Welcome toHoly Trinity Clapham

HOLY TRINITY CLAPHAM:CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH GOD

Holy Trinity Church Clapham CommonClapham Common Northside

LondonSW4 0QZ

Tel 020 7627 0941 Fax 020 7627 5065admin@holytrinityclapham.orgwww.holytrinityclapham.org

Our purpose at Holy Trinity is to connect people with God. God loves the world somuch that He became like us in the person of Jesus. The Good News is that through Jesuswe can connect with God personally and connect other people with him too.

However, in a busy London parish it is too easy for people to visit Holy Trinity and to blendin with the crowd, or slip through the net. There’s always the danger that we may avoidmeeting you or welcoming you personally. For other people pitching up at church on aSunday morning may feel like arriving at a ‘members only’ club where you don’t know therules and feel like an outsider. We do our best to avoid any of those experiences and sowe are delighted that you have visited Holy Trinity, and are privileged to welcome you. Weare all on a journey of faith, and we hope you find Holy Trinity a place that prepares andequips you for it.

This booklet provides information on the church, our mission and how you can getinvolved. We look forward to meeting you soon.

Canon David IsherwoodRector of Clapham

Welcome toHoly Trinity ClaphamThis booklet provides information about us and tells you more about thedifferent areas of our church’s life. Please keep it in a handy place. Moreinformation is available on our website at www.holytrinityclapham.org.

Worship

We worship God:! through our services of Holy Communion, a sign of Jesus’ loving rescue of the wholeworld on the cross and through his resurrection;

! through the Word of God, as we listen and respond to the Bible read, preached andapplied among us;

! through praise, as we sing to God in a variety of musical styles; and! through prayer, as we bring before God the joy and pain of life in the world.

We have special groups and a crèche for children of all ages in our exciting and well-resourced youth and children’s groups.

Sunday Services

8:00am Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer)10:00am Parish Communion (Common Worship). Our main act of worship.

(2nd Sunday of the month is Morning Worship, a more relaxed servicewithout communion.)

6.00pm Evening Service1st & 5th Sundays: Evening Prayer (Prayer Book service with hymns)2nd Sunday: Parish Communion with hymns3rd Sunday: Contemplative worship from Iona or Taizé4th Sunday: “Connect” informal contemporary worship

Weekday Services

9.00am Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and FridayMorning Prayer

12:30pm WednesdayHoly Communion

8.00pm First Wednesday of each monthParish prayer meeting

The church is open every morning except Thursday if you want to come in to sit and prayquietly on your own

Our services

Worshipping the living God transforms our believing, belonging and behaviour.At Holy Trinity we come together on Sundays and through the week to put ourfaith and trust in God into practice.

Home Groups

At Holy Trinity, we want to help everyone respond to Jesus’ call to follow him and becomehis disciples. Discipleship enables us to connect with God in our daily lives: belonging morefully, believing more deeply and behaving differently. We do this through learning, prayingand gathering together.

Home groups are a place where this happens. Small groups of church members meettogether on a regular basis in each other’s homes. Our vision is for every member of HolyTrinity to also be a member of a home group. Home Groups are places where we can:! belong and form deep friendships;! care and pray for each other through good times and bad;! read the Bible and help each other put what we learn into practice; and! grow in our relationship with God and be equipped to serve Him.

Home groups are made up of around six to ten people. They usually meet once a week oronce a fortnight in someone’s home. There are no rules about what goes on in a homegroup, but a typical meeting would involve a simple meal, some time reading the bible anddiscussing it together and prayer.

If you are interested in joining a home group, please contact the parish office and our HomeGroups Co-ordinator will be in touch with you.

Finding a home

Our vision at Holy Trinity is that everyone will come to know God personally.Worshipping together every Sunday is important, but we also believe thatgetting together in small groups is the best way to explore and apply what ourfaith means in our own lives and circumstances.

Church Mission Society

Faith in action

We believe that a faith worth talking about is one which is alive and demonstrated throughour actions. In other words everyone should find a way to serve God. The best way to dothis is to discover an area where you have God given gifts and talents, something aboutwhich you are passionate and enjoy working at. We will help you to find a way to use yourgifts. This page provides some ideas of areas of our life you may want to get involved in atHoly Trinity. Speak to anyone on the staff at Holy Trinity about how you can find yourministry.

Examples of ministries at Holy Trinity:

Sunday stewardingChurch administrationSunday Children’s GroupsWebsite maintenanceChurch financeMusic & Choir and bandSunday welcome teamHome group leadersAlpha leaders & helpersPCC membersPastoral visitingYouth Club

Ways to get involved

We believe that a faith worth talking about is one which is relevant anddemonstrated in our actions. Here are some ideas about how to put your faithinto action.

