Please pray for these parishes as they get involved in events to celebrate the Olympics.

There are 25 gold medals in contention today, so a great day to watch wall-to-wall coverage. Or if you’re out in London, there’s a lot to see and do, with many of these events continuing for several days. For further info, visit the More than Gold website.

Cafés and big screens

• Watch Olympic coverage at St Mark’s, Kensal Rise; St John’s Community Centre, Wembley; St Aldhelm, Edmonton; St Michael, Chester Square; St Luke’s, Isle of Dogs; and St Barnabas’, Ealing.
• Drop in to cafés at St Paul, Old Ford; St Mary of Eton, Hackney Wick; Christ Church, Turnham Green; St Philip, Earl’s Court; or All Souls, Langham Place. St Luke’s Hackney are offering cream teas in the church from 3-6pm. These have been very successful the last two weekends, bringing in many who are new to the church.

Exhibitions and open churches

• The Parish of Old St Pancras is open for visitors, with tours of the church, evening concerts and hospitality in the churchyard. Different events take place at each of the four churches.
• Visit exhibitions at St Mary Woolnorth, St Lawrence Jewry, St Paul Bow Common and St Dunstan Stepney.
• Find out about Human Trafficking at UN:GIFT box venues. Some are at Diocese of London churches, St Mary of Eton, St Mary Upper Street and St Paul’s Cathedral.
• St Barnabas, Kensington is open, and Bow Church is providing simple refreshments and a quiet space for visitors.
• And our ‘Faith Walks’ churches are still open for visitors – why not take a group around one of the trails?

Community events

• St Luke, Oseney Crescent is very excited to be partnering with Kentish Town Community Centre to host a community games event. There will be fun for all ages including a toddlers’ crèche, bouncy castle, youth games tournament, drop-in cafe plus a BBQ and live music later in the evening.
• Clapton Park Games concludes this evening after a spectacular week-long festival.
• All Saints, Isleworth are having 24 hours of prayer for Olympic nations.

Planning something?

If you’re planning an event but haven’t registered it, please send details to elizabeth.harrison (Email: elizabeth.harrison [at] london.anglican.org) with ‘MAP’ in the subject line.

Share your stories

If you’ve just run an event and want to share how you’ve got on, or if you’ve had local press coverage, please send reports, photos and stories to olympicmobiliser (Email: olympicmobiliser [at] london.anglican.org).

Please pray for these parishes as they get involved in events to celebrate the Olympics.

On 2 August:

As well as our ongoing events and open churches:

• St Barnabas, Ealing are opening their hall for a pop-in coffee and chat.
• We’re hoping to be on BBC London at 6.30pm; they’re covering a number of stories across the diocese. Please pray it goes well.

On 3 August:

• At St Giles in the Fields, a lunchtime organ recital by Jonathan Bunney features some interesting pre-14th century music as well as more well-known Bach pieces.
• St Barnabas, Ealing are having a lunctime concert with Mathilde Milwidsky (violin) and Deborah Shah (piano) performing some Debussy, Prokofiev and Ravel.
• St Paul’s, Hammersmith are having a sports quiz.
• St James’, Clerkenwell Close are hosting a sports café with food, Olympic highlights and a quiz.

Planning something?

If you’re planning an event but haven’t registered it, please send details to elizabeth.harrison (Email: elizabeth.harrison [at] london.anglican.org) with ‘MAP’ in the subject line.

Share your stories

If you’ve just run an event and want to share how you’ve got on, or if you’ve had local press coverage, please send reports, photos and stories to olympicmobiliser (Email: olympicmobiliser [at] london.anglican.org)

Please pray for these parishes as they get involved in events to celebrate the Olympics.

• All Souls, Clapton Park are having an Olympic-sized celebration involving football, boxing, street art, keep fit, cooking, knitting, street dance, children’s activities, a fete and a BBQ. It started yesterday and continues until Saturday. Read more about the event here.
• Christ Church, Fulham’s Children’s Holiday Club starts on 31 July and lasts until 2August.
• St Botolph-without-Aldersgate is holding lunchtime talks on Tuesday and Wednesday. [Read more...]

Please pray for these parishes as they get involved in events to celebrate the Olympics.

