Dear all

As I write, we are counting down the days to Palm Sunday (March 28th) which marks the beginning of HOLY WEEK.  Palm Sunday this year also marks the beginning of British Summer Time so don’t forget to put your clocks an hour forward!  Holy Week is that time of year when we most closely follow the life of Jesus – and his death and resurrection.  It is the prism through which God refracts all his love in a single moment when, on the Cross, Jesus loves us into salvation. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday as the Church is clad in red to mark the entrance of a great King arriving in his city.  With our children’s palm procession we experience once again the cries of those who acclaimed Jesus - ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’.  A little further on we  hear the passion of Jesus according to St Luke, dramatically proclaimed by members of out congregation.  Palm Sunday reminds us of both the acclamation and joy of our faith, but also its infinite costliness.

At the heart of Holy Week is the ‘Paschal Triduum’ or the great three days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day.  These services are essentially one liturgy, the first two ending like musically unresolved chords which do not find their final resolution until Easter Day.  In order to celebrate Easter authentically is crucial for us to have experienced the fullness of his journey which took him from the Last Supper to the Garden of Gethsemane and thus to his trial and ultimately to the Cross of Calvary.  I would encourage as many of you as are able to join us for these beautiful and poignant services which take us to the heart of our faith.

HOLY WEEK & EASTER SERVICES 2010

PALM SUNDAY – March 28th
8 am  Eucharist
10 am  Sung Eucharist and children’s palm procession

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday of Holy Week – March 29th-31st
Each evening said Eucharist and Passiontide devotional address

MAUNDY THURSDAY – April 1st
10.30am  Chrism Eucharist at St Paul’s Cathedral
8 pm  Sung Eucharist of the Lord’s Supper and watch with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

GOOD FRIDAY – April 2nd
10.30 am  Stations of the Cross for children – lasting 30 minutes and followed by hot cross buns
2 pm  Traditional Liturgy of Good Friday

(Holy Saturday
10.30 am  Church cleaning in readiness for Easter – all help gratefully received)

EASTER DAY – April 4th
8 am  Eucharist
10 am  Festal Family Eucharist with renewal of baptismal vows

EASTER LILIES
It is traditional at Easter, as the great Festival of the Resurrection, for there to be lilies in Church in remembrance of loved ones who have died in past years.  If you would like a lily in memory of a loved one the suggested donation is £3 and names may be emailed to Casey Hammett at cemcdh@yahoo.co.uk if possible by Maundy Thursday.  We will have a list at the back of Church on Easter Day (and throughout Easter-tide) of those in whose memory lilies have been bought.

JOHN KITCHEN
It was with great sadness that we reported the death of John Kitchen in the Royal Free Hospital on 18th March.  John and Freda have been devoted members at Emmanuel for many years.  Our love, prayers and deepest sympathy go to Freda and all her family at this time. John’s funeral will take place here in Emmanuel on Tuesday 30th March at 2 pm.  Freda and her family have very kindly said that, instead of flowers, donations might be made in John’s memory to Emmanuel Church so that we can acquire something significant as a lasting and fitting memorial to John in the Church he loved so much.

EMMANUEL SCHOOL EXPANSION
Many thanks to all those who responded to Camden in the consultation period in which we are applying for planning permission. An expanded Emmanuel School will be a much needed resource in the local community and provide more primary school places in a Borough so in need of such places.  It is our aspiration that our expanded school will be truly inclusive and at the heart of the local community of West Hampstead and at the service of all members of the community.  There will be another open meeting on Tuesday 30th March at 7 pm at the School to explore more details of the proposed new build and its grounds.  It is crucial that we gain as many supportive voices of parents and potential parents and other neighbours and members of the community as we can.  Please do support this meeting with your presence if you possibly can.

EMMANUEL ELECTORAL ROLL
It’s at this time of year that Churches up and down the land are required by Church law to revise our Electoral Rolls.  The Church Electoral Roll (not to be confused with the civil electoral register) is the membership list of all adult members over the age of 16 at Emmanuel Church.  An Electoral Roll is rather like a family photograph and a large healthy roll is a sign to the wider Church of a large healthy Church family.  If you are not yet a member of Emmanuel’s Electoral Roll we would love to have you on it.  The form you need to complete may be found on our website by clicking here www.emmanuelnw6.com/pages/electoral.html and scrolling down to the bottom of the page.  If you have problems opening the pdf there are blank copies of the form at the back of Church.  A fresh form should be completed by each spouse or partner in the household and also for each additional adult member.  Please return the form to me or to Carrie Reiners- creiners60657@yahoo.com - as soon as possible and preferably by Easter.

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (the Church’s annual general meeting) takes place after the Sung Eucharist on Sunday 18th April. We make every effort to make this meeting to be a swift and joyful celebration of Church life, rather than a long tedious meeting.  It is at this meeting that the Churchwardens are elected for the coming year, together with new PCC members.  Anyone on the electoral roll is able to stand for the PCC and, if you are interested in finding out more, please speak to the clergy or Don and William, our Churchwardens.

EMMA’S LAST SUNDAY AT EMMANUEL
Emma’s last Sunday at Emmanuel before her ordination will be Patronal Festival on Sunday 6th June.  As usual, after the Sung Eucharist, we will have our traditional Corpus Christi lunch, but this will also be an occasion when we can say a heart felt thank you to Emma for all that she and her family have given to Emmanuel over the years they have been here.

It is the general custom of the Church that, when ordained to the stipendiary ministry, a curacy is served in a new parish.  Often this is a long way away or even in another Diocese.  The happy thing for us is that Emma will be just up the hill at Hampstead Parish Church.

We assure Emma of our love and our prayers as she completes her training on the mixed mode course at Cuddesdon Theological College in Oxford and prepares for her ordination as deacon by the Bishop of London in St Paul’s Cathedral on Saturday 3rd July 2010 at 3 pm.

As Holy Week and Easter approaches it is good to reflect on what a good place Emmanuel is to be.  In the springtime of the year it is encouraging to see so much new growth and vitality in our congregation.  It is a privilege and an honour to serve as your parish priest.

Wishing you all a very happy Easter and with my love and prayers, as always,

Fr Jonathan