Annual Reports 2009
presented at the Annual General Meeting
on 28 March 2010
Chaplain's report
presented at the Annual General Meeting
on 28 March 2010
Chaplain's report
The past year has been one of change and consolidation. Various people have relinquished formal roles during the year. This is quite common at this stage - people carry on while the new person settles in and then step down. We thank those who have given much in the past but now feel called to different areas of ministry. New people have come forward to take their place, new ideas have been forthcoming.
Special mention should be made of Wendy Astor, hanging up her editor's quill after 25 years, and Kelly Sovilla, who had run the Junior Church with great efficiency over the years. We also said goodbye to Isabel Jordan, who has moved to Germany, and thank her for keeping the music group going.
It has been good to have Tina around. She has been very popular with our young people and we must hope and pray this motivates them to take their place within the wider church family. Tina and I have been discussing how best to manage the transition from "youth" to "adult member".
The pattern of services has bedded in well and our recent survey showed that it is meeting the needs of the great majority in the congregation. We have welcomed Inna as a back-up organist and we are becoming familiar with new music from places as far apart as Scotland, Ukraine and South Africa - appropriately enough for a congregation with at least 17 different nationalities. The beamer is now an established feature of our service. We are very grateful to Tricia, who puts in many hours to produce the slides each week, and also to all who operate the beamer.
It is also good to see that people have been joining us and others have returned. Our Welcome cards have been a great help in getting to know people. Our thanks go to Pieter Perrett and his team for producing the cards and keeping a supply ready. We are in the process of improving our publicity and communications. Some of us attended a workshop on this subject and the ideas we picked up are bearing fruit already.
The office staff, Jana and Jennifer, put in many hours on our behalf, often going the extra mile to make sure deadlines are met and the many facets of our church life run as smoothly as possible. We are grateful to them for all they do.
I must also express my thanks to Shareene, for all the support and encouragement she gives me in my ministry.
I was honoured to be asked by Bishop Geoffrey to be the Archdeacon of Switzerland. Clergy are encouraged to have interests and responsibilities beyond their own parish. As Archdeacon I am getting a good overview of what goes on in the other Swiss chaplaincies and elsewhere in the diocese. This brings a wider dimension to my ministry and it can be a fruitful source of ideas to use back here. Being Archdeacon does not involve the chaplaincy in any extra expense. In fact St Ursula's benefits financially as some of the Archdeacon's expenses are paid to chaplaincy funds.
And what of the future? The survey has given us some strategic pointers and during the meeting I shall be highlighting some strengths that we should build on.
"May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all" (1 Thess 3:12).
P M Potter
During the past year I have been a little more involved in church life than in recent years, preaching occasionally, which I enjoy immensely. And, just before Christmas, I took over the music group from Isabel Jordan which you can read more about in a separate report.
During the past year I have been aware, with many others, of a time of pruning and replanting within our church community. I miss the people who have left St Ursula's for whatever reason and feel their loss keenly, as I know many of you do. We thank God for our friends and that we can maintain our friendships wherever we are.
Sometimes, we do not understand why things should change in our lives. God says, "My ways are not your ways". And so it is. We are also to encouraged to turn our hands to the plough and to walk ahead. To walk ahead in faith and joy in serving our God. Indeed, there is much to keep us occupied in our hurting world as we join with Jesus in his mission of justice and righteousness, and in the power of his immense love.
We observe as Spring arrives, the tender green shoots of growth both in nature and in our church community.
So, let us forge ahead in faith and trust as we encounter the coming year and all that it will bring. Both the expected and the unexpected!
"Dear Lord, let thy will be done in my life and give me the wisdom to know, the strength to accept and the courage to do it. In your name. Amen."
(Ricky Johnson, prisoner in Westville Correctional Centre, Indiana.)
Linda Bisig
This report covers the lifetime of the outgoing council i.e. from the first meeting after the AGM in May 2009 to the last meeting before this AGM in March 2010.
St Ursula's Church Council normally meets on the first Tuesday of each month, except in January and August. However there were some changes to this pattern this year - there was no meeting in October because many people were away, the meeting in March was postponed a week because the chaplain was away, and in September there were too many items to deal with at the meeting so some were handled by email afterwards.
This year there were eight regular business meetings. As always, attendance was good except at the postponed meeting in March. There were 13 council members this year and the average attendance was 10.75. Shelagh Brawand, as Child Protection Officer, and Jennifer Hockley, as Administrator, have also attended some council meetings this year and well as other occasional visitors.
It has been interesting to observe how council meetings have changed this year, as we have become accustomed to Peter's chairmanship. The meetings are shorter, but seem to handle more topics - I counted 174 over the 8 meetings this year compared with 145 over 9 meetings last year. A lot of items are simply information for council members, which has been supported by adding an item called "Chaplain's News" to each agenda. There has also been a lot more feedback on items from previous meetings under "Matters Arising".
A major topic this year was "finding common ground" which was the focus of the council awayday on 13 June and the special church meeting on 7 June. After these two meetings a small group was set up to see how to proceed. This culminated in the questionnaire launched in October. The initial results of the questionnaire were presented to council in February and further discussion is planned for the council awayday in May 2010.
Welcome was another focus this year. Council approved putting welcome cards in the backs of the chairs in church so that everyone sees them. In order to do this, the hymn books were moved to shelves at the back of church since most people no longer need them as they can read the projected words. We also used the launch of the welcome cards to collect and update the data held about all members of the congregation.
The use of the book table has continued to decline and, after several discussions, council agreed to reduce it to bibles, children's books and seasonal (e.g. Christmas and Easter) books. The newly available space will be used for cards, which continue to sell well.
Youth work has continued to be a priority. Council co-opted Tina in July so she has been a part of the council since then and reported on the youth work several times. There was a big change in how the Junior Church is organised at the end of 2009 - 3 leaders of the Junior Church attended the council meeting in November to explain the situation and ask for help. An appeal for new teachers followed and the need was met, which council was pleased to note.
Various other posts have become vacant because of people moving away, possibly more than in a normal year. Council has been involved in discussing how to fill these vacancies e.g. the environmental officer, Junior Church leader, magazine editor, rota coordinator.
Taking care of our resources is always a priority, so "building" work has been discussed at most council meetings. There were no major projects this year although plans were approved for painting the offices and replacing the carpets there. More information in the building report.
The treasurer reports on the current situation to council at every meeting. In addition council approves the budget before it is sent out with the pledge letters, and the audited accounts before the AGM. This year there were no special items for council's attention.
Council discusses many aspects of the life of St Ursula's, like the weekends away, the various services at Easter and Christmas, other special services (e.g. Mothering Sunday, Harvest, Creationtide, "Back to Church Sunday"), Advent and Lent study courses, lunches, bazaars and book sales. In addition there are many administrative tasks for council to deal with - like buying tables for the sales or a freezer, organising the cleaning of the premises. Of course, council is only the coordinating body - all the work is done by individuals, too many to mention here.
Obviously, it is not possible to cover everything in such a short report. If you would like to know more about anything that has been discussed or decided by council, please ask a council member. If you have ideas or input that council could consider, again speak to a council member. You are also welcome to attend council meetings, as an observer - just to see what really goes on. We thank you for your prayers in the past year and ask you to continue to pray for the work of the council and its individual members.
