Dear People & Friends of St. Clements,

Yes – Lent began on Wednesday of this week and continues now until Sunday 8th April which is when Easter Day falls this year. Rather than writing things out here, I’ve set out details of what’s happening throughout Lent in a programme that is a separate post. Can I encourage everybody to either print it out and pin it up in a prominent place in your home, or use to put details into your diary/filiofax/electronic gadget – whatever you use to record things you want to remember.

Therefore what follows is a brief explanation of some of the items that appear on the programme.

Worship

Throughout Lent, our regular Sunday morning worship will continue to happen at 11.00 each Sunday morning at St. Clement’s. But there will be a variety of different voices to enjoy with Jack Noonan preaching on the Second Sunday of Lent and David Hellam & Rev’d Dr Karen Moritz leading a special service to mark Palm Sunday – 1st April. Then there will be additional services for Maundy Thursday & Good Friday in Holy Week.

Study & Discussion

During Lent, there will be two Lent Study Courses running, one on Tuesday Evenings & the other on Thursday evenings.

Tuesdays 18.30- 20.00 in the small meeting room on the first floor of Klimentská 18

A look at five Common objections to the Christian Faith. The aim is both to address issues that are a challenge to even some of the most faithful Christians as well as to hopefully give some guidelines as to how to respond people when they raise these objections with us.

Thursdays 19.00 -20.30 at Chez Hellam, Namesti Interbrigady 949/3, Prague 6.

Under the theme of Stewardship, David Hellam is going lead five sessions thinking about how we might be good or better stewards of all that God has given to us. As with previous courses at the Hellam residence, there will be a simple shared meal followed by a talk & discussion.

If you want to know more about either of these courses, then be in Church this Sunday morning as both David & I will say a little more about them during the notices. Or alternatively email me chaplain(at)anglican(dot)cz about Tuesdays or David david(at)hellam(dot)net about Thursdays.

One final reminder…….

If you are not on our Church Electoral Roll and are eligible to be, either by being a baptised Anglican, or being a baptised member of another Trinitarian believing Church & having worshipped with us for over six months, then your completed application forms need to come back to either Sybille or me this coming Sunday. Or they can be posted to the address below to reach me no later than Friday 2nd March. After that, the Church Electoral Roll is closed for 15 days until after the Annual Church Meeting being held on Sunday 18th March.

Wishing each of you a holy Lent in preparation for the celebration of Easter

Ricky

Dear People & Friends of St. Clements,

I want to start this ‘Weekly Message’ with a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who braved the cold to join us for worship at St. Clement’s last Sunday morning. I wasn’t the only one who noticed that our members who originally hail from countries with very warm climates, were better represented in the congregation last Sunday than those who originate from colder or more temperate climates! As always during this cold winter weather, just wrap up well wearing several layers, & then join us for Coffee Hour after the service for hot drinks & warm fellowship, as well as a higher room temperature!

Sunday 12th February at 11.00 – Family Eucharist for the Second Sunday before Lent

This Sunday is sometimes known as ‘Creation Sunday’ as the readings focus on God the Creator & giver of life. They are Psalm 104. 24-35, Colossians 1. 15-20 & John 1. 1-14. There will be no separate Children’s Ministry this Sunday but I’ll endeavour to keep the sermon reasonably brief and get us all to Coffee Hour a few minutes earlier than usual!

After Coffee Hour, I shall be heading to the main railway station to travel down to Brno for our monthly evening service there. In January, Jack Noonan kindly joined me in Brno for our service and Richard York has already volunteered to come with me to the service in March. But if anyone would like to keep me company on this coming Sunday, I would welcome it. Just drop me a reply to this email. As I mentioned last week, Czech TV want interview me & film a report about Christian worship to be broadcast later in March. Full details can be found on the Brno page of our website 

Then during the next week there are two events to highlight.

Tuesday 14th February: 18.30 – 20.00 in the small meeting room on the first floor of Klimentská 18

We have a visiting speaker next Tuesday evening, Rev’d Pavel Černy. He is going speak about his own Church, the Church of the Brethren, & about the other smaller Protestant Churches in the ČR. He will no doubt talk about the Protestant heritage in the Czech Republic stretching back to Jan Hus and the early Bohemian Reformation. Pavel is a fluent English-speaker and anglophile & I do hope many of you will make time to come to hear him. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions & discussion.

