Author: Jo Dawes

A huge thank you to all who contributed. We raised 749.19 euros to support unaccompanied refugee minors in Athens.

The next walk, on Saturday 9 May, starts in Burg (Dithmarschen), led by Eileen Liebender. This is a walk of approx. 11 kilometres and runs through lovely countryside and along the towpath of the Kiel Canal, ending up at the “Hacienda” for what has now become a legendary cake and coffee break before returning to Burg station for the journey home.
Please bring a picnic lunch and meet at Altona main station outside the Reise Zentrum at 8:20 at the latest to catch the 8:40 NOB train (direction Westerland), changing at Itzehoe. We arrive in Burg at 9:58 to be met by Eileen.
Please let Nicki Schiller know by Thursday 7 May if you are coming. (Landline 04104 695537; mobile 0176 30393063 or Nicki.Schiller (at) gmx.de.)

We are supporting the Nepal Rapid Response appeal coordinated by ‘Us’ (formerly USPG) to provide emergency relief following the massive earthquake in Nepal. You can find further information on the church notice boards or the Us website.

It's that time of year again. The Hamburg Marathon on 26 April means that access to the church on Sunday will be limited. Please leave your car at home (or outside the marathon route) and use public transport. You should allow plenty of time, as the trains will be full. Follow this link for information on road closures and diversions.

Susanne Hergoss and David Hercus were elected as churchwardens at the St Thomas Becket AGM on 19 April. The following were elected to the Chaplaincy Council: Peter Alexander, Jo Dawes, Lucia Fürthmann, Samuel Quaye, Daniel Loarte, Emmanuel Saarkodie, Norbert Schoen, Monica Schofield and Gerd van der Jagt. The wardens and council will be commissioned at the Parish Eucharist at 10.30 on 3 May. Please pray for the new team as they shoulder the extra responsibility that appointing a successor to Fr Matthew will entail.

The next walk with the Church Wanderers will be on Saturday, 11 April from Ohlstedt to Poppenbüttel. The route runs for almost its entire length along the Alster River and is a section of the justifiably popular Alster Wanderweg. Meeting point is in front of the Ohlstedt U-Bahn Station at 11:33. Take the U1 with destination Ohlstedt (not Farmsen or Grosshansdorf or you may be late). For those leaving from Hauptbahnhof, the latest train departs at 10:58. The walk ends at Poppenbüttel S-Bahn Station and should take about four hours. This includes time for a picnic lunch and a couple of stops to admire the view. Please bring something for lunch and plenty to drink.

On Friday 17 April at 7pm the Hamburger Konzertduo of Cornelia Schünemann (Saxophone and Soprano) and Andreas Gärtner (Organ) will be performing music by Henry Purcell, Georg Friedrich Händel, Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams and others at the Anglican Church of St Thomas Becket. Admission costs €10 at the door (concessions €8).

Spring is in the air. Well, one can only dream; the cold wind is howling, the river Elbe has high waves and ferry boats are fighting against the fierce winds roaring across north Germany. However curl up and enjoy the spring edition of the church magazine full of news and updates of events. This is the final edition by your current Becket News editor. A big thank you to John for his hard work and tenacity in getting our news out of us and into print.

There is still time to donate to Bishop Robert's Lent Appeal, which this year is in support of “Hestia”, a hostel for unaccompanied minor refugees in Athens. Children who have fled their homes in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Middle East and Africa are being held in prison conditions because there is nowhere else for them to go, and Greece has no money to care for them. Hestia, which means “home”, is a hostel provided by “Apostoli”, a social action charity operating under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Church. You can find full details of the Bishop's Lent Appeal on the Diocese in Europe website. You can donate to the Lent Appeal in church.

The deadline for articles and photographs for the Easter edition of Becket News is 21 March. A lot has gone on over the last couple of months, says your BN editor, and he would like articles, event news, reports on activities and information by Saturday, 21 March at the latest. If you can let him know that you plan to send something, that will also help with planning. Please e-mail to becketnews (at) aol.com.