The Revd Alex Barrow, from All Saints’, East Sheen, was commissioned as the new Area Dean of Richmond and Barnes by Bishop Richard, via a Zoom service on Sunday 5th July. Please pray for Father Alex as he takes on this role. Our thanks go to Revd Peter Hart, the outgoing Area Dean, as he leaves the area soon to take up a new post in the Diocese of Worcester.
Reading: John 20, 24-29 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’
Reflection from Bishop Richard The Gospel reading comes from that set for St Thomas’s day, which was last Friday, 3 July. It’s always been a favourite of mine, partly because I was ordained as a priest on St Thomas’s day in 1988 in Newcastle Cathedral, but mainly because it speaks to me of the importance of a questioning and enquiring faith. Many people identify strongly with St Thomas in this regard. I have always found that engaging with the deep and often challenging questions which arise in both life and faith leads paradoxically not to a crippling doubt, but to a deeper faith and trust in God’s love. This was certainly the experience of Thomas in these few verses from John chapter 20. He moves from a position of finding it almost impossible to believe in the resurrection to the moment when he addresses Jesus as “my Lord and my God”. Prof Christopher Evans, who taught me New Testament in my ordination training, described this as the highest Christology in the New Testament. Thomas really did see the significance and importance of Christ after asking his searching and enquiring questions.
The context of our world today is certainly challenging and complex. It is deeply secularised in our part of the world. Around half of our contemporaries in this country self-describe as having no religion. There are many different major faiths and worldviews. Most people are disconnected from the Christian faith and the life of the Church.
The pandemic has exposed many fragilities in our self-confident modern world. Many of our assumptions about how things work have been shattered and we have been forced to consider what really matters in our lives, including consideration of our deep values and beliefs.
Those who are ordained in the Church of England or move to a new ministry are reminded of the importance of proclaiming the Gospel afresh in each generation. The time we are going through now with the pandemic has shaken our world to its core, and arguably in the short space of a few months we have moved into a new generation. There is undoubtedly a renewed interest in spirituality, a deeper appreciation of our connectivity with each other and with the planet, a new urgency about working for economic, racial and environmental justice. If the church is to connect with our current emerging generation we need to find the right language and the right actions in which to proclaim the good news of God’s self-giving saving love, and the hope that it brings to every situation.
As we rethink and reimagine both our world and the Church’s part in God’s mission, I believe the role of deaneries is more important than ever. The deanery structure is playing a very important part in our response to the pandemic. The archdeacons in the Kingston Episcopal area have had regular meetings by zoom with the area deans and assistant area deans and these have been vital in not only steering us through and supporting one another, but also beginning to imagine how things might be in the future. I have been very impressed and encouraged when I have joined these conversations. As we move through the process of beginning to open up our churches I would draw your attention to the pastoral letter from the bishops of our diocese, which was read today in our churches. In particular, the part which encouraged deanery coordination as we think through how to open up in a manageable and safe way.
Looking to the future deaneries can play an even more important role across their areas in combined action such as in the many food banks which serve our communities, links to the civic authorities and major charities which operate across the deanery, relationships with other churches and faith groups, and links to major institutions such as our secondary schools, and in the Richmond and Barnes deanery the globally important work of Kew Gardens relating to the environment, biodiversity and climate change.
I am very grateful to Peter Hart for all that he has done in recent years as area Dean and as ecumenical Borough dean, and we all wish him well as he moves onto his new ministry in Worcester. I am grateful too, to Marian Mollett for all her vital work as Lay Chair. We now thank Alex for his willingness to serve as area Dean in the years to come and we pray for him in this ministry that the deanery may play its full part in the emerging patterns of God’s mission across the Richmond and Barnes deanery.
On 26th July, St Philip and All Saints with St Luke’s, Kew said goodbye to Father Peter Hart after 16 years. Father Peter (who was also our Area Dean) will be instituted as Team Rector of the Worcester South East Team Ministry (with responsibility for Worcester St Martin with St Peter) on Tuesday 1st September 2020.
Rev Peter Hart’s Last Service at St Philip and All Saints, Kew
Farewell to Rev David Guest
On 2nd August, Christ Church, East Sheen said goodbye to Rev David Guest after four years. David will be the next Vicar of St Bartholomew’s, Otford in the Diocese of Rochester.
Revd David writes: There are always mixed emotions when one leaves something and prepares to move on. But I’m thankful for my years in East Sheen and am looking forward eagerly to the next part of the journey in Otford, Kent. The final service was special and I’m grateful for lots of cards, gifts and good wishes. Thank you & God bless
Each summer the Parish of Mortlake with East Sheen team ministry hold a Holiday at Home week. Local residents of Barnes, Mortlake and East Sheen who are unable to get away for a holiday or would like more company during the summer are invited to join in either for a day or two or for the whole week.
