Church of the Annunciation, Marble Arch, London

• Sunday 11 April 2021
  Second Sunday of Easter

  Liturgy	Details
  Worship Tag:	easter
  First Lesson:	Acts 4.32-35
  Gospel:	John 20.19-31

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  Role	People
  Clergy
  Sidesman	Rose Izim
  Reader	Sophia Utemuratova
  Server	Joshua Chua
  Refreshments
  Sunday School Session Leader
  Sunday School 8+ Leader
  Sunday School Crafts Coordinator
  Sunday School Music
  Children's Church Attendance	Gavin Monk
  Sunday School Tables Volunteer
  Clearing up
  Keyholder	Gavin Monk

   Close
• Sunday 18 April 2021
  Third Sunday of Easter

  Liturgy	Details
  Worship Tag:	easter
  First Lesson:	Acts 3.12-19
  Gospel:	Luke 24.36-48

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  Role	People
  Clergy
  Sidesman	Emily Barnes Hannan
  Reader	Emily Barnes Hannan
  Server	Joshua Chua
  Refreshments
  Sunday School Session Leader
  Sunday School 8+ Leader
  Sunday School Crafts Coordinator
  Sunday School Music
  Children's Church Attendance	Gavin Monk
  Sunday School Tables Volunteer
  Clearing up
  Keyholder	Steve Phillips

   Close

• Announcement – New Vicar of The Annunciation

  We are delighted to announce that The Revd Dr Lincoln Harvey has been appointed as our next Vicar and will take up his post after Easter.

  Lincoln brings so much to us: He is a theologian who has been teaching the faith to children and adults for nearly twenty years, as well as being a published author and experienced public speaker. He is a man of prayer, having served in a Franciscan religious order before being ordained in 2010 and is very much at home in our catholic traditions. He is also a skilled leader, having helped to set up and run thriving institutions and participating in strategic groups within the Diocese. And he is a local man, living for many years in the West End, and helping on his family’s fruit stall and then fabric shop in Berwick Street Market when growing up. We are therefore confident that Lincoln is a priest who will come among us as someone who prays and serves and understands us, and who will invite us to join him in following Jesus and proclaiming the good news of the gospel. We believe that we will all, young and old alike, quickly come to know him as a friend.

  Lincoln’s ministry has been primarily focussed on St Mellitus College, one of the largest theological colleges in the UK, where he has helped to train women and men for ministry and mission, including the priesthood. Lincoln served his own curacy at St John-at-Hackney with the now Bishop of Edmonton, whilst also studying theology at King’s College London and teaching at St Augustine’s College of Theology. He then served as Associate Priest at St Andrew’s Fulham Fields, and is currently based at St Cuthbert’s Philbeach Gardens in Earl’s Court. It should also be noted that he has a season ticket at the Arsenal.

  Lincoln is married to Tereza, who works in children services for a local authority. They have four children, all girls (and, in addition, one dog and a cat).

  Of his appointment Lincoln says: “I am absolutely delighted to have been called to serve the people of The Annunciation, and am very excited about the future that now beckons. Despite the challenges we all face during this pandemic, it is a genuine joy to begin to imagine what God is actively calling us to be and do in this remarkable part of town. I can’t wait to start getting to know everyone. I am already praying for you, and ask that you all keep me and my family in your prayers as well.”

  Please join us as we pray for Lincoln, Tereza and their family as they prepare to move to The Annunciation. We look forward to welcoming them in April.

  
  From Helen and Steve
  Churchwardens

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• Friday 9th April 2021

  Weekly Newsletter

  Sunday 11 April…

  is the Second Sunday of Easter.

  In the Gospel this week, we hear of Thomas, referred to as the disciple who “was called the Twin” but now more commonly known as Doubting Thomas. He meets the risen Christ who tells him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe”. And we as Christians today are indeed blessed, with God’s peace (in the passage, Jesus’s greeting of “Peace be with you” is repeated three times), with His Holy Spirit (which the Lord breathes on his followers in the text) and with “life in his name” as the reading ends. As more restrictions are eased on Monday, let us be grateful to God for all the blessings in our lives, big and small, as we look forward again to shopping, working out and finally getting our Biblical locks shorn…!

  Jasmine

  Jasmine.annunciationmarblearch@gmail.com

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheAnnunciation

  https://www.annunciationmarblearch.org.uk

  WORSHIP

  Parish Mass: Sunday 10.30am.