Thursday 16th February: 12.30-14.00 – Žofín Garden Restaurant, Slovanský ostrov 226, Prague 1.

Our next Ethics at Lunchtime event held jointly with the British Chamber of Commerce in the ČR. Full details, (including an excellent menu!), can be found on the BCC website.  Speak with me on Sunday or drop me an email if you are planning to come. We will need final numbers by Tuesday for catering purposes.

Looking further ahead……

Wednesday 22nd February, 19.00 – Ash Wednesday Sung Eucharist with (voluntary) imposition of ashes

I will be the celebrant and our preacher will be Rev’d Dr Karen Moritz.

Sunday 18th March: Annual Church Meeting

In order to stand for election or to vote at the forthcoming Annual Church Meeting, you need to be a member of the Church Electoral Roll. From this coming Sunday, a copy of the Church Electoral Roll as it currently stands, will be on the noticeboard at the back of Church.

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 Sybille. 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 26th February 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.

Peter Morpuss is once again running the Prague Half-Marathon…….

……..and he is doing so to raise funds to support the work of St. Clement’s Church! He is therefore looking for sponsorship from members of the congregation. There is a sponsorship list on the noticeboard at the back of Church. Please sign up & support Peter in this venture. The race itself takes place on Saturday 31st March.

And finally for this week………

Please don’t forget the two big wheelie bins in which we are collecting clothing and food to support the work of the Armáda spásy / Salvation Army with the homeless in Prague. I would like to be able to ask them to come and collect two full bins next week. Do I really need to say anything more in view of the weather at present????

For the Clothing Bin we need hats, gloves, scarves, socks, shoes/boots and underwear for both men & women. On the outside of the bin there is, in both pictures and words, a clear indication of the items required & not required.

For the Food Bin we need tinned goods. Basically, any food item in a tin but NOT sauces, pasta, or other dried goods in packets or plastic bottles. Again, in pictures & words on the outside of the bin, there is a clear indication of what is & isn’t required.

Best wishes

Ricky

Dear People & Friends of St. Clements,

Today Friday 3rd February, my Church Book & Desk Diary reminds me that ‘Ordinary Time starts today‘. The Epiphany Season is over and Lent doesn’t begin this year until Wednesday 22nd February. But during this short ‘green season’, we still have our regular worship & activities going on so here are the details of what is happening……..

Between now and Ash Wednesday.

Sunday 5th February at 11.00 – Sung Eucharist for the Third Sunday before Lent.

There will be parallel Children’s Ministry and the service will be followed by Coffee Hour in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18.

Tuesday 7th February, 18.30 – 20.00 in the small meeting room on the first floor of Klimentská 18.

I will introduce a discussion addressing the question, ‘Christian concern for the environment – worship of the Creator or the created?‘ In other words, a consideration of ‘green’ issues from a Christian perspective.

Sunday 12th February at 11.00 – Family Eucharist for the Second Sunday before Lent.

No Children’s Ministry this Sunday but the service will try to be ‘family friendly’ and will be followed by Coffee Hour in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18.

Then at 18.00 Holy Communion in the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, Nové sady 32a, Brno.

I would welcome company from members of the Prague congregation to travel down & back with me by train to Brno for this service, particularly as the Brno studio of Czech TV want to interview me & film a report about Christian worship to be broadcast later in March.

Tuesday 14th February, 18.30 – 20.00 in the small meeting room on the first floor of Klimentská 18.

Rev’d Pavel Černy will speak & answer questions about the Church of the Brethren & other smaller Protestant Churches in the ČR.

Thursday 16th February, 12.30-14.00 – Žofín Garden Restaurant, Slovanský ostrov 226, Prague 1.

Our next Ethics at Lunchtime event held jointly with the British Chamber of Commerce in the ČR. Full details, (including an excellent menu!), can be found here

Sunday 19th February at 11.00 – Sung Eucharist for the Sunday next before Lent.

There will be parallel Children’s Ministry and the service will be followed by Coffee Hour in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18.

Wednesday 22nd February, 19.00 – Ash Wednesday Sung Eucharist with (voluntary) imposition of ashes

I will be the celebrant and our preacher will be Rev’d Dr Karen Moritz.

Four other important things……..

