Congratulations: Helen Gheorghiu Gould

Our congratulations to Rev. Helen Gheorghiu Gould, who was ordained as a priest yesterday by the Bishop of Barking at St John the Baptist Epping.

Over the past year, in addition to her responsibilities in the Epping District Team Ministry, Helen has been revising commission4mission's constitution prior to our application for charitable status. Helen's proposed new c4m constitution will be discussed at our AGM on Wednesday 20th July at Holy Trinity and St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone.

We wish Helen every blessing and pray for her in this new stage of her ordained ministry and as she continues to integrate the visual arts into that ministry:

God our Father, Lord of all the world,
through your Son you have called us into the fellowship
of your universal Church:
hear our prayer for your faithful people
that in their vocation and ministry
each may be an instrument of your love,
and give to your servants now to be ordained
the needful gifts of grace;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Lent Exhibition: St John the Baptist, Epping

Epping artists have entered into the spirit of Lent this year by creating new works of art for an exhibition on The Way of the Cross, which will be on display at St John the Baptist Epping (who are new members of commission4mission) in the run up to Easter.

The exhibition features 15 specially created art works by the Epping Arts Society on different aspects of Jesus’ last journey of suffering to the cross, some using different media and both traditional and contemporary settings - the pilgrimage walk to Lindisfarne, a London street.

St John’s Rector, Revd. Geoffrey Connor, challenged the art society last September to interpret these traditional devotions in new ways. Fourteen artists took up the challenge and the result is an inspiring mix of different styles and subjects, placing Jesus in traditional as well as contemporary urban street scenes and in the British landscape, in abstract, in naturalistic forms and in clay.

‘It’s unusual because normally when artists tackle this subject they paint all fifteen and there is a recognisable style. The exhibition is different, unusual and, I believe, stimulating,’ said Revd. Connor.

‘I hope those who use the stations as a meditation on the Good Friday journey of Jesus from Jerusalem to Calvary will find it a spiritual experience, whilst others will enjoy the art for its own sake. Few, I suspect will leave unmoved.’

Featured images above are by Penny Foulds, Pauline Stanley, Vincent Coughlin, Roger Fitz-Gibbon, Wendy Webb and Peter Cartwright.

The exhibition is open until 14th April. A booklet containing the pictures, bible meditations and prayers is available priced £1. For further information and comment please call: Epping Team Curate: Revd Helen Gheorghiu Gould. Tel (mob): 07866 451744. Tel (landline): 01992 560999.

Whilst at St John's, visitors can also see permanent artworks by Charles Hare, C.E. Kempe, G.F.Bodley, Josephina de Vasconcellos FRBS, and P.G.C.Northam, as featured in the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area.

Ordination: Revd. Helen Gheorghiu Gould

Many congratulations to Helen Gheorgiu Gould who was ordained deacon today at Chelmsford Cathedral. Helen will serve her title at St John the Baptist, Epping.