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Chapel
Physically and spiritually the chapel is at the heart of Summer
Fields and provides a place of calm for boys and staff in what
may otherwise be a fast-paced, frenetic school day. The singing,
led by the fabulous Chapel Choir, has been particularly strong
this year and, whether it has been a rousing “I vow to thee my
country” or a more reflective “Be still, for the presence of the
Lord”, the combination of voices singing as one community is a
truly uplifting experience for us all.
Over the course of the year, we have enjoyed
listening to a variety of visiting speakers in
chapel, at either Mattins or Evensong and the
boys have appreciated the different thought-
provoking themes. The year was punctuated
by the customary church festivals, the first
of which was our celebration of Harvest. Two
services in a morning may seem excessive
but it gives the opportunity for junior and
senior boys alike to participate. The chapel
is beautifully decorated with hedgerow and
harvest produce, most of which finds its way
later to the local homeless centre in town for
others to appreciate too. The annual Service
of Remembrance is always a special occasion
and the connection between Summer Fields
past and present is as strong as ever; the 5th
Year boys visited some of the FirstWorld
War in September and for them, being able
to picture an OS grave when hearing one of
the 200 plus of the Roll of Honour, there was
added poignancy. As the Michaelmas Term
came to a close, the Advent celebration of
Carols by Candlelight prepared us beautifully
for the excitement of the end-of-term carol
service in our neighbouring church of St
Michael’s and All Angels.
The focus in chapel for the Lent Term was
Jesus’ parable of the talents and the boys
were set the challenge of pitching an idea to
grow a £10 investment from me. This caused
great excitement and some really innovative
ideas which then had to be carried through
to the end of term to contribute the
resulting funds to UNICEF. The chosen three
were the Hot Chocolateers, the Brownie
Boys and the Car Washers. As their name
suggests, the first two involved selling food
and drink to their peers (ever popular and
a sure winner in a boarding community!)
whilst the third relied on the willingness of
staff to pay for child labour and have their
cars cleaned. All three teams of boys made
a fantastic effort to grow their initial £10
investment and by the conclusion I had over
£300 to donate to UNICEF!
The opportunity for senior boys to
commit to their Christian faith through
Confirmation (and in some cases Baptism
too) has become a regular feature of the
school chapel year and the Lent Term saw
ten boys confirmed in chapel by the Right
Rev’d David Jennings. As ever, the chapel was
full to the rafters with the senior part of the
school and the families of the confirmands.
As the school year came to a conclusion,
one of the highlights was the Leavers’
Service and we were grateful to APWB for
his sermon which began with a helpful
reminder and round-up of the other sermon
themes of the Summer Term.
Throughout the school year, we enjoyed
the opportunity of celebrating Eucharist
once a term through the visits of Bishop
Jennings, and for many of our Catholic boys
Father Gabriel’s weekly visits for Mass have
been greatly appreciated. At the close of
the year, I am thankful to those who have
helped to contribute so fully to the life of
the chapel and this year’s Chapel Wardens
have been very hardworking and efficient in
preparing chapel for worship:
Charlie Bell,
Freddie Bulmer, George Corbett
(crucifer),
Tom Howard, Arthur Nicolle
and
Joe
Standbrook
. Similarly, the commitment and
lead set by the choir, under the directorship
of GIJP, always ensures that week in, week
out, our worship is buoyed by their magical
singing. The chapel is a sacred space for
the whole Summer Fields community and
I am indebted to the many and varied
contributions made by boys and adults alike:
giving sermons, reading lessons or prayers,
arranging the flowers each week, organising
the choir robes, cleaning the chapel … I am
truly grateful for their help this year.
Visiting Preachers 2015-16
The Rev’d Rupert Shelley
(The Titus Trust)
,
William Moore
(Registrar, Eton College)
,
Richard Pleming
(Headmaster, Charterhouse)
,
Dr Eric Sie
(Registrar, Harrow School)
, The
Rev’d Katie Jones
(St Edward’s School)
, Dr Tim
Hands
(Master, Magdalen College School)
,
Sarah Kerr-Dineen
(Headmistress, Oundle
School)
, The Right Reverend David Jennings
(OS)
, Paul Cheater
(Retired Senior Master,
Summer Fields)
, The Reverend Gavin Knight
(Vicar, St Michael &All Angels, Summertown)
,
Dr Dominic Luckett
(Headmaster, Sherborne
School)
. ‘Home’ Preachers were: MAI, MJF,
JERA, DRW &APWB
MAI
“Lent Term saw
ten boys confirmed
in chapel by the
Right Rev’d
David Jennings”
S u m m e r F i e l d s
2 0 1 5 – 2 0 1 6
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