Dear St. Luke’s Thank you for your wonderful gifts to Sophie and me - not only the presents you presented us with on Sunday (which were amazing!) but also for your love support and encouragement over these 4 years - I am only sorry to be leaving you at such an exciting stage in our community’s life. The heat pump is operational - the works have well and truly begun on the south roof and after that has been insulated and tiled an array of solar panels will be installed. Joy said on Sunday that an Eco-Church gold award is within our grasp - a very rare thing indeed - so keep up this fantastic work as St. Luke’s leads the way and helps others take the right steps in doing our bit in the climate emergency. Thank you too for that great community lunch after church - it was very pleasing to see people from the church community and the wider community there, joined by Claire - our local councillor and friend of St. Luke’s. Special thanks to all who prepared our food- I don’t know who you all were but I know that Rosie and Rachel where in the kitchen when I arrived before church in the morning and still there as Sophie and I left!!Sophie and I were very moved seeing lots of old friends at the service and we received many messages from those unable to attend. As I said on Sunday - you are an amazing community and it has been an honour to be your Vicar, my prayers are with you all especially Jacqui and Joy, Martin and the PCC as they guide you through the next few months - you couldn’t be in better hands - please do use your voice as the community discerns who you are looking for next - and I know that you will choose a great new Vicar. Much love as always, John
The Grand Scheme is an opportunity to combine fundraising and the good people of St Luke’s getting together in small groups for social events.How does it work?Individual members of the community offer to organise and host an event (in the church, in their home, in whatever location is appropriate). Tickets are sold for the events and the money goes to St Luke’s.Join in and support The Scheme. (It will be Grand.)EVENTS PLANNED (with more to be announced, check back regularly)18-Feb | The Food of Love: Concert of Music & Poetry04-Mar | Sacred & Profane: Writing Workshop08-Mar | Menopause Matters11-Mar | Film Night: Boyhood11-Mar | Bigger Birding18-Mar | Easy Peasy Birding29-Mar | Silver Hallmarking31-Mar | Games EveningDate TBC | Climate FreskTHE FOOD OF LOVEA Valentine’s cocktail of love songs, music and poetry from Greensleeves to Gershwin performed by Justin Butcher, Caroline Faber & Daniel Zappi.Songs by Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, John Dowland, George Gershwin, Paul Simon & Hank Williams. Arranged by Harvey Brough (of the Wallbangers).Click here for the flyer.Date: Saturday 18 FebruaryTime: 8pm (doors open at 7.30pm)Location: St Luke’s ChurchTickets: £10 available hereSACRED & PROFANE, A WRITING WORKSHOPCo-hosted by the prize-winning poet Jenny Mitchell and Martin Wroe.Anyone interested in writing is welcome to join us as we explore ‘how poetry can reimagine traditional ideas of the sacred and profane’. Email for more info - martinwroe@mac.comBeginning at 10, the day will be conversational and informal and finish up with a reading at 3 where people are invited to share their work - and Jenny and I will read from our poems. Here's the flyer. Date: Saturday 4 MarchTime: 10am – 4pmLocation: St Luke’s ChurchTickets: £8 - £15 available hereMENOPAUSE MATTERSAre you going through the (peri)menopause? Can you see menopause on the horizon and are wondering what to expect? Or have you come through the other side and want to reflect on your experience and share your wisdom? Then this event is for you.Learn what the menopause really is, options for dealing with symptoms (medical solutions, complementary therapies and lifestyle), how to protect your future health, and more. It will also be a safe space for women to share their experiences and swap information about what they’ve found helpful.You’ll receive a free PDF copy of the book First Steps Through The Menopause by Cath Francis after the session.This is a female-only event. However, if partners or family members want to learn how to support the menopausal woman in their life, PDF or paperback copies of the book can be purchased for £5 (all money goes to St Luke’s Grand Scheme) – speak to Cath.Joy Hinson is a retired professor and research scientist specialising in endocrinology (hormones).Cath Francis is a magazine journalist, health writer and author.Date: Wednesday 8 March (International Women’s Day!)Time: 7pm (TBC)Location: St Luke’s Small HallTickets: £10 buy at church on Sunday or email to reserve your placeFILM NIGHT – BOYHOODFilmed from 2002 to 2013, Boyhood depicts the childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans Jr. from ages six to eighteen as he grows up with divorced parents. Highly acclaimed and with a host of nominations and awards.Drinks and Nibbles provided.Date: Saturday 11 MarchTime: 7pm (TBC)Location: St Luke’s Small HallTickets: £10 buy at church on Sunday or email to reserve your place2 BIRDWATCHING WALKSWith Andy HarrisonBad Birdwatching Rules apply - if there's nothing to see, we get bored and/or it's wet we’ll adjourn to the pub.Bigger BirdingBring binoculars and sandwiches.