Author: Jo Dawes

BBC Online 2 November highlights the inspirational contribution of an 81 year-old German nun Ruth Pfau who is taking care of flood victims in Pakistan, continuing a lifelong commitment to the poor of that country.

Please click here for the report.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern here we come – on Saturday 13th November the Wanderers will be off on a 10km walk around Schwerin.

Please meet at 10 a.m. Hamburg Main Station by the Travel Centre to organise group tickets for the 10:24 train.

The walk will commence in the Castle Grounds to the Fauler See, and along the lake where we have our picnic lunch (please bring one). In the afternoon there will be opportunities for shopping or sightseeing in the old city. On a previous visit we found a cosy bakery for coffee and cake in the Schelfstadt district, where the decor and service were in original DDR style.

Return on the 16.06 or 18.06 train (maybe in two groups) to arrive in Hamburg at 17.33 or 19.33 respectively.

Please contact Stuart (contact details on Wanderers page under Activities) if you plan to join.

In The Times of 23 October Credo column, Bishop Geoffrey writes about the 'transforming love of God', in a piece that the Chaplain then used as part of his sermon on Sunday. As the text is behind the paywall of The Times, it is provided here for those who wish to read it, with kind permission of the Bishop.

During his recent visit to India, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, gave an extensive interview to 'The Hindu'. In it many topics are covered from issues to do with the state of the Anglican Communion, relations with the Roman Catholic Church, women bishops, justice, immigration and many other current issues.

The article is worth reading for a comprehensive summary of the Arhcbishop's views and can be read on his website here.

Sunday 7th November 10:30 Eucharist with baptism.

Sunday 14th November:
8:30 Eucharist (said)
10:30 Rememberance Service'
For your tomorrow, we gave our today.
Wreaths are laid at Ohlsdorf afterwards at 12:15.

Itching Ears was the title of Bishop Geoffrey's sermon at the Confirmation Eucharist 17th October. He has kindly provided a copy of the text for the website which can be accessed
here.

God, the giver of life,

Whose Holy Spirit wells up within your Church:

By the Spirit’s gifts equip us to live the gospel of Christ

and make us eager to do your will

that we may share with the whole creation

the joys of eternal life;

through Jesus Christ your Soh our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. Amen

The collect prayed at the Confirmation Service.

This month's Pause for Thought has generated another contribution. Click here for a Response to “On transforming Unjust Structures” inspired by the the article in Becket News.

Any one else is welcome to send in their Thoughts!

Bishop David reports on his Blog that Canon Ann Turner (Antwerp) and Mrs Madeleine Holmes (Aquitaine) have been elected to represent the Diocese in the House of Laity and the Revd Canon Ian Hutchinson Cervantes (Madrid) and the Revd Canon Debbie Flach (Lille) in the House of Clergy.

We thank them for their willingness to serve and offer our prayers of support for this challenging task.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is currently on a 16 day tour of India visitng congregations and development initiatives of the Church of North India, the Church of South India and the Mar Thoma Church.

In Kolkata he preached a sermon abput the Millennium Development Goals at St Paul's Cathedral – reported in the Guardian.

“Fasting is about more than going without food – it is connecting with reality and noticing the suffering of your neighbour” – food for thought!

A full text of the sermon and further reports about the trip can be found on the Archbishop's website.

The autumn edition of the Newsletter from the Diocese of Jerusalem is available here.

This edition of the Newsletter reports on a number of medical initiatives including the New Anglican Cardio-Vascular Diabetes Clinic in Ramallah, West Bank and Educational Ministry in Jordan and Lebanon.