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Friday 6 November 2015

Philanthropy in the City: Events, exhibitions & services


In an age of austerity and growing inequality, the time is ripe to encourage more philanthropy, particularly in the City of London and to communicate widely the extent and breadth of giving in the Square Mile and Canary Wharf. The City has a proud tradition of philanthropy dating back to the Middle Ages, led by Livery Companies and the Mayorality, as is brilliantly illustrated in the exhibition Philanthropy - The City Story.

At St Stephen Walbrook we have organized a programme of events, exhibitions and services aims to share some of that story and also publicise opportunities for philanthropic contributions today. All are welcome at these events.

Exhibition: Philanthropy – The City Story (Monday 9th – Friday 20th November, Weekdays 10.00am – 4.00pm)

Philanthropy is one of London's hidden stories. The roles of business and government as channels for entrepreneurial effort are well known. But this exhibition explores philanthropy as an alternative catalyst of growth and change. It documents how philanthropy has developed over 800 years and how it has contributed to the Square Mile and society. The City, including almshouses, hospitals, open spaces, orphanages, the first public flushing loos, the Royal Exchange and even London Bridge, owes much to the great philanthropists of the Square Mile.

Exhibition: Care of Creation by Society of Catholic Artists (Monday 9th – Friday 27th November, Weekdays, 10.00am – 4.00pm. Private View – Friday 13th November)

The Society of Catholic Artists is for those engaged as professional or amateurs in the various disciplines of the visual arts, and for all those who recognise the value of the artist as an evangelist assisting in the pastoral work of the Church. The society was formed in 1929 as the Guild of Catholic Artists and Craftsmen and after WW2 was instrumental in the building of new and restoration of churches using skilled architects, sculptors, painters, silversmiths, stained glass artists, etc. Today, they are becoming international due to their uniqueness in the world. They aim still to provide not only the highest of skills for commissions but also serve to unite Catholic artists in the artist’s reflection of God’s own creativity. In this year of Pope Francis’ encyclical, ‘Care of Creation’ and respecting the spirituality of the venue, for this exhibition they are using the Pope’s message as a theme. They hope you find inspiration from something in the exhibition (http://www.catholicartists.co.uk/).

Event: Volunteers from the City (Tuesday 10th November, 6.30pm)

Jin Chin (Chair, Samaritans London Central), David Barclay (Church Credit Champions Network), Mark Choonara (The Passage) and Revd Bertrand Oliver (All Hallows by the Tower) will share opportunities for volunteering with Samaritans, Home for Good and as a Church Credit Champion.

Service: Thanksgiving for the Lord Mayor of London’s year in office (Wednesday 11th November, 6.00pm)

A service to review and give thanks to God for the year in office of Alderman Alan Yarrow, Lord Mayor of London including the Lord Mayor’s Appeal (Scope and Mencap) and overseas business visits. The service will reflect the theme of the Lord Mayor’s year in office: Creating Wealth, Giving Time, Supporting People.

Services: Discover & explore – Faith, Hope & Charity (1.10 – 1.50pm) Charity – Monday 9th November; Hope – Monday 16th November; Faith – Monday 23rd November

A series of services exploring themes of Faith, Hope & Charity through liturgy, music, readings and reflections with the Choral Scholars of St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Event: Launch of the Sophia Hubs network (Tuesday 17th November, 6.30pm)


Sophia Hubs help local and faith based communities use their resources – webs of relationship, location, buildings – to assist people in their localities develop new start-up businesses and social enterprises through creating an enterprise hub. This puts potential entrepreneurs in touch with the different kinds of support they need e.g. business mentoring, incubation space, becoming part of a business community, start-up capital. Sophia Hubs help faith and community groups become catalysts to make the communities they serve become more truly sustainable. They work creatively with Timebanks, which build relationships and offer a way to exchange value without using money, and work holistically and innovatively to create ways of keeping value and money circulating in the local community, identify key products and services which make a real difference in particular contexts, and encourage more entrepreneurial thinking and acting. Sophia Hubs - sustaining communities through social enterprise (http://sophiahubs.com/).

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Tracey Chapman - Stand By Me.

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