Tricia Carrick, Council Secretary
A friend not familiar with the Anglican Church asked recently if, as wardens, we were in charge of prisoners! After a good laugh we tried to explain. Maybe you also have been wondering what the responsibilities and duties of churchwardens are. A few of them are listed here: Doing routine work behind the scenes, be present at the worship services, get to know people by name, inspect the church buildings and keep the inventory up to date, care for the safety, warmth and well-being of the congregation, attend Council meetings, ensure that the church meets its financial obligations, have a duty of care towards the chaplain, report to the bishop when necessary, etc., etc. What a tall order! We are so glad we don't have to do all this alone. Thank you Peter, Linda, Hector, Tricia, council members and many more for help in making sure that things at St Ursula's are running smoothly, for lending a hand where needed and for keeping us in your prayers!
Buildings and Grounds
No major building or renovation projects have been completed in the past year but plans for remodelling the church offices and resurfacing floors in the church house were brought before council and approved. The work is scheduled to be done in the spring. We are thankful for Edi Wildhaber as chairman of the building committee and Rolf Klingler, in charge of maintenance, for seeing to it that repairs are made and everything is kept in good working order.
Worship
In Advent 2008 a trial period was started to include the Eucharist at every 10 am service. In early summer it was decided to keep the format but keep variety within this framework by providing a more traditional service on the 1st and 3rd Sundays and a more informal one on the 2nd and 4th ones.
Music for the various services is chosen by a group led by the chaplain and including the organist, one or two members of the music group and one of the wardens.
Sadly, but with heartfelt thanks, we had to say good-bye to Isabel Jordan who led the music group during her stay with us and enhanced many a service with her silver flute.
We are happy that Linda Bisig has taken over the coordination of the group.
We trust that more new talents will be discovered in the coming year.
Questionnaire
To find out more about the make-up of our congregation and where we are on common ground, a questionnaire was drawn up by Hector Davie, Pieter Perrett and Isabel Jordan. It was sent out by e-mail and 161 persons responded. Initial results have already provided much information on nationality, church background, music preferences and much more. The congregation will be informed of the outcome at the AGM and Church Council will use the results as a topic for their Awayday retreat.
Youth work
Following council's decision the previous year to hire a part-time youth worker, the post was advertised. We were fortunate in having two viable candidates to interview. Because of her training, experience and previous engagement with the youth group Tina Lutz was the clear favourite and it was indeed an answer to prayer when she agreed to work with the young people starting in August. She was readily accepted by them and has done much to knit the group together and help them grow in their spiritual life (see full report under Youth Work). We are still praying for more adults to feel called to assist her.
Junior Church
Several teachers, including Kelly Sovilla as leader, who had significantly shaped Junior Church and faithfully served the children for many years came to the conclusion to move on to serve the church in other ways. We thank them from the heart for all they have given the children. Their enthusiasm and love for God and for the children has been a blessing to all.
God has been gracious and has raised up a number of new teachers so by the end of the year we were able to look forward with confidence. We are praying that one or maybe two of the new people will feel a call as leaders for Junior Church.
Teaching
Two study courses were offered again over the course of the year, one during Lent on "Pathways of Prayer", the other in November / December on "Faith, Hope and Love", using for the first time material of the York Courses.
The Weekend Away at the beginning of September brought the church family together in Aeschi for fun, faith and fellowship.
The new facilities provided ample space for indoor and outdoor activities for all age groups and a good time was had by all.
The Jugendhaus is already booked for 2010.
There is much more we could report on - fellowship with the wider church, the Archdeaconry Choir Festival, learning opportunities through SACEP, the Charity and Mission Sunday in September, the Workshop and Tea organized by the Pastoral Care Team and as every year the very successful Book and Food Sales culminating in the highly popular Christmas Bazaar. St Ursula's continues to be an active church, involving many, many volunteers. A big thank you to all who give so generously to reach out and build up the fellowship!
We were able to welcome new worshippers in the past year and are encouraged to see them get involved in the life of the church. On the other hand we had to accept that a number of longstanding members for various reasons felt led to leave St Ursula's in 2009. We do wish them God's blessings wherever they are and realize that we continue to be one in Christ.
The past year has had many joyful moments which we treasure and it has challenged us in many ways. Most of all we were drawn closer to God because we realize we can't do it on our own. To Him be praise and glory!
Maxine Wildhaber and Esther Hutchison Funkhouser
Only if you spent last year on the Moon will you have missed the news that 2009 was a bad year for world finance. But a surprising number of enterprises have been reporting financial improvements despite a reduction in turnover.
St Ursula's is not a business, of course. Nevertheless, the church family are faced with the same economic circumstances as the rest of our neighbours. It is good to be able to report that, despite a reduced income, we too achieved a small surplus of Fr3813.80 in 2009. This is particularly encouraging in a year when we took the step of formally employing Tina as our Youth Worker.
Our income from the pledge scheme was 4.2% lower than in 2008, and collections were 11.4% down. This was partly the result of people moving away - fortunately, there are signs of fresh givers to replace them. It is good to remember that we are completely dependent on our own resources for our income - we get no support from the state, or from the Church of England. (Quite the reverse - we handed over a little more than Fr12800 for the needs of the Archdeaconry and the Diocese.)
Our book and food sales and our bazaar came within a hair's breadth of the excellent results of 2008. This was due to the efficient coordination, and to the impressive effort put in by all who helped, the creative patchworkers, the helpers at the eagerly-patronized food stall, the industrious second-hand booksellers, the tireless refreshment team, the cake-makers, the floral arrangers, all the other willing stallholders. Not only were these events a source of money, but they also provided fun and fellowship for all concerned.
Other sources of income were less productive. Now that the Delta community have moved, the use of our premises yielded less than Fr19700 - some 22.5% down. The community at Neuchâtel now pay us only a nominal sum for our support, and the Thun group have been meeting less frequently. One direct result of the economic situation has been a halving of the interest from our bank accounts.
Our book stall has seldom returned a surplus. Council has now decided to reduce the range of books on offer to Bibles and perhaps children's books - mainly for the Christmas season. The 2009 figures testify to the sense of this decision - if books have a future, it may be in the context of our well-used library, which has now reached a point where it could be called "well-stocked".
Our expenditure was broadly as budgeted. The most significant difference from 2008 was in our personnel costs. In 2008, we had enjoyed the locum priests who served us during the interregnum at minimal expense. This could obviously not last, and 2009 was Peter's first full calendar year as our chaplain. In addition, for half of the year, we employed Tina as our youth worker. The total cost of employing Peter and Tina, and our administrators, Jana and Jennifer, was just under Fr147000. (To put this in context, it is a little over Fr400 a day.)
The running costs for our infrastructure were lower than usual. This was partly because there were fewer major maintenance projects, something that will change in 2010. Last year's milder winter and slightly lower fuel prices helped our heating costs. Thanks to careful planning and the generosity of those taking part, our various social and non-liturgical activities - the pastoral group's afternoon tea, our weekend away in Aeschi, made a small surplus last year (still shown on the Expenditure side of the accounts, because the surplus was exceptional and unexpected). Our office costs were in line with the amount we had budgeted - the apparent jump in expenditure was due partly to the timing of paper deliveries, and partly to the depreciation costs of our new photocopier, which are charged against the office account.
