Did any among you spot our (not!) deliberate mistake from the last Newsletter?  Yes, we got the date wrong for the Requiem Mass we are celebrating in November.  The actual date is Sunday 8^th November and the service begins at 6.30pm.  We all know mistakes happen, and here at All Hallows we are very busy, so mistakes fall through the net at times.  We’d like to use this opportunity to tell you more about our Parish Office and how it works.

Most Parish Churches now have Parish Administrators as most vicars today are not just a Parish Priest.  This is obviously their ‘first job’, but many do a huge amount of ‘behind the scenes’ work with the Bishop and other work within the Episcopal Areas.  Therefore, they need to have the support of a well run office to make sure the running of their own church and parish goes smoothly.

The Office produces all paperwork associated with the Church, including Service Sheets for the main services, special services, weddings, funerals etc.; also certificates for baptisms and weddings; music for the choir and of course, this monthly Newsletter.  Advertising around the Parish is centered in the Office.  Hall bookings are currently made through the office.  The Office is the focus for anything that needs reporting about the church buildings and grounds. 

We rely heavily on volunteers, who help out with various jobs and events.  Folding and stapling, setting out advertising, providing refreshments, cleaning etc.  This Newsletter is created by a volunteer, with others delivering it to you so you know what’s going on at your Church.  Every household in the Parish of All Hallows receives a Newsletter - all 2,000 of them.  The volunteer system is managed from the Office and we cannot thank our volunteers enough for all their hard work and friendship.  Our caretaker is based at the office, where he gets all the information he needs to ‘get things done’ around the church and again, we cannot thank Roy enough for all his hard work and input and his friendly manner.

As you can imagine, there is a huge amount of paperwork which needs to be created and completed as best and as quickly as we can, as this is a vibrant, busy, living church and turnover of all that goes on at All Hallows is a permanent issue.  But we also have to ‘live by our means’.  It costs a considerable amount to run a Church Office, which means it can only be open weekdays in the mornings, and there are occasions there may be no-one there during these times as we are also working out and about around the site.  There are many days when overtime has to be done, but this is done on a voluntary basis - a gift to the Church, so to speak, so, it is best to call in the mornings on a weekday to get a response rather than expecting someone to be at the end of the line at 8pm at night! (Ed - surely not!). Also, as there is no sick or holiday cover in the office, there may be times when no-one is there when you call, so the machine is on - we are getting your messages, but please be patient - as the office is only open a couple of hours a day and there is much to do, we will endeavour to be in touch as soon as we can.

So, to re-cap - our Parish Office is open Monday to Friday 9.15am to 11.15am.  You can contact us on 020 8241 2345 or parishadmin@allhallowstwick.org.uk .  We find the best form of communication is by email, but a phone call is good too.  We are a very friendly bunch and are helpful too!!  Oh, and do visit our website www.allhallowstwick.org.uk - you can find out so much more from there as well…

Sorry about the Faure’s Requiem slip up.  Once again it’s on Sunday 8^th November at 6.30pm and the preacher is the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, The Rt Revd Graeme Knowles!

 Written by Alex Oliver, the Parish Administrator, with help from the ‘The Parish Team’