Being ready for the unexpected

by Nov 1, 2020Sermons

Matthew 5:1-12

The Beatitudes

I generally don’t write down my sermons before Saturday. I often reflect on the readings for several days, I might have some ideas of what I’m going to say. But you never know what Saturday will bring. And it is always worth being ready for something to happen on Saturday which impacts everybody and needs to be addressed on Sunday. It doesn’t mean I always know quite what to say when Saturday’s events happen and I then need to figure out what I am going to say.

All Saints Day is a feast of celebration for the church. Particularly for this church, named for the Feast. And because the church was re-opened on the Eve of All Saints day 1952, after the destruction of the fire in 1940. It seems ironic then, that we are on the eve of at least a partial closure of the building again.

Revelation is an often mis-understood book. Yesterday the church commemorated Martin Luther, it was the 503rd anniversary of his nailing the 95 thesis to the doors of another All Saints in Wittenburg, launching the reformation. That same Martin Luther was so concerned with Revelation being mis-understood, he instructed that it shouldn’t be preached on. Many would say that Revelation belongs along with the ghost stories of All Hallows Eve. But Revelation is written as a comfort for those who suffer. For those without power who are most impacted by events like the ones we are witnessing. John tells of his vision of a great multitude from every nation and tribe and language standing side by side. These are those who have been through the great ordeal and who have found their solace in the Lamb of God, the one who sacrificed everything that they might live. It is a reminder for us that we are not alone, whatever ordeal we now face. We too are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, the Saints, and accompanied by a God who will not desert us.

As a child and a young adult I really struggled with the beatitudes which Jesus preaches on the mountain in this morning’s gospel: I didn’t think of myself as poor in spirit, I wasn’t mourning, I didn’t want to be meek – where was my blessing. But of course the sermon has a similar audience to the Revelation to John. Jesus is speaking to those who are oppressed, those who are being or going to be persecuted. He is speaking to those who he wants to be merciful, those he wants to hunger for justice – for righteousness. It doesn’t mean God doesn’t love anybody else, It doesn’t mean his blessings are only for these people. But it is in those moments when we are most in need of being reminded of God’s blessing, moments like now. When these words come to us and comfort us.

Back in Lockdown 1 Jayne Manfredi, a blogger wrote a series of Beatitudes for the pandemic, which were picked up and used by Dave Walker, a Church of England cartoonist. Among her beatitudes Jayne Manfredi included:
‘Blessed are those who stay indoors, for they have protected others.
Blessed are the unemployed and the self-employed for their need of God is great
Blessed are the corner shopkeepers, for they are the purveyors of scarce things
Blessed are the delivery drivers and the postal workers, for they are the bringers of essential things.
Blessed are the hospital workers, the ambulance crews, the doctors, the nurses, the care assistants and the cleaners, for they stand between us and the grave, and the kingdom of heaven is surely theirs.
Blessed are the checkout workers, for they have patience and fortitude in the face of overwork and frustration
Blessed are the refuse collectors, for they will see God despite the mountains of waste.
Blessed are the teachers, for they remain steadfast and constant in disturbing times.
Blessed are the single parents, for they are coping alone with their responsibilities and there is no respite.
Blessed are those who are alone, for they are children of God and with him they will never be lonely
Blessed are the bereaved, for whom the worst has already happened, they shall be comforted.’

As we head into the coming month, it is important that we remember that we are not alone, that we are each blessed by God, that we will not be forsaken or forgotten. We join with a great multitude of those who have gone ahead of us, we join with this great multitude as we pray for deliverance from all that would harm us. For we too are the saints of God, we too are members of Christ’s household, and we are not alone.

The Beatitudes for the pandemic end with these words: 
‘Blessed are all during this time who have pure hearts: all who still hunger and thirst for justice: all who work for peace and who model mercy, May you know comfort, may you know calm, and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God, and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all. Amen.’

The Reverend Robin Sims-Williams

Weekly Services

Sunday Mornings

8.00am Said Eucharist
10.00am Parish Eucharist with choir and Sunday School

Weekday Services

Morning Prayer Monday through Wednesdays at 9.20am
Said Eucharist on Wednesdays at 11.00am

Please note that Public worship has been suspended, you can therefore participate in these services via Facebook live stream

Before the Foundation of the World

  Ephesians 1: 3-14 Before the Foundation of the WorldI want to tell you the truth about everything in the universe and then explain why that matters for your life together at All Saints and in Child’s Hill. I want you to imagine two great arches, one inside the...

read more
Being Mother Church

  Luke 2:33-35 'And a sword will pierce your own soul too.'Happy Mothering Sunday. The day when, historically, servants would be released to travel home to see their mothers and to worship God at their mother church. Today we give thanks for our mothers, and all...

read more
Anger, Discernment and Action

  John 2:13-22 The Cleansing of the TempleI can remember as a child having a horrendous temper. I think I was a relatively calm person normally. But every now and again I would boil over with emotion. There was one occasion, when overwhelmed with furry at being...

read more
Oh the Temptation!

