Dear People & Friends of St. Clement’s,
This coming Sunday is Advent Sunday, marking the beginning of the new Christian year. It is also when the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), the three-year cycle of Bible Readings that we and most mainline Churches follow, moves to Year B, meaning that most Gospel readings during the next twelve months will come from the Gospel of Mark. So please plan to join us for worship!
Sunday 30th November at 11.00 – Family Eucharist for Advent Sunday
Our Old Testament reading will be Isaiah 64. 1-9, whilst our New Testament reading will be 1 Corinthians 1. 3-9. The Gospel reading will be Mark 13. 24-37. There will be no parallel Children’s Ministry, as within the service I will be admitting two of the children, Anthony & Jakub Stiles, to receive Holy Communion for the first time. But there will be Coffee Hour in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18, following our worship.
Looking further ahead into Advent
Sunday 7th December at 11.00 – Sung Eucharist for the Second Sunday of Advent
We look forward to welcoming our Old Catholic Bishop Dušan Hejbal as our Celebrant & Preacher. There will be parallel Children’s Ministry and following worship, Coffee Hour in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18. At Coffee Hour, there will be Bake Sale in support of the Advent Appeal of our Anglican Bishop Robert Innes, details of which can be found here. As well as supporting the Bake Sale, if you would like to make a donation to the Advent Appeal, there are designated envelopes for doing so, attached to the noticeboard at the back of Church, alongside a copy of the Appeal letter.
Sunday 7th December at 16.00 – Ecumenical Family Carols
As we have the past three years, we are once more hosting an Ecumenical Family Carols event, full details of which can be found here.
Sunday 14th December at 18.30 – A Services of Lessons & Carols
Full details of our traditional Carol Service can be found here. Please note the slightly later starting time of 18.30.
Taizé European Meeting of Young Adults – 29th December 2014 – 2nd January 2015 in Prague
Those of you who were in Church on Sunday 16th November, will have heard Uli, a volunteer from the Taizé Community, speaking about this. Thank you to those who have expressed an interest in helping, particularly in providing accommodation, and have been in touch with me & completed the appropriate form. If there is anyone else interested & can help, please speak with me ASAP. More details & forms are on the noticeboard at the back of Church.
Helping the Salvation Army in their work with the homeless in Prague
Yesterday, I met with František from the Salvation Army, who collected all the contents of the two wheelie bins at the back of Church, one for tinned food, the other for warm winter clothing for both men & women. Thank you to everybody who responded to what I wrote last week & brought additional tins & clothing last Sunday. Now the bins are empty, they urgently need refilling again!
Are you planning to buy Christmas presents from Amazon?
If you are, please don’t forget to use this link, and then go to either amazon.com or amazon.co.uk. A small commission will then come to St. Clement’s at no cost whatsoever to you!
Finally for this week…….
From Monday 1st – Saturday 6th December, I will be taking my last week of Annual Leave for 2014. It should actually include a Sunday but I can’t take Sunday 7th off because of Bishop Dušan’s visit. However, I don’t have to prepare a sermon :-) On Tuesday 2nd December, my wife Sybille returns to Prague from her walking pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. As I haven’t seen her since 20th August, I want to have space & time to welcome her back to Prague and for us to reconnect with each other. Therefore, there will not be a ‘Weekly Message’ next week.
Wishing you all a blessed Advent
Best wishes
Ricky
