| St Gabriels, Cricklewood | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | http://www.st-gabriels.org |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | London Borough of Brent |
| Diocese | Diocese of London |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Jane Morris Andrew Dand (Assistant) |
St Gabriels, Cricklewood Church of England is an Anglican church in Cricklewood, Brent, United Kingdom. Its website describes St Gabriels as a vibrant contemporary church, active in the heart of north London[1].
St Gabriels has links to New Wine [2] and Holy Trinity Brompton Church[3] and its vicar, Jane Morris has been elected to the General Synod of the Church of England. [4] The church has been positively reviewed by the ecumenical Ship of Fools website. [5].
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The first Church of England service in the Cricklewood area was held in 1891, lead by Rev George Marsh Clibborn. It took place in a milliner’s shop in Oaklands Road. Later meetings took place in a local school room. In 1891, a building known as the ‘Iron Church’ was erected on the area where St Gabriels now stands, and which opened for worship in that same year. A further church was constructed alongside the Iron Church, which opened in 1897. Further building works were completed in 1906. [6].
A large church hall was later built on Anson Road, and after the second world war sold to the local council for community use. The local council then sold the building to the Dar Al-Islam Foundation. [7] The present church hall is located in a smaller building, next to the former hall, on Chichele Road.[8].
The St Gabriels church organ was a post-war neo-classical Walker organ. [9] The organ was used by a number of organists, including Brian Bromley, Organist Emeritus [10] and Alan Harverson, Professor of the Royal Academy of Music; and many choirs, including the Linden Singers. [11]
The church area is located close to Willesden Green tube station, in a now predominantly residential and ethnically diverse area. [12]
The current vicar is Jane Morris, who has been at St Gabriels since 2005. [13] In Autumn 2010, Morris stood for election to serve the Diocese of London at the General Synod of the Church of England.[14] Morris was proposed by Revd John Coles, the leader of New Wine and was successfully elected to the General Synod.[15] Morris also recently backed a unity statement against plans by the English Defence League to protest at an event held by a Muslim charity in Wembley. [16]
St Gabriels' website summarises the church's vision in three aims; to go deeper with God, closer to one another and further in mission. [17].
The core values of St Gabriels are also found on its website, and include:
St Gabriels is part of the New Wine network and has close links with Holy Trinity Brompton.[19] [20]
Sunday services at St Gabriels include a communion service at 9am, a morning worship service at 10:30am and an evening worship service at 6:30pm.[21]
St Gabriels offers a number of community activities, including: Gabriel's Cafe; activities for young children, such as Little Angels and Boogie Babies; classes for learning English; and a Christians Against Poverty centre. [22] St Gabriels also runs a number of courses, including Alpha, Alpha Plus, the Marriage Course, The Roman Road, Gateway, and The Big Picture.[23] St Gabriels has a number of mission partners, including 29th Chapter, a Christian hip hop group from west London. [24]
St Gabriels, has recently joined a project called Christians Against Poverty to provide debt management and counselling for local people. Brent Council highlighted this work in its January 2011 edition of 'Brent Magazine'. [25] The project offers to manage a person’s debt by organising their repayments, as well as offering advice and work to reduce any payments. The Council observed that people do not need to be a Christian to receive any help.[26]
The project is headed up by Steve Hartnoll, CAP centre manager. Hartnoll was interviewed by the Council, noting that around 30 per cent of people worked with have either thought about or attempted suicide and that the project's aim is to give clients back their dignity and assist them to manage their debts.[27]