  Mark 1:9-15 'The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness'I wonder what temptations you find hard, what things do you do mindlessly that you know you shouldn’t do? Or what things do you find it difficult to remember to do? Perhaps you have been told...

read more
All Saints’ Church Child’s Hill Logo
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Notice

Privacy Notice – General

Your personal data – what is it?

“Personal data” is any information about a living individual which allows them to be identified from that data (for example a name, photographs, videos, email address, or address). Identification can be by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information. The processing of personal data is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR) and other legislation relating to personal data and rights such as the Human Rights Act 1998.

Who are we?

This Privacy Notice is provided to you by the Parochial Church Council (PCC) of All Saints’ Child’s Hill which is the data controller for your data.

The Church of England is made up of a number of different organisations and office-holders who work together to deliver the Church’s mission in each community. The PCC works together with:

  • the incumbent of the parish (that is, our priest-in-charge);
  • the bishops of the Diocese of London; and
  • the London Diocesan Fund, which is responsible for the financial and administrative
    arrangements for the Diocese of London.

As the Church is made up of all of these persons and organisations working together, we may need to share personal data we hold with them so that they can carry out their responsibilities to the Church and our community. The organisations referred to above are joint data controllers. This means we are all responsible to you for how we process your data.

Each of the data controllers have their own tasks within the Church and a description of what data is processed and for what purpose is set out in this Privacy Notice. This Privacy Notice is sent to you by the PCC on our own behalf and on behalf of each of these data controllers. In the rest of this Privacy Notice, we use the word “we” to refer to each data controller, as appropriate.

What data do the data controllers listed above process?

They will process some or all of the following where necessary to perform their tasks:

  • Names, titles, and aliases, photographs;
  • Contact details such as telephone numbers, addresses, and email addresses;
  • Where they are relevant to our mission, or where you provide them to us, we may process
    demographic information such as gender, age, date of birth, marital status, nationality, education/work histories, academic/professional qualifications, hobbies, family composition, and dependants;
  • Where you make donations or pay for activities such as use of a church hall, financial identifiers such as bank account numbers, payment card numbers, payment/transaction identifiers, policy numbers, and claim numbers;
  • The data we process is likely to constitute sensitive personal data because, as a church, the fact that we process your data at all may be suggestive of your religious beliefs. Where you provide this information, we may also process other categories of sensitive personal data: racial or ethnic origin, sex life, mental and physical health, details of injuries, medication/treatment received, political beliefs, labour union affiliation, genetic data, biometric data, data concerning sexual orientation and criminal records, fines and other similar judicial records.

How do we process your personal data?

The data controllers will comply with their legal obligations to keep personal data up to date; to store and destroy it securely; to not collect or retain excessive amounts of data; to keep personal data secure, and to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and to ensure that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.

We use your personal data for some or all of the following purposes:

  • To enable us to meet all legal and statutory obligations (which include maintaining and publishing our electoral roll in accordance with the Church Representation Rules);
  • To carry out comprehensive safeguarding procedures (including due diligence and complaints handling) in accordance with best safeguarding practice from time to time with the aim of ensuring that all children and adults-at-risk are provided with safe environments;
  • To minister to you and provide you with pastoral and spiritual care (such as visiting you when you are gravely ill or bereaved) and to organise and perform ecclesiastical services for you, such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals;
  • To deliver the Church’s mission to our community, and to carry out any other voluntary or charitable activities for the benefit of the public as provided for in the constitution and statutory framework of each data controller;
  • To administer the parish, deanery, archdeaconry and diocesan membership records;
  • To fundraise and promote the interests of the Church and charity;
  • To maintain our own accounts and records;
  • To process a donation that you have made (including Gift Aid information);
  • To seek your views or comments;
  • To notify you of changes to our services, events and role holders;
  • To send you communications which you have requested and that may be of interest to you. These may include information about campaigns, appeals, other fundraising activities;
  • To process a grant or application for a role;
  • To enable us to provide a voluntary service for the benefit of the public in a particular geographical
    area as specified in our constitution;
  • Our processing also includes the use of automated systems when you visit our website including cookies to help improve your experience when browsing our website and personal identifiers from your browsing history to enable us to assess the popularity of the webpages on our website, further information about our use of cookies is available on our website (https://www.allsaintschildshill.com/cookie-policy/)
  • Our processing also includes the use of CCTV systems for the prevention and prosecution of crime.

