Dear All,
As many of you already know, Father Pete with the support of his wife Penny live streamed the Eucharist on our Facebook page this morning. A recording is now also available on YouTube here:
Father Pete has also separately recorded the Gospel and his sermon again, to be found here:
We would like to thank him wholeheartedly for bringing the church into our homes during these difficult times.
Dear all,
in lieu of our regular Sunday service our locum priest, Father Pete, has prepared a recording of today’s Gospel and his sermon for you to listen to online.
The video is embedded below and can also be found here.
If you are feeling anxious or are in isolation and need to talk to someone, please get in touch with the locum chaplain Fr Pete Wright or if you prefer to speak German, either of the churchwardens Susanne Hergoss or Madeleine Resühr. They are supported by a team of volunteers who are available for a chat.
All three are available by email through chaplain (at) anglican-church-hamburg.de and Father Pete can be reached at the chaplain’s flat by phone at 040 4392334.
Please find further phone numbers on our contact page:
Dear All,
Public health information from Hamburg’s health ministry in English can be found on
https://www.hamburg.com/residents/settle/health/13702364/coronavirus/
Unfortunately the daily press release updates are only available in German.
There is a telephone hotline set up with the following number: 428 284 000.
If you suspect you have been infected with COVID-19, call 116 117.
As Bishop David Hamid did in his blog, we would also like to share this prayer with you that the Jesuits in the US have circled:
Jesus Christ, you travelled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.” At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love.
Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care.
Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbours from helping one another.
Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders.Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.
Be with those who have died from the virus. May they be at rest with you in your eternal peace.
Be with the families of those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair. May they know your peace.
Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know your protection and peace.
Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks. May they know your peace, as they work together to achieve it on earth.
Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, Jesus Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare. In place of our anxiety, give us your peace.
Jesus Christ, heal us.
Dear All,
following the decision of the Nordkirche and the Erzbistum Hamburg we (churchwardens Dr. Madeleine Resühr and Susanne Hergoss) decided to follow this decision. So there will be no services or any other programmes in our church for the time to come. If there will be a decision later on to open the church again, we will let you know as soon as possible. We are very sorry for this sad news, but there is no other way to keep us safe.
Dr. Madeleine Resühr and Susanne Hergoss
Churchwardens
Englisch Bischöfliche Gemeinde St. Thomas à Becket
Church of England
Zeughausmarkt 22
20459 Hamburg
Thank you to all of you who so generously donated to the funeral appeal for Sammy Quaye, Uncle Sammy. We raised a substantial amount, more than we thought possible, which will be a big help to Sammy Junior and the family and meant that Sammy could be given the funeral and the farewell he deserved.
The response to the appeal, from members of the present congregation, former members and friends of the church, was really heart-warming and a wonderful example of the solidarity and community spirit which marks our church. And it emphasises the fact that everybody who knew Sammy held him in high esteem.
In fact, the funeral director told us that he was extremely impressed and moved by how the church community had rallied round to help in a time of need. He said he had never come across anything like it before in any other church. We can be proud of our close and inclusive community.
Sammy Jr and his family are overwhelmed and deeply appreciate your generous help.
On 17 th October our chaplain, Canon Dr. Leslie Nathaniel, was licensed as Archdeacon of the East, Germany and Northern Europe by the Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, The Rt Revd Dr Robert Innes.
The ceremony was held in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Brussels during the concluding Eucharist to the annual Bishop’s Council for which members from around the Diocese had gathered.
Father Leslie takes up his new responsibilities with immediate effect.
There will be an opportunity to bid him farewell on Sunday, November 17. He will be the celebrant and preacher at this Eucharist at 10.30 in our English Church, St Thomas à Becket. We hope many friends will be able to be present.
We will miss Father Leslie, but pray for God’s rich blessings on this challenging ministry.
Never have I left a position with more sadness than leaving St.
Thomas à Becket. Julie, my wife, feels the same way.
I went through much soul-searching before deciding to apply for the role of Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe as well as the East. I have done so at the encouragement from persons I respect, and because I felt called to offer my particular international and ecumenical experiences of working for the church to the wider Diocese in Europe. Things happened very quickly between the advertisement of the post and the interviews, the outcome of which was anything but a foregone conclusion. I received the formal confirmation on 2nd September and on 12th the Diocese announced it on its website.
This offers me the opportunity to say how much our community has come to mean to me. As your chaplain I regard you as my extended family with all the joys and sorrows, the ups and downs, the celebrations and the struggles that close and committed relationships involve. Through my ministry here in this great city of Hamburg, and our very special church community, I have learned a good deal more which, no doubt, will inform my future ministry as archdeacon. In this role I look forward to keeping in touch.