Alpha

Have you ever wanted to know moreabout God? Are there questions youhave always wanted to ask but have felttoo shy, or don’t know who to ask?Well the Alpha course could be justthe right thing for you.

Holy Trinity runs a ten week Alphacourse each year: each week we meetfor supper, followed by a talk on aspecific topic and then we havediscussion over coffee in small groups.It’s an informal introduction to theChristian faith, covering areas such as‘Who is Jesus?’, ‘Why and how should Iread the Bible?’ and ‘How can I makethe most of the rest of my life?’

Over 10 million people worldwide have now completed the Alpha course, and you can findout more about the Alpha course at www.alpha.org.

Each year we offer a confirmation course for adults who may have been baptised aschildren and now want to confirm their Christian faith as an adult, and for those who havecome to faith for the first time as an adult. We run separate confirmation courses forteenagers.

If you are interested in being in any of these groups please contact the parish office on 0207627 0941 or by email and the appropriate person will get back to you.

In prayer we speak directly with God. We are always willing to speak or pray with youafter services and at any other time. Please contact any of the clergy after any of theservices or through the parish office. Our parish prayer meeting takes place between8.00-9.00pm on the first Wednesday of every month in the church. Here we pray togetherin a variety of ways about the life of the church, our community and the world around us.

Who is Jesus? Does my lifehave purpose and meaning?Our mission is to help everyone work out the answer to questions like these.The Alpha course is a great way to ask searching questions, explore issues andlearn together.

Sunday Children’s Groups

At our 10.00am Sunday service there aregroups for all children to learn and worshipin ways appropriate for them. SpecificChristian values and Bible passages areexplored through stories, games, arts andcraft and music. Our groups are:

! Crèche for the under 3s (Chicks)! Nursery & Reception (Sparrows)! Year 1 & 2 (Doves)! Year 3-6 (Ravens)! Year 7 & up (Eagles)

A short course of preparation is held usuallyonce a year to prepare children of 8 yearsor older for admission to communion ifthey ask for this. A confirmationpreparation course for teenagers is heldwhen requested

Trinity Toddlers

A weekly group for children aged 0-2/3, with parents and carers. The children can playwhile mums, dads and carers catch up, make friends and enjoy a cup of coffee. TrinityToddlers is 10.00–11.30am on Wednesdays during term time at Holy Trinity. The cost is £1per family – a great way to spend a morning getting to know other people.

7 Ups

A church-based social group for the 7-11 year olds which runs alternate Friday eveningsfrom 6.30-8.00pm in the Wilberforce Centre. Children get a chance to meet new friends ina non-threatening environment and have lots of fun playing games and being creative.

The Mix

A social club with Christian teaching for young people in Year 7 and upwards which runsalternate Friday evenings from 6.30-8.00pm in the Wilberforce Centre. These young peoplemeet in a friendly environment where they not only get a chance to make new friends andhave fun but also to learn about Jesus and each other.

Children & young people

Children and young people are at the heart of Holy Trinity. Many childrencome to church where there is a range of groups and activities to suit all ages.

Rector

Rev’d Canon David Isherwoodrector@holytrinityclapham.org

David, married toAnne, is in his fourthjob since ordination 30years ago. He andAnne have four grown-up children. He is apassionate sailor, akeenish gardener (he’s

more ‘creative’ and ‘admiring’ thanknowledgeable) and a fan of U2 (who helikes growing old with).

Curate

Rev’d Caroline Clarke (half-time)clarkecaroline@hotmail.com

Ordained in October2000, Caroline and herhusband Christopherhave been part of HolyTrinity since 1976.After reading Theologyat Cambridge shetrained as an RE

teacher and while bringing up their threechildren served as an active lay member ofHoly Trinity. Caroline works part-time asChaplain and Spiritual Care Lead atTrinity Hospice. She enjoys travel,theatre, opera and sailing her small dinghyin the Isle of Wight, and spending timewith her three grown-up children.

Curate

Rev’d Richard Jones (part-time)rcb.jones@tiscali.co.uk

Working part-time atHoly Trinity since hisordination in October2006, Richard still worksfull-time in the Foreignand CommonwealthOffice. Richard previouslyworshipped at StBarnabas' Clapham

Common since 1984, except duringoverseas postings in the British Embassies inFiji and Japan, where he was active in theAnglican church.

Youth & Children’s Worker

Irfana Pollendineirfanariffat@hotmail.com

Irfana's been with thechurch since 2003, shecomes from a Christianfamily in Pakistan andcame to the UK in 2000to do volunteer youthand children’s work. She'sa teacher by profession

and has a Masters in English Literature. Sheand her husband David have a daughtercalled Zara who was born in 2006. Irfana ispassionate about seeing children and youngpeople having a personal relationship withJesus.

