46. Ökumenische St. Ansgar-Vesper

The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christlicher Kirchen in Hamburg ACKH (Churches Together in Hamburg) invite all to a eucumenical service on the anniversary of the death of St Ansgar (3 Feb. 865) to be held in the Hauptkirche St Petri on Wednesday 3rd February at 19:00.
The service will combine the traditions of the West and Eastern Churches. There will be much music including singing by the Bach Choir of St. Petri, the Roman Catholic Schola Cantorum and the choir of the Russian Orthodox Church of St Johannes von Kronstatt. Bishop Gerhard Ulrich will preach.

Saint Ansgar was an Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. Through his "Mission to bring Christianity to the North", he became known as the "Apostle of the North".

For further information (in German) click here.

There are just under 12000 of us!

The Church of England has released the preliminary statistics for church attendance in 2008. From the table given it seems that the Diocese in Europe has 11,900 people of all ages attending Sunday services, with 10,700 on the Electoral Roll. This is up slightly from 2007, when the equivalent figures were 11,600 and 10,300 respectively.

On the subject of Electoral Roll, if you are a regular worshipper at St Thomas Becket, please do ensure you are on the Electoral Roll which will be open 14th February until 21st March. Being on the ER entails no onerous task other than being allowed to vote at the AGM. And it boosts the statistics!

Bishops' Appeal for Haiti

Bishops Geoffrey and David invite the congregations and people of our diocese to support the needs of the Haitian people by donating generously to the Christian Aid Appeal for Haiti.
See article on the Eurobishop Blog.

New Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe, the Revd Jonathan LLoyd

Jonathan LLoyd, the Chaplain of St Alban's Copenhagen, was collated as Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe on 20 January. Further information available on Eurobishop Blog.
We wish 'the Venerable' Jonathan Lloyd all the best, our prayers and support.

Young Adults Kick-off 2010!

The first 2010 Young Adults Group meeting takes place Friday 22 January 20:00 (note new time) for a good solid discussion on dealing with enemies. Friends and enemies welcome! Please refer to Young Adults page under "Activities" button for further details.

Haiti Earthquake Appeal

Haiti - a country that is amongst the poorest in the Western hemisphere - has suffered yet another natural catastrophe. Aid is urgently required to assist the many affected by a major earthquake that struck the country 12 January. Thousands of people are feared dead and countless have been left homeless.
Christain Aid has launched an emergency appeal, the details of which you can find here.

Please also take a look at Bishop David's blog entry on Haiti. The link is on this page above.

Latest Edition of "The European Anglican" and Prayer Diary Available

The Winter 2009 Edition of the Diocese in Europe quarterly magazine "The European Anglican" is available in church or directly from the Diocesan website here.

The purpose of the magazine is to inform about the scope and depth of ministry and mission by the various churches that make up the Diocese in Europe. It is a colourful and readable publication.
This edition contains a backpage feature on websites!

The Diocesan Prayer Diary for January-June 2010 is also available from the Diocese in Europe website. Click here to access.

The New Year Edition of Becket News Available!

Issue 41 of Becket News with news from near and far is available for downloading here.
Our thanks to the editor for putting this together over the Christmas break!

The Archbishop of Canterbury's New Year Message

In his BBC New Year Message the Archbishop of Canterbury sets out that in this global society we now inhabit "risk and suffering are everybody's problem, the needs of our neighbours are the needs of the whole human family."
The full text and video of the message can be accessed here.

The Archbishop concludes his message expressing hope:
'Above all, it's about not losing our hope for change and our love and respect for the dignity of everyone. In a world where risk and suffering are everybody's problem, the needs of our neighbours are the needs of the whole human family. Let's respond just as we do when our immediate family is in need or trouble. We may be amazed by the difference we can make.

God help you make a difference; and God bless you all and those you love in this coming year.'