Nightshelter needs YOU!

Here at St Luke’s, one of our biggest projects each year is our part in the Islington Churches Cold Weather Shelter. From January to March (the coldest three months of the year), we open our doors each Saturday to offer a bed and meals to homeless people (six other churches in the area cover the rest of the week). As well as food, shower facilities and a safe, comfortable place to sleep, we also offer recreational activities and other services.

Last year, the Islington Nightshelter hosted around 90 guests. Over 6,000 hours of volunteer time went into making it run smoothly – as well as thousands of pounds’ worth of donations of food, clothing and toiletries. Without the involvement of so many members and friends of St Luke’s, the project wouldn’t be possible.

Nightshelter 2016 starts this weekend, 2 January, and we need lots of volunteers over the next three months to make it happen. There are different ways you can help. We’re looking for people to cover evening, night and morning shifts (serving food and making guests feel comfortable and supported). We also need volunteers to buy and prepare food (costs can be reimbursed), do laundry and other essential tasks.

If you’d like to help some of the most vulnerable people in our area, and enjoy getting to know fellow volunteers along the way, speak to Emma Leigh or Rose Gindele, or email stlukespcc@hotmail.com. Thank you – we couldn’t do it without you!

Christmas at St Luke’s

Christmas is one of the most important festivals in the Christian calendar, and here at St Luke’s, we’re looking forward to some wonderful services and events over the festive period.

We begin the celebrations with our annual candle-lit carol service on 13 December at 8pm. The St Luke’s choir will lead us in favourite hymns and carols, and wow us with some of their own stirring performances, too. Afterwards, there’ll be mulled wine and mince pies.

The 11am service on 20 December will be given over to the children’s nativity play. The kids are rehearsing hard on a fun and creative interpretation of the Christmas story – not to be missed! Afterwards, our monthly church lunch will be a special Christmas meal – a big thank you to Rajini and Dave for making it happen.

After Sunday morning services until 13 December, there’ll be stalls selling church members’ handmade and fairtrade gifts, so if you’ve got presents to buy, bring your wallet – 10% of takings go to the Street Child United Games. Don’t forget to pick up any Christmas orders from our Traidcraft stall, open after Sunday morning services.

On Christmas Eve at 11.30pm, we gather for midnight mass. We’ll see in Christmas Day with a beautiful candle-lit service, and more evocative performances from the choir. There’ll be an opportunity to remember absent friends, who we often miss more than ever at this time of year.

On Christmas morning, there’ll be a family service at 10.30am (earlier than our usual services, so you can head home to get the dinner sorted). It’s a joyous all-age gathering to kick off the big day with a celebration of the true meaning of Christmas.

We’ll be back in church on 27 December at 11am for our usual Sunday morning service.

Whether you’re a regular at St Luke’s, an occasional visitor, or you’ve never joined us before, you’ll find a warm welcome at all our services over the festive period. Season’s greetings to everyone in the parish of St Luke’s, West Holloway, and beyond.

A special welcome for newcomers

St Luke’s is a growing church, with new faces arriving every week, and although we endeavour to be friendly and welcoming, it can be easy for newcomers to get lost in the crowd.

So on Friday 4 December, at 8pm, we’re hosting a special welcome evening for those who are relatively new to St Luke’s – although anyone is welcome, even if you’ve been around for some time.

There’ll be fizz and nibbles, and a chance to chat and get to know each other. Our vicar, Dave, will give an introduction to St Luke’s, including a guided tour of the building to check out all the secret rooms and winding staircases you’ve never seen. You’ll learn more about the ethos of St Luke’s, and there’ll be opportunities to ask questions.

Regardless of how long you’ve been coming to St Luke’s, if you’d like an introduction to the church, you’re welcome to join us. Please email davetomlinson@mac.com to let us know you’re coming – we wouldn’t want to run out of fizz and nibbles!

