Thursday 11 November 2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This Sunday, 14th November, is Remembrance Sunday, when we remember those who served and died in the First and Second World Wars and other wars of the past and those who are caught up in violent conflicts in the world today, and pray for a better future. We are delighted to welcome the British Ambassador, Jane Owen, and others from the British Embassy to this service. The Embassy are kindly providing wine afterwards.

COVID certificate check this Sunday
Since we may have larger numbers coming to this service, and there are refreshments afterwards, we will be checking certificates for this service. Everyone over 16 will need to bring a COVID certificate and ID. If you are not vaccinated this will mean getting a recent negative COVID test. Please remember to bring a proof of ID as well as the certificate, as we need to see both.
Since the checking may take a little time, please arrive 10 minutes earlier than you usually do.

Please be aware that we will also continue with our other safety precautions. We ask that everyone continues to wear masks and to maintain some social distancing. Cases are rising at the moment so we need to continue to be careful. Seats still need to be booked. This is because there is a limit to the number of chairs we can fit into church at the moment because there has to be space between the rows to give out communion.

If you have not yet booked a seat for Sunday, but would like to come, please let me know.

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.

Nacht der Religionen
This year's event is this Saturday, 13th November. The theme is 'Hey, Alter!'; reflecting on the relationship between generations. We will be joining in with other churches for a Vesper service in the Lutheran tradition, held at St Peter and St Paul at 8pm. I will be giving a short homily in this service. Details about all the activities of the Nacht der Religionen across Berne can be found here.

Living in Love and Faith
The Church of England has asked all churches to run a 5 week course exploring identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage from a Christian perspective. The fourth session of the course will be next Tuesday,16th November. Please let me know if you would like to attend as the numbers are limited.
If would like to look at some of the material yourself you can find it at the Living in Love and Faith Learning Hub.

Christmas Bazaar: Friday 26th and Saturday 27th November
We still need volunteers to help with setting up and running various stalls. If you are able to help, please be in touch with Maria in the office. We hope to move chairs and tables after church on Sunday 21st ready for the Bazaar and would be grateful for help then. Thank you.

Pumpkin Soup in aid of Cecily's Fund, 21st November
After the service on 21st November (at 12 noon) pumpkin soup and home made cake will be served and donations warmly received to raise money for Cecily's Fund. This is one of the charities we support which works with orphaned children in Zambia. Please do join us for the lunch. (COVID certificates required).

Request for Prayer
Peter Hawker has asked us to pray for Margrit Schaeffer who is a retired nurse (and known to some at St Ursula's) who is going to work as an administrator with the Red Cross in Afghanistan. I have attached to this email further information from Peter about Margrit and her work. Peter writes:
This is an appeal for prayer. Some of you may be aware that a dear friend of my family helped to nurse Vreni during her final days and hours, Margrit Schäffer, a very experienced Red Cross nurse, especially trained to go into places where disaster had struck, places like Afganistan while the Russians were there fighting their colonial war. Dressed as a Muslim woman, Margrit was several times in Kabul and Kandahar as well as other places like Angola, Rwanda, Somalia almost everywhere the ICR has been asked to help. Already retired at 65, Margrit along with 3 IRC specialists has been requested to work as administrators to run Afganistan’s 16 public hospitals as well as overseeing their financing. The IRC are reported as backing the venture with millions of Swiss francs.
I am hoping that along with the Yemen we can pray every Eucharist for our personal contact and the sterling work of the International Red Cross!

Sonnet
I leave you with a sonnet for Remembrance Sunday.

Silence
November pierces with its bleak remembrance
Of all the bitterness and waste of war.
Our silence tries but fails to make a semblance
Of that lost peace they thought worth fighting for.
Our silence seeths instead with wraiths and whispers,
And all the restless rumour of new wars,
The shells are falling all around our vespers,
No moment is unscarred, there is no pause,
In every instant bloodied innocence
Falls to the weary earth, and whilst we stand
Quiescence ends again in acquiescence,
And Abel's blood cries in every land
One silence only might redeem that blood
Only the silence of a dying God.

Malcolm Guite

With love in Christ,
Helen