Congregational weekend away

Your Church Council is hoping to organise Congregational weekend away for later this year, probably in October but possibly earlier. The idea is to go to a residential venue in the Czech countryside from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. There would be a programme over the weekend of worship & teaching to strengthen our faith, together with some fun activities to get to know each other better & strengthen our fellowship.

To make this happen, we need to form a small planning group to find a suitable venue & start drafting a programme. Do you have ideas? Would you be interested in being involved? If so, please get in touch with me ASAP so we can begin to get the ball rolling.

Peter Morpuss is once again running the Prague Half-Marathon…….

……..and he is doing so to raise funds to support the work of St. Clement’s Church! He is therefore looking for sponsorship from members of the congregation. As he said in the notices last Sunday, he has put up a sponsorship list on the noticeboard at the back of Church. Please sign up & support Peter in this venture. The race itself takes place on Saturday 31st March.

Used stamps to support the work of ICS

Thank you to everybody who over the past few months has put their used postage stamps in the collecting envelope on the noticeboard at the back of Church. If you look at it this Sunday & wonder why it is empty, it is because, earlier this week, I sent them all off to the organiser in the UK.

A reminder that all you need to do is to cut your used stamps out carefully with about a 5mm border around them. Then place them in the collecting envelope. The only used stamps not required are standard British ones with just the Queen’s head which are worth very little because they are so common.

A reminder about what we are collecting at the back of Church to give practical support to the work of the Armáda spásy / Salvation Army with the homeless in Prague

For the Clothing Bin we need hats, gloves, scarves, socks, shoes/boots and underwear for both men & women. On the outside of the bin there is, in both pictures and words, a clear indication of the items required & not required.

For the Food Bin we need tinned goods. Basically, any food item in a tin but NOT sauces, pasta, or other dried goods in packets or plastic bottles. Again, in pictures & words on the outside of the bin, there is a clear indication of what is & isn’t required.

And finally for this week…..

I look forward to seeing many of you at worship on Sunday. However, do wrap yourselves up well as I suspect the Church building will be a little chilly. But I’m sure the fellowship will be warm!

Best wishes

Ricky

Dear People & Friends of St. Clements,

This coming Sunday is the fourth and last Sunday of the Epiphany season during which we have been reflecting on Jesus being ‘made manifest’ or ‘shown forth’. This Sunday, after two weeks of sojourning in the Gospel of John, we return to the Gospel of Mark with our Gospel Reading being Mark 1. 21-28. It describes the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in the synagogue in Capernaum & the response of the people to his new & authoritative teaching.

Therefore, please do join us on Sunday 29th January at 11.00 for our Sung Eucharist. David & Alison Hellam will once more be leading parallel Children’s Ministry and the service will be followed by Coffee Hour in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18. My thanks to Daniel Bathula who has kindly agreed to be our Coffee Host on Sunday whilst the ever-faithful Caroline Studdert is away this weekend.

The Epiphany season ends with the Feast of Presentation of Christ in the Temple, (or Candlemas as it is commonly known), on Thursday 2nd February, forty days after Christmas Day. We are going to celebrate the Feast of Presentation two days early on Tuesday 31st January between 6.30-8.00pm at our regular weekly study and fellowship meeting in the small meeting room on the first floor of Klimentská 18. We will have an informal service gathered around the table in a similar manner to what we did on All Saints Day last year. As usual on a Tuesday evening after our meeting, several of us will go on to a nearby bar-restaurant for a meal together. Do try and join us for one or both of these activities this coming Tuesday.

In the Church liturgical year, the period between the Feast of Presentation & the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday is known as Ordinary Time, often colloquially known as the Green Season after the liturgical colour that we use. The length of this period of Ordinary Time depends on the date of Easter. This year it lasts for twenty days and includes three Sundays.

Therefore, before Lent begins, as well as our regular Sung Eucharist at 11.00 each Sunday, there will two meetings on Tuesday evenings. I’m still trying to sort out a topic & speaker for Tuesday 7th February but on Tuesday 14th February, our speaker will be Rev’d Pavel Černy who will talk about his own Church of the Brethren & also about the other smaller Protestant Churches in the ČR.

