Wednesday 17 May 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Tomorrow is Ascension Day and I hope you will be able to join us for our Eucharist if you are able to. For those of you who have a short break over Ascensiontide, I hope you enjoy it!

Ascension Day, 18th May
On Ascension Day we remember the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, his return to the Father, and his promise of the Holy Spirit. As we worship our Risen and Glorified Lord, we pray for a fresh outpouring of his Spirit upon us.
There will be a Eucharist at 10am. Please do join us. On Sunday 21st May, we have our usual Sunday Eucharist with Junior Church and creche. Our Lay Reader, Archana Jacob, will be preaching.

Archdeaconry Choir Festival, Saturday 20th - Sunday 21st May
The Archdeaconry Choir Festival 2023 takes place in Basel. Choirs of the Chaplaincies of the Swiss Archdeaconry will be singing Choral Evensong, 17:00 on Saturday 20th May, and Choral Eucharist, 10:00 on Sunday 21st May. Everyone is welcome. Please see the attached flyer for more details.

Thy Kingdom Come
Thy Kingdom Come started in 2016 when the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York invited Christians in England to set aside time to pray every day from Ascension Day to Pentecost for friends and neighbours to come to know the love of Jesus Christ. It has now grown into a global movement. There are many resources to use to help us to pray. Here is a link with ideas for families and children..

I am also sending details of the Thy Kingdom Come app with various resources. There will also be some hard copies of the Prayer Journal available at church, as well as a little Prayer Card for everyone to take away.

In this period of time coming up to Pentecost, 28th May, we are encouraged to pray, 'Come, Holy Spirit' and 'Thy Kingdom Come, O Lord.' and to pray for five people we know who do not know the love of Christ.

Pentecost, 28th May
This is a very special day in the life of the Church, when we celebrate the coming of the Spirit on the first disciples and the preaching of the gospel to people of different nations and languages. It is a good day to celebrate the international nature of our church community and to remember that we are all one in Christ.
There will be two special events taking place on this Sunday:

• Time and Talents Auction: We are one in the Spirit but we are all different, with different gifts. As we celebrate this, we are invited to offer our time and talents to raise money for the church. Please fill in a form with what you can offer (eg an hour's language lesson, an hour's gardening, cooking a meal, etc.) and put it in the red box in the upper hall. After our worship on 28th May, we will hold the auction and invite bids for the different talents and services offered.
• International Lunch: As we have done so successfully in previous years, we invite you to bring some food from your own nation or local area to share. If you have a national dress, we encourage you to wear it. This has been a very colourful and joyful occasion in the past, so don't miss it!

I end with a poem for Ascension Day which reminds us that as the Lord ascended into heaven he 'took us with him to the heart of things.' Humanity is taken up into the heart of God:

Ascension Day

We saw his light break through the cloud of glory
Whilst we were rooted still in time and place,
As earth became a part of heaven's story
And heaven opened to his human face.
We saw him go and yet we were not parted,
He took us with him to the heart of things,
The heart that broke for all the broken-hearted
Is whole and heaven-centred now, and sings:
Sings in the strength that rises out of weakness,
Sings through the clouds that veil him from our sight,
Whilst we ourselves become his clouds of witness
And sing the waning darkness into light;
His light in us, and ours in him concealed,
Which all creation waits to see revealed.
(Malcolm Guite)

With love in Christ,
Helen