Stories and news from our lives and work in Nine Elms
I went for an early morning walk in Battersea Park this morning and tried to smile and say, “Good morning”, to a few solitary people. I got one grunt back! People with masks can’t be seen smiling back so it felt a very isolating walk. Beautiful though, and I loved the birds being so vocal.
Rushed off my feet
The virus is near
It’s a new world
Called ‘the new normal’
A visit to some of Battersea's churches takes you the length and breadth of Battersea and Nine Elms, and along the way are parklands, high-rise cityscapes, travel networks and the constantly changing tidal Thames.
Get on the 344 from Nine Elms to St Saviour's and decide what you want for breakfast. Caffetino for super-Italian coffee and panini near Latchmere on Battersea Park Road, or a traditional greasy spoon full-English at Feedwell Café. You're in a bit of the 'old' Battersea with a longstanding community who've lived next to the derelict Battersea Power Station for a couple of generations. There's a lively library here, with baby and children's clubs, mindfulness, and even knitting…
Instead of just giving up chocolate this Lent, how about getting involved with your local charity, engaging more with your neighbours, or giving yourself some loving attention. Here are 40 ideas for making a happier, more peaceful neighbourhood.
Singing – it seems we all love it, all around the world, from way back in time, people have used their voices to make music. Many research studies show physical, social and emotional benefits to singing in a choir group. Joining in with music can highlight meaning in people’s lives, personally through the social ritual of attending to a regular activity, or more generally because we identify as a group with particular tunes, musical styles, and lyrics.
Riding on the crest of the recent Community Choir wave, Ruth Turner, Community Development minister at St Saviour’s church in Battersea Park Road, thought “I’ve got the space, the experience and lots of local enthusiasm – let’s build a Choir”.
Nine Elms at the beginning of the 2020s presents a heady spectacle of engineering, building and progress. Once a day though, don’t you fancy just seeing a bit of nature, slowing down and taking your mind off the enormity of it all? The Linear Park on the Nine Elms is just beginning to be visible, but it seems a long way to go until the promised walk from Vauxhall Bridge to the Battersea Power Station really takes shape, so I took a stroll to observe the scene at a more micro level.
You are invited to join us for this very special family service as local children help to retell the Nativity Story. Staged in the round, the children will each place a character in the stable scene around the Crib, and we'll sing some of your favourite carols with the help of Battersea Community Choir including, of course, Away in a Manger and Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.
Get into the true Christmas spirit with the enduring warmth and fun of Battersea Fields Parish Carol Service. With carol-singing led by the recently-formed Battersea Park Community Choir, the evening promises to be a sparkling one and we hope you'll join us.
This particular carol-themed Advent Calendar Window, co-designed by young theatre designer Rhys Jarman (tbc), promises to be a real winner, (but we're not yet telling you what Carol it is!). After the Window Reveal from outside the church, free warming refreshments including mulled wine and mince pies will be served giving you a chance to warm up before taking your place for the Carol Service, led by Rev Ruth Turner.
An evening of festive community fun is planned for the launch of Battersea Park Community Choir on 11th December, including the 11th Advent Calendar Window Reveal. This year's theme for the Advent Windows is Christmas Carols – a perfect opportunity for the Choir to put on a show for the public and sing the mystery carol.
This is what the Lord says:
“A sound was heard in Ramah.
It was painful crying and much sadness.
Rachel cries for her children.
And she cannot be comforted,
because her children are dead!”
Jeremiah 31:15
Violence rose by 20% in this last year and not just in London. Causes are complex but poverty, mental health, government spending and social exclusion all contribute.
Sophie Linden (Deputy Mayor for Crime and Policing) thanked us as Churches for the work we are doing with the families affected by murder.
Revd Les Isaacs OBE (founder of Street Pastors) commented that one of their key successes is removing weapons from the streets. We as Church are good at social justice, yet 119 people lost their lives this year.