Shane brings a wealth of experience and skills to St Mary’s, having worked for several years in a similar role at Isledon CIC. One of Shane’s key priorities will be to manage building portfolio at St Mary’s. Ensuring that they are well-maintained, secure and provide a welcoming and safe environment for all who come to us. He will also manage and improve the community sports and operational aspects of our church, as we seek to grow and develop in serving our community. Rev. James Hughesdon said: “It’s great to welcome Shane to the St Mary’s team. His role is important as we manage the transfer of services from Mary’s and as we look to grow St Mary’s church and better serve our community.“In his previous role, Shane demonstrated a strong commitment to working with community groups and local organizations, and we are confident that he will bring this same passion and dedication to our church.”If you would like to get in touch with Shane, you can email him on: shane.thompson@stmarysislington.org.
1. PrayA prayer from Embrace the Middle East: Gracious and loving God,We lift before you all of the people affected by the earthquake in Syria and Turkey. We pray for all of those trapped under the rubble – Lord, comfort them and calm their fear. Please bless the emergency efforts to rescue them.We pray for those who have lost loved ones in this latest tragedy – Lord, please bring comfort and peace in the midst of grief. We pray for those who have been left without homes – Lord, please provide them with shelter.We pray for those who were already living in poverty and struggling to make ends meet – Lord, please be their refuge and strength. We pray for our partners responding to immediate needs on the ground – Lord, give them wisdom and bless the work of their hands.In Jesus’ name, Amen.You can find more resources from Embrace the Middle East on this link.2. Give financially There are many organisations doing important work to support survivors and help rebuild communities. Click here to donate to the Disaster Emergency Committee.
Arté Conservation have now completed restoration work on the murals on the east and west walls of the church. On the east wall they have cleaned the mural and repaired damaged areas of gold. Unlike the mural on the east wall, the one on the west wall was covered with a yellowing gloss varnish. After cleaning, Arté Conservation removed the varnish in highlighted areas and elsewhere thinned it as far as they could without damaging the paintwork. They then applied a satin varnish which dulls the previous gloss, so the mural is now less reflective and thought to be closer to what the artist, Brian Thomas, had originally intended. This project represents the end of the long-running Heart of Islington programme of building works. There will always be more to be done but, for now, no more large projects are planned. Huge thanks to Anthea Nicholson for coordinating the work.
If every church bell in the county is to ring next year for the King’s coronation thousands of new ringers will need to be recruited to make up the 38,000 ringers needed for the UK’s 6,000 sets of bells.If you would like to be a part of England’s new bellringing army please get in touch with our Tower Master, Deborah Bolton, who will be able to arrange lessons for you at St Mary’s. Please email Deborah on deborahboltondeb@gmail.com
