Wednesday 28 June 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope to see many of you at church on Sunday. It will be our last Sunday before we go on holiday to see relatives and friends in the UK.

Church Photo - THIS SUNDAY
We are hoping to take a new photo of the church family immediately after the service on Sunday. I encourage you all to take part. We would like to have a good number in the photo, and for it to be a true representation of our church; we hope the photo will show the international character of our congregation and that we have people of all ages including children.

Everyone who would like to be included in the photo will need to fill in a photo permission form (adults as well as children). If you are happy to have your photo taken in church and have not filled in the form, please do so on Sunday. There are forms in the porch of the church and in the church hall.

Update from James Morgan
After coffee on this Sunday, James will be giving a brief update about his training for ordained ministry. He will also give out a short written summary of how things are going with requests for prayer. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. Please do come and support James and pray for him and Lilian.

Holy Land Institute for the Deaf
On Friday 7th July, 7pm, Father Jamil Khadir will be giving a talk in the Church Hall about the work of this charity, Holy Land Institute for the Deaf (HLID), which is based in Salt, in Jordan. The Institute provides education and support for deaf children. A number of the pupils are both deaf and blind. The HLID is one of the charities we support at St Ursula's. Please do come along on Friday 7th July and find out more.

Children's Activity Day, 'Creation Fun' 26th August
On Saturday, 26th August, we will be running a children's activity day on the theme of creation. This is organised jointly by St Ursula's and the Anglican Chaplaincy in Zurich. It will be held here at St Ursula's, 10.30am - 3pm. We welcome children aged 3-16. Children under 6 will need to have a parent with them.
There are leaflets and registration forms in church, or you can ask for one from the office.
If you would like your child to attend, please complete the form and send it to the office by this Sunday, 2nd July.

Welcome to David and Gaynor Williams
We go on holiday next week and while we are away, Revd David Williams will be taking the services, on 9th and 16th July. David and Gaynor have written a short article to introduce themselves and I attach it here. I hope you will make them very welcome.

Being Faithful to our Baptism: Growing into Who We Are
After David's sermon last week, several people asked about how we can remind ourselves of our baptism and encourage one another to live out the reality of who we are as those baptised into Christ. Below are two prayers from the baptism service which you might like to use:

Heavenly Father,
by the power of your Holy Spirit
you give to your faithful people new life in the water of baptism.
Guide and strengthen us by the same Spirit,
that we who are born again may serve you in faith and love,
and grow into the full stature of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

God of grace and life,
in your love you have given us
a place among your people;
keep us faithful to our baptism,
and prepare us for that glorious day
when the whole creation will be made perfect
in your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen

With love in Christ,
Helen