Children’s Holiday Clubs

A new Monday brings another fresh batch of holiday clubs, with an Olympic theme. These churches are all starting clubs today:

• St Paul’s, Old Ford
• St Andrew’s, Whitehall Park
• Christ Church, Turnham Green
• St Mary’s, Bryanston Square
• St Augustine’s, Highbury New Park

Arts events and big screens

• St Joseph the Worker, Northolt are starting a week long film course (making short films).
• St Mary, Woolnoth are showing an Exhibition of the life of John Newton.
• Christ Church, Turnham Green are starting a sports café with TV coverage in the church for the duration of the Olympics. Their American mission team are running sports activities on the Green.

And continuing…

Our Faith Walks continue, as do many open churches, cafes and big screen venues.

Planning something?

If you’re planning an event but haven’t registered it, please send details to elizabeth.harrison (Email: elizabeth.harrison [at] london.anglican.org) with ‘MAP’ in the subject line.

Share your stories

If you’ve just run an event and want to share how you’ve got on, or if you’ve had local press coverage, please send reports, photos and stories to olympicmobiliser (Email: olympicmobiliser [at] london.anglican.org)

Please pray for these parishes as they get involved in events to celebrate the Olympics.

Special Services

The first Sunday of the Games brings with it an whole host of special church services:

St Martin-in-the-Fields, St Peter’s, Eaton Square, St John the Evangelist, Hyde Park Crescent, St Luke’s, Isle of Dogs, St Michael’s and all Angels, Harrow Weald, St Philip’s, Earl’s Court, St John’s, West Ealing, St Ethelreda w St Clement, Fulham, Holy Trinity, Northwood and St Michael’s, Enfield are all having special Olympic-themed services to celebrate.

Many more churches will be incorporating the Olympics into their services, as the final event of their Children’s Holiday Clubs.

If you’d like to hold a themed service next week, liturgies and service plans are available here.

Community events

• St Aldhelm, Edmonton will be opening their church for the first time with a big screen, which will continue until 12 August.
• After their morning service, Holy Trinity, Northwood will be having a special picnic and community sports afternoon.
• St John’s, Hampton Wick will be distributing bottled water and hot dogs to spectators at the women’s road cycle race.

Planning something?

If you’re planning an event but haven’t registered it, please send details to elizabeth.harrison (Email: elizabeth.harrison [at] london.anglican.org) with ‘MAP’ in the subject line.

Share your stories

If you’ve just run an event and want to share how you’ve got on, or if you’ve had local press coverage, please send reports, photos and stories to olympicmobiliser (Email: olympicmobiliser [at] london.anglican.org)

Please pray for these parishes as they get involved in events to celebrate the Olympics.

The first Saturday of the Games means that mass-movement of spectators begins in earnest. These parishes are near our major stations and venues:

• The Parish of Old St Pancras will, in all of its churches, be opening its doors to visitors in some way:

• St Mary’s is having an open church until 12 August
• St Michael’s is giving free evening concerts until 11 August
• St Pancras Old Church is opening as a hospitality centre until 12 August and will be giving free history tours until 11 August

Lots of churches have community events on:

• St Mark’s, Kensal Rise are having a ‘Dads and Kids’ breakfast
• St Luke’s, Isle of Dogs are starting their ‘Fun in the Park’ weekend: a mini-Olympics sports community festival which includes sumo, climbing wall and beat the goalie
• St Aldhelm’s, Edmonton is holding a family fun day
• St Barnabas’, Kensington will open, with street evangelism until 7 August
• Sports Quizzes are popular tonight, with events at St Michael’s, Chester Square, St Luke’s, Isle of Dogs and St Andrew’s, Whitehall Park

[Read more...]

Please pray for these parishes as they get involved in events to celebrate the Olympics.

During the day:

Lots of churches are participating in the ‘All the Bells’ event from 8:12am to 8:15am – if you have bells, feel free to ring them.

• Churches Together in Poplar are starting their 2 week programme of pastoral care, helping locally with food deliveries, visiting people and other ways of helping out. Highway Neighbours (churches in Shadwell and Wapping) are doing similar things to mitigate the effects of travel disruptions.
• St Michael and St George, White City are having a Children’s Holiday Club with a bouncy castle and a barbecue.
• St Barnabas, Ealing are hosting a concert given by the Estrella string quartet.
• Holy Cross, Cromer Street are getting involved in ‘Community Games’ at Argyll School.

