Dear People & Friends of St. Clements,
Just as we ought to start our prayers by giving thanks for all God’s goodness to us, I want to start my Weekly Message with by saying a big ‘Thank you’ – twice!
Thank You – to everyone who secretly organised the celebration of my birthday at Coffee Hour last Sunday. For those of you who weren’t there, I arrived in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18, having secured the Church with the help of Churchwarden Steve Entwistle & Treasurer H.K., to be greeted by a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday to you’ accompanied by Michal Novenko on the piano. There was not one but two birthday cakes, as everyone knew that it was Sybille’s birthday on 24th February, two days before mine on the 26th. But because Sybille couldn’t be there, I had to blow out two sets of candles!
As well as the cakes, there were other goodies, including some very quaffable Australian red wine. Thank you to everybody for the kindness you showed – it was totally unexpected & a very pleasant surprise. Thank you also, for several cards and presents that have also come our way. As I said on Sunday, next year is the big one for me with a nought on the end of it. And in 2012, my birthday will actually be on the Sunday rather than the day before as it was this year.
Thank you – to a least a couple of people who have recently deposited a lovely supply of interesting used postage stamps in the collecting envelope on the noticeboard at the back of Church. As most of you know, we collect these to help raise funds for the Intercontinental Church Society(ICS), who have supported our Chaplaincy prayerfully and financially since 2000. As David Healey, the head of ICS, will be with us this coming Sunday (see below), I’m going to pass all these used stamps to him to take back to the UK, thus saving the cost of me posting them. Therefore, if you have any used stamps waiting at home, please try to bring them on Sunday & I’ll add them to the collection I already have. As previously advised, leave the stamp on the envelope but cut around it leaving a 5mm border. The only used stamps that are not required are British ones bearing only the Queen’s head as these are obviously very common in the UK & therefore of little value.
This Sunday 6th March at 11am – Sung Eucharist for the Sunday next before Lent
As I’ve written previously, we shall have two important visitors with us this weekend – our Archdeacon Patrick Curran together with David Healey, the General Manager of ICS. Patrick will be our preacher and David will also speak to the congregation during the service. Whilst I cannot tell you exactly what Patrick is going to preach about, I can tell you that the Gospel Reading is the story of the Transfiguration as recorded in Matthew 17. 1-8.
The service will be followed by a Shared Lunch, giving the wider congregation a chance to meet with both Patrick and David. Please bring a plate/dish of food that can be easily shared. Unfortunately, no one has yet responded to my request of last week for a volunteer(s) to set up for the lunch and provide the hot drinks. This should not be left to Caroline Studdert who kindly runs Coffee Hour most Sundays, not least because she is a member of your Church Council which is meeting with Patrick & David, immediately following lunch. If you would be willing to do this, please get in touch with me ASAP.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday 9th March.
At 7pm on Ash Wednesday Evening, there will be a Sung Eucharist with the (voluntary) imposition of ashes. We shall have the privilege of welcoming an Episcopal High School Choir from Baton Rouge, La, USA that evening which will no doubt enhance our worship. Please do make every effort to come and mark this important Holy Day in the Church’s Year.
Lent Course
I am planning to run a Lent Course on five Tuesdays in Lent (15th, 22nd & 29th March + 5th & 12th April) between 6.30 -8.00pm. The venue will almost certainly be Klimentská 18 using the small meeting room on the first floor where Children’s Ministry & Church Council meetings take place. The theme will be, What I believe and why? and each evening will feature a different speaker from a variety of Christian traditions. However, each will be asked to speak under the same five headings.
- My Christian Tradition – the rock from whence I’m hewn
- My Journey to Faith – hearing the quiet still voice
- Moments of Crisis in my Faith – The dark night of the soul
- The Place of Victory – I will lift up mine eyes
- Ways Forward – Be thou my vision
So whilst each evening will be complete in itself, there will be a sense of continuity as we listen to each speaker with their different perspectives. There will be a time for questions & answers and the evening will finish with prayer and possibly singing the speaker’s favourite hymn.
The day and starting time have been selected, based on when people have said that they are available and willing to come. I am very aware that whatever night of the week I choose, it clashes with somebody’s existing commitment. But I do hope that many of you will make every effort to try & come on as many of these Tuesday evenings as possible. Fuller details of the programme and speakers should be available by Ash Wednesday, now I’ve got the night of the week tied down. I will obviously also circulate the details in next week’s Weekly Message.
A reminder again of our next ‘Ethics at Lunchtime‘
Ethics at Lunchtime
Jointly organised by St. Clement’s and the British Chamber of Commerce in the ČR, our next Ethics at Lunchtime event will now take place on Thursday 24th March starting at 12.30pm and the subject for discussion will be “Is religious faith necessary in order to have ethical values in business?” Everyone is welcome but each person will be responsible for paying the Zinc Restaurant for their own lunch (390 CZK per person for a two course set menu including tea/coffee and petit fours). If you plan to attend, please register at http://www.britishchamber.cz/event-detail/polozka:147/ Particularly if you work in central Prague, try and invite colleagues for what is always an excellent lunch and what promises to be a lively discussion.
And finally for this week, a reminder about our forthcoming…..
Annual Church Meeting – Sunday 27th March 2011
I have explained in previous messages about being on the Church Electoral Roll in order to be able to vote or stand for election at the Annual Church Meeting. Forms to apply to join the Electoral Roll & a copy of the Electoral Roll as it currently stands, are both on the noticeboard at the back of Church. Any applications to join the Church Electoral Roll need to be given in this Sunday as we have to close applications at least 15 days before the Annual Meeting.
On Sunday, there will also be on the noticeboard at the back of Church, a form for written nominations for
- Two Churchwardens
- Two lay representatives to the Archdeaconry Synod
The Churchwardens & the Lay Synod Reps are ex-officio members of the Church Council.
- Up to nine additional places on the Church Council
All these positions are for one year, except for the lay reps to the Archdeaconry Synod which are for three years. All nominations have to be in writing and need a proposer, seconder & the consent of the candidate all of whom must be themselves members of the Church Electoral Roll.
According to the laws that govern the Church of England, it is the duty and function of the Church Council to ‘work in co-operation with the minister in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical’. Please think seriously who are suitable people to do this or whether you would be willing to play a part in the future running of St. Clements.
Best wishes
Ricky
