This Month
CHORAL EVENSONG ON SUNDAY 11th JULY 2010
Please note: Choral Evensong on Sunday 11th July 2010 will be at 6.00pm.
FRIDAY SERVICES AT ST EDWARD'S
On Fridays during July and August only there will be no services of Morning or Evening Prayer and no service of Holy Communion at 1.10pm.
JONATHAN VENNER (DIRECTOR OF MUSIC) HONOURED
WITH MAYOR'S CIVIC AWARD
Dedicated Choirmaster Jonathan Venner has been rewarded for 35 years as Director of Music at St Edward’s Church, Romford, with a Civic Award for Services to the Community.
Jonathan, is team manager for Creative/Performance Arts and Media at Havering Sixth Form College and has, over the years, trained hundreds of children and adults to sing and play instruments.
He was presented with the London Borough of Havering Mayor’s Civic Award by Mayor Cllr Roger Ramsey at a ceremony at Langtons House, Hornchurch, on April 28.
From his early days as a choirboy at Ashford Parish Church, Kent, he had his heart set on being a music teacher and has fulfilled his dreams with teaching posts in Havering since 1979 at The Royal Liberty, Frances Bardsley and Emerson Park schools, before taking up his position at the sixth form college in 1991.
He was appointed as church organist while still a student at the Royal Academy of Music and has gone on to establish a fine tradition of choral music. Jonathan’s first major task was to oversee the build and installation of the new Walker organ at the west end of the church, in Market Place, Romford.
He directs the church choir and in addition to singing at the two Sunday choral services, they perform regularly in major cathedrals around the country, most recently in April of this year at Westminster Abbey.
The choir, under Jonathan’s direction, have made a number of commercial recordings as well as taking part in major events in Romford, including the visit of Her Majesty the Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in March 2004 and more recently, in February of this year, for Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, at the service of thanksgiving for the 600th anniversary of St Edward’s Church and 300th anniversary of St Edward’s schools.
This talented musician, who plays the oboe, organ and piano, is also the founder and music director of St Edward’s Music Society, a charity which was formed in 1991 to promote music-making in Romford and the surrounding area.
Jonathan is married to Debbie Venner, who works at College as part-time PA to Principal Paul Wakeling and PA to Pat McConalogue, Assistant Principal Resources. Debbie and Jonathan are pictured together.
On receiving the Mayor’s award, Jonathan said: “I was very surprised and indeed honoured to be presented with this award. I share it with all the talented students and adults I have had the pleasure to teach and to collaborate with in music making, over many years.”
Press article from Romford Recorder
Pres article from Living
BISHOP DAVID HAWKINS CONFIRMS 39 CANDIDATES
Bishop David Hawkins attended St Edward's on 13th June at the main 10am Holy Communion service were 39 people were confirmed into the church, 38 from St. Edward’s and one from All Saints Cranham.
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Bishop David Hawkins, the Bishop of Barking presided and confirmed the candidates. During his sermon he made a chocolate cake using a microwave”! This was to illustrate the way that faith spreads and rises in us.
29 of the candidates were young people aged 11 or 12 in year 6 of St. Edward’s Primary School. They have spent many weeks preparing for their confirmation in half hour lunchtime ‘lessons’ at school, with Reverend Sally. We thought about what Christians believe in (God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and what it means to be a Christian (worship, prayer, the Church and reading the Bible). We also worked through a booklet about Holy Communion so that we know a little more of what we do when we receive the bread and wine together.
As the day drew near, the youngsters also reflected on what being confirmed means to them:
Marlin: I am looking forward to making promises and moving onto the next step as a Christian.
Henry: I am looking forward to extending my belief in God and my religious beliefs.
Thomas: I am looking forward to getting closer to God
Ian: I am excited finally to be a proper member of Christianity
Devina: I am looking forward to promising to love and honour the church, and to be a member
Oluadamilola: I am looking forward to becoming a true Christian and making a big step in Christian life
Breanna: being connected with God by sharing his body and hos blood and giving a section of our heart to him
Vilte: being able to prove that I am a member of the church and ebbing able to have bread and wine with everybody else
Maisie: I look forward to making my own promises for myself
James: what I am looking forward to most about being confirmed is having a fuller relationship with God
Emily: I can keep the promises my mum and dad made
Eight adults spent several hour long evening sessions together exploring big questions in life, such as ‘what happens before we are born and after we die?’, ‘can a scientist be a good Christian?’ and ‘why do bad things happen to good people?’. We also talked through the basics of Christian belief and practice, such as reading the Bible, what the different parts of the church are for, prayer and basic beliefs.
At the Confirmation service itself the candidates (as they are known) together made for themselves the promises that their parents and godparents had made on their behalf at baptism (for some, many years earlier):
I turn to Christ. I repent of my sins. I renounce evil.
The Bishop then laid his hand on the head of each individually and said:
N, God has called you by name and made you his own.
Confirm, O Lord, your servant with your Holy Spirit.
Confirmation can take place at any age and is a personal and public statement of faith. In the Church of England it usually also admits a person to receive the bread and wine at communion.
ESSEX ASSOCIATION OF CHANGE RINGERS MARK
600th & 300th ANNIVERSARIES WITH A PEAL
To mark the signifcant mile stone in the churches year, the 600th Anniversary of the Founding of St Edward's Church in 1410 and the Founding of St Edward's Church Schools in 1710, members from the Essex Assocation of Change Ringers rang a peal to commemorate this occasion.
The bells, in the present tower, date from the old chapel, with exception of the fifth bell which was recast for the new church in 1850. The tenor bell, which is also used to chime the hour, is the oldest bell and dates back to around 1410, which makes this occasion significant.
