2007
Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo at Clifford Chance
Michael Morpurgo the award-winning children's author and first Children's Laureate was the speaker at the annual seminar which is held in partnership with Clifford Chance, St. Paul's Cathedral Educational Institute and the Docklands Chaplaincy as part of the ongoing Clifford Chance Conversation series.
Being a writer and storyteller, he soon captivated us by his reading of one of his stories,’ I Believe In Unicorns’. Michael’s website describes the book as …
‘Set against the backdrop of war-torn Europe, ‘I Believe in Unicorns’ explores the power of stories to transform our lives. Eight-year-old Tomas hates school, hates books and hates stories. Forced to visit the library, he stops to listen to magical tales that the Unicorn Lady spins - tales that draw him in, making themselves part of him and changing the course of his life forever, making him believe in unicorns. By the end of this story, you will believe in unicorns too’.
It’s true; by the end of the story I so wanted to believe in unicorns.
Michael was asked how he gets his inspiration for his stories, and his reply was from all around; places, people, stories he hears in his travels, events from history he thinks need to be told. When he was asked about his favourite childhood book, he said Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stephenson, because when he read it ‘I became the boy who was hiding in the barrel’. He wants to write stories that make child feel involved.
He certainly had us all mesmerised and reminded us there is no substitute for exploration through books.
A play based on Michael’s book War Horse is currently running at the National Theatre, London. It is getting rave reviews.
This seminar was part of an Autumn series of lectures put on by the St Paul’s Cathedral, on the theme ‘A Good Childhood? Growing up in the 21st Century’
Chaplain Treks for Funds
A group of local Businessmen and the chaplain undertook a sponsored trek in the High Atlas Mountains 10-18 June 2007, as one of the ways to raise funds needed to keep chaplaincy going for a further three years.
The Chaplaincy services the whole of Canary Wharf Estate, including large office buildings and retail malls. Over the next three years, £150,000 is needed to secure the future of the Chaplaincy. The Trek raised £4,700. A Total of £80,000 has been raised so far through donations, pledges and the sponsored trek.
The Trek was enormous fun and a great challenge. The Chaplain was able to train hard before she went through the generous support of the Reebok Gym, who allowed her to train in the Gym.
The Chaplain is grateful to all who supported her and believed she could do it, and also for their generous financial contributions.
Maundy Thursday
The Prayer Room was packed as Christians from many denominations left their desks to share in a service. The service was a dramatic liturgy re-telling the story of the last supper Jesus spent with his disciples, interspersed with extracts from psalm 23 and some reflective music. The congregation shared in the act of washing each others’ hands in silence remembering the servanthood of Jesus. After the service people left in silence as a mark of respect that later the same evening, after Jesus had supper with his disciples, he was arrested.
Cardinal celebrated Ash Wednesday Mass at Canary Wharf
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor has celebrated a special Ash Wednesday Mass in London’s Canary Wharf, kindly hosted by HSBC. The Cardinal was the main celebrant at the Mass on 21st February 2007 which was attended by more than 500.
Bishop and URC Moderator join Christians in service for prayer for Christian Unity
Over 30 Christians from the Canary Wharf Christian Community, representing many different denominations, 
attended the lunchtime service for prayer for the week of Christian Unity, on 18 January. Bishop Stephen Oliver, Bishop of Stepney, and Revd Roberta Rominger, URC Moderator, both took part in the service.
“Heaven makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.
This theme for 2007, based on Mark 7.31 – 37, was chosen by the Churches of South Africa, at the request of the international committee, which represents Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches, and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
2006
What is the wise response to climate change?
Professor James Lovelock, the environmentalist, has gone nuclear.
Recently workers on the Wharf had an opportunity to hear Professor Lovelock and challenge his views. He is one of the UK's most controversial scientists and environmentalists on climate change and how it affects Planet Earth's delicate balance.
Professor Lovelock is the originator of the Gaia hypothesis, which suggests that the Earth functions as a single organism maintaining the conditions necessary for its continued survival. Most controversially, he supports nuclear power as the only viable solution to global warming. His argument - enraging fellow environmentalists but winning the support of the UK Government - is that nuclear power produces significantly fewer carbon dioxide emissions than fossil fuels. He says the risks of radioactive waste are many but minimal compared to the global ones of climate change.
Clifford Chance, St Paul's Institute and the Ecumenical Chaplaincy at Canary Wharf, enabled this lunchtime seminar to take place. It was kindly hosted by Clifford Chance and we are most grateful to their hospitality
Silent Tribute Marks 7/7 Anniversary
CANADA Square Park went quiet on Friday 7 July as Wharfers observed a two-minute silence in memory of the victims of London's 7/7 suicide bomb attacks.
Scenes from memorial services across London were shown live on the BBC big screen in the park. Elsewhere in Canary Wharf, shoppers stopped in their tracks, traders fell silent, and newspapers' phones stopped ringing as Britain remembered the terrible events of 12 months ago.
