WISHING READERS A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Click here for a Christmas Thought.

Click here to read Bishop Geoffrey's Christmas Message.

Early delivery for Christmas ...

Becket News No. 49 is HERE!. Christmas is saved: plenty to read and discuss. Well done to the Editor for another miraculous creation!

And a HAPPY CHRISTMAS to all readers.

STOP PRESS! Becket News Deadline

The deadline for contributions to the next issue of our church magazine, Becket News, is Sunday, 11 December. Please send your articles and/or pictures to John Finn at BecketNews(at)aol.com.

HMS Lusty in town

11 December, we will greet visiting seamen from the HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, which will be in port. Reverend Martin Evans, who previously served as chaplain on the HMS ARK ROYAL which paid a visit to Hamburg this time last year on her last voyage before being decommissioned, will be on board and is looking forward to worshipping with our congregation once again.

This week

STB400 coordination team meets on Thursday, 8 December, at 18:30 h in church. The group welcomes anyone willing to help with the planning and organization of our big 400 year anniversary in 2012.

For families and children: The children‟s Christmas opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors” will be playing at the St Jacobi church on 9 and 10 December at 18:00 h.

Living Advents Calender

STB's choir is playing a part in the Michel's "Lebendiger Adventskalender". On each day in Advent there is a short event planned at locations around the Michel.

At 6:00pm on Tuesday 13th December it will held at STB. Do come along and bring your friends.

CHURCH BAZAAR SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER

The Annual Church Bazaar will be taking place in church this Saturday 10:30-16:00. There are cakes to be bought, bottles to be won, exotic food to be eaten, lots of things for Christmas, a great choice of English books and more. Do come along!

The church bazaar is a significant source of income: the church does not receive income from other sources, neither from the Church of England nor Kirchensteuer, so shoppers are keenly awaited!

Calling all Wanderers this Saturday

Saturday 12th November the Wanderers are off for a walk from Fischbeker Heide to Kiekeberg length apporx 8km, terrain heathland and woodland paths.

Meet at the Hamburg Hbf on the S3 platform direction Neugraben at the foot of the escalator towards the front of the train (not the Reisezentrum end), in time to catch the 10.48 train. We alight in Neugraben at 11.13 and then catch the 250 bus dep 11.33 to Fischbeker Heideweg arriving at 11.39.

Please wear suitable footwear and bring a picnic lunch. Kaffee and Kucnen before we catch the 340 bus back to Neugraben.

Please do let Cicely know if you intend to come: Cicely-hollingsworth(at)t-online.de, tel: 040/86 07 90.

This week

Monday 7th November ACKH (Churches Together in Hamburg) meting in the Finnish Church.

Tuesday 8th November 6:30 pm - Choir Practice

Saturday 12th November Wanderers Walk details to be posted.

Have a nice day!

A new Pause for Thought on meaning what we say!

Count down to the Bazaar!

The Annual Bazaar is a hugely important fund raising event for the church, so please encourage friends and family to plan a visit to the church on this day. Great bargains to be had, not to mention really good nosh.

People to sell raffle tickets (great prizes) are sought, not to mention bottles for the bottle stand, cakes, and many other helping hands.

It's all good fun!

This week...

Monday 31st October is Reformation Day commemorating Martin Luther.
Tuesday 1st November is All Saints Day.
Wednesday 2nd October is All Souls' Day

Ladies Christian Fellowship meets 1st November 2:30 pm - please contact Renu 04103/16584 if you are joining and are not a regular.

Bach Season in the Michel

There is currently a series of concerts focussing on works by JS Bach 'Bach Wochen' being given in the Hauptkirche Michaelis, Englische Planke 1, running until 23rd November. See website of the Michel.

Your recipes wanted!

There are moves afoot to put together a new edition of the St Thomas Becket Cookery Book. A chance to get your favorite recipe publsihed! Please see note on pin board in church for further details, or contact Irene or Eileen.

Bible Seminar in Frankfurt

On Saturday 12th November 9.30am - 1:30 pm a two part bible seminar is being held at the Church of Christ the King in Frankfurt to be led by professor and theologian Rev. Dr. Dittmar Mündel, with a focus on understanding and applying Scripture. An invitation is extended to STB members to join. Please see notice board in church for further details.

We are a tourist attraction!

STB has been added to the attractions listed on hamburg.de thanks to a write up by Katy Trick - click here to view.

Strike the harp and join the chorus!

Do you enjoy singing together with others? Do you like Christmas carols? For this year’s Christmas Carol Service which will be held on Sunday 18th December 2011 at 10:30 am the Choir of St Thomas Becket Hamburg invites everybody to join the choir. Rehearsals for the carol service will be held every Tuesday starting on the 22nd November. We won’t hold a grudge against you if you join us just till the Christmas carol service.

Refer to 'Activities' page under 'Music' for further details.

Choral Evensong 16th October 18:30

On Sunday, 16 October, at 18:30 h, the Ipswich School Chapel Choir from Suffolk, UK, under the direction of Andrew Leach will offer an Evensong service at our church. Many of you will remember this choir, as they have sung at our church in the past. The choir promises to make a “joyful noise”, so please come and enjoy!