No week-long Holiday at Home for elderly and lonely in the parish this year, which was going to have a cruise theme. Instead a couple of safe distanced afternoons (the cruise ship hijacked by pirates!) with music, chat, quizzing and afternoon teas. That didn’t stop the fun everyone had as you can see from the pictures below.
Churches are now allowed to open to the public for private prayer and reflection and for services.
These services will be different from normal in so many ways. There will be social distancing in place and a whole host of other measures to ensure that the congregation and clergy remain safe. Some of the Churches in the deanery will be able to cope easily with these measures some may not.
The Archdeacons of our Diocese, have written to clergy and churchwardens this week and said: The re-opening of churches is permission and not compulsion… So we say to you, please allow yourselves adequate time to prepare for a resumption of public worship. … Not every church needs to recommence public worship before the summer. We might see public worship only partially restored before the autumn.
Please keep revisiting this page for details of when our Churches are opening for worship.
St Michael and All Angels, Barnes
Mid-week services also resume and may be especially appropriate for those who would prefer smaller gatherings than on Sunday: 9.00am Morning Prayer every day (except Friday) Noon Mass on Wednesday 9.30am Mass on Saturday.
The church is open every day (except Friday) from 8.45am until dusk for personal prayer.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1272424796253499392
St Mary, Barnes
Public worship resumes from 5th July with the following services on Sundays: 8am Holy Communion (BCP) 10am Parish Eucharist 11.30am Parish Eucharist 6pm Evensong To manage numbers, please email office@stmarybarnes.org or call 020 8741 5422 if you plan to come.
The Church is usually open for private prayer 9am-5pm each day.
All Saints, East Sheen
8am Eucharist resumes from 12th July. 10am Eucharist resumes from 5th July. This service will be live-streamed on Facebook 12 noon Eucharist resumes from 12th July.
Zoom services will continue as follows: 6pm on Weekdays Evensong 10am on Thursdays Morning Worship
The Church is for private prayer open 10am – 5:30pm, Monday to Saturday and 12noon – 5:30pm on Sundays.
St Mary the Virgin, Mortlake
10am Eucharist resumes from 5th July.
The Church is for private prayer open from 12 noon to 2pm each weekday.
Christ Church, East Sheen
The Church is also open for private prayer 2pm – 4pm every day.
— Christ Church East Sheen (@ChristChurchESh) June 13, 2020
Some pictures from the first day of opening at Christ Church, East Sheen
St Philip and All Saints with St Luke’s, Kew
Services will resume from 19th July as follows: 9:30am Sundays Eucharist at St Philip and All Saints 11am Sundays Morning Prayer at St Luke’s 10am Thursdays Eucharist at St Luke’s
St Anne’s, Kew
10am Eucharist resumes from 5th July. This will also be live-streamed via Facebook. 8am Said Eucharist resumes from 16th August Seating capacity is limited to 60 so you are asked to apply to come to church by emailing the parish office at saintannekew@gmail.com giving the full contact details for yourself and members of your household who will be attending.
The Church is open for private prayer Monday to Friday between 10 and 11am.
Richmond Team Ministry
Services will resume from 19th July as follows: 9:30am St Mary Magdalene 9:30am St Matthias 11am St John the Divine
The Churches in the Richmond team ministry are open for private prayer as follows Saturday 11 July St John the Divine 10am – 12noon St Mary Magdalene 10am – 12noon St Matthias 10am – 12noon Sunday 12 July St Matthias 2pm – 4pm St Mary Magdalene 2pm – 4pm Tuesday 14 July St John the Divine 9:30am-12:30pm
St Peter’s, Petersham
Sunday services will resume from 5th July as follows: 8am Holy Communion (BCP) 9:30am Parish Communion Recorded Sunday services will be made available to view on YouTube in July and August.
St Richard’s Ham
10am Tuesdays Morning Worship The Church continues to be open for private prayer every Sunday between 10 and 11.30am.
Holy Trinity Richmond
Sunday services will resume as follows: 6pm Evening Prayer from 2nd August 10am Morning Service from 6th September Spaces are limited so booking is essential via htrichmond.org.uk/sundayworship
Holy Trinity, Barnes
Sunday and Wednesday 10am services resumed from 6th September. To attend book at www.htbarnes.eventbrite.co.uk. Services continue online 10am, Sundays for those unable to attend.
St Mary Magdalene, Richmond said farewell to their Choral and Organ Scholars in July as they came to the end of their year with them. It had been a strange year for the scholars with not as much music as they would have liked, but they left to much applause and thanks from the congregation wishing them all well with their future ventures. The above picture of the scholars was taken just before the Covid-19 lockdown.