Music On The Mind

Vox Holloway, our acclaimed community choir, is gearing up for a fantastic event on 29 November, when it will be presenting a brand new choral work written by Harvey Brough and our very own musical director, Justin Butcher. ‘Music On The Mind’ is a musical exploration of mental health, with songs of mania, madness and melancholy. It includes a new choral setting of Kay Redfield Jamison’s ground-breaking memoir, An Unquiet Mind.

This world premiere promises to be a remarkable evening exploring the agonies and ecstasies of the unquiet mind. But don’t just take our word for it. Vox Holloway patron Emma Thompson (yes, that Emma Thompson) says: ‘It’s fantastically refreshing to have visionaries like Harvey Brough and Justin Butcher commit their art to an examination of one of our most precious possessions: our minds.’

Meanwhile, Stephen Fry (yes, that Stephen Fry!) says: ‘A musical work that blends the voices of some of the finest poets in our language with the work of Kay Redfield Jamison, my own personal hero in the arena of bipolar disorder — well, that seems to me like a simply fantastic project.’


The 90-strong choir will combine the voices of Vox Holloway and Mind & Soul Choir (a community choir singing for mental wellbeing based in the Maudsley Hospital), plus leading soloists Clara Sanabras and Nicholas Garrett. It will be conducted by Harvey Brough. You can find out more at http://voxholloway.com/music-on-the-mind/ and see a video preview at https://vimeo.com/144363115

Music On The Mind is at 7.30pm, on 29 November, at St Luke’s. Tickets cost £15 (concessions £10) and are available at http://musiconthemind.bpt.me/ or by calling 0800 411 8881. All proceeds from the event go to Islington Mind and Soundwell Music Therapy Trust.

A blast from the past

From Booth’s Survey of the 1890s to bomb damage of the 1940s… From the Caledonian Market to Cruchley’s colourful maps… From dancing to duels and the Daily Express… From Holloway Prison to Holloway College… From the Mission Hall to murder in the churchyard… From the parish magazine to paying for pews… From the old east window to the old organ blower…

To find out about all the above and much more, come along to Stefano Cagnoni’s illustrated talk about St Luke’s church and the local history of our parish on Friday 13 November, 7.30pm (for 8pm start), in St Luke’s side hall.

Tickets for this church fundraising event cost £6 (concessions £3), and include a glass of wine or a soft drink (buying tickets in advance will help us plan for drinks).

There will also be a handmade jewellery stall at the event, so you can get ahead on your Christmas shopping, with a donation to St Luke’s for every sale.

Don't Be Late!

Please note that the start time for our service this Sunday is 10.45am, not the usual time. This is so we can join others around the country in keeping two minutes silence at 11am. We will need to begin promptly at 10.45. Thank you.

Remembering those we’ve loved and lost

Many people find their way to St Luke’s through the saddest of circumstances – planning a funeral for a loved one. Others have found comfort in the love and support of people at St Luke’s during the dark time after losing a friend or family member.

As a church, we often include opportunities during regular services to remember and give thanks for people we’ve loved and lost – perhaps through lighting a candle, saying a prayer, or the shared experience of communion, which symbolically gathers together all people, both living and dead.

However, once a year there’s a special service dedicated to those who’ve departed this world. All Souls Day (also known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed) falls every year on 2 November. St Luke’s will be holding its All Souls service on Sunday 1 November at 4pm. It’s an opportunity to pray for departed souls, give thanks for those we’ve loved, and light a candle in their memory. Their names will be read out as part of the service.

The service is particularly popular with people who’ve attended funerals at St Luke’s in the preceding year, but anyone is welcome to attend, and some people make the journey every year.

If you’d like the name(s) of your loved one(s) to be read out at the service on 1 November, you can fill in a form (which you’ll find at the back of the church) and pass it to Pat Tomlinson. Alternatively, if you’re not a regular at St Luke’s, you can email your request to patriciatomlinson@mac.com. We look forward to welcoming you to the All Souls service to remember those you’ve loved and lost.

St Luke's Day - Food and friendship

Here at St Luke’s, we think church is much more than services and singing. We’re a community that likes to support one other, and socialise together.