The photocopier is, incidentally, a useful asset, and if you are thinking of copying something privately, in black and white or in colour, have a word with our administrators with a view to having the work done more cheaply and more efficiently than at your local public copy centre!
Council had agreed that ministry among our young people should be a priority, and during the first half of 2009, we had a regular team coming from Youth With A Mission in Wyler to help with the youth group. Our financial support for this, in the form of donations to YWAM and of travel expenses, shows itself in our expenditure on junior church and youth.
As I mentioned above, we contributed Fr12803 to the work of the Church of England in Switzerland and in Europe. Each chaplaincy in the diocese is expected to contribute according to its means and the size of its electoral roll. We count as a "rich" chaplaincy - thanks partly to the strong franc (outside Switzerland, only Paris, Rome, the Hague and Brussels contribute more than we do!) - which is a mixed blessing!
Towards the end of the year, Council agreed that all collections during Advent would be given to charity - not just the Christmas collections which normally go to Tear Fund. This raised our giving, as a Church, to 12.2% of our own receipts from giving - slightly more than our guideline of 10%. This was not the sum total of our giving - at eight of our services, the collections were dedicated to particular charities. The Junior Church collections, too, were passed directly to Tear Fund, and are recorded only as a note to the accounts. As a result, we were able to give over Fr28000 during 2009 to charitable and missionary work.
Our surplus for Fr3813 is arrived at after putting aside a necessary Fr10000 into our Building and Development Fund. Last year, this fund provided just Fr3642 for repainting the church interior. The fund at present has a balance of Fr78857, which is earmarked for large-scale long-term projects. The Building Committee are currently preparing a new list of priorities.
Our accrued capital, our "reserves", at the end of 2009 stood at Fr144571.71 - a comfortable amount, corresponding to six months' expenditure. We need some of this to tide us over fluctuations in our outgoings - a lot of bills fall due in January. It also means that we can plan for the longer term, without requiring an immediate return on our money. As long as our regular income and expenditure account shows a positive balance, however small, we can face the future with confidence.
I would like to thank all who have made this a satisfying year for me as Treasurer: those of you who contributed time or money to the church, those who practised the gift of wise stewardship of the church's resources, and those who helped me in practical ways - including my wife's gift of patience. Without you all, my task would have been far harder.
Hector Davie
The task of the Charity and Mission Team is fourfold:
For many years St Ursula's church has set aside 10% of the pledged giving for charitable and missionary work. In the past year, however, the Church Council came to the conclusion that this was not enough. So Council decided to set aside the Advent collections for charity in addition to the 10% of pledged giving. Together this amounted to almost CHF 22'000. After prayerfully reviewing the list of organizations supported in previous years the funds were distributed as follows:
| Discretionary | 20.00 |
| Lifewords (Christian Literature in many languages) | 500.00 |
| Partners (Old Catholic Relief Organisation) | 4166.00 |
| AKiB (Passantenhilfe and Zentrum 5) | 2000.00 |
| Family Life Mission in Poland | 3300.00 |
| Church Mission Society | 2004.80 |
| United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel | 2004.80 |
| Refuge Egypt, All Saints Cathedral Cairo | 1600.00 |
| Children's Convalescent Home, Talagolla, Sri Lanka | 1000.00 |
| Street Children's Mission, Thailand | 1000.00 |
| Institute for the Deaf Allah Kariem, Jordan | 1100.00 |
| Cecily's Fund, Educating AIDS-orphans in Zambia | 1600.00 |
| Scripture Union South Africa, Life Skills Project Sakhu'lutsha | 1600.00 |
| In addition CHF 4536.10 were received through dedicated collections for | |
| Royal British Legion (Remembrance Sunday) | 569.55 |
| Partners - Old Catholic Relief Organization (Trinity Sunday) | 345.60 |
| Tear Fund (14 June, Harvest, Christmas, Junior Church collections) | 3020.95 |
The Charity team tries to maintain a balance between local, regional and international projects and keep in touch with the recipients. We have been supporting most of our projects for a number of years. This year we have also taken on the support of a new local project (through the AKiB) at the Zentrum 5 for a project earmarked for providing language courses for immigrants in Bern. In addition some House groups and other members of the congregation have taken a special interest in a charity of their choosing, have had direct contact with them, and pledged to pray for them regularly.
The Junior Church, together with the Charity and Mission Team continue to support schools in Sudan through Tear Fund Switzerland. The Junior Church has the occasional cookie bake sale to raise funds for TearFund.
On June 14 we had Rev. Reuben Mbaguta who was part of a delegation for the "Water for Life" project In Uganda (supported by TearFund Schweiz) and Christa Bauer from TearFund Schweiz visit our church. The Rev Reuben gave us an informative presentation on the "Water for Life" project after church and Christa Bauer also gave some information on TearFund Schweiz. This was followed by a potluck meal.
Rob and Janet Mackay from Sakh'Ulutsha, the Scripture Union South Africa Lifeskills Education program for young people were in Bern in September for a short visit with the Hodlers. Some of us were able to attend a power point presentation and talk about their work
The Cecily's Fund is supported by a team of active helpers who have organised various fundraising events such as the traditional November Pumpkin Soup lunch, throughout the past year.
On November 21 our overall theme for worship was Mission. The Charity and Missions team's aim was to present all of our charities and missions we support at St Ursulas and to pray and give thanks for these. A power point presentation as well as a new brochure presenting all of our charities and missions was produced for this Sunday (thanks to Pieter Perrett!). Representatives from some of our charities were also able to join us for the worship. During the coffee time, we had displays and some power point presentations about the various charities and missions we support available for our church members to see.
We do thank our church family for its continuing support in the past year. We encourage all of you to keep the institutions we support in your prayers. Each week we include a specific prayer request in the Sunday notices. Please check the board in the church hall for our monthly focus displays and information about our various charities and missions. We have a charity and missions focus article in the church magazine.
The Charity and Mission Team: (Hector Davie, Donna Goepfert, Esther Hutchison, Cecily Klingler, Pieter Perrett, Ven. Peter M Potter)
We are the only church in Berne that welcomes all to liturgical worship in English.
The highlights of worship over the past twelve months have included
According to the Westminster Confession (in the Reformed tradition), worship is what we are here to do. It is also the Church's shop window. Worship is never a solo event or a chance for different groups to "perform". It is essentially God's people gathering in his name at his table on his day.
Everyone counts if we are to give glory to God. I would like to thank all who support our worship through their participation - in their seats or at the front. We could always do with more volunteers to read, sing, lead intercessions or serve. Please speak to me or to the relevant rota coordinator. We will give training - so go on, have a go.
One notable feature of our worship is the high degree of consensus on its form and content. This was revealed by the survey taken last autumn, of which you will hear more at the meeting.
P.M.Potter
We are a small group who meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month at 7pm for a Eucharist service/bible study, followed by a time of fellowship. We also have some kind of social activity on the fifth Thursdays of the month.
This year, as well as our traditional Christmas service, we held a 'Songs of Praise' before our summer break. The St Ursula's choir and organist kindly joined us for this new service, which we intend to hold again this June/July. The Thun group provided drinks and snacks after the service, albeit on a more modest scale than the feast we enjoy with the congregation after our annual Christmas service!'
