Wednesday 22 June 2022

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope that I will see many of you this coming Sunday. If you are not able to come in person you can find the readings and hymns for the service here.

Farewell Thanksgiving Apéro for Hans-Karl and Elisabeth
This Sunday after church there will be an Apero to say a warm thank you to Hans-Karl who is 'retiring' after playing the organ at St Ursula's for over 60 years! Hans-Karl and Elisabeth have given a huge amount during that time. Please do come along to express our gratitude to them for all they have contributed to the life of the church.

Online Study on the Creed
Next Tuesday, 28th, 7-8.15pm, will be the next online session on the Creed. We will be focusing on the Trinity. If you would like to read the relevant pages beforehand, please read pages 30-32 of the attached booklet.. (This is not essential). Everyone is welcome.

Adorée's Memorial Service
This will be held at 11am on Saturday, 9th July. I think many people are planning on attending this service, but have not yet let us know! If you would like to come, please let the church office know by Tuesday 28th June.

The family have kindly invited everyone who attends the service for refreshments afterwards at the Innere Enge Restaurant. Drinks and a light lunch will be provided. . If you would like to attend the reception, please reply to Adorée's daughter, Nicole Rolland: nicole.rolland@ntlworld.com (also by 28th June).

James Morgan
Please pray for James. He is currently on a placement in a church in the UK. On Monday 27th - Tuesday 28th June, he will go to the Bishop's Advisory Panel (BAP). This will be the final stage for him to see if he is recommended for training to be an ordained minister in the Church of England. If he is ordained, he will exercise his ministry at St Ursula's, alongside continuing with his teaching work.

Ordinands' Retreat
I would be grateful for your prayers as I lead the retreat (in Ghent, Belgium) next week for those getting ordained in the Diocese in Europe. During the retreat I will be leading the worship and giving 5 talks, and then I will be preaching at the ordination service. Please pray that what I offer may be an encouragement to those preparing for their future ministry.

Some Words on Prayer
I leave you with some words on prayer, reminding us that when we pray we need to lay aside all our masks and roles, illusions and defences and come before God as we are:

‘It has been said that prayer is not primarily a matter of getting ourselves where we can see God so much as getting ourselves where God can see us – that is, getting ourselves into the light of his presence, putting aside our defences and disguises, coming into silence and stillness so that what stands before God is not the performer, the mask, the habits of self-promotion and self-protection but the naked me.’ (Rowan Williams)

With love in Christ,
Helen