Opening Ceremony Parties

With the Opening Ceremony just a few hours away, today’s the day of many Opening Night In parties. Lots of churches are putting up big screens, or hosting smaller events in homes around their parish. Many are offering food and a great atmosphere, to bring together their whole community. These include:

St James, Clerkenwell Close, St Paul’s, Hammersmith, All Saints’, Isleworth, St Helen’s, North Kensington, St Barnabas’, Ealing, St Michael and St George, White City, St Michael’s, Chester Square, St Aldhelm, Edmonton, St Mary’s, Bryanston Square, St Paul’s, Brentford, St Stephen’s, Twickenham, St John’s, Ealing, St Mary w St Alban, Teddington, and St Thomas, Kensal Road who are having a community festival at Emslie Hornimans Pleasance. [Read more...]

Please pray for these parishes as they get involved in events to celebrate the Olympics.

The Torch continues through Camden, Islington and the City, and returns into the Diocese at Kensington and Chelsea, before winding round the Hyde Park this evening.

• Christ Church, Islington and St Mary’s, Upper Street will be watching the torch relay route early in the morning
• Revd Bob Mayo is carrying the torch through Kensington and Chelsea

Elsewhere:

• St Bride’s, Fleet Street is continuing its festivities with a Summer Party
• St Helen’s, Kensington will be watching the GB football matches on a big screen, from today until 29 July
• Holy Trinity, Wealdstone start their Children’s Holiday Club
• St Mary’s, Upper Street will be hosting a UN:Gift box today and every day until 12 August
• St Barnabas, Ealing will be opening their church hall for a pop-in coffee and chat

Planning something?

If you’re planning an event but haven’t registered it, please send details to elizabeth.harrison (Email: elizabeth.harrison [at] london.anglican.org) with ‘MAP’ in the subject line.

Share your stories

If you’ve just run an event and want to share how you’ve got on, or if you’ve had local press coverage, please send reports, photos and stories to olympicmobiliser (Email: olympicmobiliser [at] london.anglican.org)

Please pray for these parishes as they get involved in events to celebrate the Olympics.

Celebrating the Olympic Torch Relay as it goes from Ealing to Alexandra Palace:

• St Andrew’s, Sudbury will  be giving out refreshments in the morning
• St John the Evangelist, Wembley are watching the torch go by from the St John’s Community centre
• St John the Evangelist, Friern Barnet will be going to Friary Park to watch the torch relay.
• All Saints Church and St Aldhelm in Edmonton are working together and are putting on a special ‘pass on the flames’ service at 4 pm

Elsewhere:

• St Stephen’s, Shepherd’s Bush will be having a second family film night
• All Soul’s, Langham Place launches its Sports Café which will continue Monday-Saturday until the end of the Olympics
• Holy Innocents, Kingsbury are having an community festival with flowers, face painting,  refreshments and music
• St Michael and All Angels, Harrow Weald will be having the first day of their Children’s Holiday Club. Please continue to pray for St James’, Clerkenwell Close, St Richard’s, Hanworth, St Mark’s, Kensal Rise, St Michael’s, Stonebridge, St Martin’s Ruislip, Holy Trinity, Northwood and St Giles, Ickenham as their holiday clubs go on through the week.
• St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street continues its Olympic festival with a concert by Claire Seaton and Friends

Planning something?

If you’re planning an event but haven’t registered it, please send details to elizabeth.harrison (Email: elizabeth.harrison [at] london.anglican.org) with ‘MAP’ in the subject line.

Share your stories

If you’ve just run an event and want to share how you’ve got on, or if you’ve had local press coverage, please send reports, photos and stories to olympicmobiliser (Email: olympicmobiliser [at] london.anglican.org).

Please pray for these parishes as they get involved in events to celebrate the Olympics.

Seven churches are planning to celebrate the Olympic Torch Relay as it goes from Kingston to Ealing:

• St Mary with St Alban, Teddington are having a torch relay breakfast All Saints, Isleworth are having a picnic at Syon Park.
• St Mary’s Osterley are putting up a water station outside a church member’s house.
• St Margaret’s, Uxbridge are having a small community festival as the torch passes. ‘Festive Fun for All Ages’ will have activities such as Sporting Songs of Praise, Create your own torch, Flag making, face painting, sporting stories and cream teas.
• St Mary’s Northolt is having a Torch outreach at Northala fields.
• Holy Trinity, Southall is hosting a community celebration as the torch passes
• St Mary’s, Ealing in conjunction with St John’s, Ealing will be outside their church with bunting, band and beverages.