Catholic Bishop visits the Docklands Chaplaincy
The Rt Revd Bernard Longley, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, visited the Docklands Chaplaincy on 29 June. He joined with the worshippers in the Canary Wharf Prayer Room for the weekly Thursday Service. Since it was the feast day of St Paul & St Peter, a special inclusive non- Eucharistic service was shared to enable us to worship and pray together. After lunch the Bishop visited the 30th floor marketing suite in One Canada Square where he met with Howard Dawber, the Strategic Adviser for the Canary Wharf Group.
2005
Canary
Wharf Carols & Candles
Monday 19 December 2005
Once again this year we were blessed with the outstanding contribution of
the visiting choir; the Tallis Chamber Choir under the direction of Philip
Simms. The readers of the lessons were drawn from the local businesses. As
last year the service was a charity event and the beneficiaries this year
were a local charity ‘Neighbours in Poplar’ and an international
charity ‘Mercy Ships’. Mercy Ships was chosen as it is launching
a new hospital ship to work in Africa next April which made a link with the
‘Make Poverty History’ campaign.
What
can one person Do?
Sabina Alkire and Edmund Newell recently led a seminar hosted jointly by Clifford
Chance and the Bishop’s Chaplain in Docklands. It addressed the challenges
of living in a broken and poverty stricken world which they had explored in
their latest book What Can One Person Do? They then offered simple and practical
steps for us to make a lasting change. Global poverty is a challenge for faith,
a challenge for activism, and a challenge of will. We were reminded that these
challenges have concrete and achievable objectives: the eight Millennium Development
Goals agreed to by the international community at the Millennium Summit in
2000. With small, simple steps individuals and faith communities can join
with others around the world to develop civil society, achieve these goals,
and end extreme poverty. In this book, the authors show how such transformation
is possible. In so doing they prove that with faith and clarity of purpose,
we can heal a broken world.
There book is ‘What Can One
Person Do? Faith to Heal a Broken World’
Published: Darton Longman and Todd, September 2005 ISBN 0232-52655-9 £12.95
Annual
Remembrance Day Service
For news item REMEMBER
WAR DEAD (Article appeared in The Wharf, 17 Nov 2005, click link
Kofi
Annan Lecture – St Paul’s cathedral G8 Make Poverty History 6
July
See link for news
item
For transcript of lecture click here
and follow instructions
Prosperity with a Purpose
April
‘Prosperity with a Purpose’ was pre-election discussion document
published by Churches Together in
Britain and Ireland and was launched at the House of Lords in February 2005.
It comes at the same time as the “Make Poverty History Campaign”.
A small group of bankers and others were invited to meet with two of the authors
and discuss the report. The report had a starting point of ‘wealth is
neither right nor wrong it is what we do with it that matters’. It helped
to focus thinking on issues related to wealth creation and social Justice,
for example:
• What are the demands of justice in a more prosperous world when many
are still poor?
• Do market forces always help the common good?
• Global environment and wealth creation
The document is to be
published as
Prosperity with a Purpose – Christians and the Ethics of Affluence (CTBI
£3.99)
For Pope
A service was held in 5 April
to give thanks for the life of Pope John Paul ll.
The service in Cabot Square was an opportunity for anyone, no matter what
their beliefs, to pray for peace, light a candle and to show recognition of
the historical contribution John Paul II made to the life of the world over
the last 27 years.
2004
Carols and Candles Service
Incorporating the inauguration of the Bishop’s new Chaplain for the
Docklands, Rev. Dr Fiona Stewart Darling.
Among those whop read lessons at the service were Josephine Tewson, who plays
Elizabeth in Keeping Up Appearances, Lord David Owen and Stephen Green, CEO
HSBC. The excellent musical accompaniment was provided by then there was a
brief presentation on chaplaincy. The service was a charity event in support
of the work of The Children’s Society, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets Charity
for 2004.
Annual
Remembrance Day Service
Museum in Docklands on Thursday 11 November 2004
The event, which was led by Canary Wharf chaplain Fiona Stewart-Darling, included
the screening of archive film footage and marked the launch of the museum's
new remembrance wall display, where people will be able to write down their
memories of the war in the docklands area for display in the Docklands at
War Gallery. The museum director David Spence laid a wreath.
the students explored issues of faith at work. Morgan Stanley kindly provided speakers as well as an excellent buffet lunch. 
The tradition which has grown around the Carols & Candles is that a collection is taken during the service for two charities, to remind us that Christmas is a time to bring hope to other people. One is an international charity reflecting that the international mix of the Canary Wharf community, the other is always a local Tower Hamlets Charity. This year the beneficiary charities were Water Aid and the Tower Project, which is a Tower Hamlets Charity. Representatives from each of the charities gave a 3 minute presentation of how the money collected during the service would be spent. This year we raised over £1000 which will be split between the charities.