We had a wonderful congregation for worship at St. Clements last Sunday morning. As well as many members of the regular congregation, we were joined by a number of people newly moved to Prague, together with a larger number of visitors than we’ve recently experienced. Those of you who were present will know that I had to consecrate additional communion wafers not realising how great our numbers actually were!
Forthcoming Sundays at 11am
Sunday 13th September
Our Sung Eucharist will include the adult baptism of Petr Novak, who has been worshipping with us in recent weeks. Please remember Petr in your prayers as he prepares to make this very public declaration of his faith. There will be Sunday School parallel to the service. As those who were present last Sunday will know, the work to replace the lift/elevator in Klimentská 18 has not yet been completed and the engineers equipment is occupying the Sunday School Room on the first floor. So the plan is to use the hall on the third floor though this will mean the children & their teachers having to climb 3 flights of stairs!
However, whilst the weather remains warm and the lift/elevator in Klimentská 18 is out of action, we plan to continue with cool drinks at the back of Church after the service rather than holding Coffee Hour. We have been given to understand that the work on the lift/elevator in Klimentská 18 will not be complete until the beginning of October.
Sunday 20th September
We will be joined by Bishop Dušan of the Old Catholic Church, together with his Prague congregations, for a Eucharist to mark the ninth anniversary of the signing of the covenant between our two Churches on Sunday 17th September 2000. There will be no Old Catholic services in Prague that Sunday as Bishop Dušan has asked everyone to come to worship at St. Clements. So I hope our own congregation will also turn out in force. The service will be half in Czech & half in English but with a service book in both languages so everyone can follow what is being said.
The service will be followed by a Bring & Share Picnic in the nearby park between the Church & the Vltava. Please bring sufficient food for yourself (selves) together with enough for one other person. Please also pray for fine weather!!!!!
Sunday 27th September
Our service will be a Family Eucharist with the children remaining in Church rather than attending Sunday School. The talk will aim to be ‘child friendly’ and we will use a shorter more responsive Eucharistic Prayer. The service should not last more than one hour.
Sunday 4th October at 10am (please note the earlier time!)
We will have a joint service with our host congregation the Českobratrské Cíckve Evangelické – Czech Evangelical Brethren. This last happened in the early part of 2008 when my predecessor John Philpott was still Chaplain. On that occasion it was an Anglican Service so on Sunday 4th October it will be a Czech Brethren Service. Our host congregation particularly asked for this date as they will have their denomination’s national cantor to help lead the musical part of our worship that morning.
Midweek Activities
Mondays at 7pm in the bar-restaurant U Slabé vůle, Revoluční 21, alongside the Dlouhá trída tram stop, Czech conversation with Gerry Turner. Come for a meal (the food is excellent & very reasonably priced) or just a drink (0.5l Staropramen is only 25Kč) and improve your spoken Czech. Those of us who attended the first lesson last Monday had a good time. Why not join us?
Tuesdays at 8.15am, the Breakfast Study Group meets in Bohemia Bagel, Masná 2, near Old Town Square. We are going to spend the next 12 weeks or so, studying the Letter to the Hebrews from the New Testament. The ‘Breakfast Special’ is only 89Kč which includes a bottomless mug of coffee. Once we’ve eaten breakfast, we’ll look at a chapter a week & I’ll bring some pertinent questions to get the discussion going. We aim to finish by 9.15am. If people need to leave earlier, that’s understood. Why not plan to join us, particularly if you find turning out for midweek events in the evening difficult.
Thursday at 7pm, the Thursday Study Group meets at the Sue Anderson’s flat at 7pm. We enjoy a light supper with a glass or two of wine or soft drink, followed by our study & ending with a short time of prayer. End time is 9.15pm. We are beginning a new series of studies on Mark’s Gospel. New members are always welcome. Why not join us?
Sue’s flat is in the same complex as the Chaplaincy flat. Take Tram 20 to it’s terminus at Podbaba. Continue in direction of the tram for 250m to bus stop Ve struhách (routes 107,116, 147, 160 from Dejvická); turn left just beyond the bus stop & Staropramen 24 hr bar into Pod Pat’ankou. Turn left immediately before the disused railway bridge and the block of flats in front of you is the one you need. Go to the stairway on the right and ring the bell marked ‘Anderson’. If you need more help to find it ring Sue on 731 178 731 or me on 233 310 266 or 737 039 082. It is helpful for catering arrangements to let Sue know if you are planning to come.
Tuesdays at 7pm???????
In response to what I wrote two weeks ago about another Midweek Study Group meeting on a different night in a different location, I’ve had the offer of a venue in the centre of Prague with Tuesday evening as a possible meeting night. Apparently Pizza is available next door so there would be no problem with food. Would this suit you? Want to know more? Then please email me. If there is sufficient interest, then we’ll try & get something started.
Advance Notice
I will be away from Prague from Monday 21st – Friday 25th September inclusive, attending the Diocese in Europe Clergy Pastoral Conference in Köln, Germany. The conference will be only the second time ever that all the clergy from our scattered diocese have come together in this way. The first occasion was four years ago. This year’s conference has the title ‘Entertaining Angels: Hospitality as Mission’. There is a varied and interesting programme being laid on which I’m looking forward to as well as the opportunity to meet colleagues from Madeira to Moscow and Tangier to Trondheim, such is the far-flung nature of our Anglican Diocese.
Then in October, both Sybille and I will be away for a large part of the month. We plan to leave Prague on Monday 5th October in order to drive to Izmir, Turkey to attend the annual residential synod of our Eastern Archdeaconry. This takes place between Thursday 8th – Sunday 11th October. Then, following the synod meeting, we will be taking annual leave and plan to be back in Prague on the evening of Tuesday 27th October.
However, unlike earlier in July, the congregation will not be completely abandoned. The Rev’d John Dinnen, accompanied by his wife Jane, will be coming to Prague as your locum chaplain for most of the time we are away and will your celebrant and preacher on each of the three Sundays we are away. They will be living in the Chaplaincy flat, watering our plants and taking care of Oscar the cat! Many of you will remember John as your first locum Chaplain back in April – May 2008 following the retirement of my predecessor John Philpott. I trust you will make John and Jane very welcome during their time at St. Clements.
And finally……
Caroline Studdert, our Coffee Hour/Refreshments Coordinator has a flat available for rent and has asked me to make this known via my Midweek message.
Airy apartment near Andel (3 minutes by tram) 53 m2, 2+1 newly renovated, 2nd floor with elevator in late 19th century building. Basic furniture, or unfurnished if preferred. Living room + small balcony; bedroom; bathroom, bath and shower, new washing-machine; fully-equipped kitchen, new gas hob+electric oven, fridge. Internet. Excellent transport connections, parking outside house. Kc 13,500 per month plus utilities. Available immediately. Please contact owner, Caroline Studdert: Phone 257220018, mob 736415935, e-mail robertastuddert (at) yahoo dot com
Best wishes
Ricky