Thun Group
The Electoral Roll is the list of the full, voting members of St Ursula's. These are the people who can vote at the AGM and stand for election.
This year the number of deletions (six) was almost the same as the number of additions (five) meaning that there was virtually no change in the number of members - 118 in 2010.
The changes to the Electoral Roll were approved at the council meeting on 9 March. Since then the Electoral Roll, together with the list of changes, has been displayed on the Notice Board in the Church Hall.
If you would like more information about the Electoral Roll please contact me.
Tricia Carrick, Electoral Roll Officer
Last year I came on board and I would like to thank Hans Wenger for the great work he has been doing for so many years and for giving me the opportunity to serve our Church in this way.
In 2009 there were no major works being done just a few minor things to keep up our Church:
For 2010 there are several important works on the waiting list:
Some of these works will be done as soon as possible and as fast as possible and I believe the people living and working in our Church will appreciate it very much.
For the gardening work I plan to do as last year, volunteers are most welcome. I will let you know as soon as the garden asks for it.
I thank you all for your work and support look forward to seeing you all soon
God bless
Edi Wildhaber
The aim of the church caretaker is to keep the Church buildings in order with as little cost to the Church as possible.
General maintenance and improvements (odd job repairs)
I have done most of the repairs and improvements in coordination with the Church office or Peter Potter.
One major problem are the Velux roof windows in the Church- and outer office. According to Velux spare parts for the outside sunblind are no longer available and a repair would cost approx. 600.- SFr. per window. The decision for further action is still pending.
I appreciate when people report damage (letterbox beside the Church Hall entrance) or give suggestions to the Church office.
Heating
The heating controller in the Church still poses some problems due to occasional random resets and possibly tampering by tenants.
Church Lighting
Fortunately the glass domes for the Church lights (including a few spares) could be ordered from a UK glassblower at reasonable cost. All 10 lightbulbs have been replaced with dimmable long-life energy saving lights.
Garbage recycling
Containers for glass, PET-bottles and metal have been moved to a new location at the carpark at the back of the Church near the Church entrance. It is hoped that these containers would still be used despite their more hidden location. Please remember that broken glass should be wrapped and put into the household garbage and not into the glass container (danger of injury when emptying container). Only PET-bottles are recyclable, not vinegar, oil and milk bottles or other plastic stuff. Anything else than PET-bottles must go to the household waste. Metal: Please remove lid and bottom from tins and flatten them before disposing.
Garden
A major weeding action with voluntary helpers was carried out to improve the garden, in particular the slope outside the lower Church hall windows. The voluntary group is managed by Edi Wildhaber. Thanks for the very much appreciated effort!
Additional storage space
New shelves in the cellar under the stairs beside the lower Church Hall have been installed and offer additional storage space. On the other hand one of the bookshelves will soon be removed to grant access to the heating ducts for cleaning.
Rolf Klingler
The aim of this position is to work with the chaplain and ensure church policy is adhered to by the council, i.e. protect the safety of all children in junior church and youth group from all harm: physically, bodily, mentally, and spiritually. It involves knowing the policy well and acquiring and maintaining all records and references of helpers, teachers and workers with children. It also entails giving advice on which forms need to be filled out, and highlighting which policy rules need to be adhered to in specific situations.
As the policy should be reviewed annually, this year it involved updating the policy to remain in keeping with the Diocese of Europe, which had made amendments, which in turn are making the position of CPO rather complex and demanding (in my opinion).
It is a solo job. However, when we realised Diocese had changed regulations some Council members agreed to help me set up a Child Protection Review Group to scrutinize in particular the details of what is really needed for "clearance" to teach or help. We had three meetings and in September a provisional revised document was made available (copies in Junior Church cupboard). Due to family reasons I had to have a break in leading this group and have not yet picked it up again.
In 2009 we acquired clearance for Tina, our paid part-time Youth Worker. She did a great job of helping to prove her suitability for the job, by fulfilling all the requirements of this new red tape.
As there was a big turnover of teachers I had to acquire quite a lot of references for the new teachers, which involved sending out letters with questionnaires to referees and following them up when they were not returned.
At the autumn Junior Church teacher's fellowship new teachers were informed of upcoming child protection policy procedure alterations and they were rewarded and encouraged in their future positions. The Recommended Good Practice was again highlighted. (Everybody please read it again on-line or ask me for a paper copy)
I attended a majority of Council meetings although not obligatory.
On Swiss Mother's Day I encouraged all to pray even more for their children, as this theme was integrated into the Sunday morning service, and I am convinced it is our best tool for their welfare.
The aim for 2010 is to revise our policy, have it approved by council and then implement it, which means redesigning our blue Confidential Declaration form in particular and altering some text in the policy. As we found the requirement to propose the changes to Council for approval difficult, we recommended instead to council that there should be an archdeaconry level decision as to whether we really need:
an "Auszug aus dem Schweizerischen Strafregister" and who should pay for that
a certificate of good conduct from the country of origin, or most recent place of residence
We also need a decision on how long the candidate should have been resident, and more guidelines as to giving clearance.
Archdeaconry Synod agreed to set up a group to come up with a common Swiss standard that is compatible with Diocesan regulations. Our Chaplain (and Archdeacon) Peter will be contacting all CP officers (via their clergy) to try to set up this group.
Council will be looking for a new CPO for AGM 2011 as my term of office will then be over. Any offers?
Shelagh Margaret Brawand-Fraser
Our crèche meets every Sunday morning in the lower hall and is for babies and toddlers aged between 3 months and 3 years old.
The number of children varies from Sunday to Sunday. There are always two people looking after the children and the helpers operate on a rota and are on duty approximately once every three months.
This year for organizational reasons we decided to have 2 rotas one from October until March and another one from April until September.There is currently a team of about 24 very willing helpers, for which we thank the Lord, and it is for His glory we work together. Thanks also to the parents who entrust their children into our care.
The crèche is a facility that enables parents to enjoy our 10 o'clock Sunday morning service, knowing that their child is in safe hands. We aim to provide at St Ursula's Crèche a caring, safe, fun environment for the children to play in and we offer a wide range of toys and books for the youngest members of our Church.
Every year we "spring-clean" out toys and in May we joined with the Parents and Tots' Group to carry out this task. We cleared and sorted out old toys and at the same time had a morning of fun and fellowship together with our young ones. A big thank you to all the Mums!!!
Crèche will be closed for a month during the summer holidays and we shall look forward welcoming old and new members in the second week of August.
Maxine Wildhaber, Crèche Co-ordinator
Praises to God for the continued opportunity of offering Junior Church classes, various courses, and youth groups, to the children of St Ursulas in 2009 so they can get to know and love Him better and worship and glorify Him together.
A Communion Class began in January and concluded in May with a special service, when eight young people were admitted to communion. A new young people's Confirmation Class began in August with an information session for potential participants, five of whom have joined the course. The confirmation class has been shortened to last a year rather than two years as in the past.
The Wengers faithfully completed their youth class (older children) and retired in June.
Several long-time teachers have moved on or "retired" but God has blessed us with many new and enthusiastic teachers. It is the nature of our congregation that people come and go so we can always use new teachers.
