September Monthly Newsletter from LONDON! - Eric in the UK

ST. PANCRAS NEWS
SEPTEMBER

Training in Chicago
From August 19th to the 27th, I went to the ELCA Young Adult Program training in Chicago. It got to be overwhelming at times as there was SO MUCH information to cover, but it also was wonderful to meet other people who are just as crazy as me and spending a year in a foreign country! These people will serve as great contacts and resources throughout this adventure.
The Diversity and Energy of Camden
Camden is the most diverse place I have ever been in. The crazy thing about the character of the town that I have never seen in the U.S. before is the way that the poor and the rich literally live side by side. On the street that our Vicarage is on, you have one side that is filled with million pound villas and on the other side is lower income housing! The different people that you will see walking down the side walk is staggering. You will first see maybe a nicely dressed business man, then a trendy European youth, then a Muslim cleric, then a older resident who has been living in London for 70 years, and everyone in between! The church services reflect this diversity as well. For example, there was a whole group of newly arrived immigrants from Equador that came to a service on Sunday. Most of them didn't speak a word of English, but the welcoming nature was incredible.
My Housemates
I have also met my housemates for the year: Julian, Liz, and Owen. Julian and Liz are recently married and are paying rent to the parish at a reduced rate. Julian thus serves as the house co-ordinator or "house president". He makes sure that we have all the community things we need and that everything in the house goes smoothly. Both Julian and Liz are extremely musical which is very exciting! Julian plays jazz guitar and violin (I want to hear him play some jazz things on his violin sometime soon!) He also has a company that composes and records jingles for various companies in London. Liz is a trained opera singer and has just taken a job as program manager with one of the halls in central London (hopefully this will mean some good deals on tickets!) Owen, the other pastoral assistant, is from Wales. He is a wonderful fellow with a great sense of humour. He was also in a choir at his university that just got done with a tour. It has been great to compare musical interests with everyone- we certainly have a musical house!
My Churches
The Parishes of St. Pancras is made up of four congregations: St. Pancras, St. Michael's, St. Mary's, and St. Paul's. This conglomeration was set up in 2000. I will be based primarily at the congregations of St. Michael's and St. Paul's.
Both of the churches that I am working at have a very interesting past history. St. Michael's Church has been a landmark in downtown Camden since the late 18th century. It, like many of it's church counterparts in the area, was built in the Victorian era mindset that EVERYONE needs a church close by so that it will be easier for the public to retain a moral life. Consequently, churches were built in the area not because there was a need in the population, but because the Church of England deemed it necessary for the moral behaviour of the city inhabitants. The Victorian Church of England got pretty far in this goal, as there is still currently a pew seat for one of every seven people in the entire city of London. Even as the Church of England tries to attract new people in current years, it has become very apparent that there are just too many church buildings in the area for the communities to support. St. Michael's would have fallen onto the "abandoned list" if it had not been for the Reverend Nicholas Wheeler who came and brought the four parishes of St. Michael's, St. Paul's, St. Mary's, and St. Pancras together. He also retooled the mission of St. Michael's as a church that reaches out to the poor and "abandoned". Thus, the congregation of St. Michael's has drastically changed from that of very wealthy Victorian business men, to that of migrant workers, refugees, and people with mental illnesses. On September 29th, St. Michael's will be celebrating its 10 year fundraising campaign of putting a new £500,000 roof on the church building. The church really looks impressive with it's great new looking spires from the street. Since the building is over 175 years old, it still needs huge upkeep. Now that the building looks new from the outside, it is the inside that needs attention. Plaster is cracking, the floor is worn, the great mosaics are peeling apart. This determined congregation is now setting its eyes on a new restoration project for the inside. Many believe it won't happen for another 15 years, but this congregation is determined.
St. Paul's was a beautiful church that graced the greenery of Camden Square since the 1820's. It had an incredible 100 ft. high steeple/bell tower that could be seen for miles. This asset turned into a negative, as it was one of the many targets for German bombing raids in World War II. Consequently, the building was destroyed and a "temporary" building was installed in 1954 that is still here today. The current building unfortunately doesn't recount any of the beauty of the church that proceeded it (though they were able to reuse some of the stained glass windows). As the area has changed in population, so has the congregation. Though unlike the congregation of St. Michael's, St. Paul's retains a large group of elderly who remember how the church once was and continue to hope to bring it back. This isn't likely any time soon as a new church building would cost well over £1 million pounds. For a congregation of 95, this is a huge task indeed.
My New Environment
This year will undoubtedly be a year of growth and challenge for me. Please pray for me as I continue to learn about this amazing parish in the middle of northern London. Stay tuned for more stories and adventures to come!