Thurssday 29 April 2021

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I look forward to seeing many of you at church on Sunday. If you are not able to come in person, please do join the online service which can be found here from Saturday evening. Thank you to Hector, Martin and Art for their hard work in producing these services, week by week.

Don't forget: bring a symbolic object with you This Sunday we are asking everyone who is coming to the service to bring an object which relates to their daily life or work. For example, a briefcase, text book, phone, gardening gloves, shopping basket, baby's rattle etc, etc. Everyone will then be invited to offer up that object to God in the silence before the service begins, and then take it up again for the blessing and the dismissal. This is to remind us that we bring the concerns of our daily life and work with us when we come to worship, and that God's Spirit goes with us as we return to those daily activities. God is involved in our everyday lives and not just in our worship on Sundays.

Men's Group
The group will be meeting on Sunday at 11.30am, via Zoom. If you are not on the mailing list for the zoom link, and would like to be, please let me know.

Sunday Coffee Time
Every Sunday at 11.30am. We meet together, via zoom, to share reflections on the readings and sermon.

Lectio Divina continues on Thursdays, 10.30-11.15am, as we meet, via zoom, to meditate in silence on a short biblical passage and then share our reflections. Come and join us! Let me know if you would like more details.

Everyday Faith
It is good for us to reflect on how our faith affects our lives and to learn from others. We are encouraging members of the congregation to make a short video talking about their faith, life and work. Art Funkhouser and Jorum Kirundi have made videos and you can see them here.

If you would like to make a video yourself, please let me know.

Understanding Anglicanism
David gave an excellent talk at our study session on Tuesday. I have sent out the text of the talk, but if anyone would like to listen to the zoom recording, then you can find it a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eNRb-Y0l7A">here

Watering the church garden - volunteers needed!
A big thank you to the gardening team who have worked so hard on the church grounds, which have been transformed. Now we need to ensure that the new plants are watered regularly. We have a team of people who have volunteered to do this but we do need more volunteers. Ideally, each volunteer will come on a particular day of the week to do the watering.

Mary Wittwer
Some of you will know that Mary Wittwer died this last week and her memorial service will be in church on Monday 3rd May, (family and invited friends only). Mary was involved in activities relating to St Ursula's for many years and I know that her friends will want to give thanks for Mary's life and keep her husband Willi and the family in their prayers.

Prayers for India
We will all be aware of the truly dreadful situation unfolding in India where the Covid situation is out of control and many people are not receiving the medical treatment they so desperately need. Let us keep the people of India, their government and health workers, in our prayers, and also pray for Annamma and Joy Chittazhathu, for Archana, Yojena, Emil and Cibin who all have family members and friends there.

Holy God, Creator of All,
we pray for the people of India:
for all who this day are facing death alone,
for relatives who are in anguish about their loved ones,
and for medical staff exhausted and distraught because they are unable to help.
We pray that government officials will make good decisions,
and we pray for the generous and rapid provision of medical equipment,
and for grace, strength, courage, hope and peace
for all in desperate need.
Strengthen and sustain your church in India,
that Christians might express the love of Christ
in all they do and say, sharing your light and hope with all their neighbours.
We ask all these prayers in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who suffered, died and rose again for us.
Amen

With love in Christ,
Helen