  Virtual prayer group: Wednesday 7pm.

  CHILDREN & YOUTH

  Teaching Kids About Easter: in a world where Easter is more about chocolate and egg hunts than Jesus’s death and resurrection, this broadcast tells parents how to explain to children the true meaning of Easter https://www.focusonthefamily.com/episodes/broadcast/teaching-kids-about-easter/

  Unfortunately there will be no Sunday School until further notice because of Covid restrictions, but young people are welcome and Church Attendance will be recorded.

  PRAYERS

  Living with cancer: Anna, Melissa, Winston, Norman, Chrisanthy, Brian and Silvia.

  Other medical issues: Michael, Helena (and Katherine & Anna, her carers), Rodney, Alan and Marielle.

  Older age: Robert & Nita, Goli, Eleni, Jeff, Albertina, Jaqueline and Mary.

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• Thursday 1st April 2021

  Easter Newsletter and Q&A with Fr Lincoln!

  Sunday 4 April…

  is Easter Sunday!

  What a wonderful day to be reopening for Mass! We welcome back the Ven Adam Atkinson who will be leading the service and baptising Rafferty Rodgers at Mass.

  Historically, Easter is a traditional day of baptism, as a symbol of new life as we celebrate when “God raised him [Jesus] on the third day” as we shall hear in Acts. This year in particular feels like we’re all entering new life, as we emerge from lockdown and look forward to having our new incumbent. I had the pleasure of meeting with Fr Lincoln this week - those of you who have to wait until he arrives can get a sneak preview of what he will be like from the Q&A he kindly did for us below! He is just as excited about starting life with us as we are in welcoming him!

  Without the Resurrection, there would be no Christian faith, so baptism at Easter is also appropriate as the new family in Christ and the Godparents affirm their commitment to Him, and the rest of the congregation reaffirm theirs, saying in unison during the liturgy: “This is our faith. We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit”. Alleluia!

  May I wish you all a very blessed Easter!

  Jasmine

  Jasmine.annunciationmarblearch@gmail.com

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheAnnunciation

  https://www.annunciationmarblearch.org.uk

  Q&A WITH FR LINCOLN

  Fr Lincoln has very kindly answered some questions that our young people sent in, so we can get to know him a bit before he arrives in person very soon!

  Olwen (7): How old are you?

  Well, thank you for such an easy question to start off this quiz, Olwen. I turned fifty relatively recently, and – like all of us – I am getting older by the day. However, I am still young enough to feel extremely excited about meeting everyone at The Annunciation. I can’t wait!

  Thomson (6) & Thea Bella (4): What ages are your children, and will they be going to Hampden Gurney School?

  Rose and Rachel are aged 9 and 6, and they will be going to St Mary’s Bryanston Square, but you’ll get to know them on Sundays at The Annunciation. Anna and Georgia are more grown up. Georgia has just started university, and Anna has just finished, and so is now back at home. That means there’s five of us moving into the vicarage after Easter, plus Tommy the cat and Dash the dog. You might get to meet Dash when we’re out for our daily walks.

  Casi (12), Jasper (10) & Taissia (7): Which football team do you support?

  This is one of the most important questions. I happily support Arsenal. I’ve followed them all my life, and still get to go to their home games with a crowd of my friends. I also used to play a lot of football, especially on the Regent’s Park pitches for a Camden pub team. I was pretty good, but far too slow to be really good. And moving back to the West End means I can play football with my friends on Coram’s Fields each week. That makes me very happy. (So does Tottenham losing.)

  Farah (5) & Tobi (8): What is your favourite television programme and why?

  Another good question. Of course, in a house full of girls, I am usually out-voted and end up watching what they want to watch. But my favourite ever show was The Sopranos. It’s a long sprawling story, about families, friends, enemies, as well as good stuff, bad stuff, twists and turns – everything really. But please don’t watch it until you’re much older.

  Marios (11): What music do you like listening to?

  We play all kinds of music in our house, and it usually depends on what mood we’re in. But to give you a sense of the kind of things I like: Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, Elbow, Velvet Underground, Radiohead, that sort of thing. But I also love silence. In fact, when I was a monk, I once spent an entire year tucked away in a silent monastery as part of my three years living with the brothers. It was beautiful. Silence really is golden.