Lent then begins the following week on 22nd February – Ash Wednesday. That evening there will be a Sung Eucharist with (voluntary) imposition of ashes in St. Clement’s Church beginning at 7.00pm. I will be the celebrant and our preacher will be Rev’d Dr Karen Moritz.

Lent is a period during which many Christians make particular space for study and prayer. There will be a Lent Course running on the first five Tuesday evenings of Lent, 28th February, 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th March & David Hellam is provisionally planning to run something on five Thursday evenings, 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd & 30th March. More details of both in next week’s message but in the mean time, see if you can make space and time to take advantage of one of these courses & thus deepen & strengthen your own faith during this coming Lent.

One other advance date to tell you about. The Annual Church Meeting will take place immediately following worship on Sunday 18th March.

Finally for this week, A reminder about what we are collecting to give practical support to the work of the Armáda spásy / Salvation Army with the homeless in Prague

For the Clothing Bin we need hats, gloves, scarves, socks, shoes/boots and underwear for both men & women. On the outside of the bin there is, in both pictures and words, a clear indication of the items required & not required.

For the Food Bin we need tinned goods. Basically, any food item in a tin but NOT sauces, pasta, or other dried goods in packets or plastic bottles. Again, in pictures & words on the outside of the bin, there is a clear indication of what is & isn’t required.

The clothing bin is getting quite full. The food bin less so. Please bring your contributions with you to worship this coming Sunday if at all possible.

Best wishes

Ricky

Dear People & Friends of St. Clements,

This will be a rather brief message this week & mainly a reminder of various things which I’ve written about previously. Next week, I plan to write at greater length with an outline of some of the events planned for the coming months, once a number of things have been finalised by your Church Council who are meeting this coming Sunday after Coffee Hour.

Firstly – worship this coming Sunday

Sunday 22nd January – Third Sunday of Epiphany – 11.00 am Sung Eucharist

As we continue through the Epiphany season, this Sunday we think about how Jesus was ‘made manifest’ or ‘shown forth’ with his first miracle or ‘sign’ as St. John calls it – by turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. The account can be found in John 2. 1-11 which is our Gospel reading. There should be parallel Children’s Ministry and the service will be followed by Coffee Hour in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18.

Monday 23rd January at 6.00pm

As part the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, there will be an Ecumenical Service in Kostel sv. Vojtěcha v Praze 6 – Dejvicích. The Church is part of the Catholic Theological Faculty and is located in a street called Kolejní. It is within walking distance of Dejvická Metro Station at the end of the Green Line. The nearest tram stop is Thákurova – Tram 20 or 26.

The service will be led by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Prague, Dominik Duka & the preacher will be Joel Ruml, Moderator of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren who is also Chair of the Czech Ecumenical Council. Bishop Geoffrey very much encourages the building of good ecumenical relations with the Churches of the countries where our English-speaking Anglican Chaplaincies are located & I feel it is important for St. Clement’s to be represented at this service.

Sybille & I are planning to go, along with Rev Dr Karen Moritz & it would be lovely to have some other St. Clement’s members to go with us. Karen did say to me that I ought to emphasise that the service will be in Czech. I’d taken that as read! Please let me know if you are interested in attending so we can all arrange to meet either at the tram or metro stop & walk together to the Church.

Because of this service on Monday, there will not be the usual evening meeting in Klimentská 18 on Tuesday 24th. We will resume on Tuesday 31st January.

An important reminder from our Church Treasurer Gordon Truefit

If you made financial donations to support St. Clement’s during 2011 by standing order, bank transfers or via dated, numbered envelopes and you are a Czech taxpayer, you are entitled to set your donation against the tax that you have paid as part of your annual tax return. To do this, you need a signed, stamped Tax Letter setting out how much you gave during the year. If you would like one of these, please email Gordon at truegordon1(at)volny(dot)cz and he will happily provide you with one.

A reminder about what we are collecting to give practical support to the work of the Armáda spásy / Salvation Army with the homeless in Prague

For the Clothing Bin we need hats, gloves, scarves, socks, shoes/boots and underwear for both men & women. On the outside of the bin there is, in both pictures and words, a clear indication of the items required & not required.

For the Food Bin we need tinned goods. Basically, any food item in a tin but NOT sauces, pasta, or other dried goods in packets or plastic bottles. Again, in pictures & words on the outside of the bin, there is a clear indication of what is & isn’t required.

