Author: Jo Dawes

Saturday 28 March 2015, at 7pm, sees the premiere of the English Passiontide composition “40 days+nights” in the Anglican Church of St Thomas Becket (Zeughausmarkt 22). The piece is a choral cantata on the theme of the English hymn “Forty days and forty nights” and has been composed by Yotin Tiewtrakul (born 1975), Director of Music at the Anglican Church.

While Germany has the St Matthew and St John Passions, there is nothing comparable in the UK. “40 days+nights” is also a Passiontide cantata with a difference. Set for unison voices, baritone sole (Gabriel Kyne), organ (Jochim Trede) and piano (Tobias Saalmann), it seeks to approach Jesus’s experience of suffering through the time in the wilderness. A musical setting of words by the Cologne pastor and poetry slammer, Holger Pyka, complements the verses of the hymn.

There is no admission charge, but donations are appreciated.

With spring in the air, the Church Wanderers are planning to have another go at walking from Rissen to Wedel on 14 March – a shortish stretch of about 8km – after January storms forced the last attempt to be cancelled. The walk will begin from Rissen S-Bahn station at 11.15 am. (Catch the S1 which leaves Hamburg Hauptbahnhof at 10:39 and gets to Rissen at 11:14.) A table has been booked at La Dolce Vita trattoria in Bahnhofstrasse for 2pm. Walkers may want to bring a bite to eat in view of the late lunch. Please let Nicki Schiller know if you are coming by 10pm on Thursday, 12 March – nicki.schiller [at] gmx.de, tel. 04104 695537 or 0176 30 393 063.

On Sunday, 22 February, a statement was made on behalf of the Chaplaincy Council on Fr Matthew's resignation and the process of selecting a new chaplain. You can read it here.

Today Fr Matthew announced to the congregation that Bishop David has accepted his resignation as Chaplain in Hamburg, and that he will be leaving Hamburg and returning to Australia to take up the position as Rector of the parish of Ballina, within the Diocese of Grafton. His last Sunday in Hamburg will be 28 June, 2015. You can read Fr Matthew's statement to the congregation here.

Yes, that's right, tomorrow – Saturday 21 February at 7.30pm – is the music hall sing-along evening with the Victorian Minstrels. The event's in aid of the church, so do come along and help swell the numbers. Entrance is free but donations are welcome. See more on Facebook.

The meeting point for the Church Wanderers' exploration of the Hahnheide on 14 February is the Großenseer Straße bus stop in Trittau at 11:10. Those coming by public transport can catch the U2 to Steinfurter Allee (direction Mümmelmannsberg) at 9:54 am at Hauptbahnhof, arriving 10:10 am at Steinfurter Allee. Then catch bus 133 to Trittau at 10:23 am. Those coming from the north-east can use bus 369 from Ahrensburg / Großhansdorf or 364 from Rahlstedt. Please let Anke Peters know if you are coming by Thursday, 12 Feb – just_det [at] web.de

On Sunday at 5pm our own Anglican Consort will be singing choral evensong with a Candlesmas theme. Music includes O nata lux by Tallis, canticles from the Short Service by Gibbons and Lord now lettest thou by Mendelssohn. See more on the STB Facebook page.

The next Church Wanderers walk, on 14 February will be through the Hahnheide, beginning and ending in Trittau. Further details to follow.

The latest edition of our parish magazine, Becket News, is out. You can pick up a printed copy in church or download a PDF here.

Libby Lane, the first woman bishop in the Church of England, was consecrated on 26 January. You can watch highlights of the service from York Minster on the BBC website.