All Saints & St Barnabas News

  It was wonderful to see so many at St Barnabas last Sunday (8th June 2025) for a poignant and moving final service, in which we said goodbye to the building of St Barnabas, on a site where we have worshipped together since 1911.  Here are a few photos of this special morning, which saw members of the congregation from across the decades come together in that church for one last time. This Sunday, 15th June 2025, we launch our new church of All Saints and St Barnabas, located out of All Saints Church, Kenley. There will be a new entrance into the building and other changes to signify this major change in our church life together. Here is a first glimpse of the side chapel at All Saints Kenley, furnished with the altar from St Barnabas, all ready for our first service as the new Church of All Saints and St Barnabas. All are welcome to our 10am service.

SAVE THE DATE - 10am Sunday 8th June 2025 at St Barnabas Our final service at St Barnabas will take place at 10am on Sunday 8th June 2025. You are warmly invited to join us in this poignant last service, followed by lunch and refreshments, to share your memories of our church and celebrate the community that we have built here over the past century. We hope to see many faces from over the years, so please do share with anyone connected with the church who you think might be interested in attending.  

All of our Christmas Services are at All Saints, Kenley this year. We look forward to you joining us to celebrate this special season.          

  The telephone number for the Parish Office has now changed.   Please dial  07454 246 059  to reach the Parish Office and also for Hall bookings. The email addresses remain the same.

Calling all quizzers!  Join us on Saturday 2nd November at 7pm in the All Saints Church Hall in Kenley, for an evening of quizzing and fun. For a suggested donation of £12 per person, you'll get a Ploughman's Supper, with hot sausages and an evening of mental stimulation and fun! A paid bar will also be available. Contact the Parish Office to reserve your place.

  Come and join us for a FREE evening of classical music at All Saints Kenley on Sunday 15th September - 6.30pm. Performed by our very own Dominic Holland, Trinity School's 2023 Musician of the Year! All welcome, no cost to attend, and a bar will be open, serving refreshments.

All Saints Kenley is OPEN all day this Saturday. Come along and see the inside of our beautiful church and have a cup of tea. Refreshments available and free parking! 9am - 5pm, Saturday 14th September 2024. All Saints Church, Kenley, Church Road, CR8 5DU.

St Barnabas Festival, Sunday 9 th June 2024 St Barnabas, Purley Patronal Festival takes place on 9th June 2024. The Bishop of Southwark will be presiding at the 10am service and staying for the outdoor festival afterwards, with a ‘bring and share’ lunch.  We would love to see as many people as possible at the service and to stay for the fun afterwards.   This will be a poignant occasion for the community, as we have asked the Church Commissioners to carry out a consultation on the closure of St Barnabas church and this may be the last time we celebrate St Barnabas Day on this site. It is sure to be a joyous occasion and a celebration of over 100 happy years on Higher Drive.   We sincerely hope to see you at St Barnabas on the day. Please extend this invitation to friends and parishioners past and present, who may be keen to attend. We would love to see as many faces as possible.

  In anticipation of the next All Saints Kenley APCM on 19th May, there will be a revision of the All Saints Kenley Electoral Roll between 7 th  and 21st April 2024.  If anyone wishes to be added or removed from the Roll, please can you contact Jean Gould 07985270678, or email jeangould1951@hotmail.com  before 21st April.

    Mothering Sunday can be hard for many people.  Sometimes our relationship with our mum isn’t what we might have wanted it to be, or our Mum is no longer with us and a happy service isn’t right for us; or your Mum or Nana might be seriously ill and it all feels overwhelming. Maybe you have experienced miscarriages or the death of a child. Maybe the day makes you think of people you have lost and you want to remember them quietly. Maybe you long to have children but it just hasn’t happened. It can often feel like these thoughts and memories and feelings aren’t allowed. But that's not the case. They are just as important as everything that goes on all the cards and alongside the bunches of flowers and boxes of chocolates. You still might want to do something to mark Mothering Sunday but not with a celebration. Maybe you want to say 'I miss you’ or 'I know you tried your best’ or ‘I forgive you’. Maybe you want to cry for a child you never got to be a parent for as th...