The clothing bin is getting quite full. The food bin less so. Please bring your contributions with you to worship this coming Sunday if at all possible.

I said I’d keep it brief! Hoping to see many of you on Sunday at 11.00 am.

Best wishes

Ricky

Dear People & Friends of St. Clements,

This week’s Weekly Message contains:

An important message from our Treasurer

Exact details of what we are collecting to provide practical help to the homeless

The programme for this coming Sunday & the following week

Advance notice of an important Ecumenical Service to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

An important message from our Treasurer regarding 2011 Stewardship Envelopes

Gordon writes: “I have the details of those of you who donated in 2011 using envelope numbers:- 2, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 40, 43, 44, 50, 52, 54, and 60; and also those who put their name(s) or initials on other envelopes. However; if you donated in 2011 using unmarked envelope(s) other than these, even just once; please email me at truegordon1(at)volny(dot)cz and let me know the envelope number(s) you used, by the end of January 2012; after which I will have to transfer the amount of any unidentified envelope donations to the `general collection` in order to submit the required tax return for the Chaplaincy.

Also: if you require a `Tax letter` confirming the total amount you donated in 2011 by; envelope or/and bank transfer or/and PayPal; please email me at truegordon1(at)volny(dot)cz “

Exact details of what we are collecting to provide practical help to the homeless

As you will know from my first Weekly Message of this new year, we now have two big red wheelie bins in Church in which we have started collecting items that will be used to both clothe and feed the homeless in Prague. A number of people were caught out last Sunday, by bringing things that are NOT required. Please read the following two short paragraphs carefully!

For the Clothing Bin we need hats, gloves, scarves, socks, shoes/boots and underwear for both men & women. On the outside of the bin there is, in both pictures and words, a clear indication of the items required & not required.

For the Food Bin we need tinned goods. Basically, any food item in a tin but NOT sauces, pasta, or other dried goods in packets or plastic bottles. Again, in pictures & words on the outside of the bin, there is a clear indication of what is & isn’t required.

When full, these bins will be collected by the Armáda spásy / Salvation Army and the contents used to help in their work with the homeless in Prague. The bins will be out at the back of Church this Sunday & each Sunday following. Here is a very practical way that we can show some form of social concern for the most vulnerable members of the society in which we live.

The programme for this coming Sunday & the following week

Sunday 15th January – Second Sunday of Epiphany – 11.00 am Sung Eucharist

Our Bible readings on this coming Sunday speak of God’s call upon our lives to both follow and serve him. Our Old Testament reading is 1 Samuel 3. 1-10 which tells of the call of Samuel. Our Gospel reading is John 1. 43-51 which describes the call by Jesus to Philip and Nathanael to follow him & be his disciples. In between, we shall hear and respond to part of Psalm 139.

The service will also include the baptism of Daniel Eze Ajaefobi, the son of Joshua Ajaefobi & Renata Chottová. There will be parallel Children’s Ministry and the service will be followed by Coffee Hour in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18.

Tuesday 17th January, 6.30-8.00pm in the small meeting room on the first floor of Klimentská 18.

Alexandr Flek, the Chairman of the Czech publisher Biblion will speak about the production of Bible 21, a modern Czech translation of the Bible & about all the issues that surround translating the original Hebrew and Greek texts into another language. Saša (as he likes to be known), is a very fluent English-speaker and a most interesting character to listen to. As always, there will be plenty of opportunity for discussion & questions.

Advance notice of an important Ecumenical Service to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Around the world, the period between 18th – 25th January is kept as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The main service in Prague to mark this important week will be on Monday 23rd January at 6.00pm in Kostel sv. Vojtěcha v Praze 6 – Dejvicích. The Church is part of the Catholic Theological Faculty and is located in a street called Kolejní. It is within walking distance of Dejvická Metro Station at the end of the Green Line. The nearest tram stop is Thákurova – Tram 20 or 26.

The service will be led by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Prague, Dominik Duka & the preacher will be Joel Ruml, Moderator of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren & also Chair of the Czech Ecumenical Council. Sybille & I are planning to go, along with Rev Dr Karen Moritz. It would be lovely to have some other St. Clement’s members to go with us. Please let me know if you are interested in attending so we can all arrange to meet either at the tram or metro stop & walk together to the Church.