(Binoculars for hire, sandwiches, snacks available at reserve centre)N.B. the £10 ticket fee for this is the donation to St Luke’s for Andy’s expert guidance and facilitating.Participants will need to pay their train fare and £6 entry to the RSPB Reserve.Date: Saturday 11 MarchTime: 11am – 3pm (approx.)Location: Meet Finsbury Park Station - rear entrance outside M&S at 9.15 (Blackhorse Road, Barking, train arrives Purfleet at 10.36). Or people make their own way to Rainham Marshes.All meet in Rainham Marshes RSPB reserve visitor centre at 11.15am. Entry free for RSPB members, £6 adults.Tickets: £10 buy at church on Sunday or email to reserve your placeEasy Peasy BirdingBring packed lunch.Bring binoculars.Date: Saturday 18 MarchTime: 11am – 3pmLocation: Meet Oxford Road entrance to Finsbury Park 11am. Check the park then stroll to and around Woodberry Down reserveTickets: £10 buy at church on Sunday or email to reserve your placeSILVER HALLMARKSWhat are they and what do they do?If you have ever wondered what Hallmarks are, come along and learn all about them.Bring along any silver item that you would like to learn more about.Norman Willson will lead us through an evening of discovery with a glass of wine and a magnifying glass.Date: Wednesday 29 MarchTime: EveningLocation: TBC – St Luke’s or nearbyTickets: £10 buy at church on Sunday or email to reserve your placeCLIMATE FRESKSt Luke's is Going Green – Are you?Play Climate Fresk and be inspired, consoled and informed about the reality, dangers and demands of climate change.This is a collaborative workshop with a card game that teaches all the causes and effects of global warming, directly from the UN IPCC scientific reports. The team must layout out the concepts of climate change in sequence of cause and effect, with help from the descriptions on the cards, the pooled knowledge of the group, and the trained Fresk facilitator (if you really get stuck), followed by a discussion of what this means for us, personally and socially.Facilitated by EcoCounts volunteer Adam Hardy.Halfway through we will break for a supper of home-made soup and bread.Date: TBC - please email so we can find the best date.Time: 6pm (or 6:30 – depends on what suits the participants best)Location: hosted in the Cagnoni Kitchen in Penn RoadNumbers are limited so please email pccsecretary@saintlukeschurch.org.uk asap to secure your placeand be sent full details.Tickets: £10BACKGROUND OF THE GRAND SCHEMEWhat is it?An opportunity to combine fundraising and the good people of St Luke’s getting together in small groups for social events.How does it work?Individual members of the community offer to organise and host an event (in the church, in their home, in whatever location is appropriate). Tickets are sold for the events and the money goes to St Luke’s.Join in and support The Scheme.(It will be Grand.)
Last summer, St Luke’s welcomed a new curate, Rev Lizzie Campbell. A curate is like an apprentice vicar. After being ordained as a deacon (being ‘priested’ generally comes a year later), a curate usually spends three years serving in a parish, while learning the ins and outs of running a church. After that, they can become a vicar at their own church. We’re delighted Lizzie has joined us for her curacy. Now it’s time to go behind the clerical collar and get to know her better…Hi, Lizzie. How have you settled in at St Luke’s?Really well. Everyone has been super welcoming and I’ve had lots of lovely dinner invitations. I’ve lived in London before, but I did my theological training in Cambridge, so it’s been good to be back, catching up with old friends and making new ones. My social life has exploded!Tell us about your faith journey…I grew up Roman Catholic, but I’d often sneak a book into the pews and read Harry Potter instead of listening. By sixth form, I was a staunch atheist. I went to university to study physics, and there my sense of the awesomeness of the universe grew into philosophical enquiry. I also joined a choir, sometimes leading evensong in a church. Initially, I fell in love with the music, but my interest in spirituality grew. Perhaps my search initially brought me to Christianity because it was familiar, but over time I learned it really is the faith for me. Jesus has a lot to do with that – the idea of being both human and divine, and of God being very close. I’m also interested in other faiths and have recently finished a Masters degree in philosophy of religion and theology, looking at aspects of neo-paganism.How did you end up training for ministry?After my physics degree, I worked as a software developer for five months – and hated it. I got a job at a Catholic retreat centre in the Lake District, and while there, I started thinking about long-term ministry, but I didn’t know what that would look like. I joined a Church of England Ministry