What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?

Most of our data is processed because it is necessary for our legitimate interests, or the legitimate interests of a third party (such as another organisation in the Church of England). An example of this would be our safeguarding work to protect children and adults at risk. We will always take into account your interests, rights and freedoms.

Some of our processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation. For example, we are required by the Church Representation Rules to administer and publish the electoral roll, and under Canon Law to announce forthcoming weddings by means of the publication of banns.

We may also process data if it is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, or to take steps to enter into a contract. An example of this would be processing your data in connection with the hire of church facilities.

Religious organisations are also permitted to process information about your religious beliefs to administer membership or contact details.

Where your information is used other than in accordance with one of these legal bases, we will first obtain your consent to that use.

Sharing your personal data

Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential. It will only be shared with third parties where it is necessary for the performance of our tasks or where you first give us your prior consent. It is likely that we will need to share your data with some or all of the following (but only where necessary):

  • The appropriate bodies of the Church of England including the other data controllers;
  • Our agents, servants and contractors. For example, we may ask a commercial provider to send out newsletters on our behalf, or to maintain our database software;
  • Other clergy or lay persons nominated or licensed by the bishops of the Diocese of London to support the mission of the Church in our parish. For example, our clergy are supported by our area dean and archdeacon, who may provide confidential mentoring and pastoral support. Assistant or temporary ministers, including curates, deacons, licensed lay ministers, commissioned lay ministers or persons with Bishop’s Permissions may participate in our mission in support of our regular clergy;
  • Other persons or organisations operating within the Diocese of London including, where relevant, the London Diocesan Board for Schools and Subsidiary Bodies;
  • On occasion, other churches with which we are carrying out joint events or activities.

How long do we keep your personal data?

We will keep some records permanently if we are legally required to do so. We may keep some other records for an extended period of time. For example, it is current best practice to keep financial records for a minimum period of 7 years to support HMRC audits. In general, we will endeavour to keep data only for as long as we need it. This means that we may delete it when it is no longer needed.

Your rights and your personal data

You have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

When exercising any of the rights listed below, in order to process your request, we may need to verify your identity for your security. In such cases we will need you to respond with proof of your identity before you can exercise these rights.

  1. The right to access information we hold on you
    • At any point you can contact us to request the information we hold on you as well as why we have that information, who has access to the information and where we obtained the
      information from. Once we have received your request we will respond within one month.
    • There are no fees or charges for the first request but additional requests for the same data may be subject to an administrative fee .
  1. The right to correct and update the information we hold on you
    • If the data we hold on you is out of date, incomplete or incorrect, you can inform us and your data will be updated.
  1. The right to have your information erased
    • If you feel that we should no longer be using your data or that we are illegally using your data, you can request that we erase the data we hold.
    • When we receive your request we will confirm whether the data has been deleted or the reason why it cannot be deleted (for example because we need it for our legitimate interests or regulatory purpose(s)).
  1. The right to object to processing of your data
    • You have the right to request that we stop processing your data. Upon receiving the request we will contact you and let you know if we are able to comply or if we have legitimate grounds to continue to process your data. Even after you exercise your right to object, we may continue to hold your data to comply with your other rights or to bring or defend legal claims.
  1. The right to data portability
    • You have the right to request that we transfer some of your data to another controller. We will comply with your request, where it is feasible to do so, within one month of receiving your request.
  1. The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time for any processing of data to which consent was sought.
    • You can withdraw your consent easily by telephone, email, or by post (see Contact Details below).
  1. The right to object to the processing of personal data where applicable.
  2. The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Transfer of Data Abroad

Any electronic personal data transferred to countries or territories outside the EU will only be placed on systems complying with measures giving equivalent protection of personal rights either through international agreements or contracts approved by the European Union. Our website is also accessible from overseas so on occasion some personal data (for example in a newsletter) may be accessed from overseas.

Further processing

If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Notice, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Where and whenever necessary, we will seek your prior consent to the new processing.

Contact Details

Please contact us if you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or the information we hold about you or to exercise all relevant rights, queries or complaints at:

The Data Controller,
All Saints’ Church
Church Walk, Child’s Hill
London, NW2 2TJ
Email: [email protected]

You can contact the Information Commissioners Office on 0303 123 1113 or via email https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/ or at the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

If you have any question regarding our privacy policy, please contact us.