Bishop of London joins church's centenary celebrations

The Bishop of London was the special guest at the centenary celebrations of St Benet Fink in Tottenham, London, earlier in the week.

Dr Richard Chartres joined the congregation for its Centenary Feast of Dedication marking a hundred years since the consecration of the church by the then Bishop of London, Arthur Winnington-Ingram, who called it "the little congregation".

St Benet Fink has made its centenary year a ‘year of renewal’ in which it will seek to build on recent successes in increasing its congregation and deepening church engagement in social action.

The church is making music a central part of its outreach, with the parish priest and pastoral assistant looking at how they can develop the musical tradition at St Benet's and reach out to the community.

The congregation will also sponsor singers at services and parish events.

The church hall is currently undergoing refurbishment to make the space available for use by the wider community, including youth groups and lunch clubs for the elderly.

The refurbishment is due for completion before the end of the year.

The first record of a church dedicated to St Benet Fink in London appears in 1216, when the congregation met in the City.

The current church was completed in 1912 and is considered to be the most complete and unaltered church by architect J S Alder.

Fr James Hill, Parish Priest at St Benet Fink, said: "It was wonderful to have Bishop Richard with us as we begin a new century of worship and witness to Jesus Christ at St Benet’s.

"We are greatly looking forward to the challenges and opportunities to share the love and good news of Jesus with the people of our community, as we seek to build upon the faith and witness of our forebears, and to renew the life of the church in this place.”