Let us take forward the work and witness of our Englische Kirche in Hamburg during the remaining weeks before my departure. I am assured that there are so many of you who will be continuing your engagement in this spirit after I leave as your chaplain. May the next incumbent experience the same excitement and challenge in taking up his or her role among you as I did.
You remain in our prayers. God bless you all.
Leslie Nathaniel
Our Chaplain, Revd Canon Dr Leslie Nathaniel, has been invited to take up the post of Archdeacon of the East, Germany and Northern Europe, which means that he will be leaving St Thomas à Becket this autumn. Father Leslie is a man of many talents, with the knowledge and competence the Archdeacon must have. He speaks several languages and has wide experience in ecumenical matters, developing close relations with the Nordic churches, the Old Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Roman Catholic Church while serving as the International Ecumenical Secretary at Lambeth Palace and European Secretary at Church House, London. He knows the German context particularly well as he is a member of the Council of Anglican and Episcopal Churches in Germany.
Thus, although we are very sad to be losing him as Chaplain, we welcome him as Archdeacon and know that we will be able to turn to him for help and advice in the future. Fr Leslie has stressed that he has been greatly enriched by our vibrant congregation and the wide ecumenical relationships that we enjoy in Hamburg. So let us congratulate him, wish him all the very best in his new role and continue in the spirit of outreach, inclusion, growth, stability and joy which has marked his time with us.
Wearing his Archdeacon’s hat, Fr Leslie will be with us for the bazaar on 16th November and his farewell service will be on Sunday, November, 17th.
An article by the Diocese in Europe on the appointment can be found here.
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
From 20th of this month I start my short summer break in our South German home. Many of you have returned from your holidays and the children are back at school. I trust that this summer has brought to you all refreshment and much joy of meeting loved ones and friends, experience of new places or revisiting old haunts. And even if you remained in Hamburg may you look forward to the time ahead with fresh confidence.
Last Sunday, 18th August, the New Testament reading was the paradigmatic 11th chapter on faith in the Letter to the Hebrews. What a panorama of individuals who placed their faith in God the writer of this letter sets out from the earliest times of biblical history! The author refers to them as ‘such a cloud of witnesses’ which surrounds other people of faith, and that includes us today.
The stories go back to the earliest figures in the Book of Genesis, to Abel and Enoch and Noah. Then we have the testimony of victory and freedom. By faith Moses leads the people through the Red Sea. This is followed by Joshua fighting the battle of Jericho and bringing down its walls. These are stories where the ‘good’ triumphs over the bad and there are losses only among the’ bad’ people.
The chapter, however, becomes difficult as we read along. From the accomplishments of triumphant stars the reader is suddenly confronted with grim situations. Reward to the ‘good’ and punishment to the ‘bad’ is not so equitably distributed. These stories seem to tally better with our own experience, just as the distinctions between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ become more indistinct.
Friends, the letter to the Hebrews is telling us that our faith journey is part of the bigger, complex picture. Our individual faith story is not just for ourselves; it follows on and links in with the faith stories of people down the ages and across the world.
The letter to the Hebrews reminds us that each one of us is part of the bigger picture and, like all the heroes of the past as well as all those whom history has not lifted above the mainstream, our faith is connected in, is vital to the body of the whole. Or to take the picture of a relay race, ours may be a place somewhere in the middle where no great achievement is noted, yet we are an essential runner in the big race.
Dear friends, we may be just one participant, but we are of significance. Our task is to run to the best of our ability, persevere and then carefully and safely pass on the baton. I am aware that in St. Thomas à Becket we have entered a phase when quite a lot of baton-changing is in the offing.
A lot has happened over the past months of this year in our church. Our Annual General Meeting was conducted in good spirit and elected a Council that has experience, youth and diversity. We can be thankful for God’s enduring mercies to us and for our church community whose members give of their precious time and energy, so contributing towards making our church a friendly and welcoming church for the glory of God. The 180th anniversary of our church, for which so much well-spent, creative effort was invested, is behind us and we are the richer for all we discovered, put together and experienced in connection with this commemoration. With these reminders of our church’s memorable story, we are now already into the eighth month of the year 2019 and there is more to report.
The newly elected Chaplaincy Council met on 1st June for an Away Day and there was general agreement that this was a worthwhile experience. Many ideas were shared, matters to be taken forward and given priority discussed and listed. These include encouraging and equipping the youth and younger people to volunteer for tasks in the church, to build a younger team of apprentices for the various bazaar stalls and to get to know each other better. One idea that I have begun to implement is to mention the names of those who come forward for their birthday blessing and the birthday song.
