Dear People & Friends of St. Clement’s,
I hope all of you in Prague have enjoyed the snow this past week! Whilst it’s melting at the moment as I write, I understand we are are likely to see some more snow over the weekend. But please don’t let a little snow put you of coming to worship on Sunday morning!
Sunday 15th January at 11.00 – Sung Eucharist for the Second Sunday of Epiphany
In this Epiphany season, we continue to think about how Jesus was ‘made manifest’ or ‘shown forth’ – this coming Sunday, in the calling of the first disciples as recorded in John 1. 29-42, which will be our Gospel reading. We shall also hear another of the ‘Servant Songs’ from the prophesies of Isaiah – Isaiah 49. 1-7, and read Psalm 40. 1-11 responsively. Our preacher will be Licensed Reader Jack Noonan. There will be parallel Children’s Ministry and following worship, light refreshments will be served at the back of the Church. Unfortunately, we cannot hold Coffee Hour this Sunday because our host congregation are having a Family Lunch in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18.
Following worship and refreshments, I shall be heading for Praha hlavní nádraží, travelling by train to Dresden, where I shall be officiating and preaching at the monthly English-language Anglican Service of Evening Prayer in the Frauenkirche starting at 18.00.
I shall be staying overnight in Dresden on both Sunday and Monday nights. Monday is my normal day off and on Monday evening, I will be attending a social event for all those who help at the Frauenkirche at which I’m hoping for the first time, to meet name, the new female second Pastor, who came into post on Advent Sunday 2016.
Then having briefly returned to Prague on the afternoon of Tuesday 17th January, the following morning at an ungodly hour :-( , I shall be flying to Brussels. This will be to attend a meeting organised by our Anglican Diocesan Bishop, with Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union. You can guarantee that he will be getting an earful from me about Brexit and I shall raise serious questions about, residency, pensions and future employment for UK citizens in the EU, bearing in mind the need to recruit a successor to me later this year. I fly back to Prague, late on Wednesday evening.
Whilst I shall travel with the Chaplaincy laptop and seek to pick up & respond to urgent email, please realise that I will be rather out of circulation from Sunday Lunchtime until late on Wednesday evening.
A reminder of what Churchwarden Gordon Truefitt said last Sunday morning
“Family DON`T hold back!”
Reading the Scriptures – Interceding for us all in bringing our concerns before God – Looking after our Young – Chalicing – Welcoming each other and our guests – Collecting our offerings – Offering the Elements – Dressing the Church & altar – Hosting Coffee Hour/Cool Refreshments; are all Sunday sacrifices or opportunities, depending on how you see it, for each and every one of us to serve God by serving each other following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. So do please accept one of these that suits you best as a family duty and inform Gwen Grieve, our Rota organiser, personally, or by email at 1glgrieve(at)gmail(dot)com . If you are unsure; Gwen can also help you make your choice. If we all sign up to just one; we would be lucky to get one go every two months.
Sermon
My sermon from last Sunday is now available to listen to on our Church website – just visit http://susanaj10.sg-host.com//8th-january-2017-baptism-of-christ-revd-ricky-yates/ . I have previously quoted my good friend and colleague, name, Chaplain to the Warsaw Anglican congregation, who says that ‘a sermon should be about God – and about ten minutes’. Much to the amusement of both me & David Hellam, last Sunday I preached for exactly ten minutes :-)
Whilst I suspect Jack Noonan will preach for a little longer :-) , I look forward to both hearing what Jack has to bring to us, as well as seeing many of you in Church this coming Sunday.
Best wishes
Ricky
