MAY 2019
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CALL TO GRENFELL
As you know, two years ago there was a horrifying fire at Grenfell Tower, North Kensington. The church and clergy of St Clement and St James did an amazing job in responding, but all four clergy have now left 
the parish through burnout. The Archdeacon asked me if I would take the services there on three consecutive Sundays, which I started on 19th May. I felt privileged to be able to help, and very much at home in the two small congregations which remind me of Hackbridge. I am also doing some baptism prep and perhaps more. I will continue a relationship with them on a monthly basis until such time as they get a new vicar. It certainly keeps my feet on the ground.
JOB
I finally finished my chapter “Introducing Job” No one knows who wrote “Job” or when, but I still managed to write 2,800 words, as well as a new introduction for reading Job privately and as a group study. It is now in the hands of Clare, my book designer, and have already got an amended book cover. I will officially launch it at a performance of “Job” at St Cuthbert’s on Monday 11th November.
WHAT GOOD NEWS?
I continue struggling with the 21st century in the first part of my projected book “Being Credible in a Postmodern World”. The Economist is a massive help in looking at today’s trends. This month I have been getting to grips with Synthetic Biology, Sexuality and Transgender Rights. I desperately want to finish this whole section including religion, so I can resume writing the parish history of All Saints Hackbridge & Beddington Corner. Perhaps July?
BLESS THE BROMPTON!
On Thursday 23rd May I went to see the
bookshop manager of the Brompton Cafe and Shop. It is in the basement of Holy Trinity Brompton, has a lot of customers, and is a major support to the Alpha course. I met Suzanne and the manager Manjit; this confused me at first because I thought it was a man’s name. In fact, it is Punjabi and most Punjab names are unisex. They looked at my book “Bible in Brief”, particularly the illustrations and timelines, and commented that a lot of people come in looking for a straightforward way into understanding the Bible. They are going to stock it! Very good news.
FILM Linda and I have seen some great films this month. Four stand out:
“At Eternity’s Gate” a wonderful film about the last months of Van Gogh‘s life when he stayed in a small-minded village in Provence but where the light inspired him to paint 75 pictures in 80 days. You got to feel the wonder-filled internal process of painting, and the sadness he lived with.
“Woman at War”, by Icelandic director (Benedikt Erlingsson) who made the great “Of Horses and Men”) about a middle-aged woman’s campaign to take down the electricity supply of a major factory and to adopt a Ukrainian orphan. It is possible to use prison as a meditation centre! “A weirdly beautiful jet-black comedy” – the Guardian
“XY Chelsea” – a “riveting and frustrating documentary” about GI Bradley Manning who released nearly 750,00 confidential documents to Wikileaks in 2010. She was jailed until 2017 and again in 2019. She came out as a trans woman the day after her sentencing in 2013. All the critics’ reviews, positive and negative, were confused. Thought -provoking.
“Rocketman” A rather psychedelic telling of Elton John’s story, from his extraordinary talent as a child, entering the Royal Academy of Music at 11, through his spectacular personal train crash through drugs, booze and sex, to his facing up to his demons in rehab. Sir Elton John has been clean for 28 years! May not be entirely accurate, but there is not a boring frame in the film.
Linda and I had a great Sunday afternoon at May Fayre
at St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden. It is the annual celebration (since 1976) of Punch and Judy, first seen in this country in 1662 by Samuel Pepys in the same place! We saw a wonderful Punch and Judy show – the children all sided vociferously with Mr Punch against the Devil – and then went into Evensong.
St Paul’s is a very strange church. Built by Inigo Jones in1632, perhaps England’s greatest architect, with a grand entrance on Covent Garden plaza. Unfortunately, that faced east, and the Bishop of London refused to consecrate the church until the main entrance had been bricked up and the altar placed at the east end. There are all sorts of morals to be drawn from that!
TWO WINS FOR LIBDEMS
“Mens Mirabilis” – miracle month – for the LibDems. 700 council seats gained on 9th May, when they were hoping for 400; and16 MEP’s at the European elections on 23rd May, overtaking Conservative and Labour put together. Brexit has 29 and Greens 7. I did my bit by telling for the LibDems at a polling station. No other party showed up.
DON’T MISS
The next talk/discussion is on: “Holy Spirit – Who? What? Why? When?’ Do the various New Testament writers say the same things or different things about Holy Spirit?
If you can, come to the next talk on Monday 10th June at 7.00 at St Cuthbert’s, see eventbrite: http://tinyurl.com/y6n929k4
Happy Ascensiontide!
God bless
Andy
P.S. If you have had one of my books, please do a short review on it on Amazon for me. You do not have to have bought it from Amazon, you only have to have an Amazon account, i.e. having bought something from them, even if it is only a light bulb. The review will still appear, it just won’t affect the analytics, so won’t affect my place in the listings. But it will encourage people to have a look at my books and perhaps buy them!