Dear People & Friends of St. Clement’s,
Last Sunday morning, I was in Zagreb, Croatia, along with Gordon Truefitt, attending the 2015 meeting of our Eastern Archdeaconry Synod. As well as clergy & lays reps from the Anglican Chaplaincies scattered across Central & Eastern Europe & Turkey, we were joined by Rt Rev’d Dr Robert Innes, our Anglican Diocesan Bishop, together with our new Archdeacon Colin Williams. Gordon & I will be reporting back on the Synod meeting to your Church Council when it next meets on Sunday 25th October. I also plan to write a post about it for my blog in due course.
Thank you to everybody who helped ensure that things went smoothly at St Clement’s in my absence and to our guest preacher & celebrant, ThDr Petr Jan Vinš. Petr’s sermon is now available to listen to on our Church website, as is mine from the previous Sunday. Just click on this link, and then click on the one you want. Please be aware that there are about 15 seconds of silence on the recording of my sermon, before it begins!
Now looking ahead to this coming Sunday, when I will be back on duty.
Sunday 4th October at 11.00 – Sung Eucharist for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity
Our Old Testament reading will be part of the creation narrative from Genesis 2. 18-24. Our New Testament reading will be Hebrews 1. 1-4 & 2. 5-12, the first in a series of readings from the Letter to the Hebrews which will continue over several forthcoming Sundays until mid-November. Our Gospel reading will be Mark 10. 2-16 where Jesus responds to a question about divorce as well as welcoming children and blessing them. There will be parallel Children’s Ministry and Cool Drinks & Light Refreshments will be served at the back of Church, following worship.
As next Sunday is the first in the month, I shall then be off down the D1 to Brno.
Sunday 4th October at 17.00 – Holy Communion with hymns
This will take place in our usual venue, ‘The Upper Room’, corner of Jezuitská and Mozartova, Brno.
Tuesday 6th October – 18.30-20.00 in the small meeting room on the first floor of Klimentská 18.
I will lead another of our regular Tuesday evening meetings for Study and Fellowship, continuing looking at St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Last Tuesday, we reached the end of chapter three, so this coming Tuesday, we will be looking at 1 Corinthian 4. 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!
Thursday 8th October- 19:00 `Alpha & Omega`
Christianity is a pilgrimage through your life; looking and learning to love and understand your God, with Christ as your guide, friend and Saviour. Church is where you went in response to your calling; to rest, be comforted and forgiven, to pray, feel supported, and start to be a pilgrim. Alpha is an opening of doors; a presentation of pilgrimage possibilities, one of which may interest and inspire you to set out. Church then becomes a place to join with other pilgrims and in fellowship; share experiences, learn to interpret and adjust them, be forgiven your mistakes, ignorance, or wilfulness; to give thanks and worship to God before setting out again on another week of Pilgrimage. Omega is waking up in the blinding brightness of God – and knowing that you are at home.
FOOD for tummies + hearts, souls and minds.. at chez Hellam, Namesti Interbrigady 949/3, Bubenec, Prague 6. (Between tram stops Lotyšská and Zelená – current tram routes 1 and 18).
PLEASE CONTACT DAVID IF YOU`RE COMING david(at)hellam(dot)net or 722 223 097. When you arrive – ring the buzzer for the flat marked Hellam!
Then please note……….
The observant readers amongst you will have noticed that this email is entitled ‘An October message from the Chaplain of St. Clement’s, Prague’ & not ‘A Weekly Message….’. There is a good reason for this. From Wednesday 7th – Wednesday 21st October inclusive, I will be taking the final two weeks of my annual leave for 2015. However, there will still be worship on both of the Sunday mornings that I will be away.
Sunday 11th October at 11.00 – All Age Worship for Harvest Festival
There will be an informal service, led by David Hellam, celebrating that, ‘all good gifts around us, are sent from heaven above’. There will be no separate Children’s Ministry but instead, the children will be in Church for the whole service & actively involved in it! Cool Drinks & Light Refreshments will be served at the back of Church, following worship.
Sunday 18th October at 11.00 – Morning Prayer for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity
The service will be led by Rev’d Dr Karen Moritz and the preacher will be Jack Noonan. There will be parallel Children’s Ministry and Cool Drinks & Light Refreshments will be served at the back of Church, following worship.
My next ‘Weekly Message‘ will therefore go out on either Thursday 22nd or Friday 23rd October and after our study on Tuesday 6th October, there will be a two week gap before resuming on Tuesday 27th October.
Until Sunday
Best wishes
Ricky
