Lent Call - 'sharing God's gifts'

At the Lent Call Service in Southwark Cathedral on Thursday 4 May, children from Malden Parochial School, Kingston gave a presentation 'Inner strength leading to outward action' (below).

The Cathedral School provided a musical item and St Alfege with St Peter's Primary School, Greenwich, led the prayers. Then each school present brought up their offerings for the Lent Call projects. The total collected in the Diocese will not be known until later in the summer.

In his address, Bishop Wilfred talked about the Eucharist as the basis for our sharing with each other . He challenged everyone to share all the good things which God gives with others and thanked the schools for what they had achieved during Lent 2000.

Southwark gospel choir sing for the Queen

H.M. the Queen formally opened the new London Millennium Bridge on Tuesday 9 May. The Service of Dedication at St Paul's Cathedral was specially memorable for the 46 members of St Saviour's & St Olave's School Gospel Choir, who sang at the service in the presence of the Queen, Prince Philip and other dignitaries, including London Mayor Ken Livingstone and the Bishops of Southwark and London.

The choir prepared a special gospel rendition of the popular song 'Love can build a bridge'. "I really enjoyed it " said choir member Daniella Raymond, 16. "It was a true 'once in a lifetime' experience."

Chancel damaged in Deptford fire

The altar was reduced to a pile of charcoal and the stained glass east window shattered into thousands of fragments, when fire struck St Paul's Church, Deptford, late afternoon on Monday 29 May.

A local mum called the fire brigade after her son ran in reporting smoke coming from the church. Fire crews were quickly on the scene, broke in and contained the fire where it started in the chancel. But everything from the altar and its furnishings, wall paintings and the stained glass window to the wooden floor, were reduced to rubble and the rest of the church is smoke damaged. The suspected cause is an electrical malfunction.

Churchwarden, Bill Crossfield and wife Peggy, who followed the fire crews into the church, paid tribute to their efficiency and their respect for the building.. They broke the news to the Rector, Peter Fellows, and other parishioners when they returned from Walsingham in the evening.

The next day contractors working on exterior restoration, boarded up the window and specialists began clearing the wreckage, while Peter Fellows, Restoration Project Coordinator Roy Tindle and a representative of English Heritage assessed the damage to the listed building and started to plan the major restoration job that will now be needed.

Meanwhile, Peter says, it will be 'business as normal' once the soot and ashes have been cleared.