  Our Mothering Sunday service will take place at All Saints Church, Kenley at 10am on Sunday 10th March. Please note, this is a change of venue from that previously advertised.  Celebrating mothers everywhere.  Everyone is very welcome!  

The Sixteen's 2024 Choral Pilgrimage Concert will take place at Croydon Minster on 10 June 2024, 7.30pm.  Too find out more/purchase tickets, please visit https://thesixteen.com/event/the-choral-pilgrimage-2024-croydon/

This morning, Shrove Tuesday, All Saints' Kenley was filled with laughter and fun, as children and their families came together for pancake and valentine's crafts.    A typically rainy February Half Term morning was brought to life, with biscuit decorating, colouring sheets, making Valentine's Cards, Pancake paper plates and, of course, enjoying delicious pancakes with a variety of toppings. Little fingers were kept busy, while parents supervised with a relaxing cuppa, and creativity levels were high! We were even visited by Mario and Luigi, who made a fantastic pair of pancake plates! All of the children had a great time and produced some really wonderful crafts.   Huge thanks to all who volunteered to help and to all the families who came along and made the event so much fun.

  Come and join the pancake party! 10am on 13th February 2024 at All Saints Church Hall, Kenley, CR8 5DU £1.50 per child over 6 months. Book here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/all-saints-church-kenley-and-st-barnabas-church-purley/t-zzjxdyg

Hello all, Please be aware of the following changes to our regular services over the Christmas period: Morning and Night Prayer: these will not happen between Christmas and New Year and will resume on the 2nd of January 8am Services: There will be NO 8am on 31st December 10am Services: 31st December will be at St Barnabas in the hall Zoom Services: There will be NO Zoom Communion on 2nd January. This service will resume on 16th January. Many thanks!

  "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing!" And here is the lovely church choir singing it, back in 2020, for our lockdown Christmas service. Pour yourself a little glass of mulled wine, sit back and enjoy! Hark The Herald Angels Sing might have been Top of the Pops, but the voting was tight and the others came very close runners up: At number 2 we had 'Silent Night';  At 3, we had 'In The Bleak Midwinter'; and at number 4, 'O Little Town of Bethlehem'. Other fantastic suggestions included:  It Came Upon The Midnight Clear;  Once in Royal David's City  and Ding Dong Merrily On High Whatever you're tapping your toes to this festive season, we wish you a very Merry Christmas.

  Christmas Carols are a time honoured tradition... but which is your favourite? The top four carols sung at All Saints and St Barnabas are: 1. Silent Night 2. In the bleak mid-winter 3. O little town of Bethlehem 4. Hark the herald angels sing We would love to know if you like these the best, or if you have others that you prefer. Perhaps 'Once in Royal David's City', or 'While Shepherds watched their flocks by night' bring back happy memories of childhood nativities. Here's a little history about the four popular carols listed above: Silent night ·          The music for this carol was written in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber with the words by Joseph Mohr, a local catholic priest.  They lived in the small town of Oberndorf bie Salzburg in Austria. ·          The story goes that the church organ was broken due to flooding and so Gruber and Mohr sang this at the frist Christmas Mass, with Mohr o...

Follow the Star and Join the Song as we follow Mary and Joseph (and the Donkey) around our parishes. Our Advent Calendar opens tomorrow, but here's a sneak preview. From the 1st of Dec, you can open a door each day and follow the Holy family's journey around our parishes. The link to the advent calendar is here: https://calendar.myadvent.net/?id=nn9vkx867lpqr3586ht6eaa9ozpmrzhn    

  Wondering what you can do to entertain the children in the week after New Year, before they go back to school? All Saints Church Hall, Kenley will play host to a wonderful, family craft morning on Thursday 4th January, 2024.  Craft activities, toddler zone and refreshments, followed by a light lunch, for just £2 per person. Babies under 6 months old are free. Places are limited and so booking in advance is essential. Secure your place now at the following link:  https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/booking/t-zzknvlj Please also let us know of any allergies in advance. We look forward to seeing you there!

  There is a frame of remembrance at All Saints Kenley, located in the church hall. Everyone is invited to add your notes this week, in tribute to someone you would like remembered, for this Sunday's Service of Remembrance (12th November). Thank you to the Beavers who have created this lovely frame.