The peal took place on the afternoon of Sunday 16th May 2010. It lasted for 2 hours 56 minutes and was rung to the method of Grandsire Triples composed by J J Parker (12 part).
Treble Kate J Desbottes
2nd Anne L Rueff
3rd Anthony M. Faulkner
4th Jonathan R. Slack
5th Edward G. Mould
6th John W Stephenson
7th John E. Hawes(c)
Tenor James A. C. Prior
NEW ARCHDEACON OF DORSET
The Inauguration of the Ministry of Stephen Waine as Archdeacon of Dorset, took place on Sunday 18th April at Wimborne Minster.
The role of an archdeacon, in the Church of England, is a priest who works closely with the Bishop in looking after a diocese.
The archdeacon has a number of important public functions which are themselves each part of a network of relationships within the whole church:
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Responsible for inducting ministers to their pastoral charges in local churches;
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Responsible for admitting churchwardens each year at his Visitation;
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Responsible for presenting new deacons and priests at their ordination
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He has special responsibilty of the care for the fabric and property of the churches, and to hold a Visitation each year within the archdeaconary.
There are many other tasks and responsibilities that will be delegated to him by the Bishop.
Many people came from St Edward's, on two coaches and many cars, to support Stephen in the the start of his new ministry.
The Service was conducted by the Bishop of Sailsbury.
At The Collation the Bishop of Sherborne outlined the needs and requirements of the Archdeaconary of Dorset.
After the Collation the new Archdeacon was welcomed by representatives of the Diocese, its wider communities and by the congregation.
The Venerable Stephen Waine, Archdeacon of Dorset, preached on the Gospel reading (Luke 24: 13-35) the account of Jesus meeting two disciples on the road to Emmaus following his resurrection. ‘Jesus himself came near and went with them’. He spoke of the need for the church to journey alongside people and of the inclusivity of the church.
At the end of the service the Bishop lead the Archdeacon of Dorset through the church meeting the congregation on the way through.
The Order of Service (PDF 445KB)
NEW BISHOP OF CHELMSFORD ANNOUNCED
The Right Reverend Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading, has been nominated by Her Majesty the Queen as Bishop of Chelmsford in succession to The Right Reverend John Gladwin. He will be the tenth Bishop of Chelmsford.
Bishop Stephen Cottrell said: “I was born and brought up in Essex, and it is still the place I think of as home. Now I have been invited to return to this large, diverse and richly varied diocese to serve as your bishop. It is an immense privilege.
“What sustains me in ministry is the joy and beauty of the gospel. I want us to be a church that is gospel centred, servant hearted and mission focused. I am hungry for us to be a church that connects with every person and every community.
“I am excited by the prospect of getting to know and working alongside the parishes and communities of East London and Essex that make up this great diocese. I look forward to working with new colleagues and making new friends. Building upon the work of those who have gone before us in the faith, together we can do something beautiful for God in the communities we have been called to serve.
“For me coming to Essex and East London feels like coming home. However this is not the end of the journey. We must set our sights on the glory of God and on his son Jesus Christ and on the needs of the world - this is the path we will travel together.”
The Bishop of Bradwell, Rt Revd Dr Laurie Green, added: “We are delighted that Bishop Stephen Cottrell is to become the new Diocesan Bishop of Chelmsford. Bishop Stephen is an exceptional man, whose abiding concern is that we all catch that glimpse of the wonder of God which can change our lives.
“He is man of prayer who has a shrewd eye for the important issues of the day. His books are always challenging and delightful, and he will bring new insights about how we should respond to God’s love and justice amidst the world’s challenges. He is family man of great warmth and charm, and we look forward to learning from him and working with him here in Essex and East London.”
More about Stephen Cottrell here.
NEW ARCHDEACON OF DORSET IS ANNOUNCED
Media Release 19/10/09 - The Bishop of Salisbury, Dr David Stancliffe, has announced that Reverend Stephen Waine, Vicar of the Parish of St Edward the Confessor, Romford, in the Diocese of Chelmsford, is to be the next Archdeacon of Dorset.
Stephen, 50, succeeds the Venerable Alastair Magowan, who became Bishop of Ludlow last month.
Dr Stancliffe said this morning, “Stephen is an experienced and passionate priest, who will bring energy and imagination to his ministry among us. We look forward enormously to having him as our colleague. It’s a very welcome appointment, and the Diocese – particularly the Archdeaconry of Dorset – is really fortunate to have him.”
“I am looking forward very much to becoming part of, and getting to know, the Diocese of Salisbury and Archdeaconry of Dorset, and to meeting the people who are the Church in Dorset and Wiltshire,” Stephen said today.
He studied Economic and Social Studies at the University of East Anglia before training for the priesthood at Westcott House, Cambridge.
After ordination he served as Assistant Curate of St Peter’s Collegiate Church Wolverhampton for four years and then, in 1988, became Minor Canon and Succentor of St Paul’s Cathedral.
In 1993 he moved to St Edward’s Romford, one of the major town centre parishes of the Diocese of Chelmsford, on the eastern edge of Greater London. He has been Assistant Area Dean of Havering since 2004.
He has a particular passion for creating ‘holy spaces’ where God can be encountered and has transformed his current parish’s buildings and worship.
He has a wide variety of hobbies: music (singing and listening), cooking, walking, caravanning, DIY, gardening, keeping poultry, golf, reading and armchair football and cricket.
Married to Liz, they have two children, William, 17, and Lucy, 15. Stephen expects to move to Dorset in April 2010, and will be joined by his family after A Levels and GCSEs are over.
