Thursday 15 September 2021

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I am very much looking forward to welcoming back to church many of our families and children this Sunday, 19th September, when will be offering both Junior Church and crèche. The children will be in church for the first part of the service and will sit at the front with their parents. After the children's talk and song they will leave for the Junior Church and then come back to church for communion.

The service will be followed by a Pine Cone Hunt especially for families and children. We will begin in the church grounds and then move to the forest. There will be some refreshments with coffee after church, but, if you are staying for the Pine Cone Hunt, please also bring a picnic lunch.

If you are unable to be in church with us on Sunday you can follow the service online at: Service Resources at St Ursula's Church, Berne We are all very thankful to Hector, Martin and Art for making this possible.

Creation Season

Creation Season Challenge:
Make little changes to your lifestyle and make an environmental impact plus generate some funds for Tearfund. Tearfund is a Christian charity which works in some of the poorest countries in the world to tackle poverty through sustainable development.
We will collect the money at our Harvest Festival, 3rd October. Hopefully, if we all join in, we will raise a good amount of money for Tearfund. Attached at the bottom of this email is the challenge. Please do join us!
There are other activities going on in Bern in these coming weeks which encourage us to care for our environment and not to waste resources. You may be interested in the Foodsave Banquet in Bern and the Trash Heroes day.

Foodsave Banquet, Bern, Friday 24th September
More details about this can be found in this link:
www.kulinata.ch/programm/wochenprogramm

Trash Heroes
The next clean up day is 25th September, starting at 2pm. You can find more information about Trash Heroes on their Facebook page or their website, or via email.

Tuesday Gathering, 21st September, 2.30-4pm, Upper Hall
Come along and enjoy refreshments and a time to chat together. If you would like to come, please contact Lynn Morgan on infaith40@gmail.com
Thank you to Lynn and Brian for organising this.

Study Session, 21st September, 7-8.15pm, via Zoom
Please do join us as we start up the group again after the holidays. This Tuesday we will be joined by Clare Amos, Diocesan Director of Lay Discipleship. The title of the session is Knowing God...Growing in Christ...Building Community...Living beyond ourselves. It will also include some reflections on the Lord's Prayer. Everyone who has heard Clare before knows that it will be good.
Everyone is welcome.

Harvest and Pledge Sunday, 3rd October
Looking ahead...we hope you will join us for our Harvest Festival. Alongside celebrating the gifts of creation and decorating the church with fruits and vegetables and flowers, we also invite you to make a commitment to give to the work of the church in the form of a pledge. Over the next few days you will receive more information about pledging.

I leave you with a prayer celebrating God's blessings in the ordinary experiences of life.

Opening of the Senses

Blessings today, God, give unto me
Blessings today in all that I see

Blessings today, God, draw near
Blessings today in all that I hear

Blessings today, God, let them be such
Blessings today in all that I touch

Blessings today, God, and joy as well
Blessings today in all that I smell

Blessings today, God, let nothing waste
Blessings today in all that I taste

Blessings today, God, in meeting another
Blessings today, you come as my brother

Blessings today, God, in all I discover
Blessings today, you come as my lover

Blessings today, God, make me aware
Blessings today, for you are there

(David Adam)

With love in Christ,
Helen