Ursuline Covent Sister Anne read beautifully
the Christmas message of Luke 2:1-20. While
earlier the 40-member St. Angela's Ursuline
Covent School Choir of Forest Gate gave their
best rendition of John Rutter's Candlelight
Carol and Star Carol to those who packed
the 1st Carol Service of Housing Justice. Its
chief executive Alison Gelder opened the carol
service with her warm welcome to all present.
Other names included at the service were
John Gilbert, who I sat next to; Alastair
Murray, Peter Trow, Kate McIlagga, U. A.
Fanthorpe, and Judith Maizel-Long, who
gave the closing blessing at the end of the
90 minute service ...
I attended the service, of course, as a
private person and not as an official or
unofficial representive of The Big
Issue. I got to St. John's just in time
after having been earlier with Anglican
St. Martin's at Charing Cross station and
underground to help collect funds for
The Connections that has for years
helped the homeless and the vuner-
able of the world at Trafalgar Square.
Although Roger Shalgean of St.
Martin's told me that the money had
not yet been counted when I asked him,
I suspect we collected close to over
£2,000 during our two days of public
carol singing. Bravo!!
Now back to St. John's. There I also
saw and heard "Second Opinion" of two
middle-aged male guitarists singing and
playing for us their Christmas melodies. I
enjoyed their presentation and their talent.
Then came the Streetwise Opera, who seem
to be getting their act together more and
more at each time I see them. I have seen
them now about four or five times over the
past couple of years. And, each time they're
getting better and better. They did the
first "humming piece" I'd heard from them
at St. John's. It was terrific and suited their
repertoire quite neatly, I thought.
What I liked about the Housing
Justice's 1st Carol Service was it
mixed things up and it wasn't
just a regurgitation of so many
carol services one encounters
at this time of the year ...
Rather, it was a pleasant mix
of old and new and secular and
religious and classical and
modern venues. I look for-
ward to attending their next
and 2nd carol service in 2oo8.
Visit for more details of their work:
http://www.housingjustice.org.uk/
LET ME NOW WISH YOU ALL A
VERY MERRIE CHRISTMAS.
CHRISTMAS IS WHAT YOU MAKE
IT AND NOT CHRISTMAS THAT
MAKES YOU. REMEMBER, TOO,
IT'S NOT WHAT'S IN THE POCKET
THAT COUNTS, BUT RATHER WHAT
IS IN THE HEART!!!
THAT'S WHAT CHRISTMAS IS
ABOUT ... NOT MONEY PER SE,
BUT RATHER THE PERSON'S
HEART AND THE SPIRIT OF HIM
THAT DWELLS IN US NO
MATTER THE EMPTY
COMMERCIALISM AND
THE DESTRUCTIVE
ALLURE OF SHOPPING FOR
MORE JUNK EITHER ONLINE
AND ON THE HIGH STREET.
SAVE YOUR HEART AND SAVE
YOUR MONEY FOR THINGS THAT
PRODUCE GOOD AT THE END OF THE
DAY FOR OUR BROKEN SOCIETY TO
MEND FOR THE BETTER ... ALSO, A
VERY HAPPY AND BLESSED NEW
YEAR, 2OO8 ...
+Thinking of you all, Monty.
+The 3rd Sunday in Advent, 2oo7.
the Christmas message of Luke 2:1-20. While
earlier the 40-member St. Angela's Ursuline
Covent School Choir of Forest Gate gave their
best rendition of John Rutter's Candlelight
Carol and Star Carol to those who packed
the 1st Carol Service of Housing Justice. Its
chief executive Alison Gelder opened the carol
service with her warm welcome to all present.
Other names included at the service were
John Gilbert, who I sat next to; Alastair
Murray, Peter Trow, Kate McIlagga, U. A.
Fanthorpe, and Judith Maizel-Long, who
gave the closing blessing at the end of the
90 minute service ...
I attended the service, of course, as a
private person and not as an official or
unofficial representive of The Big
Issue. I got to St. John's just in time
after having been earlier with Anglican
St. Martin's at Charing Cross station and
underground to help collect funds for
The Connections that has for years
helped the homeless and the vuner-
able of the world at Trafalgar Square.
Although Roger Shalgean of St.
Martin's told me that the money had
not yet been counted when I asked him,
I suspect we collected close to over
£2,000 during our two days of public
carol singing. Bravo!!
Now back to St. John's. There I also
saw and heard "Second Opinion" of two
middle-aged male guitarists singing and
playing for us their Christmas melodies. I
enjoyed their presentation and their talent.
Then came the Streetwise Opera, who seem
to be getting their act together more and
more at each time I see them. I have seen
them now about four or five times over the
past couple of years. And, each time they're
getting better and better. They did the
first "humming piece" I'd heard from them
at St. John's. It was terrific and suited their
repertoire quite neatly, I thought.
What I liked about the Housing
Justice's 1st Carol Service was it
mixed things up and it wasn't
just a regurgitation of so many
carol services one encounters
at this time of the year ...
Rather, it was a pleasant mix
of old and new and secular and
religious and classical and
modern venues. I look for-
ward to attending their next
and 2nd carol service in 2oo8.
Visit for more details of their work:
http://www.housingjustice.org.uk/
LET ME NOW WISH YOU ALL A
VERY MERRIE CHRISTMAS.
CHRISTMAS IS WHAT YOU MAKE
IT AND NOT CHRISTMAS THAT
MAKES YOU. REMEMBER, TOO,
IT'S NOT WHAT'S IN THE POCKET
THAT COUNTS, BUT RATHER WHAT
IS IN THE HEART!!!
THAT'S WHAT CHRISTMAS IS
ABOUT ... NOT MONEY PER SE,
BUT RATHER THE PERSON'S
HEART AND THE SPIRIT OF HIM
THAT DWELLS IN US NO
MATTER THE EMPTY
COMMERCIALISM AND
THE DESTRUCTIVE
ALLURE OF SHOPPING FOR
MORE JUNK EITHER ONLINE
AND ON THE HIGH STREET.
SAVE YOUR HEART AND SAVE
YOUR MONEY FOR THINGS THAT
PRODUCE GOOD AT THE END OF THE
DAY FOR OUR BROKEN SOCIETY TO
MEND FOR THE BETTER ... ALSO, A
VERY HAPPY AND BLESSED NEW
YEAR, 2OO8 ...
+Thinking of you all, Monty.
+The 3rd Sunday in Advent, 2oo7.
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