We are thankful that Tina Lutz could begin her job as Youth Worker in August. She is encouraging youth in developing and living out their faith and they are enthusiastic about the group.
At the end of 2009, Kelly retired as Junior Church Leader after several years of dedicated and capable work.
We had hoped to find a new leader, but are operating in the meantime by assigning the work she did to various people (for instance, the office now produces the teachers' rota) and planning quarterly teachers' meetings led by Peter.
All new systems have a "teething phase" and it is through challenges that we see how we can improve or modify what we are doing.
At the end of May, there was a bike ride for Junior Church members, their families and other members of the congregation. Many people participated, the weather was friendly and a good time was had by all.
In October there was a Tear Fund sponsored walk in Münsingen in support of the water projects in Uganda. Several Junior Church children participated (as did Tina) and earned very respectable sums for the projects.
Shelagh Brawand has been busy working through the challenging changes in the Child Protection Policy.
Part of the challenge is implementing requirements that work in one country but are difficult in another.
Many children, youth and adults worked together in producing the annual Nativity Play. Each year people are touched by remembering not only Christ's birth but the Old Testament passages pointing to His coming and His life on earth.
Thank you to all who pray for and work with the children in our congregation and praise to God for His faithfulness in lighting our way.
The Junior Church Team
Friday Night Youth Group
The Friday night youth group that was launched in November 2008 continued to meet weekly in the Lower Hall from 7 to 9 p.m.
The team from Youth with a Mission Wiler, led by Suzanna Gardner and Lindsay Kent, was responsible for leading the Friday night youth group until the summer.
Their program included Biblical teaching on various topics as well as a focus for several weeks on the topic of justice.
Youth worker Tina Lutz began leading the Friday night youth group meetings in August.
The program included experiential Biblical storytelling and discussion of relevant topics from a Biblical perspective.
The average attendance for this group was nine students.
Sunday Youth Group
The youth also met every other week during Sunday service at the Wildhaber's house. During the first half of the year, Janet Wenger taught the class using videos on a variety of spiritual topics as a discussion starter. After a summer break, the class resumed in the fall and met biweekly to view a video teaching and discuss it in small groups. The main topics in the fall were truth and serving others. The average attendance for this group in the fall was five students, as five students participated at the same time in the Confirmation class.
Youth Participation in the Church
A few of the youth performed a sketch showing different views about the environment during the Creationtide service in September.
The youth also held a bake sale to raise money to purchase decorations to make the youth group room more welcoming.
In October, six of the youth participated in TearFund's Afrika-Lauf in Münsigen to raise money for water projects in Uganda.
Several of the youth participated in the Nativity Play in December as readers or musicians.
Some youth also helped throughout the year in the church by serving during the liturgy or by running the beamer.
There is room for growth in this area, as the youth could become even more involved in serving in other areas in the church.
Youth Leaders
For the first half of the year, the Youth with a Mission team led the youth group with 2 to 6 leaders participating at each meeting. Tina Lutz was hired as a part-time (40%) youth worker in April and became youth worker as of August. In the fall, parents alternated coming to Friday youth group meetings to fulfill child protection requirements.
Tina Lutz, Youth Worker
The Afternoon Tea in June hosted by the Pastoral Team proved a great success so we arranged a second Tea on 16th January. It was much appreciated by those who attended. Various people generously made cakes, sandwiches, etc. and served or helped in other ways. Our next tea-time event is planned for 22nd May. As well as the pastoral aspect these teas are a good form of outreach as they tend to attract people on "the fringe" as well as regular members of our congregation.
In addition we support by prayer and/or visit as appropriate. We rely on people alerting us to needs.
Shareene Potter
Last autumn's survey has confirmed the impression that many people prefer a study course with a definite beginning and end. We had already been offering such courses. Last year we used the Lent Course produced by the Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland on diffrent forms of spirituality. There were two groups, one meeting at lunch time and the other in the evening, with over 30 participants in all.
During Advent we followed one of the York Courses, "These three... Faith, Hope and Love". These courses include a CD with contributions by leading figures in today's religious scene and also a booklet with material to read in advance as well as questions for discussion. Again there were two groups.
We are using another of the York Courses in Lent, this one focussing on Christ's cross and ours. This time we have decentralised, with five groups meeting at different times and places. They are being led by various members of our congregation.
The Weekend Away also provides an opportunity for learning as well as fellowship. This year the theme of the weekend was prayer and included both input from Shareene and me as well as time to practise prayer.
If you prefer a longer-term opportunity, why not join a housegroup?
Wohlen: meets at different members' houses each time (in Wohlen, Spiegel. Schüpfen, Bellmund, Bümpliz, Aarberg), approximately every fortnight on Wednesdays.
Last year's programme: Bible Study (Finished studies in Colossians and Philemon and started "Born to be Free" - a study in Galatians), songs of praise, food and friendship. Helped with the Mothers' Day Service on 10 May
Followed up AKiB Passantenhilfe with Seev Levy in November
In November we discussed the Swiss vote about minarets - information from Shelagh Brawand (031 828 1557)
Fraubrunnen: meets frequently, during the year, usually Friday evenings. "We are a warm and closely-knit group, gathering for fellowship, study and prayer for our church, concerns and personal needs. We sing praise songs, and during the past year we studied the book of Galatians. We hope to regroup and resume our meetings. We would like to welcome new-comers." - information from Jacqueline Messer, Pieter Perret or Adoree Weibel.
Our magazine also carries a number of articles each month that come under the general heading of "teaching". Our thanks go to Hector Davie, who faithfully produces two thought-provoking items each month.
According to the survey, 25 percent wanted more teaching outside the Sunday service. It's all there for you already. Look no further. Just come along.
P M Potter
The main aim of the youth confirmation course is to provide an opportunity for young people to meet together to explore topics relating to God and to the Christian faith. For those who are interested, it is also a preparation for confirmation - that is becoming a full adult member of the Church.
A new youth confirmation course started in September 2009, with 5 members. As all the members have already followed the Communion Preparation Course, the format of the confirmation class has been changed this time and it has been shortened to 9 months - with an opportunity for confirmation in June 2010.
There are two main parts to the course:
on Friday evenings, approximately once a month. The focus of these sessions is to explore what it means to be a member of the Church and they are led by Father Peter.
on Sunday mornings, during the service, approximately twice a month. The focus of these sessions is general Christian education and they are led by Tricia.
In 2009 attendance was almost 100%, the young people are certainly committed to the course and, as well as attending the meetings, they have all done their homework when required. We hope this continues in 2010.
As well as the confirmation service which will be on 20 June, we will be having a weekend away together in June 2010 which will give more time for exploring various topics and also for having fun.
It is a privilege to be able to spend time with these young people on this important leg of their Christian journey - we all profit from the time spent together.
P M Potter & Tricia Carrick
The course started in January 2010 with three candidates, all of whom have some grounding in the Christian faith. We are covering some basic topics (God, Jesus, Trinity etc) as well as material relating to the sacraments, Church and Christian living. It is always rewarding to work with adults who feel called to make a mature Christian commitment, and who bring a lot of experience of life to our learning and discussing together.
