Thursday 10 March 2022

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope that you will be able to join us for our Spring Sale on Saturday, 10am - 2pm. This will include the usual book stall, food stall and cake stall. There will also be a delicious curry for lunch and other goodies too. We are very grateful to all those who have worked hard to organise the sale. Bring your friends and family!

This Sunday, 13th March, is the second Sunday of Lent. Do join us in church. If you can't come along, you can listen to the service online. Many thanks to Hector, Art and Martin.

Online Service
Putting on the online service involves a huge amount of work for a number of people and this is not sustainable forever. From this Sunday onwards, we will not be providing recordings of the readings, text and intercessions but these will still be available in text form. A recording of the sermon will be taken during the Sunday service (as in pre-COVID times) and put on the website afterwards.

Lent

Live Lent
I know some people in our community are using the Church of England Live Lent material which suggests prayers and small actions of practical service which we can do each day in Lent. You may want to have a look at it here.

Online Discussions on The Nicene Creed
During Lent we are continuing with our online discussions of The Nicene Creed. Our next session will be this Tuesday, 15th March, 7-8.15pm. We will be focusing on the incarnation. If you would like to, you can read the relevant pages (pages 15-17) of the attached booklet before the session. But this is not obligatory. Even if you have not been able to come to previous sessions you are very welcome.

Bishop's Lent and Easter Appeal
I attach a letter from Bishop Robert about the Lent and Easter appeal for Ukraine. Please read this. If you would like to give, you can give through the church as we usually do for Lent appeals. Or you can give directly in the links provided.

Remembering the rest of the world
As we pray and give to help those suffering in Ukraine (both Ukrainians and many African and Asian students and workers living there) let us not forget the many people suffering from war and famine in other parts of the world. The severe famine in the horn of Africa, the humanitarian crises in Yemen and Afghanistan still continue despite the fact we hear less about them in the media. Let us not forget the people who are suffering terribly in these regions and pray and give accordingly.

Thank you from Adèle
Adèle Kelham retired as our Archdeacon at the end of last year. She sent a lovely thank you for the card and gift we gave her. In addition to thanking us for the card and gift, she also added: 'Most of all, I was touched by the caring and generous messages and good wishes from so many dear friends. Please pass on my heartfelt thanks to the wonderful saints at St Ursula’s.'

Let us pray for Adèle in her retirement, and also for our new Archdeacon Peter Hooper. Peter has been appointed as Archdeacon for France and Switzerland and he is based in France. As he has a big area to be responsible for, we now also have an Area Dean in Switzerland: Revd Carolyn Cooke, who is Chaplain at La Cote. She will take on some of the responsibility for Switzerland. Please pray for Carolyn and for Peter in their new roles.

Memorial for David Winfield
There will be a special service to give thanks for David's life and to pray for Barbara, Claudia and Daniel on Saturday 9th April, 2.30pm. Please let the office know if you would like to attend as we need to know numbers.

Prayer for Lent

Loving Father,
As the days lengthen and the earth spends longer in the light of day, grant that I may spend longer in the light of your presence, O Lord; and may those seeds of your Word, which have been long-buried within me, grow, like everything around us, into love for you, and love for others; that this Lent there may be a springtime for my life in Christ.
Amen

(Dick Williams)

With love in Christ,
Helen