We also decided to retain the name of the church as St Thomas à Becket and to use this name whenever the church is referred to or mentioned, since this was the name our church was given at its dedication and it is the legally correct name. The Bishops of the Diocese in Europe, the Chaplain’s licence, all diocesan faculties, our bank account and the constitution only use this name.
Our most recent Chaplaincy Council met on 7th August and made a number of key decisions concerning the future. It put in place a plan of succession with a number of fresh personalities for those who after running the race so successfully are now passing on the baton to others. As some of you will have witnessed on Sunday, the leader of our Junior Church passed on the baton to her successor safely or in safe mode. This, as with the other changes, was not a sprint to win, but a relay race, a team effort, so that the next person can carry the baton confidently. We win the race together. This outlook is indeed the something better that the letter to the Hebrews is talking about. No one is left out; those who have contributed enormously in the past and those doing tasks now and in the future all continue to be part of the strong narrative. It is together that we are stronger; it is together that we can make an impact. The whole story of faith is the key, not just our story.
One of our congregation members, in keeping with a calling for full-time ministry, will be going through a process of discernment and then training and study in the Church of England on the way towards full-time ministry as priest.
Three of our congregation members will be doing the formal reader’s ministry training in the Church of England. The Church of England sees this particular formal training as a necessity for all those who wish to take some responsibility in an official capacity as readers in parishes. The course also involves being immersed into what Anglicanism is all about.
Church expansion: The Council approved this project at its meeting on 7th August. In the meantime most of you will have seen the impressive selection of plan’s and artist’s impressions of our church as it would look following a planned expansion of the space under the roof, i.e. its third floor. This would include the installation of a lift at the west end, the essential gap at first floor level being created by removal of large organ bellows, long out of service. The plans have been prepared by our church architect, Alk Friedriksen, entirely pro bono in long months of consultation. This project will require a separate scheme of fund-raising and will not draw on regular giving.
The extra storey would be lit by crescent-style E, S and W windows attuned to similar features in nearby buildings (Even without the project, the current roof-level windows would need to be replaced. They are in poor condition). The congregation would benefit from a central open space of 82 square metres, four compartments of eleven square metres each plus other smaller ones. I see such a development as fulfilment of STàB’s urgent requirement for non-sacral space but even more so, as the embodiment of the encouraging momentum so vividly evident just now in its congregation. The work is subject to approval from the Denkmalschutzamt, and could be completed in about a year’s time, once funding has been secured.
The Council also unanimously approved that the Chair and Vice-Chair would work together on fund-raising initiatives for the project, both short- and long-term and that the wardens would be the point of contact for all matters associated with the project. Expertise could be drawn on as and when needed.
Currently all the drawings, consultations with structural engineers etc. have not cost the church anything. There may be need to use some of the funds available in the fabric account to fine tune and get approvals. For the project itself a separate scheme of finance will be prepared with funding from other sources. This was also unanimously approved by the Council.
I am grateful to all congregation members who engaged with this project on Sunday. Please continue to discuss, keep this matter in your prayers and let us look forward with excitement to further developments in faith.
Finally, regarding the finances the Council affirmed that expanding the donor base was an ongoing task. Some steps in this connection have already been put in place. Council also affirmed the current stability of the finances with grateful thanks also to the many co-workers who may not be able to contribute financially but do still contribute through their time and free services, thereby reducing costs.
Let me now close this letter in Pentecostal mode:
What the Apostles – gathered in an upper room, uncertain and anxious about the future after their Lord had left them – experienced and were overcome by, was an inexplicable transforming energy and power. Like a fresh wind it swept over them. It fired them up. A new spirit entered their lives. No longer can they hold back; no longer are they tongue-tied and timid, they find their voice and take courage. Where they had feared being misunderstood and not being able to communicate, they find the message about Jesus, their Lord, spilling out from them and it being listened to and understood by complete strangers and those who spoke completely different languages. It was suddenly a message to the world at large and for all time. The event of the Pentecost and St. Peter’s sermon resulted in three thousand people becoming believers and being baptized. And so, the first Church was founded as the Body of Christ, and it changed the course of humanity.
Today, over two thousand years later, Christians around the world, including us here in Hamburg, still gather in His name. In many parts of our globe such gatherings are as hazardous as they were in the early church. We in our part of the world are fortunate that we can meet in freedom and need fear no reprisals for living our faith. May we not take this for granted; instead may we wait on God’s Spirit to inspire us and move us forward, celebrating our differences as a way towards genuine inclusion and being witnesses to the good news in our very own neighbourhoods. Our agenda is on the move. As we continue to grow and mature in our faith, and contribute towards building the church, let us remind ourselves that we are a pilgrim people and live to be renewed and fostered spiritually every day by the Holy Spirit.
And in the spirit of the letter to the Hebrews: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
Leslie Nathaniel August 2019