Please pray for all our candidates, teenagers and adults, as they prepare to take this important step forward in their pilgrimage of faith.
P M Potter
Worship and Music Planning
Father Peter Potter leads a small group (the organist, the music group co-ordinator and one of the Wardens) to select the music for most services.
The music for less formal services has usually been planned by those leading the service together with members of the music group. Music to complement the hymns during other parts of Communion Services has been chosen by the music group leaders and the Chaplain.
Organists
Organ music is playing an important, but not exclusive, part in the services and worship at St Ursula's church. Apart from the regular Sunday services there has been a small number of extra services in 2009 where organ music was called for. During 2009 Inna Angelova, a music student from Bulgaria and currently studying in Berne has joined us; she is taking a regular turn at playing the organ and occasionally the piano. The contribution by several people in assisting (or substituting) the organ playing (either at the organ or at the piano) is gratefully acknowledged. Many thanks also go to guest organists who have contributed to our services with their talents and skills.
Music in Services and at Events
The group of singers who had taken part in the choir festivals has developed into a choir (Choir of St Ursula's Singers) with about 10 - 12 people of all voices. On several special occasions the choir has been enriching our services by singing in parts the in the Communion Service, a Psalm, an Anthem or a Motet. Contributions by the choir have become more frequent during 2009. Saturday choir practices have become a fairly regular activity for enthusiastic singers. A songs of Praise service was held in June in Thun with active participation by the choir.
In addition to the organ music at the beginning and the end of the services and for accompanying the hymns, a small music group has been contributing to our services.
This group has often led the singing of songs during Communion and occasionally gathering songs at the beginning of the service, as well as more informal songs and hymns during worship.
The group has led most of the music in services in less formal style (usually the second Sunday of the month).
It has to be recognised that tastes in music differ greatly. This brings diversity and richness to our worship, but challenges us musically to make use of different styles of music and content ranging from well known traditional to new and contemporary elements.
Many thanks are extended to all who have contributed in many ways to enriching our services with music, be it by using their vocal, instrumental, organisational skills, and who are devoting a lot of their time and effort for this important element in our worship.
Hans-Karl Pfyffer
Music Group
After the Nativity Service 2009 we bid a fond farewell to the Music group leader Isabel Jordan as she and her family left for Germany. Not only have we lost a great flute player, many of us have also lost a good friend. Isabel spent almost all of her time in Bern as the leader of the music group. She was a great encourager and a strong but gentle leader. We thank her for her musical contribution to the Sunday worship services and all that she gave to us in friendship. We wish her well and pray that she and the family will find a church they feel comfortable in and indeed that Isabel will be able to share her musical talents.
In the week before Christmas I took over the leadership of the music group. This is a ministry I have feel drawn to for a good while now and one which I believe I have gifts to bring.
We have a great number of musicians in our church family, some of these are already very busy with other commitments and can only play for special services or now and again. However, we have a core group who are committed regularly to rehearsals and to playing in our services for which we can be thankful. We are just beginning to get into a rhythm of rehearsals and services and adjusting to the new organisation. You may have noticed in the services that we are exploring new possibilies of musical expression with different combinations of instruments for our worship songs and hymns. We have great fun at our rehearsals trying out new things and are bonding and growing as a group. There are a great number of resources from which to draw the music we play and we look forward to continuing to enriching the musicality within our church.
As often with the church there is much unseen work that goes on behind the scenes, and this is indeed the case for the music group at St Ursula's. For example the work of the beamer team and the audio team. We can be thankful to so many for giving their time, talent and commitment to enable us to worship God in St Ursula's week in week out.
On behalf of the music group I would like to thank you all for your encouragement and support during the past months and look forward to the same over the coming year. Please pray for us as we try to serve God and enable you to worship our faithful and mighty God.
If you are interested in being involved in the music group, either playing an instrument or singing, please contact me, we would love to hear from you (and so would God!). With many blessings.
Rev Linda Bisig.
As the Wardens said, the Weekend Away at the beginning of September brought the church family together in Aeschi for fun, faith and fellowship.
61 people attended, from 23 families, though not everyone was able to be there all the time.
The 61 included 25 children.
The total paid by participants was Fr 3055 and the total expenditure was Fr 2972.55 (for food and rent for the Jugendhaus).
The new facilities were much appreciated as was all the food With beautiful views of the Niesen, ample accommodation for singles, couples, and families, and space for both indoor and outdoor activities for all age groups a good time was had by all.
Many thanks to many people, including Peter and Shareene who led the study sessions for the adults, to Tina who led the study sessions for the youth, to many volunteers who led the study sessions for the younger children, to Esther who liaised with the Jungendhaus and who was responsible for opening and closing up, to all those who did the food shopping, to Stefan and Thenjiwe who organized a super adventure trail for everyone on Saturday afternoon, to those who brought soups and cakes, to those who played their instruments on Saturday evening, to Hector for his financial and statistical contributions, to Tricia for help coordinating catering and clean-up, and finally to all who participated and contributed to an overwhelmingly positive time of fun, faith, and especially fellowship.
This year feedback forms were distributed for the first time at the end of the weekend away to help in planning the next Weekend Away. Many of the forms received showed how much everyone enjoyed being together in this setting and almost everybody thought that we should have a weekend away every year.
It was especially encouraging to find, through the feedback forms, so many people willing to help plan the next weekend away. For a full report of all the feedback received, or to join the planning team for 2010, please contact the church office. Plans for next year are in hand and include even more fun, better directions, name tags, a revised approach to childcare and supervision, and a revised approach to catering (all based on feedback received). The Revd Dan Morrow from Zurich has also agreed to come and lead the sessions on the topic of "Art and Faith".
The Jugendhaus Aeschi is already booked for September 17-19, 2010. We hope you will join us.
Jennifer Hockley
Over the past 12 years it has been the goal of the St Ursula's church library to provide Christian classics, recent publications and resources that encourage a deeper understanding of God and the Bible. Not all books can reflect the theological views held by all members of the congregation but each book is included on its merit to challenge thinking and enlarge understanding of the world and the church.
The library contains approximately 1000 books/tapes/compact discs/DVD's in eleven general categories. The collection has been regularly updated and assessed. The categories are spirituality, family and christian living, children's books, historical/biographical books, adult christian fiction, youth fiction, bible study and reference aids, adult and children's videos, audio cassettes, St Ursula's weekly sermon tapes and Christian music compact discs. Sermon tapes have been questioned as the sermon is recorded in MP3 format but it has been found to be a helpful backup in emergencies. Each book included in the library has been read or reviewed by a member of the library staff to determine the appropriateness of inclusion in the library. We have continued to make an effort to obtain enduring Christian classics. Many resources such as bible studies booklets and aides are available for house and study groups and their respective leaders. The library has remained free of charge for all to use and open each Sunday after the service until approximately 12 noon and in 2009 there was consistent regular use of the library by all ages of the congregation.
In the spring of 2009 all VHS videos in the library were removed and sold to benefit church funds and we have endeavoured to replace them with DVDs. This has been especially necessary for the children's section. With the advent of MP3 downloads there has not been a focus on buying new music audio compact discs.
We are very grateful to the church for the yearly library budget used for acquiring new books, maintaining the collection and for the necessary supplies needed to sustain upkeep. We have endeavoured to be wise stewards.
