Wednesday 1 February 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope to see some of you at our special Candlemas service, tomorrow, Thursday 2nd February, 7pm. On this occasion we remember the baby Jesus being presented in the temple by his parents and the prophecies of Simeon and Anna about him. Simeon calls the child 'a light for revelation to the Gentiles', and so it is traditional to celebrate Christ's light by filling the church with candles. (Hence it is called Candlemas).

Do come along and join us for this service of light. There will also be food and drink after the service. If you are able to bring a dish that would be great. Please let me or the office know if you plan to come and if you can bring some food.

Sunday 5th February
Please join us for our Sunday service. We will be continuing our reflections on 1 Corinthians. Junior Church and creche will be provided for the children.

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 26th March). There are electoral roll forms available in church. The deadline for adding your name to the electoral roll is 5th March.

Survey
A big thank you to all of you who have completed our online survey about our website, my email message, and our magazine. We have had around 50 responses. We have extended the deadline to 3rd February, so if you have not yet completed the survey and would like to do so, please do so before then. The link is https://www.sondageonline.com/s/4bmaxhs.
This survey will help us think about how we can improve our church website, magazine and other forms of communication. Thank you very much for your support.

Choir Festival
The traditional Archdeaconry Choir Festival will take place in Basel this year, 19-21 May. Choirs and singers from several Anglican chaplaincies in Switzerland will sing together at a choral Evensong on Saturday 20th and a sung Eucharist on Sunday 21st May. The weekend begins with a first joint practice on Friday evening (19th). Further details about music and organisation will be announced soon.

Practices will be organised for any interested singers at St Ursula's who want to participate in the Choir Festival. Please contact Hans-Karl or Elizabeth by the end of February: hanskarl.pfyffer@bluewin.ch

A Prayer for Light

God our creator,
who in the beginning
commanded the light to shine out of darkness:
we pray that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ
may dispel the darkness of ignorance and unbelief,
shine into the hearts of all your people,
and reveal the knowledge of your glory
in the face of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
Amen

With love in Christ,
Helen