The Lighting of the Tower!

On Sunday 30th September 2018 I attended a special Choral Evensong at St-Giles-in-the-Fields at which the Bishop of London switched on new lights that illuminate the tower. I was interviewed by Will Strickson, an MA Journalism Student at City University, who asked me questions about the service:

What’s your connection to St Giles? 

I live locally, in Bloomsbury. Attending Choral Evensong at St Giles is my antedote to the Sunday night blues! I highly recommend it! The music is uplifting and the preaching is incisive, inspiring and inclusive. I always leave the church feeling better for having come inside. 

What does this mean to the community? 

Isn’t it fantastic how something as simple as lighting a tower can mean so many different things to different people?! Light is a universal symbol of life, hope and joy. 

I expect that lighting the tower will mean something different for different people in our community. Perhaps those who are going through difficult periods will see the lit tower as a beacon of hope. Others might pass by, look up at the tower and smile with joy. Those who are inspired by beautiful architecture and our local history will be able to appreciate the church at night as well as during the day! Those who are Christian might look at the tower and remember the words Jesus used to describe himself “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Reverend Alan explained that the lights signified a response to the increasing number of tall buildings in the area, do you think more churches should stand up against the new construction projects going on all around London? 

St Giles used to be in “the Fields” - as it’s name suggests! These days the tower is less visible from afar, so lighting the tower is a great way to remind us of its presence - and at the same time celebrating the joy and beauty of its glorious architecture. But lighting the tower isn’t some form of protest - screaming for attention amongst the shimmering lights and tall buildings of the west end. It’s a reminder that the church is an integral part of this community as it continues to change; a place of light, hope and joy for all. 

Jesus talked a great deal about growing - there is nothing anti-growth about the church. Being a Christian means embracing change: with God’s help we are called to change ourselves - to die to selfish concerns and live in the way that Jesus taught us - to love one another. Great benefits can come from the growth of our city. Christians today are as concerned as they have always been with acting as good stewards of our planet - building a peaceful, just and equitable society, helping to share the benefits of our world with all.  

What do you make of having the tower light up as a symbol? 

Sure you could light up the door to the church or any other bits of the beautiful building - and we could find meaning in that - but lighting the tower makes a lot of sense to me. Like many others I am usually glued to my phone as I walk along the street - not looking up to smile at people or notice the beauty of our surroundings. Most of us benefit from seeing things from a different perspective at some point or another. I hope when lit, the tower will make me turn my thoughts away from my phone, look up and smile - and that others will do the same.

How was the initial lighting and the event? 

Both the lighting scheme and the service were beautiful! 

The beauty of the tower lighting lies in its apparent simplicity. Making things seem simple often takes an awful lot of thinking and a great deal of work behind the scenes. In this case choices will have had to have been made about the colour temperature of the bulbs, the positioning of the lamps, which parts of the building to accentuate with light. Thanks to everyone’s hard work the result is excellent - a lighting scheme that allows the beauty of the church tower to sing out without undue fuss. Pure and simple!

As ever at St Giles the service was perfectly crafted. Music, readings and prayers all carefully chosen to reflect the theme of light banishing darkness - helping us all to make connections between our own life experiences, the scriptures and the symbolism of this event.

How important is it to have figures such as the Mayor of Camden and the new Bishop attend the event?

Having the Mayor of Camden in attendance at the service was important because as First Citizen of the borough she represents the whole community. Her love of art and music is well known - her chosen charity this year is the Camden Music Trust. She clearly enjoyed the music sung by the choir, which included the Jamaican Canticles - a setting of the Canticles for evening prayer to music inspired by the rhythms of the Caribbean.

The Bishop of London represents the whole church in London so being with us was an important statement of how significant the completion of this project was not only locally but for the City as a whole - on behalf of whom she was able to thank all those involved in bringing the project to completion. In her sermon she shared personal reflections on her own periods of darkness, particularly after her mother had died - and how she looked out over the north Devon coast and gained strength and comfort from the experience of watching the sun rise. Light overcoming darkness. Her words helped us all to make connections between our own life experiences and the symbolism of the event.