BECKET NEWS HOT OFF PRESS!

Even more bumper, more colourful edition than ever of Becket News is available by clicking on this link or as a hardcopy in church. Lots of exciting things to read about, not least reflections of our locums, and the wecoming of our new Chaplain!

Happy reading!

Harvest Festival 2nd October

Harvest festival will be celebrated next Sunday, on 2nd October, to coincide with the German Erntedankfest. Ellen Ziesmann will be in church on Saturday, 1st October, at 10:00 am to decorate the church with flowers and fruits - if you can help or if you would like to contribute items, please come on Saturday. Or you can give Ellen a donation for flowers today. If you would like to bring produce or canned goods on Sunday for the Salvation Army, please do! We will collect the gifts during the service.

This week ...

Church Council meeting: On Monday, 26th September, at 6:00 pm in church.

Choir practice - Tuesday, 27th September, at 6:30 pm in church.

Junior Church staff meeting Wednesday, 28th September, at 7:30 pm in church.

That Old, Old Story ...

Take a look at Pause for Thought!

CAECG Clergy gather in Munich

Bishop David's Blog reveals what the clergy are currently up to in Munich. It seems they are not taking part in the Oktoberfest. Report click here.

20th anniversary of Meissen Agreement

The 20th anniversary of the signing of the Meissen Agreement is being celebrated - well there is an interesting piece on the Church of England website about it. The article includes a podcast with the Bishop of Bradford in which he explains what Meissen means in practical terms today. There is also a posting on his Blog.

Fresh air and Exercise in Altes Land

This month's Wanderers walk has been delayed due to important distractions, but your monthly exercise has not been cancelled! Fresh air and excercise in Altes Land is offered 24th September.

Meet at Landungsbrücke 3 at 10.45 to catch the 62 ferry dep. 11.00 for Finkenwerder.
On arrival we shall the take the 150 'bus to Cranz dep. 11.40, alighting at the Altes Este Sperrwerk stop at 11.59 for a pleasant round walk of approx.10 kms on level ground.

Please bring a lunch picnic. We shall stop at an attractive Gaststätte for K u. K. before returning to Hamburg.

Do come along whatever the weather!

Institution of new Chaplain

Friday 16th September 7:00 pm Fr Matthew Jones will be instituted as the Chaplain by Archdeacon Jonathan LLoyd. Please do come along to the service to welcome Fr Matthew.

Church Outing - please bring some cake!

As there will now be no Benefiz-Flohmarkt in Borstel as previously stated, please bring some cake or cookies for the afternoon break. Coffee and tea will be provided.
Enjoy the outing!

Church Outing 10th Sept. - bus nearly full

Do hurry and let Birte know if you would like to join the Church Outing to Stade. It is a great programmeproviding a fantastic day out for just €15.

Your webmaster has a soulmate!

Ever wondered why this website is the way it is? Read this!. At last signs of stirring in church communications?

We hope that those of you just passing through on the site find something interesting that may encourage furthre exploration.

Please visit the website of Christchurch Harrogate as an example of another good website.

Christians and a sense of humour

Thanks to our highly effective locum we have managed to keep a steady stream of Pause for Thoughts for wet summer reading. The latest reminds us to keep a sense of humour! Do read it under the Pause for Thought button.

This week

Church council meets Monday, 15 August

Choir practice on Tuesday, 16 August, at 18:30 h in church.

Carillon concert - Saturday, 20 August, the Nordelbischen Carillonneure will hold carillon concerts at the St Nikolai memorial ruins, Willy-Brandt-Straße 60, at 11:00 h and 15:30 h. The concerts are free of charge, and coffee and cake will be offered in exchange for donations to the upkeep of the monument.

C of E Bishops speak out about the riots

None of us can quite comprehend what has been going on in England last week, but leading church ministers and Bishops have spoken out.
This Blog entry from the Bishop of London and the associated links to be found on the page may be of interest.

Why I Am Not An Atheist

Bishop Pierre Whalon, Bishop of Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, puts his case in the Huffington Post.

Seen any good art recently?

A new Pause for Thought makes the connection between art and faith. This season of travel may well cause us to stumble on an image that makes us wonder...

Choir rehearsals

Our new Choir Director Yotin who formally takes up the post in September is already in action and has provided the website with a list of rehearsal dates that can be found on the Music Page under Activities.

The Choir has an exciting time ahead, for which it needs more singers! Please do consider joining!

Church Outing 10 September

Our church outing this year will take us to Stade where we will visit at least 2 beautiful churches, have a shared lunch together and those who want to can take an extra guided tour in English (1,5 hrs. for 4,-- € extra/person - max. 25 people) through Stade.

Price will be 15,00 € per person. Please sign up on the list in church, or send an e-mail to Birte - fischer_birte(at)web.de. Money is to be paid in advance.

Calling Church Wanderers to Sachsenwald

On Saturday, 13 August the Church Wanderers are off on another excursion. Nicki Schiller is organising a ca 10 km walk in the Sachsenwald from Aumühle.