Who’s who at Holy Trinity?

A few of the people you can get in touch with to find out more about HolyTrinity Clapham

Gilly Bailey-Smith (Churchwarden)

Gilly has lived in Clapham for 16 years and is married to Stephen. They have 3 young sons.Gilly looks after the boys and works part time as a dance teacher in a Chelsea school. In herspare time, Gilly loves attending pilates classes at a local gym.

Jonathan Burdett (Churchwarden)

Jonathan has been a member of Holy Trinity Clapham since 2001, and has served on the PCCsince 2005 before becoming Churchwarden. He works as a management consultant. He ismarried to Joanna and has a daughter, Ava, born in 2008.

Rosy Skinner (Reader)

Rosy, Lay Reader and member of the Ministry Team at Holy Trinity, has been a worshipperhere for over thirty years. Before her retirement she worked for the BBC in their dramadepartment as an assistant director and a floor manager. She has a son who works in TV anda wonderful daughter-in-law and two amazing grandaughters.

Suzi Smith (Treasurer)

Suzi has lived in South West London since 1994 and in October 2005 she and her husbandPaul moved to Clapham. Suzi's was, and continues to be, bowled over by the sense of loveand belonging that she encountered at Holy Trinity when she walked through the doors thatfirst Sunday back in late 2005.

Gill White (Parish Administrator)

Gill has been a member of Holy Trinity's congregation for over 30 years, and has worked inthe parish office for 18 years, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. She is married to Nick,has 5 adult children, and is a Governor of Macaulay School.

Antony le Fleming (Director of Music)

Antony has been our Director of Music and organist for ten years. His wife, Naomi, is acellist, and sings in our choir. Antony would love to hear from anyone who is willing to makea contribution to any of our music, traditional or modern. He rehearses with the choir onSunday mornings at 9am (except the second Sunday of the month), leads a children'sinstrumental workshop at least once a term, and draws in a larger choir for special services,such as our Christmas carol service.

Nick Hawkins (Caretaker)

Nick keeps the church open and welcoming for visitors 5 mornings a week, and he looks afterthe various groups which meet in the church in the evenings.

Who’s who at Holy Trinity?

A few more people you may meet at Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity Clapham opened for worship in 1776. Designed by Kenton Couse, bestknown for designing the front of 10 Downing Street, it was a simple rectangularbrick building with a gallery round three sides. Over time additions and changes havebeen made to the building providing us with the place we meet and worship todayand a resource for the community in the William Wilberforce Centre.

The heart of Holy Trinity has always been the people who have worshipped here,serving Clapham and the world beyond. This attitude of service gained nationwiderecognition at the turn of the 19th century through a group of church membersknown as the ‘Clapham Sect’. The group, that included William Wilberforce, ZacharyMacaulay, John Thornton and the Rector, John Venn, were at the forefront of thecampaign to abolish the slave trade in British dominions. They also founded theChurch Mission Society and were involved in forming the Bible Society.

200 years later, Holy Trinity seeks to continue to reflect that tradition and focus,learning to read and apply God’s word to our lives and circumstances and sharingGod’s Good News with those who have not heard it, who have misunderstood it orwho have rejected it.

History of Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity’s history goes back over 200 years, and is at the heart of the storyof the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.

In order to grow and accomplish all thechallenges we set ourselves as a churchwe need to receive both regular supportin terms of people’s time and skills as wellas regular income pledges.

If you feel you are able to give some ofyour time, an hour or two a month canmake a big difference to us: pleasecomplete the form overleaf. Likewise ifyou are able to commit to a regularfinancial payment, this can beaccomplished in several ways: please askfor a “Planned Giving” pack, which isavailable from the area near the coffee bar,if you have not received a copy with thisbooklet.

If you are a UK tax payer please considermaking a Gift Aid payment. This means thegovernment “gifts” the church for everypayment you make. Every pound given tous this way is actually worth £1.28p as thegovernment will give us the extra 28pence.

This can be done via standing order, directly from your bank account into the churchaccount each month. To do this please fill in the appropriate form in the PlannedGiving pack, or ask for one from the parish office.You can also use the yellow Gift Aid envelopes available in each pew. Just fill in yourname and address, postcode and date, sign it, and we can then claim back the tax.

A full set of the church’s accounts are produced for the Annual Parish meeting eachyear and are available at the back of church.

If you want to know more about our finances, or our Planned Giving Scheme, pleasecontact the Parish office and we will put you in touch with our Treasurer, Suzi Smith,or our Planned Giving Secretary, Peter Ross.

Giving

Information on giving to Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity Clapham

For more information on Holy Trinity Clapham visit www.holytrinityclapham.org orcontact the parish office on 020 7627 0941, or email admin@holytrinityclapham.org