On 1 July 2012, the Bishop of Guyana, the Rt Revd Cornell Moss, visited St Mary’s. After celebrating the Eucharist and preaching a very engaging sermon, the Bishop answered our questions about his diocese and about our links parishes. (You can read more about our ongoing Guyana link). We then took over the whole ground floor of the Il Laghetto restaurant at the end of Church Street for lunch with the Bishop. Around fifty parishioners filled the restaurant and enjoyed a very good lunch with our episcopal guest.
-
-
New website launched
St Mary’s Ewell has a new website! The new site was launched on 5 July 2012. We hope you like the new site and find it informative and easy to navigate. As with all new sites there are bound to be teething troubles to begin with, so please bear with us. If you would like to report any errors, or suggest any improvements, please contact Russell Dewhurst. A big advantage of the new design is the ability for different individuals within the church to take ownership of particular pages within the site. Over the next few weeks we hope that church committees and groups will take responsibility for updating the…
-
Music List – Trinity term 2012
-
1 July – Sung Eucharist at 10am with the Bishop of Guyana (note the time!)
Please note that this Sunday, 1st July, the main Sung Eucharist service will be at the unusual time of 10:00am. The celebrant and preacher will be the Bishop of Guyana, and over coffee after the service we hope the Bishop will answer any questions about the parishes with whom we are linked in his diocese.
-
Pets’ Service
On 17 June, St Mary’s held its annual pets’ service: “All Creatures Great and Small.” Pets as well as people were invited to this service, and the congregation included cats, dogs, and even a guinea pig. The Vicar, the Revd Russell Dewhurst, led the service and gave a talk, illustrated with stories from his childhood experience with pets. The music was led by members of our parish choir and also the Junior Singing Group, singing “Who put the colours in the rainbow?” among other things. At the end of the service, pets were invited to the front of the church to receive a personal blessing from the Vicar. As you…
-
Songs of Praise
On 10 June 2012 we held a special service, “Songs of Praise”, to celebrate and give thanks for hymns. Nine members of the congregation chose a favourite hymn. Before each hymn was sung, they explained why that hymn was a particular favourite. It was very interesting to hear all the different reasons why hymns were chosen– historical, musical, spiritual– and very uplifting to sing them all. The singing was led by St Mary’s Singers, a voluntary choir formed earlier this year, who have sung regularly at our baptism services. The hymns chosen were: Guide me O thou great redeemer Come, thou fount of every blessing Angel voices ever singing Alleluia,…
-
The Return of Eight Hands on 3 Pianos
Saturday 9 June saw the latest in our recital series: “The return of Eight hands on 1, 2, or 3 pianos.” The church’s three pianos usually live in different rooms: in the choir vestry, the parish room, and in the main church. Following the success of last year’s similar recital, our three pianos were brought together again in church, and we were treated to piano duets, trios, and quartets. The recitalists were our Director of Music Jonathan Holmes and his colleagues from the Music Department of Emanuel School, Clapham: Sarah Holmes, Richard Harker, and Simon Gregory. In the first half we enjoyed some popular and familiar composers of keyboard music:…
-
The Prayer List
You are always welcome to add names to the prayer list which are read out during Sunday services. Those who are sick, recently departed, and those whose anniversaries of death are remembered can be included via the Parish Office or through Russell, Sue, or Wendy. People often ask about some of the details so these two points may be of interest: If you would like to check names or dates of the departed in the “year’s mind” book, it is available in the parish office. Any names added to the prayers for the sick will usually be read out on Sundays for three weeks. After three weeks, their names will…
-
The Old Church
A new book on ‘The Old Church of St Mary the Virgin, Ewell’, by parishioner and local historian Charles Abdy, is available for purchase in Bourne Hall museum, priced £1.60 each. It is a fascinating read and highly recommended.
-
Diamond Jubilee Garden Party
On Saturday 2nd June, a Garden Party was held in the Vicarage Garden to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Traditional cream tea was served by members of the Social Committee, and the singing of the National Anthem and other songs was led by St Mary’s Singers. Rain had been threatening all morning, but during the two hours of the party we were blessed with wonderful sunshine.