Wednesday 5 May 2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you so much for the many cards, gifts and good wishes I received last week for my birthday. I was very touched to receive the beautiful bouquet of flowers from the church. It was both my birthday and our wedding anniversary so a doubly special occasion!

I look forward to seeing many of you at church on Sunday. There are still some seats available, so if you would like to come please contact the office by 11am tomorrow morning. 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.

Also this Sunday (9th):

Online Family Service, 5pm
This is a very short service, via Zoom, for families with young children. Let me know if you would like more details.

Ecumenical Peace Prayers, Haus der Religionen, 5pm
Praying for those from endangered cultures and communities. Rev Scotty Williams, from St Gallen will preach in English. Everyone is welcome to join in the prayers, via Zoom, through this Zoom link.

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. Ask for the Zoom link. 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.

Understanding Anglicanism - follow on discussion
Next Tuesday, 11th May, 7-8.15pm, (via Zoom) there will be opportunity for further discussion of the questions raised by David's excellent talk last week. You can listen to the recording of the original talk here I also attach the text.
If you have any questions you'd like to send in advance, please send them to me or to David. But you are welcome just to come along! Ask me for the Zoom link.

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.

Ascension Day, Thursday 13th May
We will celebrating Ascension Day with a Eucharist in church at 10am. If you would like to attend, please do ring or email the office to book a seat. The service will also be available online: https://www.stursula.ch/Services/index.html

I leave you with a poem for Ascension Day:

We saw his light break through the cloud of glory
Whilst we were rooted still in time and place,
As earth became a part of heaven's story
And heaven opened to his human face.
We saw him go and yet we were not parted,
He took us with him to the heart of things,
The heart that broke for all the broken-hearted
Is whole and heaven-centered now, and sings;
Sings in the strength that rises out of weakness,
Sings through the clouds that veil him from our sight,
Whilst we ourselves become his clouds of witness
And sing the waning darkness into light;
His light in us, and ours in him concealed,
Which all creation waits to see revealed.

(Malcolm Guite)

With love in Christ,
Helen