Tuesday 25 October 2022

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It will be good to see many of you this coming Sunday, 30th October, when we will celebrate All Saints and All Souls. During this service we will be remembering loved ones who have died and commending them to God. If you would like the name of a loved one to be read out please let the office know.
NB Please do this by Thursday 10am at the latest. Then Maria can prepare a list for Sunday. So far, we only have one name!

Thank You
I want to say a big thank you to our Gardening Team who worked hard last Saturday to tidy up and maintain the church grounds. We are very fortunate to have such an attractive space outside our church and to have people who are willing to give of their time and energy to maintain it and make it beautiful. Thank you.

Nacht der Religionen, Saturday 12th November
Everyone is welcome to join in with the activities and services of the Nacht der Religionen which involves different Christian denominations and other faith communities across Bern. The theme this year is 'Play and Pray.' We will be joining together with the Old Catholics and the Lutherans; I will lead an Anglican service of Compline (Night Prayer) at 21.30 at St Peter and St Paul, Rathausgasse 2.
Before the service there will be various games and quizzes taking place at the church. There are flyers with more details available at church.

Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday Services
I will be leading the Remembrance Day service, 10.45am on Friday 11th November at the Vevey Commonwealth War Graves. Everyone is welcome.

Our Remembrance Sunday service will be at St Ursula's on Sunday 13th November. During that service we will remember service men and women and victims of war past and present, and commit ourselves to working for peace.

This Sunday, as we remember the saints who have gone before us and our own loved ones who have died, let us give thanks that death is not the end and put our trust in the Risen Christ. In the words of the following poem, let us look ahead to the time when 'the dark veil is lifted, and we see the radiant face of Love in everything.'

Church Bells Beyond the Stars Heard
Is it our bells they hear beyond the stars,
Or theirs whose echo sounds to us below?
Or is it both? The music of the spheres
Which we imagine, and yet cannot know,
Whose ringing joy we hear and do not hear,
Elicits a response, and our church bells,
Whose steepled peals still ring in each New Year,
All cry and clamour for the time that tells
Us time itself is over, the dark veil
Is lifted, and we see the radiant face
Of Love in everything; the mournful bell
That tolled for all our funerals gives place
To heaven's music truly heard at last,
Our last change rung on earth, our last pain past.
(Malcolm Guite)

With love in Christ,
Helen