Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Church of England on a splendid wedding which apparently 2 billion people are said to have watched.
In case you wish to ponder more on the articulate and warmn address by the Bishop of London, the The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dr Richard Chartres, it is up on the
Diocese of London website.
We wish the married couple a long and happy marriage.
Both dresses were beautiful!
Please click here for the list of services for May and June.
During the Vacancy Period the church is being served by locum chaplains. Currently our locum is Canon Paul Rose. The next locum will be The Very Revd Dr John Arnold from May 22nd – 5th June. The locum chaplains provide the full ministry as chaplain and are available for pastoral matters.
Interviews for the position of Chaplain are due to take place 10th May – please pray for Renu and Stuart who are representing the Chaplaincy Council in this important decision. There has been a pleasing response to the advertisement with apparently many good candidates. This website has had just under 150 referrals from the job vacancy section of the Church of England website, that of the Church Times and Diocese in Europe. We seem to have given a good account of ourselves, thanks to the hard work of many people – not least the churchwardens who have had to shoulder a huge burden. Keep up the good work.
On Friday HRH Prince William and Ms Kate Middleton will do what many millions do – get married the Anglican way – except their wedding is just a bit more public than most.
The media frenzy is in full swing, but perhaps this short
webcast reflection by the Archbishop of Canterbury helps to put it all in context.
Prayer for the Royal Wedding from Church of England website
God of all grace,
friend and companion,
look in favour on William and Catherine
and all who are made one in marriage.
In your love deepen their love
and strengthen their wills
to keep the promises they will make,
that they may continue
in life-long faithfulness to each other;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
In his Easter sermon preached at Canterbury Cathedral, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, spoke on the theme of joy, and the capacity to be surprised by it. He makes the point that ultimately, joy is about discovering that the world is more than you ever suspected, and so that you yourself are more than you suspected.
Click here for the full text.
You might like to note that the Archbishop's website has been redesigned – now better than ever.
The Easter Eucharist is at 10:30 am this Sunday. Please do come along and join in the celebration.
On Easter Monday there will be a ecumenical celebration of Easter Vespers at the St Michaelis Church at 18:00 featuring the choir of the Ghana Catholic Mission in Hamburg.
Bishop Geoffrey's Easter Message has been posted on the Diocese in Europe website. It looks at the context and meaning of this celebration.
Episcopalians might like also to note the Easter Message from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori link here .
Wishing all readers of this website a very Happy and Blessed Easter!
At this year's Maundy Thursday ceremony it is the turn of the Diocese in Europe to provide the star guests, namely 40 individuals selected for their service to the church, who will receive the traditional Maundy purses from HM the Queen. And among the 40 is our own Rosie Curran.
The event can be viewed live on BBC 1 – for further details see the Diocese in Europe website.
Congratulations and all good wishes Rosie!
Click here for BBC News online report.
Following the mood changes of Holy Week through the different services can be a very moving experience and makes the Easter Day service more meaningful
Sunday 17th April on Palm Sunday the Eucharist re-enacts the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey.
Maundy Thursday on 21st April commemorates Jesus washing his disciplines feet and then eating his Last Supper with them before he prepares to face betrayal, trial and death. The service is followed by a vigil – a quiet time to reflect on the meaning of it all.
The Good Friday service has no Communion. We try through the liturgy of the day to share the sense of loss and abandonment.
On Holy Saturday 23rd April prayers are offered on the Day of Waiting, and the church is prepared for Easter Day, a celebration of a festival of light, an occasion to renew our Baptismal Vows and give thanks for Life!
Service times are to be found on the “Services” Page.
The church AGM was held after a delightful Mothering Sunday Eucharist on Sunday 3 April.
Reports were given on the various activities and groups. The electoral roll has rolled above the 100 mark – 17% increase on last year! The Church Wardens, Deborah Ockert and Renu Roy, were re-elected unopposed – given the amount of work that needs to be put in for the vacancy period it is wonderful that they have agreed to continue. The six Church Council positions were filled without opposition: Peter Alexander, Stuart Cooke, Matilda Hammond, Christopher Sacra, Emmanuel Saarkodie and Wendy Sprock. Karen Berquist-Lüth, Birte Fischer, Harriet Sasse were elected as lay delegates for the CAECG – one more than last year thanks to the expansion of the electoral roll.
We wish the new team and all those who give their time and service to enable the church to function as a community, and not just on Sunday mornings, all the best for the coming year of office.
Last Sunday, we said farewell to Bishop Rupert and his wife Gesine. Once again we have reason to be so very grateful for the ministry of a locum chaplain. The Mothering Sunday children's talk will be long remembered by adults and children alike!
Now this Sunday in time for commencement of Holy Week we welcome, Canon Paul Rose who will take the services for the Sundays up to 2 May. We extend a very warm welcome!
The March edition of the Newsletter from the Diocese of Jerusalem is available here.
This edition contains reports on a busy schedule of visits and meetings in this troubled part of the world.