On the third Sunday of most months, after our 11am service, there’s an opportunity to enjoy a meal together (and this Sunday is extra special because we are celebrating St Luke's day). The main church space is transformed into a dining hall, and we gather together to relax and chat over a hearty lunch. It’s a great chance to catch up with friends, get to know new people, and find out what’s going on in each other’s busy lives.

The next church lunch is on 18 October, and you’re invited. You can contribute a pudding if you wish, or there’s an opportunity to put a donation in the pot afterwards to cover costs. There’s always plenty to go round, and veggie options are available (if you have any dietary intolerances, let us know in advance and we’ll try to cater for you). Our lovely volunteers are already planning the menu.

Talking of volunteers, if you enjoy church lunches, please consider helping out to ensure it run smoothly. Extra hands are needed for kitchen prep (before the service), setting up, and clearing up afterwards (now much easier, thanks to our new commercial dishwasher). Please email jacqui@jacquichristian.com if you can help out (or just roll up your sleeves on the day).

Good food, good company and good conversation – what better way to spend Sunday lunchtime?

The Speakeasy is back!

Here at St Luke’s, we love a party. We’re also blessed with some amazingly talented people in our congregation, from singers and musicians, to actors and comedy writers. Our yearly Speakeasy is an opportunity to be entertained by the best of the church’s talent – and to enjoy a great social evening and a singalong, too.

So, what can you expect from a St Luke’s Speakeasy? First, you’ll walk into the church to find it’s been transformed into a twinkling candlelit cafe, with the stage set for the show. There’ll be a bar in the kitchen, and nibbles to snack on while you relax among friends and enjoy some top-class musical performances, sketches, cabaret acts and a few surprise moments. Plus there’ll be a house band to lead a singalong we can all join in with. Crispin – who conceived and created the Speakeasy – will be our master of ceremonies.

So put the next Speakeasy – our eighth – in your diary for Friday 16 October, 8pm-11.30pm. Tickets cost £5, or £2 concessions, and the event is only open to those aged 16+ (no exceptions). Tickets are on sale now at Sunday morning services and at https://billetto.co.uk/en/events/speakeasy-8 – advanced sales are encouraged so we can make sure the bar doesn’t run out!

As well as a chance for us all to get together and have some fun, it’s also a great opportunity to invite friends, family and neighbours along for a relaxed evening out. So get your gladrags on, brush up your vocal cords and get ready for a great night at St Luke’s!

Sing your heart out at St Luke’s

Here at St Luke’s, we love singing – and not just on a Sunday morning (although we do enjoy a rousing hymn led by our fabulous choir). There are several musical projects at St Luke’s where members, friends and local residents get together to limber up their vocal cords.

First of all, there’s our community choir, Vox Holloway (‘voice of Holloway’). Founded in 2009 by our musical director, Justin Butcher, it’s open to all – no experience is required and there’s no audition. The new term starts on 15 September, with Tuesday evening rehearsals working towards a performance of music inspired by ‘the unquiet mind’ on 29 November. Visit http://voxholloway.com/ to learn more.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday evenings, we have Voices Singing Workshops run by music therapist Angela Reith. Sessions involve breathing and vocal exercises, group singing in different styles, and some improvisation (but no pressure to sing solo). With an emphasis on stress relief, confidence building and wellbeing, it’s suitable for any ability. The new term started on 9 September. Email voices@mayton.demon.co.uk or visit www.naturalvoice.net/angela_reith to find out more.

If you’re an experienced singer, St Luke’s church choir is open to new members, particularly tenors and basses, to lead worship and perform at services and church events. You’ll have to audition and commit to weekly rehearsals. Speak to Justin if you’re interested.

Finally, those of us who enjoy a more informal sing-song are already anticipating the next Speakeasy, our annual cabaret night and singalong run by Crispin Holland. Put 16 October in your diary for an evening of entertainment, courtesy of the top talent at St Luke’s.

Singing is proven to be good for our physical and mental health. You’re warmly invited to join us in enjoying the benefits of lifting our voices together.