Dear People & Friends of St. Clements,
Yes – I’m back from the Eastern Archdeaconry Synod and then being on two weeks annual leave. I’ve written about the Synod & posted some photos on my blog and along with Jack Noonan, will report on it in greater detail to your Church Council when it meets this Sunday.
Sybille & I didn’t go very far during my leave but we did spend a most enjoyable long weekend in Tábor about which I shall write and post photos in due course.
Whilst I was away……
A big ‘Thank you’ to everyone who helped make my former colleague Rev’d Kathy Ferguson so welcome during her time in Prague as your Locum Chaplain whilst I was away. She flew back to the UK last Monday morning and has since sent me the following message which she has asked me to pass on to the congregation.
Ricky has kindly agreed to post this note of thanks to you all for your wonderfully kind and warm welcome to me during my second visit to Saint Clement’s as locum chaplain. As I said at the end of my last service, it was both a pleasure and a privilege to be with you all again and I have many very happy memories of my two unforgettable visits to Prague. Many of you have my email address and I would love to hear from any of you at any time. Alternatively you might like to visit my blog here and keep in touch that way. I will certainly keep in touch with you all via the website and Ricky’s blog and even if I don’t manage to visit again, a little piece of my heart will always be in Prague and especially at Saint Clement’s.
Thank you all and God bless you.
Kathy
Update on two of the five ways to support St. Clement’s financially……
Christmas Cards
Many of you will remember completing a survey earlier in the year when Camilla and Steve Entwistle were trying to gauge interest in St. Clement’s Christmas cards. Now that we are in October, it is time to return to the subject and to ask those of you who said you were prepared to sell cards to come forward.
The cards come in packs of 10 with one design per pack: there are 2 designs available. The cards are in English and the inside contains text to the effect that the cards are sold to support St. Clement’s and includes our web address. They are exceptionally good value at only 200 CZK for a pack of 10.
Steve and Camilla will bring cards to church this Sunday and they will also be available for sale after our Sunday services as we get closer to Christmas. This is a very exciting and I am very grateful to Steve and especially to Camilla who has done all the hard work so far. I am sure you will wish to support this initiative, which apart from being a nice idea, also stands to generate significant funds for the work of the church.
Our Amazon affiliate link
Thank you to everyone who has already clicked this link when ordering something from Amazon.co.uk. By doing so, you together have already raised nearly £20.00 for St. Clement’s. It is only a small sum but, over time, it will grow. As Christmas is approaching, please do take advantage of this painless way of financially supporting St. Clement’s at no extra cost to you & tell your friends & family about it too. Always click on the link first & then start shopping. Either use the link above or go to our website www.anglican.cz and click on the Amazon link there.
A forthcoming Episcopal visit……..
Last week whilst I was on holiday, I got a phone call to say that our Anglican Diocesan Bishop Rt. Rev’d Dr Geoffrey Rowell, would like to visit St. Clements on the weekend of 3rd-4th December 2011. By normal standards, this is somewhat short notice for an Episcopal visit but it arises out of him needing to be in Dresden in the evening of Sunday 4th December & realising that he can get there by train from Prague in two hours on Sunday afternoon. So Bishop Geoffrey will be our Celebrant & Preacher at our Sung Eucharist on the morning of Sunday 4th December.
During the past year, a number of people have spoken to me about formerly ‘becoming Anglican’ & one or two others about ‘being confirmed’. To all of you I’ve said, “Lets wait until we have a date for an Episcopal visit”. Suddenly we have one forthcoming, but at rather short notice! I will be in touch at the weekend or early next week, with each person who has spoken to me previously about this. Basically, if you have been Episcopally confirmed in another Church, (usually the Roman Catholic Church), you just need to be ‘received’ into the Anglican Church. If you have been baptised but not Episcopally confirmed, then you need to receive the rite of Confirmation from the Bishop.
I will be organising some preparation classes for those who have already expressed an interest in being received or confirmed. But if there is anyone else who might be interested, please get in touch with me ASAP! In particular, please make every effort to be present on the next two Tuesday evenings – see below!
The Week Ahead……
Sunday 16th October at 11.00 – Sung Eucharist for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity
The Gospel Reading this coming Sunday is Matthew 22. 15-22 which tells of the attempt by the unholy alliance of the Pharisees & the Herodians to trap Jesus with a question about paying taxes. In my sermon, I plan to reflect on what our duty should be towards those with temporal authority over us and what our duty should be towards God. There will be Children’s Ministry/Sunday School and cool refreshments will be served after the service in the back of the Church.
Tuesday 18th October 6.30-8.00pm in the small meeting room on the first floor of Klimentská 18
I will be leading the first of two sessions on Anglicanism. I will try and explain what is distinctive about the Anglican Church, together with some it’s history, governance and liturgical practice. This topic was specifically asked for by a number of ‘non-cradle Anglicans’ who choose to worship with us. There will as always, be plenty of opportunity for questions & discussion.
Thursday 20th October 7.00 – 8.30pm – Chez Hellam, Namesti Interbrigady 949/3, Praha 6
Our Role of Reconciliation – The Place of the Church Today The final session of our course on the basics of Christianity – The Relevance of Faith in a Modern World
The pattern of the evening is Food – Talk – Discussion. As food is being provided, it is very helpful to let David Hellam david@hellam.net or Tel. 722 223 097 know you are planning to come. He will also happily explain how to find the venue. The nearest tram stop is Zelena using Tram 8.
Looking forward to seeing many of you on Sunday
Best wishes
Ricky
