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In this year’s Passiontide concert on Saturday 12 March 2016 at 6pm the “Englische Kirche” in Hamburg presents hymns from the “West Gallery Music” repertoire: Music from the 18th century sung and played in English parish churches. The organ wasn’t very common in that time and melody instruments helped the village choir to keep the pitch. The Anglican Choir together with singers from the Sacred Harp singing group invite you to the reading of Jesus’s suffering and death interspersed with hymns and psalms of the Georgian era. For further details see Calendar or our Facebook page.

The Wanderers’ March walk will be in and around the charming town of Glückstadt. We aim to walk through the historical old town, admire the Stadtkirche and the harbour and walk along the dike. On our return to the town centre, we’ll take a break for coffee and a snack before going back to the station to return to Hamburg in good time for those who plan to attend the Passion of Christ – 11 Lessons and West Gallery Hymns – at 6:00 p.m. at STB.

We meet at 8:45 in front of the Reise Centrum at Hamburg Hauptbahnhof to get our Schleswig-Holstein small group tickets together before catching the RB61 train to Itzehoe at 9:06.  We should reach Glückstadt at 9:50. Please let Nicki know by 10 p.m. on Friday 11 March if you plan to come: 04104 695537 or 0176 30 393 063.

We welcome Bishop Rupert Hoare as our new locum chaplain. Meanwhile Revd Tania Witter, who had been with us since January, has now returned to the UK. You can read her final sermon here. We are grateful to all our locum chaplains for looking after us so well while we seek to appoint a new permanent chaplain.

BRIDFAS of Hamburg is generously holding its 17 March lecture in the church at 7pm, with all proceeds donated to church funds. Tickets must be bought in advance.

The lecture, entitled “Charles Dickens, the man and his life through his characters”, is by Bertie Pearce from the UK. The well-known British (Hamburg) actor and comedian Mark Lyndon will be supporting Bertie with several Dickens readings. There will a wine bar, and a raffle of art/heritage and Dickens books is planned.

Pat Pledger, Chairperson of BRIDFAS, hopes to fill the church, so please come along with some of your friends and spread the word about the event. It is open to everybody, but tickets must be bought in advance to ensure there are enough seats. Tickets cost €5 for members of BRIDFAS and the church and €12 for all others. They are available in church or as detailed in this PDF invitation.

Do not miss out on what promises to be a very enjoyable evening – get your tickets now!

Have you had a “mountain-top experience”, a moment of revelation, a turning point in your life when you see Jesus for who he really is? That was the question asked by Tania Witter, our locum chaplain, when she preached last Sunday on the Transfiguration. You can read the full text of her sermon here.

Tomorrow (10 Feb) is Ash Wednesday, when we enter the season of Lent, remembering the 40 days and 40 nights that Jesus spent fasting and praying in the wilderness and beginning our own spiritual journey towards Holy Week and Easter. You can join us in church at 7 pm for an Ash Wednesday service of Holy Communion and imposition of ashes. If you can’t be there, why not tune in to Ash Wednesday live from Lambeth Palace on Facebook – from 1.35 pm German time?

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has written a reflection on the recent Primates’ Meeting in Canterbury, writing of a “God moment” when the Primates “recognised those we saw as those with whom we are called to journey in hope towards the truth and love of Jesus Christ”. You can read the reflections in full on the Archbishop’s website. Meanwhile the Primate of the Episcopal Church,  Michael Curry, has issued a statement concerning the actions of the Anglican Primates at the meeting. “We are part of the Jesus Movement, and the cause of God’s love in this world can never stop and will never be defeated,” he says.

Our locum chaplain Tania Witter will be leading a Lent course every Wednesday at 7.30 p.m. during Lent starting on 17 February. The course is called Faith Pictures and describes itself as “a fresh way to talk about things that matter”. Sessions will last about 1½ hours and will be held in the chaplain’s flat (Englische Planke 1A, opposite the Michel). If you plan to come, please add your name to the sign-up sheet on the board in church or e-mail the church: info (at) anglican-church-hamburg.de

“Following from the Primates’ Meeting and their communiqué, my office has already received enquiries from clergy and members of the Episcopal Church about whether they are welcome in our Diocese in Europe,” writes Bishop David Hamid. “We need to reaffirm in a strong way our commitment to live and serve the Lord together in this relationship we have developed of loving communion within the Church. The strategy document of the Diocese in Europe is called ‘Walking Together in Faith’. A key part of the strategy is valuing and sustaining a culture of welcome, invitation and hospitality.” Read Bishop David’s full response to the communiqué from the Primates’ Meeting here.

The Community of St Anselm, the new religious community of 36 young men and women from around the world, are in Canterbury this week to pray for the Primates of the Anglican Communion as they continue their deliberations. You can read the full story on the ACNS website.