Wednesday 11 January 2023

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope this new year has begun well for you and your families. Let us pray for one another as a church that we might know God's grace in the joys and challenges of our life together this coming year.

Raclette with the Old Catholics, Friday 13th January
We are invited to join the Old Catholics and the Lutherans for Raclette, 7pm, THIS FRIDAY, 13th January at their church hall, Kramgasse 10, first floor. If you would like to attend please email: nick.ruethy@bluewin.ch as soon as possible.

Sunday 15th January
Please join us this coming Sunday. During the service, Archana Jacob, our Lay Reader will have her licence renewed. Please come to support her and pray for her.
On Sunday we will also begin a short series of sermons on 1 Corinthians. We will be looking at some of these passages in our Zoom study sessions (see below).

Study Sessions
We will meet on Tuesday 17th January, 7-8.15pm, via Zoom. This coming week we will be reflecting on 1 Corinthians 1: 1-17. Ask me for the Zoom link. Everyone is welcome.

Ecumenical Service
This annual service will be at 10am at the Munster, Sunday, 22nd January. Please do come along. It will be a Eucharist in the Lutheran tradition.
NB, there will be NO service at St Ursula's that Sunday.

Electoral Roll
We would like to encourage those who are new to St Ursula's to join our electoral roll. This is a very easy process: you need to complete a simple form. When you are on our electoral roll you will be listed as a regular worshipping member of our community and you will be able to vote in elections for council members and churchwardens at our AGM (which will be held in March). There are electoral roll forms available in church.

Survey
We would like to know how many people use our church website, and which parts of it, and whether people read our magazine and my weekly newsletters. Here is a link to a very simple survey. We would be very grateful if you could fill in this survey by 30th January if possible. It will help us to know how we can improve our church website, magazine and other forms of communication.
We will also have some printed copies available at church for those who prefer not to do it online. Thank you very much for your support.

A Hymn/Prayer
Last Sunday, we sang the wonderful Epiphany hymn O Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness. The words are very suitable to use as a prayer at the beginning of this new year:

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him: the Lord is his name.

Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness:
high on his heart he will bear it for thee,
comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness,
guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.

Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness
of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine:
truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness,
these are the offerings to lay on his shrine.

These, though we bring them with trembling and fearfulness,
he will accept for the name that is dear;
mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
trust for our trembling and hope for our fear.
(J.S.B. Monsell)

With love in Christ,
Helen