Archive 2008

St. Francis of Assisi
Isleworth

Church of England Parish Church

Archive 2008

St. Francis of Assisi

865 Great West Road

Isleworth

TW7 5PD

Members of St Francis of Assisi Church collected a record £1868.30 in the recent Christian Aid house to house collection. ‘The record breaking amount is partly due to the increased number of people collecting in more roads in the parish’ said Fr. Lawrence Smith, the priest at St. Francis of Assisi Church on the Great WestRoad.

Another record breaking total

Helena, who has been working at the Hospital for almost thirty years, says she was ‘very pleasantly surprised and also humbled’ when her name was called; when she stepped up to receive her trophy, a large crystal bowl with her name engraved on a silver shield, and her certificate, her first thought was of her team: ‘I wish they were up here with me’.

Her colleagues had nominated her for being honest, fair, and knowledgeable, and for maintaining the high standard about which she is particular. Mothers had nominated her because they were impressed and happy with the care and support she gave them.

CHURCH MEMBER NAMED MIDWIFE OF THE YEAR 2008

St. Francis of Assisi Isleworth congratulates church member Helena Boateng, who has been named Midwife of the Year 2008 by West Middlesex Hospital.

‘You just go in everyday and do your duty, working very hard as a team -- and very carefully, because you are dealing with life – and never expect to be recognised. It’s an honour; I feel privileged to be appreciated. The award has raised morale and helps us to keep going in challenging circumstances’.

Helena credits her Christian faith with inspiring her ‘to be compassionate and caring; to support and help colleagues and clients without judging them. We are there to share the joy of new life, a gift from God’.

Helena’s caring goes beyond duty: her husband, Tony Boateng, is also a healthcare professional and, as her children are adults, she sometimes volunteers for Christmas and Easter shifts to allow her colleagues with young children to spend the holidays with their young families. Originally from Ghana, she supports an AIDS charity there.

Conceding that midwifery can be a stressful profession, as fewer midwives mean a greater workload, Helena is passionate about her calling and says, ‘It’s so rewarding; every new birth is a celebration of life. I’m addicted to it: you smile with the family, you laugh with them, you are jubilant with them, and then… you go on to the next mother’.

Road. ‘But it also due to the incredible generosity of the local people of Isleworth’. Working with the poorest communities in 50 countries and believing that everyone deserves a decent life, Christian Aid helps people to improve their own lives – whatever their background or religion. Over 600 partner organisations are supported around the world working towards ending the injustice of poverty. ‘It was really encouraging to collect from ‘It was really encouraging to collect from people of all ethnic backgrounds and faith communities. Together we can make a real difference’ said Fr. Lawrence.

Jackie Cambra

Christian Aid Representative

On the night of the Autumn Equinox, several members of St. Francis of Assisi Isleworth met at an unusual location -- the ancient and iconic Tower of London. We were there at the kind invitation of our Assistant Priest, the Rev’d Anne Burgess. Alan Fiddes, Beadle at the Worshipful Company of Weavers, where Anne works, is a Yeoman Warder at the Tower. He gave us a witty and bone-chilling tour through the Tower’s long and gory history, then a talk in the Chapel, which was followed by a cheerful buffet dinner in the Warders’ Club. After a giggling visit to the haunted Ladies’ Room, we went on to the highlight of the evening: the dramatic and unforgettable Ceremony of the Keys.

This Ceremony of locking up the Tower of London has been held every single night for the past 700 years. The Grenadier Guards, tall and slim in their scarlet tunics and black bearskin hats, were on duty. The Watchman in his long scarlet watch-coat came over the cobbles through the arch, his mullioned lantern glowing, and the traditionally worded challenge and exchange, with arms menacingly presented, began:

“Halt! Who comes there?”

“The Keys.”

“Whose Keys?”

“Queen Elizabeth’s Keys.”

“Pass, Queen Elizabeth’s Keys, for all is well.”

When the ritual was over, the bugler on the steps played the Last Post….then:

“God bless Queen Elizabeth!”

“Amen.”

We came outside to see Tower Bridge illuminated, and the glass buildings lit up like glittering ornaments on the banks of the River Thames. Truly we can sleep peacefully and safely through night, because with such stalwart guards, “all is well” in the land; and because it is our Lord who “is our fortress, our God in whom we trust.” (Psalm 91).

A TRIP TO THE TOWER OF LONDON

Congregation raises money for the Zimbabwe Emergency Appeal

Malnutrition, poverty, chronic unemployment, hyper-inflation, political repression, human rights abuses – a sea of suffering is engulfing the people of Zimbabwe. About a third of the 13 million population is struggling to feed itself, hampered by bad harvests and ineffective government.

Money raised through Tearfund's Zimbabwe appeal has helped feed many. Food aid is being provided but hopes that the coming harvest would be good have been undermined by extensive recent flooding. Maize meal, a basic staple of the Zimbabwe diet, is in desperately short supply. Prices have rocketed as inflation has topped 26,000 per cent.

Tearfund is working with Zimbabwe’s churches to reach the vulnerable – children, the elderly and widows . The congregation at St Francis have been raising money to support the work of Tearfund, and have raised £113.95. For more information about the work of Tearfund and the Zimbabwe appeal visit
http://www.tearfund.org/