25
THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW
ABOUT ST LUKE'S CHURCH WEST HOLLOWAY LONDON N7
1. Our vicar
is Dave Tomlinson and he lives with his wife Pat in the Vicarage next
door to the Church. Pat is Parish Administrator. Dave is a scouser and
supports the Reds (not United!). He once ran a church in a pub called
Holy Joe's.
2. We have two services every Sunday morning, and an evening service on
the first Sunday of the month. At 9am there is a short, peaceful communion
service. At 11am our main weekly worship service includes a creche and
activities for children. And at 7pm on the first Sunday of the month we
have an alternative, ambient service which explores spiritual themes in
a chill-out room atmosphere.
3. As a church we like lots of different styles and approaches to worship
- often in the same service. We love the ancient, the modern and the post-modern.
So, for instance you might find old liturgies next to new music. Or old
hymns next to contemporary reflection. We are Church of England in London
in the 21st Century - together we are working out what that means.
4. St Luke’s was established on the corner of Penn Road and Hillmarton
Road in 1860. Bits of it were bombed in World War II and have been rebuilt.
All that time local people have gathered here - we are the just the current
crop.
5. We have a mixed congregation averaging 90 or so (in numbers, not age).
In our community we have doctors, office workers, teachers, scaffolders,
writers, care workers, artists, people who are retired and people who
want to be. And lots of kids.
6. We are
a church where people who want to get involved can. Members of the congregation
lead services, prayers and preach, make coffee, run the Sunday Club, do
the gardening, organise the fayres, volunteer for night-shelter... and
a load of other things.
7. There are about 150 people on the Electoral Roll at St Luke's (that's
the number of people who sign up to say they've joined). This has doubled
over recent years. People on the Electoral Roll get to vote for people
to be on the Parochial Church Council (PCC), which is the group that works
with Dave, Pat and the Church Wardens to run St Luke's.
8. Jimmy Nail once came to our vicarage for a few days to make a film
for the big screen about rock music. (Didn't break any box office records!)
9. Our church wardens are Susie Holland and Sheena Cruse, with glamorous
assistant warden, Adrian Pearson.
10. See 14.
11. Most weekdays
you can usually find Dave and a few others meeting in the Church for a
short service of prayer at 9.30am. It is called the Daily Office and lasts
about 20 minutes.
12. Robbie Williams once came to our church to record a b-side for one
of his singles. (We never got any royalties.)
13. Most Tuesdays the Helen O'Grady Children's Drama Academy meets in
the the church. More information from Nicola Gossip or Andrew Meyer on
020 8360 4020.
14. There is no fourteen.
15. Sam Murphy looks after the gardens at St Luke's, which is one of the
reasons we have so many weddings here. Rev Dave marries about 20 couples
every year. He also baptises 30 children a year and conducts 45 funerals.
16. In the first three months of the year, the coldest, the Church is
open on Saturday nights to offer homeless people supper, a bed and breakfast.
This is part of a project by churches in Islington which host a night-shelter
all week round from January to March.
17. At the
top of North Road (turn left after the tube, coming down Cally Road),
you'll find a sixties building called the Gower School - a nursery school
for pre-school children. For many years this was St Francis Church Centre,
a sister church to St Luke's. Nowadays we rent the premises to the Gower
School and use the funds to help St Luke's own initiatives in the parish.
18. One of the things we are working on is developing a Centre for Spirituality
within the church, where anyone will be welcome to explore their soul
stuff... or simply to find somewhere that's quiet and tranquil. It is
called Breathing Space.
19. It costs about £1,000 a week to run St Luke's - we have an annual
budget of more than £50,000. This is quite a tall order. The biggest item
of expenditure is the 'quota' - the figure we pay the central body of
the Church of England. In return we get a vicar and he gets a house, and
they also help us with other things, like raising funds to keep the building
up. Contrary to popular impression, the Church of England is broke! St
Luke's can usually pay its bills because the people who are part of it
are generous. If you would like to make
a gift you can do it online.
20. We have recently re-faced the Tower of St Luke's which was falling
down. It looks lovely now - and you won't get hit on the head by falling
masonry as you pass by!
21. On weekdays
you will often find a theatre group rehearsing an upcoming play in the
main church space. We like to keep the place busy... and it helps pay
the bills. If you're interested in hiring space at St Luke's please contact
Pat Tomlinson 020 7607 1504 or e-mail
22. Most Sundays you will notice a handsome thespian playing the keyboards
or conducting the choir. Justin Butcher is our musician and choirmaster
- as well as a playwright and composer. If you want to get married - or
buried Justin will help you name those tunes.
23. We don't only get together on Sundays. There is a home group that
meets in Wood Green every couple of weeks. More from the vicar - 020 7607
1504.
24. Every week the morning service includes 'communion' - where people
are invited to come to the altar and share bread and wine and wonder if
God is in the building. You don't need special qualifications to participate.
It takes place in the chancel, the sharp end of the church. And it's free.
25. Rev Dave is the vicar for the whole parish, that's some 12,000 souls.
Doesn't matter if you come to St Luke's every week or just once a decade,
he's happy to talk to you. Give him a call on 020 7607 1504 or e-mail.