The church library has been staffed this past year by the following volunteers: Roxanne Eicher, Andrée Kamarys, Querida Long, Annemarie Walthert and Adoree Weibel. Each of them recognizes the ministry of making church members and visitors feel welcome in our church, the pleasure and encouragement found in conversation and in addition to assisting them in finding books that encourage their personal understanding of God and His Holy Word.
Roxanne Eicher and Donna Goepfert have graciously agreed to take on responsibility for the library this coming year with an accompanying hand-over of all materials to be completed in March- April 2010.
Heidi Gusset
Times change and peoples needs too! Recent years have led us to accept that
fewer books are bought directly from the book table (Fr265.20 in 2009) and therefore, during 2009 it was decided to keep just Bibles and a selection of Christmas books. There are still a few books for children and this will be continued
if appreciated. There is still the possibility to order Christian books
through the book table and these changes will be evaluated in 2010.
Rosalind Richards
It was a busy year for servers and chalice assistants, with Holy Communion or Eucharist taking place every Sunday. We started out with 9 servers in January, "lost" 4 and found a new one, so that 6 now share the task of assisting Father Peter at the altar each Sunday. Especially during the Christmas and Easter seasons with the extra services and also during the summer holidays, the small number of servers not travelling abroad have a lot to do. Additional help is urgently needed.
Regarding chalice assistants things look better: 14 to start with, two resigned, 12 remaining. Although two are needed for each service, they are occupied only a limited time and can combine chalice duty with other activities in the service.
To all of you, servers and chalice assistants, my heartfelt thanks for your dedication and unfailing cooperation.
Up to November I compiled six rotas for servers and chalice assistants, with the input received from Martin Täuber's list of helpers available for each Sunday. Beginning with December 2009/January 2010 I am now in charge of the rota for all the duties related directly to the Sunday services. There is however still a coordinator for each duty (i. e. readers, sidespersons etc.) who is responsible for finding enough helpers for the task and for assuring their information or training. For anyone interested in joining, all coordinators are listed on the address page in the magazine.
Ruth Freiburghaus
In 2009, as in other years, the magazine's aim was to reach out to the English Speaking Community in and around Berne. The electronic magazine has proved popular with 20% of our subscribers choosing to read "on-line" rather than receiving a paper copy.
Many thanks to all those who contribute articles thus helping to make the St Ursula's magazine a lively and informative publication. Thanks is also due to the proof readers as well as those who help in the copying of the magazine.
In all, about 310 magazines are sent out and it is a great help that the envelopes are now prepared by the Church Office.
It still needs about at least six people to complete the collating by around 11 o'clock. It is very much appreciated if the helpers turn up around 9 o'clock.
I am always very grateful that the heavy stapling machine is kindly brought down and up again by someone in the Church Office.
The helpers enjoy the job, the good company as and also the cup of coffee.
Many, many thanks to all the faithful helpers!
Jana Kutesko and Annemarie Walthert
One of the most wonderful times of the year is certainly Christmas and one among many exciting events of the Christmas season is for sure our Christmas Bazaar. Everyone looks forward to this event as it brings people together and gives us the chance to see people we haven't seen in a while.
But planning a Christmas Bazaar requires lot of work from the people involved and for this 2009 edition there was quite a bit of planning ahead.
Our first Stall Holders meeting was held already on the 28th August 2009 and there we discussed the main layout of the Church and how the premises could be aesthetically decorated for this event. We also decoded to extend the Bazaar opening hours by half an hour, on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
We take the occasion now to thank again all the people who attended the meeting and for their enthusiasm and cooperation in working together.
Doors opened on Friday 27th November at 5pm sharp and we had a steady flow of people throughout the evening.
Stalls were very neatly and tastefully decorated and our thanks go to Judie and her team for the beautiful wreaths and the different flower arrangements which were very successful.
Like every year the patchwork stall looked breathtaking thanks to Elisabeth Pfyffer and her team, people loved their work and many hand- made items were sold.
Many thanks Elisabeth to you and to the lovely ladies team
Jana's British food stall looked so attractive that people just rushed in to buy whatever they needed as fast as they could, being afraid that nothing would be left over for them. Thanks Jana for all your work.
The restaurant, run on Friday evening by Sharon and her team and on Saturday by Yvonne and her team, was very successful and thank you so much for your great organizational skills and for the delicious variety of dishes being served.
Libby and her team were a little too successful as cakes were sold like hot buns as Libby's charm conquered everybody.
Also, the pre-packed Christmas goodies, donated by our loyal bakers, sold out.
Francoise and her family ran the bottles stall and it seemed to be a great hit. By early Saturday afternoon they had to close down as there were no more bottles to win.
Our thanks go also to Jennifer for being very faithful and organizing the Card stall every year. I know that some people seem to come every year to buy Christmas cards as they appreciate the great variety we can offer.
Down in the lower hall there was the Bric à brac stall run by Joan and Rose-Marie. The Toy and highly successful second hand Bookstall was run by Sue and her team.
On Saturday, the choir sang lovely carols, bringing in the Christmas tide, not to mention our Father Christmas who brought joy and sweets to the children, thanks Father Peter, for organising his visit!
For the Raffle, thank you to all our donors, for donating such attractive gifts, your generosity is greatly appreciated.
This 2009 Christmas bazaar raised over 19,000 francs and we are happy with the result.
We thank everybody for their heartfelt work, for the joyful fellowship with one another and above all to know that each of us served our Lord in the best way we could.
Maxine Wildhaber & Lynn Robb
Second Hand Books
Well what can I write that has not been written before?
Our book sales go from strength to strength, much prized by the local community, Swiss included.
We have 1000's of books, always with new donations flowing in by the bag load in the run up to the sales.
A word on the donations could be timely here.- English only please, clean, not torn, not yellow, and not hardback. We will toss the books that you can not if necessary, but it takes time and a few trips to the dump to do so. What we need are books that you'd like to buy! Thank you.
More helpers would be welcome as well, please contact Church office if you would like to join the sorting and selling team.
I myself will be standing down for sure this year from book sales.
The current team is very experienced and happy to carry on, but is only small and some more hands would be very welcome - a big thank you to them all: Jackie, Katrina, Mary, Diane, Judy, Donna especially.
Food Stall
In 2009 we carried on with having a food stall at all of the book sales and these have continued to be very popular.
Running the food store is a year round activity to ensure sufficient stock for all the sales and in order to do this I rely on just 4 main shoppers and would therefore always welcome any new additions to the "shopper" ranks!
I am also very grateful to all those members of St Ursula's who think of the food stall, when they are in the UK or USA and bring back what they can, as well as to those who ask visitors from the UK to bring things with them.
Our biggest sale is at the Christmas Bazaar and at this event I'm especially lucky to have very willing and enthusiastic helpers - THANK YOU to you all.
The food sales are not only an important fund raiser for St Ursula's - raising over 12,500 Fr after costs last year - but also an important and friendly outreach to people who would not normally consider coming to a church.
Toy Stall
A big thanks to Mattel for all the toys that we get for free.
Unfortunately, this will be the last year we will have new toys, so buy them while you can.
Other donations of toys etc.
continue to be welcome for our bazaar in November.