Salvator Mundi by Thomas Tallis by the outgoing Choral Scholars
An open air socially distanced service of blessing and thanksgiving for the animals that make our lives special was held in the vicarage garden on Sunday 26th July. Some pictures are below.
Daily Hope offers music, prayers and reflections as well as full worship services from the Church of England at the end of a telephone line.
The line – which is available 24 hours a day on 0800 804 8044 – has been set up particularly with those unable to join online church services during the period of restrictions in mind.
The service will continue as lockdown eases to support those who will find it difficult to return to Church.
Justin Welby said: “Daily Hope has been a lifeline for tens of thousands of people in the last few months. We’ve heard stories of people using it who are regular church attenders and those who aren’t. That’s a testimony to the vital importance of Daily Hope.
“I have been praying for those who have used the phone line, and written to us, that God would bring them comfort, not just at this time but in the weeks and months which follow.The Church will continue to look to serve older people, and those who can’t easily get out to a church building. I look forward to seeing how Daily Hope can go from strength to strength as lockdown restrictions are eased.”
Dial-a-Sermon from St Luke’s and St Philip’s, Kew
St Luke’s and the Barn Church, Kew have set up a phone line for parishioners to ring in and listen to the weekly sermon if they don’t have access to the internet.
St Richards Ham have produce prayer cards to be distributed to their neighbours reminding them that the Church is still there and praying for them. Rev James Hutchings from St Mary Barnes delivering parish news to those without email. There are ways of belonging to a worshipping community at this time that do not rely on a broadband connection, writes Lorraine Cavanagh in the Church Times. Click here to read full article.
I am afraid I can only offer an update from a distance because I am working from home as an assistant chaplain at Kingston Hospital. In happier days I work on site for 20 hours a week – my main responsibilities being the coordination of the “on call” chaplains and the chaplaincy volunteers as well as covering and supporting the lead chaplain in planning, teaching, strategy etc. I focus particularly on bereavement and supporting those at the end of life.
Fortunately, the Chaplaincy has 3 younger chaplains who are maintaining on “on-site” presence every day and the five “on call” who cover the nights do this by telephone – as you can imagine this is really quite challenging.
Kingston Hospital were very quick at responding to this pandemic and in the early weeks of lockdown the Hospital was very much geared to the Covid situation. This involved teams of doctors, nurses and support staff needing PPE much of the time and working round the clock to care for those who were affected by the virus. This was really gruelling work. There was a need to keep the footfall of the Hospital at a minimum to prevent the further transmission of the virus. Some departments were closed down and staff either worked from home (and over the telephone) or were transferred to the areas that needed more staff. My “on site” colleagues spent time in their PPE in intensive care or Covid wards.
Kingston was part of the South West London region – where there was significant combined planning and communication. The Chief Executive gave a daily bulletin on video and often had videoed conversations with key people throughout the Hospital. This was an excellent way of keeping in touch with everyone and allowing people to feel really connected. The boroughs of Kingston and Richmond accounted for far fewer deaths and infected patients than the other areas in the South west region.
At present there are very few patients in Intensive Care and the other wards are moving back towards their original specialisms and the Emergency Department which saw a huge slump in attendance is now have a more normal attendance. It is also now possible in some circumstances for a relative to be allowed on the ward to visit a family member at the end of life – often with the support of chaplaincy and followed up by the “on call” chaplains. We have managed to produce a monthly newsletter and regular phone calls to keep connected to our volunteers and we have been involved in a variety of funerals, with all the challenges and constraints that need to be in place.
Along with a huge number of other people I have felt very unsettled over the last weeks and finding working from home very difficult. I need to pay tribute to all the front line staff (chaplaincy included) who have worked fearlessly, professionally and compassionately over this pandemic and also to thank my colleagues who are working from home as well and all those in our families and communities who pray regularly for all our Hospitals and Care Homes. Kingston Hospital will remain on full alert for several more weeks but there is a gradual move back to the normal life of the hospital and there is an attempt to begin to face the backlog of thousands of missed operations and appointments.
But everyone has to really vigilant. It is very probable that with the necessity of social distancing I may not be back on-site til 2021 – there is no going backwards – much has been learnt about infection control – and how hospital staff can reform to face the complexities of a very dangerous virus which affects us all. I hope to update you again in a few months.
I hope you all remain well and in good spirits – please keep Kingston Hospital in your thoughts and prayers
The Revd Judith Roberts, Kingston Hospital chaplain and Associate priest at St. Michael’s Barnes
praying together, learning together, working together