  Maximilien (6) & Electra (8): Why was Jesus put on the cross - what did he do to deserve this? Are there other people (other than Jesus) that can come back after they die?

  Now we’re talking! This is an astonishing question, which Christians have pondered for many centuries. The church has many different ways to make sense of what happened on the cross. But one thing everyone agrees on is that Jesus didn’t deserve to die; he did so freely in order that we may live. And somewhat strangely, but nonetheless true: Jesus didn’t really “come back” to life, but instead “went forward” into more and more of it. He now lives with death behind him, rushing to meet each one of us from the Final Future which will know no end. The good news is that there’s a place for you in his company. And one day we too will glance over our shoulders at death, because – as one very clever Christian put it – “Salvation is the past tense of death.”

  Thomas (4): Why do priests put a cross on you?

  Christians have always signed themselves with the cross, Thomas. It’s a bit like when we write our name or signature on a piece of paper. It’s a definite mark that the church sees you in the mercy of Jesus Christ – that your body and soul are somehow connected with the death of Jesus so that you need never be afraid. And just so, the “sign of the cross” signals how God now sees you. He sees you bound up in the freedom of his Son’s deathless Kingdom. And that’s incredible news, although we too easily forget it or ignore it. The “sign of the cross” is therefore one of the special ways we remind each other of the sheer goodness of Jesus Christ, who died so we may forever live.

  Ruby (13) & Carla (10): Why did you become a priest? Did you ever not believe in God?

  I was ordained “deacon” back in 2009, and then “priested” the year after – and rest assured there’s a very long story running up to that wonderful day. My previous life involved all sorts of adventures, including some ducking and diving, trouble and strife, mistakes and errors, all of which meant I got lost in a strange land that was far removed from everything I loved. By that time, I didn’t really believe in anything at all, sadly, and certainly not God. But good news: God has always believed in me. And that’s why he met me on the road that I took to avoid him. So began this great adventure, becoming a disciple of the risen Lord Jesus. I am a very lucky man indeed.

  Margot (6): When exactly does the Easter Bunny come?

  Margot! This is a question I don’t know how best to answer, although I am pretty sure there isn’t an “exact” time. That’s because Easter is different to all the other big days we celebrate. Christmas, for example, is exactly the same day each year, as are our birthdays. But Easter strangely moves. That’s because the exact date of Easter is tied up with the Moon’s cycle, although I wonder if it moves each year to keep us on our toes. We can never get settled into a routine if it falls on a different day each year. And that’s fitting, because the resurrection of Jesus should always surprise us afresh. It should keep us on the hop. A bit like a bunny, I suppose!

  Thomas (4) & Katherine (7): How old is God and how big is He?

  Well, here’s another brilliant question, and it’s a very tricky one to answer. But let me give it a go. God is so old that there’s nothing before him, but – at the very same time – so young that there’s nothing newer than him. In fact, he’s always older than oldness and younger than newness, because he is the one who creates time for us. Or to put that another way: God is God before there were any “befores” and is already God after the last “after”.Of course, that’s a very difficult thought to think, but it’s also a very splendid idea to ponder. And exactly how big is this God? So big that there is no beginning or end to him, but still small enough to dwell in Mary’s womb. Or, as one smart Christian long ago put it: God is immeasurable because “God is his own space.”

  We can look forward to asking him more questions in person very soon!

  WORSHIP

  We shall be reopening for Mass on Sunday at our usual time of 10.30am.

  Virtual prayer group: Wednesday 7pm.

  CHILDREN & YOUTH

  Unfortunately there will be no Sunday School until further notice because of Covid restrictions, but young people are welcome and Church Attendance will be recorded.

  Family Scavenger Hunt: based on Psalm 100, look from your window or go on a nature hunt to praise God for the life He has given us. Perfect activity for the Easter holidays! https://kitchentable.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Signs-of-Life-Scavenger-Hunt-FINAL.pdf

  PRAYERS

  To be baptised on Sunday: Rafferty Rodgers

  Living with cancer: Anna, Melissa, Winston, Norman, Chrisanthy, Brian and Silvia.

  Other medical issues: Michael, Helena (and Katherine & Anna, her carers), Rodney, Alan and Marielle.

  Older age: Robert & Nita, Goli, Eleni, Jeff, Albertina, Jaqueline and Mary.

  Recently departed: Adrian Hewlett

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