln Cathedral at 2.30 pm attended by Methodist, Anglican and other Christian leaders from across Britain and the world.

On Sunday 25th May (24th May is the festival of John & Charles Wesley) there is a special celebration at St Paul's Cathedral at 6.00 pm. Members of our local Methodist Churches as well as friends from Churches Together in Putney hope to attend that service and advance tickets have been ordered. Do get in touch with John Cooke if you wish to attend.

The Methodist Church of Great Britain and the Church of England are currently engaged in discussing the Anglican-Methodist Covenant. This is a proposal that our two churches commit themselves in a formal covenant "to work to overcome the remaining obstacles to the organic unity of our two churches." It envisages a process, but once embarked on the journey there is a clear destination ahead. In Putney our local Churches Together in Putney Covenant continues to undergird our activities, and once again we look forward to hosting, along with the other churches the events in Lent and Holy Week.

At a local level we celebrated the annual Covenant Service at the beginning of the new year, part of which incidently, was used during the enthronement of Archbishop Rowan Williams at Canterbury Cathedral. At the beginning of February we had a special service which introduced and explained The Lord's Supper to the children and young people in our Sunday School.

The Church has acted as host to a Circuit course entitled Reflecting on Worship which was designed for Local Preachers and others. It encouraged leaders and participants in worship to reflect on the essential ingredients of worship, to be sensitive to the verbal and visual and stimulate sharing and participation.
John Cooke

ST SIMON'S CHURCH
Review of Period November to March 2003
43 children aged 7 to 8 are continuing their course of preparation for first holy communion this Spring. At the same time, a faith renewal course is being followed by the children's parents.
16 children aged 13 to 16 are continuing their preparation for confirmation. The sacrament will be administered in July by Archbishop Bowen.

One adult is following a course of preparation to be received into the Catholic Church at Easter.
25 couples attended a marriage affirmation day at St Simon's on 15 February. This was in addition to our annual programme whereby engaged couples are prepared for the sacrament of marriage.

Our 'small groups' are continuing to meet on a regular basis and are providing an opportunity for prayer and spiritual sharing and for practical initiatives in different parts of the Parish.
Our regular clergy meetings at the Kairos Centre in Roehampton have continued. They are an invaluable means of deepening our sense of communion.

Obviously, this period has been overshadowed by the threat of war against Iraq. Together with representatives from CTP, members of the Justice and Peace group have attended the two marches for peace in Central London and also lobbied our MP, Tony Colman, at the House of Commons. On 19 January, celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church as Peace Sunday, the preaching focussed on the possible conflict and some 90 people stayed behind after the various masses to discuss the Church's 'just war' teaching in relation to it.

On a lighter note, thanks to a generous legacy from the estate of a deceased parishioner, we have been able not only to discharge our accumulated debts but also to begin a process of overdue modernisation and refurbishment of the Church and Presbytery. The first fruits are a new, and greatly improved sound system in the Church.

CHRISTIAN AID REPORT
We are pleased and grateful to report that due to the direction and enthusiasm of Alison Hunka and the All Saint's Junior Singers singing in the Putney Exchange, one Saturday in December the sum of £399 was raised.

Now, its time once again to plan and work for the annual appeal week, this year May 11th to 17th. Please if you are able, volunteer to go house to house collecting as that is the principle method of approaching the general public. Also collectors will be needed for the flag day on Saturday May 17th, and everyone is welcome to support the "Circle the City" sponsored walk on Sunday May 18th from 2 to 5 p.m. commencing at Wesley's Chapel, City Road.

Please see your own church representative concerning any (or all) of these activities. St Mary's - Peter and Anne Tuppen; All Saints - Michelle Penn; St Simon's - John MacHugo & Sebastian Reid; St Margaret's - Clair and Charles Atkins; Putney Methodist Church - Brian and Christine Nixon.
Tackle these worthwhile efforts with enthusiasm and prayerfulness and yes you could be surprised and encouraged as well as helping towards changing the world.

IN MEMORIAM - VERA HUGHES-JONES
It is with great sadness that we have to report the death of Vera Hughes-Jones on 11th January, a week after her 93rd birthday. Vera was an early chair of the then Putney Council of Churches, set up in 1963 and also secretary of the local Christian Aid committee. She served with tremendous zeal and was the main instigator of the annual sponsored walk for Christian Aid for many years.

Vera was someone who combined deep spirituality with immense and generous practical concern for those in need. For the past ten years she had been confined to her flat in St. Simon's Avenue but this did not prevent her from keeping in touch with Amnesty, Christian Aid, Voluntary Service Overseas, the Services of Christ the King and several individual people she helped through difficult times.

A particular interest was the New Bridge, a society devoted to helping ex-offenders resettle on release. She became the chair in 1970's to 1980's. Meetings were held in her flat so that she could chair them and she kept in touch with many of the people she had encouraged and supported earlier. She would share Christmas dinner with ex-offenders as well as attending gatherings of her own family. But her family of friends was world-wide and ecumenical.

During the Second World War she served in the ATS and rose to the rank of Colonel. Afterwards she worked in the Health Service and organised the mass X-Ray service which was successful in eradicating tuberculosis. From 1962 to 1965 she was church warden at St. John's, then part of Putney parish. At this time and after her retirement she undertook much voluntary social service which she firmly believed was the duty of every citizen.

A serious road accident prevented Vera from getting out, but her regular visitors were Marjorie Swain, Irene Tompsett and Cherry Steward, with Elizabeth Bull, who for 13 years took communion to her. But as one of her visitors put it, "she gave us more than we did to her". There was always a warm welcome, a twinkle in her eye and great style. All this reflected a deep faith, a life of prayer and a concern for unity and compassion, both in the churches and among people and nations.

We are the richer for having known her and it was fitting that representatives from many walks of life and many branches of her family attended her funeral at St. Mary's Church. Her sister, Dame Barbara Shenfield OBE spoke in tribute and said that her generous spirit and readiness to help others would leave her sadly missed.

May 2003