June was the month of the Platinum Jubilee, a celebration of the 70th years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth ll. Our Queen is well known for her Christian faith; in her first Christmas broadcast as Queen in 1952 she said ‘At my Coronation next June, I shall dedicate myself anew to your service….Pray that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve him and you, all the days of my life.’* I think that prayer has been answered. So this month I’m featuring four churches, two of which celebrated the Jubilee in a particular way, and two which have interesting histories. All these churches are in the London Borough of Sutton, all of them I have a particular connection to. I’ll finish with a few photos to remind us how Sutton (like every other borough, city, town and village in the country) went Jubilee-crazy for a few days in June.
Carshalton Methodist Church
This friendly, community-centred church holds so many events throughout the year, I couldn’t imagine it not opening its doors to the public to celebrate the Jubilee! I’ve been to their monthly film nights, Craft Fairs, Flower Shows and annual Christmas Tree competition. Just before the Easter school holidays, the church hosts ‘Easter Experience’: a dramatic retelling of Holy Week which is performed to 100s of local school children during the week, finishing with a public performance on Sunday. For the Jubilee, the church had three Open Days, inviting the community to see 70 years of the church’s history with photos, documents and objects on display. Lunch was available, including their legendary homemade cakes and biscuits, also a display of cut flowers and a Beatles Song Title Competition. A huge amount of work must have gone into this, well done to all involved, very enjoyable (especially the Malteser cake!)
Sutton Christian Centre
Well…this is my church, and the creative team that is Ric and Allison pulled out all the stops to decorate the inside and outside of the church, complete with a life-sized cardboard model of Her Majesty; quite scary to come across it unexpectedly! The display focused on 70 years of the Queen’s Christian faith. There was a special Sunday Service, starting with breakfast of bacon rolls and croissants in the car park, enjoyed by the Mayor of Sutton and some of the church’s neighbours. Then inside, there was a Jubilee-themed craft for the children and a talk about the Queen’s faith, reflecting the display. Everyone who attended was given a booklet: ‘Our Faithful Queen, 70 Years of Faith and Service’, detailing the Queen’s coronation ceremony, her duties and responsibilities, events in her public and private life, and how God has guided and sustained her in this role: ‘I have not chosen this office for myself, He has appointed me to it…. because he leads, I may follow in complete trust’.*
* Source: Our Faithful Queen, 70 Years of Faith and Service, Catherine Butcher, The International Bible Society
Bishop Andrewes Church
A small church tucked between houses, Bishop Andrewes was completed in 1933 at the same time that the St Helier Estate was being built. In partnership with the larger, more prominent St Peter’s Church, BA (as it’s known) has faithfully served the local community for 90 years. Activities at the church include a Foodbank session on Wednesday evenings (that’s my connection, I’m a Foodbank volunteer here), mid-week coffee morning and the 9th Carshalton Scout Group, which has been running continuously since at least the 1940s. There’s an interesting article about BA’s unique service to the community at a particular time in its history: Bishop Andrewes Church in the Second World War, by the then Curate, the Reverend Charles Richardson. Writing about the Blitz bombings of 1940, he says: ‘The main job for the clergy was ministering to the frightened, injured and dying. We were also able to help track down members of households and families. People were taken off to different hospitals and centres and there was much anguish until all were accounted for to each. Nothing mattered except people.’** What a wonderful sentiment!
** Source: St Helier Memories: a Community History of St Helier Estate, London (online)
Holy Trinity Church, Wallington
This beautiful church is where I was married, it’s the Parish Church of Wallington and was completed in 1870, Grade ll listed since 1974. It has an interesting history: in the late 14th century a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Moor was built just North of the present church’s location, on what is now the London Road. This would have existed then as a main transport route as it is today, which probably accounts for the chapel’s prominent position. Holy Trinity Church was built to resemble the description of the old chapel in the style of the 14th century, namely constructed in flint and Bath Stone. Consequently, it looks far older than its 150 years, often being mistaken for a Norman church. The church has been refurbished and modernised over the years but retains its hammer-beam roof. The most recent addition is that of the Holy Trinity Centre which replaced the old church hall. Mostly constructed of glass, it joins on to an outer wall of the church and offers a large, multi-functional space for church events and is also available for hire (my daughter and son in law held their wedding reception here.)
Source: Wikipedia
And now for some more June Platinum Jubilee fun!
Postbox Toppers
Primary School
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