Dear People & Friends of St. Clement’s,
This coming Sunday is Advent Sunday, marking the beginning of the Church’s New Year. Contrary to what Advent Calender manufacturers believe, Advent does not always begin on the 1st December, but rather four Sundays before Christmas Day. This means it can be as early as 27th November, (which is what it will be in 2016), or as late as 3rd December. Also on Sunday, we move from Year B, to Year C of the three year cycle of Lectionary Biblical Readings. In Year C, most Gospel readings are taken from the Gospel of Luke, as will be the case this coming Sunday.
Sunday 29th November at 11.00 – Sung Eucharist for Advent Sunday
The Old Testament reading will be a short part of the prophesy of Jeremiah – Jeremiah 33. 14-16. The second reading comes from Paul’s first letter to the Church in Thessolonika – 1 Thessalonians 3. 9-13. As explained above ;-) , the Gospel reading comes from the Gospel of Luke – Luke 21. 25-36. There will be parallel Children’s Ministry and following worship, Coffee Hour in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18.
Tuesday 1st December – 18.30-20.00 in the small meeting room on the first floor of Klimentská 18.
Our regular Tuesday evening meetings for Study and Fellowship continue, looking at St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Picking up from where we reached last Tuesday, we will be looking at 1 Corinthians 7. 25-40. As we normally do, the last 15-20 minutes will be spent saying Evening Prayer together. If the outside door of Klimentská 18 is locked, please press the bell marked Kancelář & you’ll be buzzed in!
Sunday 6th December at 11.00 – Sung Eucharist for the Second Sunday of Advent
We look forward to having Rev’d Dr Karen Moritz as our preacher as we reflect on the ministry of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for the coming of Christ.
Sunday 6th December at 17.00 – A Service of Lessons and Carols – ‘The Upper Room’, corner of Jezuitská and Mozartova, Brno.
The Brno Carol Service will be led by Jack Noonan, as I unfortunately have to be in Dresden that evening. It should be the last time that my new Dresden responsibilities clash with regular events in the Czech Republic! If you would be interested in travelling down to Brno & supporting Jack & the Brno congregation, then please speak with Jack or Gordon Truefitt, preferably this coming Sunday morning.
Four other reminders for this week
- My Sermon from last Sunday, is now available to listen to on our Church website here .
- The contents of both red wheelie bins at the back of Church, were finally collected by Petr from the Salvation Army, last Monday morning. Therefore the bins are in need of refilling with tinned food and warm winter clothing for both men & women, (which includes practical things like underwear & socks), to support the work of the Salvation Army with the homeless in Prague.
- Details of Bishop Robert’s Advent Appeal, to support the work of the Athens Anglican congregation with refugees fleeing conflicts in the Middle East, were sent out attached to last week’s ‘Weekly Message’. There is a copy on the noticeboard at the back of Church, together with donation envelopes & you can also find the details online, at the end of this page of our Church website. The collection taken at the Prague Carol Service on the evening of Sunday 13th December, will also be given to the appeal fund.
- I’m looking for a volunteer, to take over responsibility from the beginning of 2016, to be our rota organiser, for welcomers, readers, intercessors etc. Tasci Gibson has done this brilliantly for us for over two years but is stepping down. If you want to know more about what’s involved in doing this, please speak with either me &/or Tasci. As always, I would much prefer a volunteer than a pressed man or woman!
Best wishes
Ricky
