| Church,
with Rectory on the left, as depicted by Sarah
McMenemy for platform 2 of Shadwell Underground Station on the East London Line, which re-opened on 27 April 2010 as part of London Overground |
Church drawn in 1963 by John Piper CH (1903-92), 21" x 13½" displayed as one of 39 goaches and watercolours at the Hamet Gallery, London in 1969, when Terence Mullaly wrote 'the romantic undertones recalling a stage backdrop are strong' |
Our congregation...
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1 Michael the Rector 2 Kimberley and Victoria, readers and servers 3 a congregation wondering where to go next... 4 Anne, a great cook and devoted carer 5 Jan, honorary assistant priest & Chief Education Officer of the Church of England 6 Richard our treasurer, and Elisa 7,8 Paul & Hannah and James and Beth, recently-married couples and good organisers 9,10 children: the church of today and tomorrow 11 Michael Saward, active retired priest and hymnwriter 12 Michael, our Deanery Synod representative and head barbecuer 13 Kim, Toni and Cathy, mums who enjoy life and keep us on our toes 14 Margaret, deputy warden and lay assistant 15 Danny, crucifer and willing handyman 16 John, school governor and active in community projects 17 Olive, accredited lay worker for over sixty years and our sacristan Many of these are PCC members (see below) and/or help with Children's Church |
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As in every parish church, the clergy and congregation are assisted by
two churchwardens, appointed each year at the Vestry meeting open to all local residents on the (civil) electoral roll as well as to members of the congregation. They are both the primary lay representatives of the parish and the 'eyes of the bishop'. It is an ancient office, though is now subject to the provisions of the Churchwardens Measure 2001. Our current hard-working wardens are Allan - see below on his family - and Alex.
a Parochial Church Council [pictured at an awayday],
appointed each year at the Annual Meeting
by those on the church's own electoral roll. PCCs were created as a
result of legislation in 1919 which gave lay people a voice in the
church, and is
linked to the other 'levels' of church government - deanery, diocesan
and national (General Synod). We have nine elected PCC members, plus
the wardens and one who is separately elected to serve on the deanery
synod. The Rector chairs its meetings, which are approximately monthly.
We also have a parish clerk,
though these days this is an honorary office. In the past, as you can
see from various history pages on this site (for example, here and here) the clerk - another ancient office - was a key, and hard-working, administrator. These days have gone, but in London the Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks
(founded in 1635/6) survives, with a distinguished history, and we are
one of the 150 or so parishes - though not one of those on the original
list - entitled to nominate a member. Ronald Guy Ellen A London Steeplechase
(City Press 1972, out of print) details all the parishes. [Our current
clerk is Geoffrey Tattersall QC [pictured], a barrister, judge and diocesan Chancellor who worships
with us whenever he is in London.]
St George supplanted Edward the Confessor as the patron saint of
England in 1351, at the time of the Crusades. Many churches bear his name. The choice here was probably an
assertion of the authority of the established national church - though since the
area as well as the church took his name, there were St George's Churches of other
denominations (eg the German Lutheran and
Methodist churches).