Two other brief reminders, both of which were in last week’s ‘Weekly Message’.

If you still have any unsold St. Clement’s Christmas Cards, or the proceeds from ones that you’ve sold, please bring the cards &/or cash to Church and pass to Steve Entwistle ASAP!

Don’t forget your used postage stamps from the cards & parcels you received this Christmas. Also bring them to Church & place them in the collecting envelope on the noticeboard at the back of the building to help raise funds for the Intercontinental Church Society who have supported St. Clement’s both financially & prayerfully since 2000.

Hoping to see many of you on Sunday at 11.00 am.

Best wishes

Ricky

Dear People & Friends of St. Clements,

Happy New Year!

And may I also say, “Welcome back!” to the many of you who have been away over the Christmas & New Year period and either have arrived back in Prague or will be doing so this coming weekend.

Our services at St. Clement’s on Christmas Day & New Year’s Day could not have been more contrasting. On Christmas Day morning, we had an amazing congregation of about 110 people of whom only 20% were regular members of St. Clement’s. All the rest were visitors. Nearly all of them found us via our website which in the week before Christmas received 194 hits!

In contrast, on New Year’s Day morning. we had a congregation just of 27 people of whom only 3 were visitors.

As many of you will already know, the New Year weekend was also a very difficult one for Sybille & myself, culminating in our decision on Monday 2nd January, to have our dog Sam put to sleep because of him having developed some serious form of neurological disorder which would be impossible to treat or to find any cure. We are both most grateful for the prayers offered & the many message of support that we have received during this past week. I think we have replied individually to most people who have been in touch but may I also take this opportunity to say a collective “Thank you!” via this message.

Looking ahead to the coming week……

Sunday 8th January – First Sunday of Epiphany – 11.00 am Sung Eucharist

As the Church lectionary & calendar allow us to do, we shall be celebrating the Epiphany, the ‘manifestion’ or ‘showing forth’ of Jesus to the Gentiles, represented by the Wise Men as recorded in Matthew 2. 1-12. Of course officially, that celebration should be today 6th January, but as today is not a public holiday in the Czech Republic, I doubt if many of you would make it to a service even if I did try to hold one! There will be parallel Children’s Ministry and the service will be followed by Coffee Hour in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18.

Then on Sunday evening, I will be in Brno for the first of our regular monthly evening services there. I will once more celebrate Holy Communion at 6.00 pm in the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, Nové sady 32a, Brno. I would value your continued prayers for this venture as we seek to establish a satellite congregation in the second city of the Czech Republic. I’m most grateful to Jack Noonan who is going to accompany me down & back on the train & lead the intercessions. If anyone else wants to come then they are of course most welcome to do so. And if you have any English-speaking friends in the Brno area, please tell them about it. See our Brno webpage

Tuesday 10th January

As promised, our regular Midweek Fellowship & Discussion Group resumes on Tuesday evening. 6.30-8.00pm in the small meeting room on the first floor of Klimentská 18. Our first topic will be “The Devil Made Me Do It: Evil in the Life of Faith.” The evening will be led by Rev’d Dr Karen Moritz and as usual, there will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion of this interesting & sometimes perplexing issue.

Advance notice that on the following Tuesday 17th January, we will have a visiting speaker, Alexandr Flek, the Chairman of the Czech publisher Biblion. He will speak about the production of Bible 21, a modern Czech translation of the Bible & about all the issues that surround translating the original Hebrew and Greek texts into another language.

Three other things……

Christmas Cards – Thank you to everybody who bought our English-language Christmas cards to raise funds to support St. Clements. If you took Christmas cards to sell, please can you bring the proceeds to Church, together with any unsold packs of cards, and pass all to Steve Entwistle. If at all possible, please try and do this on this coming Sunday.

Practical help for the homeless – We now have two big red wheelie bins in Church in which we want to start collecting items that will be used to both clothe and feed the homeless in Prague.

For the Clothing Bin we need hats, gloves, scarves, socks, shoes/boots and underwear for both men & women. On the outside of the bin there is, in both pictures and words, a clear indication of the items required & not required. Of course the writing is in Czech, which means that I now know that spodní prádlo means ‘underwear’!

For the Food Bin we need tinned goods. Basically, any food item in a tin but NOT sauces, pasta, or other dried goods in packets or plastic bottles. Again, in pictures & words on the outside of the bin, there is a clear indication of what is & isn’t required.

