For Advent 2015, the church community at St. Barnabas will be taking part in the Christian tradition of preparing our spiritual selves for Christmas.

The St. Barnabas Advent Book for 2015, which the congregation is invited to read together, is The Little Book of Advent:

“The Little Book of Advent is an indispensable collection of readings from some of the most celebrated modern-day spiritual writers, with passages specially selected for each day of Advent. These carefully chosen insights come from men and women, lay and ordained, across the denominational spectrum, and their wisdom is combined with both a suggested scripture passage, and a prayer to make your own.”

A number of the congregation enjoyed the Little Book of Lent earlier this year, discovering its pages to contain an encouraging wealth of easily accessible ‘thought for the day’ daily readings. You can read a little bit more as to this year’s Advent book and take a look inside, here.

The accompanying Advent Discussion Group will take place on the following dates from 8-9.30pm:

Wednesday 30 November;

Tuesday 8 December;

Tuesday 15 December; and

Tuesday 22 December.

If you would like any further details, please contact enquiries@stbarnabasbeckenham.org.

Should you find for one reason or other you are unable to come along, but like the look of the book, it is of course possible to simply read the text by oneself. Each selected daily passage will take about three minutes to read.

St Barnabas is delighted to announce that Nicholas Mannoukas will be taking up the position of Organist and Director of Music from September 2015 for the coming year. Nicholas will further serve as Organ Student at St. George’s Church, Beckenham.

He has just completed his first year as an undergraduate at the Royal College of Music, studying organ with David Graham and piano with Kathron Sturrock, and is coming to the end of his second year as the Dr John Birch Organ Scholar at All Saints, Margaret Street. Prior to this, he studied on the Organ Foundation Course at the Royal Academy of Music, and from 2012-13 held the Organ Scholarship at St Laurence Catford while in the sixth form at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatchem College.

Nicholas’s early musical life centred around Southwark Cathedral, where he was a chorister under Peter Wright for seven years, becoming head chorister for his final year. Upon leaving the choir he began studying organ with Peter Wright and harmony and counterpoint with Dr Harry Bramma, working towards the ARCO diploma, which he passed last summer. He performs in many concerts, masterclasses and recitals: venues have included St Albans Methodist Church, All Saints Reading and St Georges Hanover Square to name but a few. In addition to performing and accompanying, Nicholas enjoys teaching, and has a number of students in South-East London.