Plus I am looking for someone to run the Toy stall this year.
Any volunteers?
Other Stalls
We often run something else in conjunction with a Book & Food Sale, last year we had Kamay Crafts, Usborne Books as well as other stalls at all sales.
We are open to any ideas anyone has or to people promoting their own small business - in return for a percentage of items sold.
Sue Higson & Jana Kutesko
The Patchwork ladies come from various backgrounds and denominations - truly an outreach group.
We are not only cutting fabrics and threading needles, we also have a lot of fun together and are helping each other in many ways.
Grandmothers, Godmothers, Mothers, Fathers, Uncles and Aunts.... If you are looking for a present for a new baby, for a friend or for a relation, why not consider contacting St Ursula's Patchwork Group.
They might be able to help you finding a quilt, a wall hanging or any other item small or large.
If you wish to find out more please get in touch with one of the patchwork ladies.
We meet on Friday mornings in the church hall, or make a phone call to Elisabeth Pfyffer on 026 4920 326
Elisabeth Pfyffer
Together with Zurich, Basle, Lugano, Montreux, Vevey, Lausanne, Geneva, La Côte, and sister congregations in Neuchâtel, Chateau d'Oex and elsewhere, we make up the Archdeaconry of Switzerland - the smallest of the seven archdeaconries into which the Church of England's Diocese in Europe is divided.
This arrangement aims to help the church in its ministry.
It allows clergy and laity to get together in manageable groups and discuss common problems, share joint ideas and to learn, pray and witness together.
The "public" face of the Archdeaconry is visible at our annual choir festival, held last year in Zurich, at our annual retreat, and at seminars organized as part of SACEP - the Swiss Archdeaconry Christian Education Programme.
SACEP
In the period under review, there have been two valuable SACEP events.
In September, Dr Elaine Storkey, the writer, broadcaster and theologian who is also President of TearFund, led a two-day seminar at Crêt-Bérard, above Vevey, on "Parenting, Performing, Praying", discussing the Christian approach to changing patterns in family life.
In November, John Truscott, who is a professional advisor in the fields of church organization and communications, came to Berne and gave a large group of us from all over Switzerland a stimulating day of insights into church communications - why, what and how, with the title "Getting Messages Across".
We in Berne are not the only chaplaincy to have benefited from his insights.
Synod
Synod met twice in the period since the last AGM.
On 20 June 2009, we met in Geneva.
This was the last synod for our outgoing Archdeacon, Ven.
Arthur Siddall, and we benefited too from the presence of Bishop Geoffrey, and the Diocesan Secretary, Adrian Mumford.
The Bishop addressed us in the morning, with the title "The Last Enemy - death, dying and Christian faith", sharing with us many of the insights he had gained as chair of the Churches Funerals Group.
He talked of the Christian expressions of the common human need to dispose reverently of the dead, and of new issues - organ transplants, artificial body parts, and, most relevantly here, assisted dying and assisted suicide, where the teaching that we should love our neighbour gives Christians a special insight.
Our own chaplain also presented a talk on John Calvin's significance for Anglicanism - an appropriate reminder in the Calvin Year in Calvin's City that we need to look more closely at what the Reformer actually thought, and how what he said was heard.
Synod discussed, and approved, the recognition of La Côte, which bridges the western part of Vaud and the eastern part of the Pays de Gex, as an independent chaplaincy.
We heard news from the Old Catholics, and sent good wishes to Bishop Harald Rein on his election.
We also had a report from John Waygood, of Zurich, our representative on the board of the charity PartnerSein.
We discussed ways in which the churches here in Switzerland could implement the Diocesan Environmental Policy (available on the diocese's website) - our own special commemoration of Creationtide was one spin-off from this.
Between the June and January synods, the Bishop appointed our own chaplain as his new archdeacon, and the synod held on 30 January here in Berne was the first to be chaired by him.
The keynote address was given by Ann Turner from Antwerp, one of the Diocese's Lay Representatives on the Church of England's General Synod.
She gave a valuable review of the rôle and activities of General Synod, noting that their business was not exclusively about women bishops, but also about social issues.
She also described how issues raised at parish level could come to be discussed at General Synod - an example was a proposal on human trafficking originally raised by the chaplaincy in Naples.
We received reports on the continuing cooperation at several levels with the Old Catholics, in particular, the joint clergy chapter meeting in the autumn.
We discussed our relations with the Swiss Council of Churches (AGCK).
SACEP will newly be coordinated by Roy Taylor, chaplain in Geneva, since Paul Holley is leaving to devote himself to the Anglican Health Network.
Paul spoke of this new initiative, which aims to coordinate the church's work in making micro-health insurance and medical care available to as many as possible in the developing world, and of way the Swiss archdeaconry can be involved in discussion, interaction and other practical ways.
Some of Synod's projects take time to mature.
We now have guidelines on how to handle emergencies: what to do, for example, if someone has a heart attack during a service.
We have guidelines on conditions of service for chaplains.
We have a scheme of clergy lay partners, working together to assist clergy in evaluating and strengthening the many aspects of their ministry.
And at the January meeting, we agreed to coordinate more closely the child protection policies of the chaplaincies - these follow guidelines set by the diocese, and their adaptation to Swiss circumstances is a matter that causes many chaplaincy councils to scratch their heads.
If you would like to know more about the work of the archdeaconry synod, who better to ask than the Archdeacon, the Venerable Peter Potter - but you can also ask any of our four other representatives - Linda Bisig, Hector Davie, Brian Morgan or Janet Wenger.
Hector Davie
As usual we had a very competent personality as our Festival Music Director: Mark Duley, currently living and working in the Irish Republic.
He is an internationally known church musician, having worked in various parts of the world.
Under Mark Duley's very competent leadership we sang at the Evensong on Saturday and the Communion Service on Sunday.
The music included the 'Magnificat' and 'Nunc Dimittis' by C.V.Stanford in B flat, and the Preces and Responses to the setting by R.
Ayleward.
The Communion Service on Sunday was sung to the setting by Grayston Ives.
Elisabeth Day at the organ contributed brilliantly to the success of the Festival.
Thanks to all who have contributed and participated, this 27th Archdeaconry Choir Festival has once again been a great and up-lifting event.
Many thanks also go to the singers from St Ursula's Church.
The Festival is one of the few institutionalised events where members from different Anglican churches of the Archdeaconry traditionally meet for joint worship and for getting to know each other.
Hans-Karl Pfyffer
Another important part of the stall are all the delicious home-made jams and pickles and I'm very grateful to all those who take the time and make the effort to keep us so well stocked.
Patchwork
The annual Bazaar without the patchwork stall? There would be something missing.
At this event the Patchwork Group is making a significant contribution to the church in outreach, fellowship and money, and it draws people to the Bazaar from all over Switzerland.
But there is a tremendous amount of work and effort involved throughout the year, we just hope that we can manage again for the next Bazaar.
A BIG THANK YOU to all the ladies who work so hard.
Archdeaconry
Archdeaconry Choir Festival 2009 in Zurich
The annual Archdeaconry Choir Festival was held at St Andrew's Church in Zurich during the weekend of 9/10th May 2009.
There were about 45 singers from the various Anglican chaplaincies in Switzerland, with 10 singers from St Ursula's Church.