March 2017


Evening of Victorian Variety 28 January 2017


We ARE amused…


…as Queen Victoria would have agreed herself had she been fortunate enough to have enjoyed the entertainment in St Michael’s Church provid- ed by a talented group of musicians and thespi- ans. The Church was transformed into a Victorian parlour to entertain the audience with readings from the classics, poems both humorous and seri- ous, and a variety of musical offerings. A high- light was the music of the violin, cello, piano en- semble (Catherine Ng, Avril Ivin and Glynne Butt) who performed pieces by Elgar, Massenet and Rubinstein. Queen Victoria’s favourite, Mr. Mendelssohn, was represented by one of his ‘Songs without Words.’ But equally memorable were the hilarious renderings of D’Oyly Carte favourites.


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The Revd Nathaniel Dodson and congregation sing ‘Forward be our Watchword’.


The entertainment was devised by Glynne Butt and Hilary Clare who were aided and abetted by John Clare, Mary Clare, Avril Ivin, Catherine Ng, Paul Smith (can we ever forget that wig?) Peter Willis, Tara Willis and Alex Winterburn. Jane Cadogan and the Abingdon Drama Club provided costumes.


‘Three little maids from school’


The sentimentality of our Victorian forbears was brought alive through the gentle mockery of dra- ma. One hundred and fifty years after its first performance in Abingdon, we were treated to the farcical proposal scene from ‘Used Up’, per- formed by Tara Willis and Alex Winterburn. And what a delight to see our friends Mr and Mrs Clare in the guise of an oleaginous mourning warehouse proprietor and his client!


The readings interspersing the entertainment took us back to 1867, to the dedication and consecra- tion of the Church of St Michael and All Angels’. We were reminded of the original vision of the Revd Nathaniel Dodson who fought for another church to be built in Abingdon to support the brewers and the tanners who worked here. The evening brought alive the concerns, the affecta- tions, the joys and griefs, but above all the energy of those years of change. St Michael’s Church was born then and, thanks to our Victorian ances- tors, is the beautiful place in which we worship today.


Week of Prayer for Christian Unity


In January St Nicolas’ was pleased to host the lunchtime prayers as part of Church in Abingdon’s marking of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Each day a mem- ber of the clergy team of the Churches in Abingdon led an ecumenical congregation - representing all our various denominations, and none - in reflection on, and prayers for, our troubled world in difficult and divided times. Through readings, prayer and song we were encouraged to think about divisions historical and current, and to pledge to work towards greater understanding and unity. The prayers were followed by an opportunity for refreshment and fellowship, and conversations were wide ranging and animated. It was a pleasure to be able to host this event, and we thank all those who gave up their time to lead us in these simple yet thought provoking acts of shared worship.


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