Dear People & Friends of St. Clements,
Another week has passed rapidly so here first is a reminder of worship & other activities taking place in the coming week.
This Sunday 30th January at 11am – Sung Eucharist for the fourth Sunday of Epiphany
This is the last Sunday of the Epiphany season in which we have been thinking about how Jesus was ‘made manifest’ or ‘shown forth’. The Gospel Reading set for this Sunday is John 2. 1-11 which recounts what John calls the first of Jesus’ signs through which he revealed his glory. It is the familiar story of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. I shall also be reflecting on the Epistle reading which follows on directly from the Epistle reading of last Sunday. It is 1 Corinthians 1. 18-31 which speaks of the power of God being expressed through the crucifixion of Jesus which, in human terms is foolishness, but is in reality, God’s wisdom. I do encourage you to look at both passages in advance of our Sunday worship.
There will be Children’s Ministry/Sunday School led by TerriAnne Novak and Coffee Hour will follow the service at Klimentská 18 on the third floor.
Wednesday 2nd February – Presentation of Christ in the Temple Next Wednesday marks the end of the Epiphany season when, forty days after Christmas Day, we come to a Christian festival variously known as the ‘Presentation of Christ in the Temple’, the ‘Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary’ or ‘Candlemas’. It celebrates the events described in Luke 2. 22-40 which occurred forty days after the birth of Jesus.
Because this year, this festival lands on a Wednesday – my normal midweek meeting night – I’m going to change the normal Wednesday evening pattern but still use the same venue. Therefore on next Wednesday evening at Communio Centre, Karolíny Svĕtlé 21 (diagonally across from the Rotunda of the Holy Cross), Prague 1
5pm – 7pm – I will be available for Coffee & Chat for anyone who wants to drop by & talk.
7pm – 7.45pm – Said Eucharist for the Feast of Presentation
Even if you don’t normally turn out on a Wednesday evening, I hope some of you will make a extra special effort next Wednesday and that the later time of 7pm will be more suitable than my usual 6pm for Evening Prayer.
Following the Feast of Presentation, we enter a period of what is known as Ordinary Time. In 2011, this is almost as long as it ever can be lasting five weeks and including five Sundays before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday 9th March.
Financial Update
Last Sunday, our Church Treasurer H.K., presented draft accounts for 2010 to the meeting of the Church Council. The good news is that they show an excess of income over expenditure of nearly CZK 56000. As I’ve explained in previous messages, this has been achieved by both increased giving by you the congregation, but also because of considerably increased financial support given to us last year by the Intercontinental Church Society (ICS). Put in very simple terms, you the congregation, together with income from wedding fees etc, raised nearly 1 million CZK (actually 981739) and the balance came from ICS together with a one-off gift for the work of Central European Anglican Chaplaincies that we received from the UK in May 2010.
The Church Council also considered a draft budget prepared by H.K. for the year 2011. Whilst there are a few figures that may vary slightly, the cost of running St. Clements this year will be in the region of 1.3 million CZK which is exactly the figure that currently appears on the back of our Weekly Bulletin – CZK 25000 per week. Therefore, if we are going to move ‘Towards self-sufficiency’ which is our aim for 2011, then we need to increase our annual income by around CZK 150000 so that the contribution from ICS can return to the level that it was in 2009.
I shall be writing in greater detail to the congregation about this in the next couple of weeks but I wanted to let you all know ASAP the way the basic figures have panned out in 2010 and what we are looking at in 2011. The full audited accounts for 2010 will be presented at the Annual Church Meeting to be held on Sunday 27th March 2011.
Church Electoral Roll
In order to stand for election or vote at the Annual Church Meeting, you need to be on the Church Electoral Roll. Last Sunday, the Church Council went through the current roll and removed the names of people on it who we believe to have left the area of the Chaplaincy which is deemed to be the whole of the Czech Republic. This revised list is now pinned to the noticeboard at the back of Church. Please look at it & if by any unlikely chance, you think we have removed your name when we shouldn’t have done so, please let me know.
In order to join the Church Electoral Roll, you need to be baptised and a member of the Church of England or one of the other Anglican Churches around the world that together form the Anglican Communion. If you are baptised but not a member of a Church in the Anglican Communion, you can still apply to join the Church Electoral Roll if you have ‘habitually attended public worship’ for at least six months before making your application.
Forms to apply to join the Church Electoral Roll are in a plastic folder on the noticeboard at the back of Church. When completed, please return your form to me or to one of the Churchwardens. If you have any query about your eligibility, please speak with me.
Please note two important things
All applications to join the Church Electoral Roll must be received more than 15 days before the date of the Annual Church Meeting. Realistically that means by Sunday 6th March as we must display the complete Church Electoral Roll on the noticeboard for 15 days before the Annual Church Meeting.
Filling out a Newcomers Form from one of our Welcome Booklets, does NOT put you on the Church Electoral Roll. It just puts you on my email circulation list! You need to apply separately using the appropriate form.
Finally for this week…….
If you give to St. Clement’s via standing order, bank transfer or the dated envelope scheme and you are a Czech taxpayer, you can offset your giving against tax. If you wish to do this, please drop an email to our Treasurer H.K. and she will happily provide you with a signed & stamped certificate to include with your tax return.
And a big ‘Thank you’ to all of you who brought your used postage stamps & placed them in the collecting envelope on the noticeboard at the back of Church in order to raise funds to support the work of ICS. Last week, I sent off a large batch of used stamps to the coordinator of the scheme in the UK, Mrs Sylvia Leyton, from whom I received a warm note of appreciation a couple of days ago. Apparently last year, this scheme raised over GBP 3000 for the work of ICS.
Best wishes
Ricky
