Abba Seraphim attended Greenwich Churches Thanksgiving Service for the Platinum Jubilee of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II

At Noon on Thursday, 2 June, His Beatitude Abba Seraphim, Metropolitan of Glastonbury attended a Thanksgiving Service for H.M. the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee which was held at St. Alfege Church, Greenwich. He was accompanied and driven to St. Alfege by his friend and former teaching colleague, Mrs. Christine Nuaimi. The church bells rang grandly prior to the service, which was attended by clergy and laity from many Greenwich churches and they were welcomed by the Rev’d Simon Winn, Vicar of St. Alfege. The church choir sang many hymns of thanksgiving and all those present sang the English hymns “All people that on earth do dwell”, “Now thank we all our God” and “Guide me, O thou great Redeemer” supported by the church’s organ, whilst Francis Saunders, who had been a chorister at the Queen’s coronation in 1953, Pieter van der Merwe, an English writer on aspects of British maritime history, who works for the National Maritime Museum, spoke on “Her Majesty the Queen at Greenwich”. Among the many people who were present was also Abba Seraphim’s first cousin-once -removed, Owen Davis, who currently lives in Hong Kong and had travelled to Greenwich with members of his family to join in the Thanksgiving for our Sovereign Lady the Queen. Following the service light refreshments were offered to everyone present in the adjacent church hall.