Dear People & Friends of St. Clement’s,
Last Sunday morning, a member of the congregation informed me that he hadn’t received my ‘Weekly Message’ for the previous two weeks & thought I’d missed him off my circulation list. I was able to reassure him that the reason he hadn’t received a ‘Weekly Message’ from me was because I hadn’t sent one out! But it was certainly nice to be missed :-)
Because we are currently in ‘summer mode’, there is far less going on to tell people about, hence the absence of ‘messages’ since the last one I sent out on 19th July. And there won’t be one next week for reasons I’ll explain shortly. But after that, normal service will be resumed on Friday 23rd August. However, let me first update you about what is happening in the coming days.
Sunday 11th August at 11.00 – Sung Eucharist for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity
Whilst the sermon isn’t yet completed, I shall be focussing on the second reading set for this Sunday, which comes from Hebrews 11, a great chapter all about faith. Cool drinks and light refreshments will be served at the back of Church, following our worship.
As it is the second Sunday in the month, I shall then be off to Brno for our regular monthly evening service of Holy Communion with hymns, held in the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, Nové sady 32a, Brno, starting at 18.00. If you have friends or family in Brno, do tell them about the service. Full details of how to find the Church can be found on our website here
Then once I return from Brno, late on Sunday evening, I am going to take next week as annual leave. Whilst I will be staying in Prague, I intend to dedicate the week to doing a major piece of writing & want to be as undisturbed as possible. Therefore emails will get an ‘out of office automated reply’ – rather like some I receive from some of you when I send out this message :-) If there is a real pastoral emergency, please phone or text my mobile.
Then on Sunday 18th August at 11.00 – there will be a Sung Eucharist, at which I will celebrate but the preacher will be Jack Noonan. I’m most grateful to Jack for agreeing to preach on this Sunday meaning sermon preparation doesn’t need to intrude on my annual leave! I’ve already drafted the Weekly Bulletin for that Sunday.
Two requests
Regular Tuesday Evening meetings for Study & Fellowship, will resume early in September. Some of our best sessions during the previous twelve months, were on topics that were suggested by those attending – they addressed issues, books of the Bible, that were of interest or concern to congregational members. Therefore I ask – Do you have a topic or issue you would like tackled this coming Autumn? If you do, please let me know ASAP!
We are still collecting tinned food to support the work of the Salvation Army with the homeless in Prague. It would be nice to hear a few clunks with tins being put into the wheelie bin. But we currently DO NOT have the wheelie bin for collecting winter clothes. That will return, probably sometime in September, and when it does, I shall announce it via this message & in Church. In the past few weeks, several bags of clothing & other items, including an electric fan!, have been dumped beside the tinned food wheelie bin in the porch at the west end of the Church. Please remember that the Church building is NOT ours & we cannot use it as a dumping ground! Please only bring what I ask for via this message, and only when we have the facility to store it.
Hoping to see many of you, especially those returning to Prague after time away, this Sunday or the following one
Best wishes
Ricky
