Wednesday 9 August 2023

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

It was good to see so many of you at church last Sunday and to welcome several new people.

This Sunday, 13th August, we will be celebrating the baptism of Laeticia and Leo, Nico and Chloe. Please pray for them and their families. Do join us for this special service. It will be an All Age Eucharist when the children stay in church throughout the service. However, there will be toys available in the Lower Hall, and parents are free to take their children there if they are unsettled.

Lectio Divina
A group of us meet every Thursday morning, 10:30-11:15am, via zoom, to meditate on a short Bible passage and share our reflections. Tomorrow morning, we are reflecting on Ephesians 4:1-6. Ask Helen for the zoom link.

Online Bible Studies
We hope to start these up again on Tuesday 22nd August, 19:00- 20:15, via zoom.
More details to follow soon.

Revd Claire Finlay on Placement
From 20th - 28th August, Claire, who is a recently ordained priest in the Church of England, will be at St Ursula's on placement with us. I will interview Claire after the service on Sunday 20th, and she will preach on Sunday 27th. She will also be joining in various activities and events in the church and meeting up with several members of the congregation. There is more information about Claire in the new church magazine.

Children's Activity Day, 'Creation Fun' 26th August
This special day is coming up soon! We have at least 30 children attending the day, from both St Ursula's and from St Andrew's Church (the Anglican Chaplaincy) in Zurich. Please do pray for all the children and helpers involved.

Coming Up Soon...
You might want to put these dates in your diaries:

• Autumn Sale, Saturday 9th September
• Confirmation Service, 10am, Sunday 10th September (with Bishop Robert). Please pray for Laeticia Elanga Mpolo, Delali Agoba, Joana Agoba, Manu Lehmann, and Zornitsa Holden who will be confirmed, and Helene Vogt who will be received into the Anglican Church.

Christian Discipleship
As we pray for those who are to be baptised on Sunday, and those who will be confirmed soon, let us pray for ourselves too, that we might all be faithful to Christ and know our place within his people. The prayers below might help us. One focuses on our personal obedience to God in following Jesus, and the other reminds us that we always travel with others along the Christian way.

My God, I am not my own but yours.
Take me for your own,
and help me in all things to do your holy will.
My God, I give myself to you,
  in joy and sorrow,
  in sickness and in health,
  in success and in failure,
  in life and in death,
  in time and for eternity.
Make me and keep me your own;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

May God, who has received us by baptism into his Church,
pour upon us the riches of his grace,
that within the company of Christ's pilgrim people
we may daily be renewed by his anointing Spirit,
and come to the inheritance of the saints in glory.
Amen.

With love in Christ,
Helen