Other Churches are getting involved in their communities:

• St Bride’s Fleet Street will continue their Arts festival with a thanksgiving service for journalists. Sir Michael Parkinson is a guest speaker at the event.
• Christ Church, Cockfosters are starting their Children’s Holiday Club which will continue until Friday.
• St Margaret’s Church, Uxbridge are having a Community festival with face painting, crafts and a café
• St Mary the Virgin, Norwood is serving refreshments
• St Stephen’s, Shepherd’s Bush is showing a movie for teenagers at 7pm

Many holiday clubs are still going on: St James, Clerkenwell Close; St Richard’s, Hanworth; St Mark’s, Kensal Rise; St Michael’s, Stonebridge; St Martin’s, Ruislip; and Holy Trinity, Northwood.

Planning something?

If you’re planning an event but haven’t registered it, please send details to elizabeth.harrison (Email: elizabeth.harrison [at] london.anglican.org) with ‘MAP’ in the subject line.

Share your stories

If you’ve just run an event and want to share how you’ve got on, or if you’ve had local press coverage, please send reports, photos and stories to olympicmobiliser (Email: olympicmobiliser [at] london.anglican.org).

Please pray for these parishes as they get involved in events to celebrate the Olympics.

Today, at the start of the school summer holidays, there are Children’s Holiday Clubs galore. These churches are all starting clubs today which will continue to Friday or Sunday:

• St James’, Clerkenwell Close
• St Richard’s, Hanworth
• St Mark’s, Kensal Rise
• St Michael’s, Stonebridge
• St Martin’s Ruislip
• Holy Trinity, Northwood
• St Giles, Ickenham

Some other churches are opening their churches in other ways too:

• St Bride’s, Fleet Street is starting off their Olympic festival with a concert, including five canticles by Benjamin Britten.
• As well as having an open church all through the week, St Stephen’s, Shepherd’s Bush is having a family film night starting at 5pm after girly line dancing at 4.30pm.

Planning something?

If you’re planning an event but haven’t registered it, please send details to elizabeth.harrison (Email: elizabeth.harrison [at] london.anglican.org) with ‘MAP’ in the subject line.

Share your stories

If you’ve just run an event and want to share how you’ve got on, or if you’ve had local press coverage, please send reports, photos and stories to olympicmobiliser (Email: olympicmobiliser [at] london.anglican.org).

Please pray for these parishes as they get involved in events to celebrate the Olympics.

The Olympic Torch is making its way through east London, and plenty of churches are using this to prompt celebrations in their neighbourhoods.

• The torch starts its journey through the Diocese at Bow Church. The church is open for tours between 11am and 3pm.
• St Peter, de Beauvoir Town are watching the torch relay and having a festival.
• St Michael’s and All Angels, Stoke Newington are throwing a children’s party with games and are watching the torch go by as part of that.
• St Leonard w St Michael, Shoreditch are also watching the torch go by.

Some churches are throwing Olympic-themed community festivals:

• Over in Southall, St George’s is running an Olympic-themed family fun day.
• Uxbridge team ministry are using Uxbridge Commons for their Community Sports festival.
• St John the Evangelist, Upper Holloway will have a bouncy castle, games, face painting and a barbecue at St John’s School.

And other church events today include:

• St John’s, Ealing are having breakfast and an hour of prayer.
• St Barnabas, Ealing is hosting a Come and Sing Handel’s Messiah as part of their Sacred Arts festival. The festival started on 19 July and has already included a lunchtime concert given by the Grier Trio.
• In the evening, St Mark’s, Kensal Rise are having a sports quiz and an international supper.

Special church services tomorrow:

• St Peter, Eaton Square continue their series of Eucharists with music from the British Isles. ‘This Sceptred Isle’ starts at 11.15am.
• St Michael’s and All Angels, Mill Hill have a lively Olympic-themed celebration called ‘Brighter than Gold’ at 7pm.
• St Mary’s, Ealing had the first of their Olympic-themed sessions for 4-11 year olds.
• St Barnabas, Ealing conclude their Sacred Arts Festival with a Picnic on the church green with a big screen showing of Die Fledermaus in the church.

Planning something?

I’d love to include everyone’s events in these daily updates, so we can pray for and encourage each other. If you’re planning an event but haven’t registered it, please send details to elizabeth.harrison (Email: elizabeth.harrison [at] london.anglican.org) with ‘MAP’ in the subject line.

Share your stories

If you’ve just run an event and want to share how you’ve got on, or if you’ve had local press coverage, please send reports, photos and stories to olympicmobiliser (Email: olympicmobiliser [at] london.anglican.org)