When full, these bins will be collected by the Armáda spásy / Salvation Army and the contents used to help in their work with the homeless in Prague. The bins will be out at the back of Church this Sunday & each Sunday following. Here is a very practical way that we can show some form of social concern for the most vulnerable members of the society in which we live.

Supporting ICS who in turn support us – Don’t forget to save all the used postage stamps from the cards & parcels you received this Christmas. Cut them out carefully with about a 5mm border around the stamp. Then place them in the collecting envelope on the noticeboard at the back of Church. They will be forwarded by me to the UK where they will be sold to raise money for the Intercontinental Church Society who have supported St. Clement’s both financially & prayerfully since 2000. The only used stamps not required are standard British ones with just the Queen’s head which are worth very little because they are so common.

And a final note of thanks…..

……to everyone who used our Amazon link either on my Weekly Messages or via our website. At the end of December, we received our first payment of GBP 31.09 which at current exchange rates is about CZK 930. Not a great sum but it is money we otherwise wouldn’t have received. So please do continue to use the link if you are ordering anything from Amazon. Always first use the link before starting to put items into your ‘shopping cart’.

That’s more than enough for my first Weekly Message of 2012.

Best wishes

Ricky

Dear People & Friends of St. Clements,

I’m writing this at the same time as the funeral service for former President Václav Havel is taking place in St. Vitus Cathedral within the walls of Prague Castle. His death, which many of us first heard about just as we were leaving Coffee Hour last Sunday, has cast a sombre mood across this city, despite the presence of Christmas, trees, lights & markets in every square. It has also put this small central European country at the forefront of world news – the death of Václav Havel was the leading news story on the BBC News website last Sunday evening, the first time that I can remember in over three years of living & working here that the Czech Republic has been so featured.

A number of people have asked how we got on in Brno last Sunday evening where we held a Service of Lessons & Carols in the appropriately named Bethlehem Chapel. I have written a report with a couple of photos on my blog which can be found here. A big thank you to Larry, Celieta, David, Karen & Gordon who came with me & contributed to the service in many different ways. We had a congregation of about 30 which while relatively small still made a joyful noise singing carols and there were many expressions of appreciation for the service afterwards. We will be starting regular worship in Brno once a month on Sunday evenings, commencing on Sunday 8th January 2012. Full details are on the new Brno page of our website

My main purpose in writing is to remind all of you who are still in Prague this coming weekend, of our two services, the first on Christmas Eve & the second on Christmas Day.

Saturday 24th December – Christmas Eve at 23.30 Midnight Eucharist with Christmas Carols.

Sunday 25th December – Christmas Day at 11.00 Family Eucharist with Christmas Carols.

This service will be particularly suitable for families with children. Although it is a Sunday, there will not be Coffee Hour following the service as I’m sure everyone will want to get home for lunch!

I shall be taking the inside of the week following Christmas Day as Annual Leave as I am actively encouraged to do under Diocese in Europe guidelines. But Sybille & I will be around in Prague so if there is a pastoral emergency, please do get in touch using the contact detailson the home page of this website. Likewise, if anyone is in Prague & is interested in meeting up socially, please also get in touch or speak with me at one of the two Christmas services.

And then a reminder that as Christmas Day is a Sunday, then New Year’s Day must also be a Sunday!

New Year’s Day – Sunday 1st January 2012 at 11.00 – Sung Eucharist for the First Sunday of Christmas.

There will not be Children’s Ministry, (which will resume on Sunday 8th January), but there will be Coffee Hour following the service in the hall on the third floor of Klimentská 18.

Two other reminders

Don’t forget to save all the used postage stamps from the cards & parcels you receive this Christmas. Cut them out carefully with about a 5mm border around the stamp. Then place them in the collecting envelope on the noticeboard at the back of Church. They will be forwarded by me to the UK where they will be sold to raise money for the Intercontinental Church Society who have supported St. Clement’s both financially & prayerfully since 2000. The only used stamps not required are standard British ones with just the Queen’s head which are worth very little because they are so common.

The new ICS News & Prayer Diary Jan-March 2012 arrived in the post this week & free copies will be available at the back of Church from this coming weekend.

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas & a peaceful New Year

Ricky