Thursday 14 July 2022

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope to see many of you at church on Sunday. David and I will then be away for 3 weeks from Monday.

If you are not able to come in person on Sunday you can find the readings and hymns for the service here: Service Resources at St Ursula's Church, Berne.

Junior Church
We are now offering Junior Church every Sunday. If you are aware of families and children who may like to come along to St Ursula's, do let them know. Please pray for our children and their parents, and for our Junior Church teachers.

Keepsakes from Adorée
Adorée's family have left a few little things of Adorée's which they would like friends from church to have. I will put these out in the hall after the service on Sunday.

Away in the UK
On Monday, David and I travel to the UK to see relatives and friends. While we are away, the services will be covered on 24th July by Revd Adèle Kelham, and on 31st July and 7th August by Revd Julie Nelson. Adèle you know very well. Julie, and her husband Ernest, spent a couple of weeks here three years ago and they are very glad to be coming back. They will be staying in our house. Please welcome Julie and Ernest and Adèle warmly. I am sure their visits will be a blessing to you.

If you have any concerns during my absence please contact the churchwardens, Sue Higson and Martin Browne.

Reflecting on Abortion
We will all be aware of recent developments around abortion in the US. If you are looking for thoughtful reflection on this divisive topic, I would point you to some writing which was commended in the Church of England's newspaper, the Church Times. The author, Fleming Rutledge, is a (woman) priest in the Episcopal Church in the USA and a well-known author.

Being and Doing
This Sunday we will be reflecting on the little story of Jesus' visit to the home of Mary and Martha. In the midst of all our busy and often distracted activity, we are encouraged to make time for attentive listening to God, simply being in his presence.

You might find the following extract from Evelyn Underhill helpful:

'We mostly spend our lives conjugating three verbs: to Want, to Have, and to Do. Craving, clutching, and fussing, on the material, political, social, emotional, intellectual - even on the religious - plane, we are kept in perpetual unrest: forgetting that none of these verbs have any ultimate significance, except so far as they are transcended by, and included in, the fundamental verb, to Be, and that Being, not wanting, having and doing, is the essence of spiritual life.'

With love in Christ,
Helen