Experience Scheme internship in Stepney for a year, and ended up staying for two. I was involved in all aspects of church life – preaching, prayers, toddler and youth groups, Messy Church, visiting parishioners. It was an intense and emotionally taxing two years, and by the end, I felt my calling was to the priesthood. However, the discernment and selection process is long and gives you time to explore your calling and be sure it’s the right path. Eventually, I set off for Westcott House in Cambridge to study for a BA in Theology and Practical Theology, followed by my MA.What spiritual influences did you pick up along the way?I enjoy the writings of the medieval women mystics – Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen, Teresa of Avila. They were real trailblazers. Contemporary writers I admire include Nadia Bolz-Weber and Sara Miles.Both writers who are appreciated at St Luke’s. So how did you end up joining us here in Holloway?I considered going back to Stoke-on-Trent, where I grew up, but my Diocesan Director of Ordination suggested St Luke’s might be a good match. I visited and met your vicar John, and it felt like the right place for me. St Luke’s has quickly become home – I feel able to relax and be myself. John is a great teacher – we have a laugh and I’m not afraid to make mistakes. I feel very welcome.That’s good to hear. What else can we, as St Lukers, do to support you in your curacy?Don’t be afraid to share your expertise with me – I have a lot to learn and I’m very open to advice and guidance. I’m learning a lot about presentation from the actors and musicians here. I’m keen to get to know everyone and pub trips are welcome, but please don’t be offended if I turn down invitations – I’m sometimes a little overwhelmed with offers!You’re in your late 20s – what do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of going into the priesthood at a young age?On the plus side, I’m enthusiastic about everything – it’s all fresh and exciting, and I’m keen to get stuck into everything. I have a long time to grow into the role, and for the young people of the parish, I’m not so far from their age that they won’t want to talk to me. On the down-side, I’m still growing as a person and there are gaps in my life experience, although I like to think I have empathy even if I don’t have experience. It’s good to have teams that are diverse. John and I have different experiences and I think that makes us a stronger team.What do you hope to learn during your curacy, what would you like to contribute to St Luke’s, and where do you see your ministry taking you in the future?I hope that during my time at St Luke’s, I’ll learn to run a parish well, and pick up a lot from the skills and creativity of the people here. I want to work hard on bringing back youth events and introducing a new generation of young people to St Luke’s. I also want to help bring a return to a community social life after lockdown. As for the long term, I’m not thinking too much about it. I’ll see where God leads, but I’m interested in chaplaincy in hospitals and hospices, or in universities, so that may be in my future.When you’re not running the youth club or leading services, how do you enjoy your time off?I’m a guitarist, playing bluegrass and folk music. I do sessions and play in bands, perform at bluegrass festivals, and have toured with my friend, folk musician Ciaran Algar. I love in-line skating [rollerblading] and join the LFNS [London Friday Night Skate, a mass skate through the streets] when I can. I also enjoy running, hanging out with friends, visiting museums, going to concerts and all that London has to offer.QUICK FIRE:Windsurfing or walk in the woods? Walk in the woods.Lark or night owl? Lark.Tea or coffee? Coffee, milk no sugar.Winter or summer? Autumn. I love the colours of the season, and all the cosying up and celebrating. Plus it’s my birthday season.Top takeaway? Indian.Favourite holiday? The Solomon Islands. During my training, I spent six weeks with the Melanesian Brotherhood. It was remote and gorgeous, with no home comforts or WiFi, and I loved it.Favourite book? I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith. It’s a nostalgic story set in a rose-tinted time, and the characters are magical.What animal would you like to be? A Labrador, so I could spend time with people, eat a lot and be happy!Interview: Cath FrancisPhoto: Clemency Flitter
'A parish church in north London no longer wants the Anglican evangelical mission agency the Church Pastoral Aid Society (CPAS) as its patron, and is seeking patronage more in harmony with the congregation’s outlook. The Inclusive Church logo is prominent on the website of St Luke’s, West Holloway, along with the Pride flag, and is 'very much who we are as a church', the Vicar, the Revd John MacKenzie, says.’The Church Times reports on the initiative of St Luke’s PCC to find a more appropriate patron than CPAS and in a second story asks if now is the time to disempower some of the church’s central hierarchies and place a little more trust in the local.’
