Author: Jo Dawes

Saturday 11 July sees the Church Wanderers' traditional summer picnic and stroll in the Stadtpark. Meeting point is the S-Bahnhof Klein Flottbek (Botanischer Garten), on the platform at 11:20. Take the S1 (Wedel) which leaves the Hauptbahnhof at 10:59. For those joining in Altona, the train leaves there at 11:11. Please bring a picnic lunch and something to sit on. Please let Nicki Schiller know if you are coming by Friday 10 July at 10 pm (Landline 04104 695537; mobile 0176 30393063 or Nicki.Schiller (at) gmx.de.)

Don't forget, tommorrow (4 July) is the flea market at St Thomas Becket, from 10 am to 4 pm. There will be bric-a-brac, clothes, jewellery, sports items, second-hand English books, DVDs/videos/CDs/records, a Fair Trade stall, plus hot and cold drinks and local and Indian food. Don't miss it!

The church was packed on 28 June to give our departing chaplain, Revd Matthew Jones, a warm send-off. Our prayers go with him as he returns to Australia to become Rector of the parish of Ballina, within the Diocese of Grafton. Meanwhile in Hamburg locums are already lined up into the New Year to take Sunday services and, in many cases, fulfil the chaplain's other duties. Our next service, on Sunday 5 July at 10.30 am, is a family service and will be taken by Revd Christopher Jage Bowler from St George's Anglican Church, Berlin.

The next edition of our parish magazine, Becket News, will be published at the end of July. Please send your articles, reports of events, news, photographs with short text, announcements, thoughts, etc, etc, to becketnews (at) dawescom.de (note new address) by 18 July.

This year's Diocesan Synod was held in Cologne. You can find a summary, including links to plenty of online resources, on the diocesan website.

Just a reminder that next Sunday, 14 June, is the MOGO, or Hamburger Mottorrad-Gottesdienst, at our next-door neighbours', the Michel. If you're not joining in on your own motor bike, you might consider leaving your vehicle at home and coming to church by public transport.

The next Church Wanderers walk, on Saturday 13 June, starts in Sankt Peter-Ording and will be led by Marion and Jo Dawes. The full-length walk is about 13 km and runs through coastal pine woods, saltmarsh, sand dunes and along the huge beach, but there are several opportunities to cut the walk short and get the bus. There'll be a picnic lunch along the way and time for an ice cream in Bad St Peter before finishing in St Peter-Dorf, with its thatched houses and cafés. From there it’s a short bus ride to Bad St Peter Süd station, where trains home leave at 18:36, 19:36 and 20:36 (change at Husum).

Please bring a picnic lunch, plenty of water, a sun hat and sun screen, plus 3 euros in change to buy a “Gästekarte”, which also includes free travel on the local bus. Please be at Altona main station outside the Reise Zentrum at 8:20 at the latest to buy Schleswig-Holstein tickets together and catch the 8:40 NOB train (direction Westerland), changing at Husum on to the 10:36 for Bad St Peter-Ording, arriving 11:27.

Please let Nicki Schiller know by Thursday 11 June if you are coming. (Landline 04104 695537; mobile 0176 30393063 or Nicki.Schiller (at) gmx.de.)

The Diocese in Europe has appointed the Venerable Colin Williams to take over care of the archdeaconry of the East and the archdeaconry of Germany and Northern Europe. The Diocese's first full-time Archdeacon, he speaks fluent German and will be based in Frankfurt. You can read the full story on the Diocese in Europe website.

In memory of Brother Roger and to mark the 75th anniversary of the Taizé community, there will be a short Taizé service at St Thomas Becket on Saturday, 30 May at 7 pm – all welcome. You can find a flier here.

After last year's successful flea market premiere in aid of the church, STB will be repeating the procedure on 4 July from 10am till 4pm. There will be bric-a-brac, clothes, jewellery, sports items, second-hand English books, DVDs/videos/CDs/records, a Fair Trade stall, plus hot and cold drinks and local and Indian food. If you have clean, usable goods that you would like to donate, please contact Petra Osinski or Lottie Lankenau for more information.