Monday 9 October 2023

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

It was very good to see many of you for our joyful Harvest Thanksgiving service yesterday. Thank you to the children who helped me to talk about the TearFund Kigezi Water Project we support in Uganda. This project is especially supported by Junior Church. We encourage the children to bring a small contribution to Junior Church each week for this project.

We also raised 950 CHF for TearFund in the Auction after the service. Thank you to those who gave generously.

This Tuesday 10th - Thursday 12th, I will be away for a clergy conference of all the Anglican chaplains in Switzerland. There will therefore be NO lectio on Thursday.

Online Bible Study
Our next online Bible study will be on Tuesday 17th October, 7-8.15pm.
We will be discussing Matthew 22:1-14 which David will be preaching on this coming Sunday. I will send out the link and David's sermon next Monday.

Mental Health and the Christian Faith
On Sunday 29th October, after the service, we will be having an informal discussion about Mental Health and the Christian Faith.

I am aware that concerns over mental health (for ourselves or our loved ones) affect many of us, even though we may not find this easy to talk about. We may also wonder how our Christian faith and belonging to a church community relate to these concerns. The discussion on 29th October is an opportunity to share concerns and think about how we can better support one another. There will be a 'panel' of people with some expertise and experience in this area to help us in our discussion.

If you have particular questions, concerns, topics that you would like to raise please do send these to me before 29th October.

Prayers for the World
I am sure we are all aware that there are so many violent conflicts going on in the world at the moment. The situation in Israel and Gaza is the most violent it has been for many years with suffering on both sides. The war in Ukraine continues. There has been a fresh crisis between Azerbaijan and Armenia with many people having to flee their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh. And there are many other conflicts in Sudan, Yemen, Ethiopia, Syria, Congo and other parts of the world which can sometimes be forgotten.

As we seek to bring a very violent, painful, chaotic, and broken world before God in prayer, we may want to use the prayers below:

Grant us to look with your eyes of compassion,
O merciful God, at the long travail of mankind:
the wars, the hungry millions,
the countless refugees,
the natural disasters,
the cruel and needless deaths,
men's inhumanity to one another,
the heartbreak and hopelessness of so many lives.
We yearn for the day
when the nations shall be at peace,
and men and women shall live free from fear and free from want
and there shall be no more pain or tears,
in the security of your will,
the assurance of your love,
the coming of your Kingdom,
O God of righteousness, O Lord of compassion.
(George Appleton, adapted)

Almighty Father,
whose will is to restore all things
  in your beloved Son, the King of all:
govern the hearts and minds of those in authority
and bring the families of the nations,
divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,
to be subject to his just and gentle rule;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
(Collect or 3rd Sunday before Advent, used for Remembrance Sunday)

With love in Christ,
Helen