Faith

A lecture on around the world topics ranging from science and consciousness to the holistic principles of life and health with great depth, clarity and humour will be given by Dr Prashant Kakode on Wednesday 25th November from 7.45 - 915pm.

Music at St Lawrence's, Whitchurch Lane, Canons Park. The Grier sisters are playing on Sunday 15th November at 3.00 pm. Admission £5 includes refreshments in the Church Hall after the concert.

1st Queensbury Rainbows Christmas Table Sale is being held at The Rochdale Scout Centre, Roch Ave, Edgware on Friday 13th November from 5.30 - 8pm.

People met at Harrow Civic Centre on Sunday to pray for peace.

Councillor Navin Shah, (Labour) member for Brent and Harrow, jointly organised the meeting with the Middlesex New Synagogue, Muslim Council of Britain and Harrow Interfaith Council.

They prayed for all those who had lost their lives or have suffered during recent conflicts in the Middle East. The climax of the meeting was the signing of a peace declaration by almost 100 people.

Mr Shah said: "The gathering was a true reflection of the unity and harmony enshrined in Harrow's diverse community."

Representatives from nine faiths including Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism read prayers as well as committing to maintaining peace and harmony among Harrow's diverse communities.

The fire brigade and police commanders for Harrow are also to sign the declaration. Mr Shah is hoping to conduct regular meetings to reflect upon global crisis.

When asked what was gained from the meeting he said: "At a local level we saw the will to continue working for piece and solidarity. It is great to see the desire to live in Harmony."

A series of Christmas services is taking place at St John the Evangelist Church, Stanmore.

On Sunday, December 21, there is a carol service at 6.30pm, while on Christmas Eve at 4pm there is a crib ceremony for children and families and midnight mass starting at 11.30pm.

Family communion takes place at 10am on Christmas Day.

For more information call Sylvia Daniels on 020 8863 4080.

Walkers united in Stanmore to take part in an event organised by a survivor of the July 7 bombings.

Gill Hicks, who lost both her legs in the London attack, was joined by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair for WALKTALK, an event which aimed to get people to listen to each other.

By Elaine Okyere

It was lights, camera and action at Stanmore church as filming took place for two upcoming programmes.
St Lawrence church, in Little Stanmore, was visited by crews from the BBC to film the church's organ, which was once played by world-famous composer George Handel.
Comedian Alexander Armstrong, of Armstrong and Miller fame, came to the Anglican church to film a documentary on the composer on July 9. Only a week before Charles Hazlewood from Radio two arrived to catch a glimpse of the historic building for a show on the birth of British classical music.
Father Paul Reece, who has been at the St Lawrence 16 years, said: "It is the only place that Handel played on the organ and it has been restored. Lots of people from around the world come to see the church.
"It is a real joy to worship in the building and it adds to the church experience."
The continental baroque church was rebuilt by James Brydges, first Duke of Chandos after he bought the Cannons estate in Little Stanmore in 1715.
The church's interior was crafted by 18th century artists including Antonio Bellucci and Louis Laguerre. Master woodcarver Grinling Gibbons created Handel's organ case in 1717, but the original instrument has since lost a lot of its character due to rebuilding work. However specialist organ builders recently restored it to how Handel would have known it.
Handel was composer in residence at the Cannons Estate from 1717-18 during this time he lived on the estate and composed The Chandos Anthems and what is often regarded as the first English oratorio, Esther.
For more information on the church visit www.little-stanmore.org.

By Elaine Okyere

Emigrating to new country is a big step and one Stanmore man is making it a journey of a lifetime by driving 2,500 miles to his new home in Israel.
Aly Singer, of London Road, is taking part in a charity car rally from London to Jerusalem, but instead of returning home with the other participants he will be starting a new life in the country.
The 28-year-old said: "It's quite an interesting way to do it, I didn't choose for it to happen like this, but it's a great opportunity.
"From a personal perspective I think a lot of Jewish people my age want to live there. I see Israel as my spirtual and historical homeland and somewhere that I want to take my life."
Mr Singer set off on the epic journey on May 18 with his friend Yaniv Cohen, from Manchester, as part of the JNF car rally. The rally started at 7am in Waterloo Place, in London, before venturing to France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece and finally Israel. JNF is a humanitarian charity, which helps support communities in Israel by building reservoirs, recycling schemes, housing and healthcare centres.
The Stanmore and Canons Park synagogue member will be completing his journey in a 1948 Rolls Royce silver racer in 18 days. Living abroad will not be a new experience for Mr Singer who previously lived in New York for a year, however Mr Singer feels that this move will be permanent.
He said: "I have visited Israel a number of times and my brother lives out there, but apart from that I don't have any other close family in the country, but a lot of my friends are living there already.
"My family has been really supportive and I will miss my parents, but this will give them the chance to visit me abroad."
The pair are sponsored by Nefesh B'Nefesh, an organisation which helps British immigrants start new lives in Israel.
The trip will end with Mr Singer and Mr Cohen being presented with Israeli identity cards at the Israeli Parliament by the Head of State and other dignitaries.

Visitors are invited to join Stanmore Baptist Church's House Group, which meets fortnightly for social evenings.

The group is due to meet on Wednesday (21) at 8pm. For details of the location call the church office on 020 8954 2250.