Walk starts at 11:00 am from Aumühle station. Take S21 leaving Hamburg Hbf at 10:24 for Aumühle (note train is the one to Aumühle).
Please let Nicki know if you are coming - Tel: 04104-695537 or nicki.schiller(at)gmx.de, and bring a packed lunch and cheerful spirits.

New Choir Director

We are pleased to announce that the musical life of St Thomas Becket is to be strengthened by the appointment of Yotin Tiewtrakul as Choir Director starting September. Yotin has been singing with the choit for sometime and has been the instigator of the performance of Steiner's Crucifixion and the Choral Workshop on English Church Music to be held 3rd-4th September 2011. Yotin is also cantor at Ansverus-Haus in Aumühle and composed our STB music setting.

Many thanks, Yotin for taking this on!

Saturday,16th July Wanderers Picnic in the Stadtpark

The Wanderers are off on a picnic this weekend!

Meet at the exit from the Sierichstrasse U-Bahn at 11.00 h. From there it is a short walk to the Grasweg entrance to the Stadtpark.
As you will probably be sitting on the grass, please bring something suitable to sit on - a rug or cushion and maybe something waterproof, if there has been wet weather and the ground could be damp.
Please bring a picnic, too! It would be good to have a shared lunch.

Sally and Timo's big day!

This Sunday 10th July there will be a Blessing of the Marriage between Sally and Timo as part of the Sunday Service, to be followed by a buffet.

We wish Sally and Timo a wonderful day, and many happy, blessed years together.

New Pause for Thought!

Regular visitors to this site will be aware that there has been an absence of new Thoughts for a while. Your webmaster is pleased to report this has now been rectified, with a very Thoughtful piece from our new locum on the small matter of doubt!

Ecumenical Service 4th July

Pastorin Martina Severin-Kaiser from the Nordelische Kirche will be holding an ecumenical Service in St Petri Kirche, Mönckebergstrasse at 17:15 Monday 4th July. Do come along if you can.

Welcome to our new locum

We extend a warm welcome to the Revd Clifford Poole who is to be our Locum Chaplain until the beginning of September. We appreciate very much that he is able to spend an extended period with us over the summer.
Revd Poole has experience from the Diocese in Europe having previously been a Chaplain in Luxembourg. He studied and taught languages, including German so is no stranger to the culture either. Revd Poole will be joined by his wife Jean for part of the time. Wilkommen in Hamburg!

Summer Edition of Becket News hot off the Press!

A bumper, more colourful edition than ever of Becket News is available by clicking on the link above or as a hardcopy in church. Lots and lots of reports of things that that have happened or about to happen!

Happy summer reading!

Choral Workshop of English Church Music

Following the success of the workshop to perform Stainer's Crucifixion, our choir masters are providing another opportunity to learn more English Choral Music.
On 3rd-4th September a choral workshop will be held in Aumühle.

Please click here for further information.

Sunday 26th June - motorbikes ahead!

MOGO: Hamburg celebrates the Harley Days next week, complete with a motorcycle church service on Sunday, 26th June, from 12:30 - 13:30 h at the Michaelis church. Be aware that driving to and from our church will be difficult next Sunday!

But there will be a service as usual, the Revd John Knott is back to take the service.

This week!

June 20th at 6:00pm there is a Chaplaincy Council Meeting. The Chaplaincy Council are doing a magnificent job in keeping things going during the vacancy period.

On Tuesday 21 June there is a choir practice at 6:30 pm. Newcomers are very welcome.

Please note deadline for Becket News is 25th June. Get your articles in - give the editor something to edit!

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Junior Church picnic 19 June

The Junior Church invites everyone in the congregation to the Church picnic on Sunday, 19 June, after the service. There will be a Service of the Word with participation of the Junior Church at 10:30 h on 19 June and prizes for the children of the Junior Church. This will be the last Junior Church meeting before the summer holidays.

Please do come along - it will be a lot of fun!

Deadline for Becket News 25 June

The deadline for contributions to the next issue of our church magazine is Friday, 25th June. Please send your articles and/or pictures to John Finn at BecketNews(at)aol.com. As John is travelling, we get an extra week since original deadline was 17 June. So get writing!
Thanks.

Wanderers off to Glückstadt

The Wanderers will be wandering from Krempe to Glückstadt via Borsfleth and the Deich on Saturday, 18 June, 2011. Length approx. 12 kms.

Meet in front of the Reisezentrum at Hamburg-Altona Fernbahn station at 10.15 am to catch the 10.37 train. As usual we shall travel on Schleswig-Holstein tickets and divide the cost equally. Return by train from Glückstadt to Hamburg. Trains dep at 39 and 50 mins past each hour.
Please wear suitable clothes and footwear and bring a picnic lunch. Eileen knows a good place for Kaffee u. Kuchen.

IMPORTANT Please let Cicely tel: 040/ 86 07 90 or 0162 635 93 98 know by the evening of Friday,17th, if you plan to come.

Ecumenical Day 8th June

There will be a special church service at 6.30 pm on Wednesday 8th June at St. Petri to celebrate Tag der Ökumene. Members of St Thomas Becket church and others are welcome to attend.

ASCENSION DAY SERVICE!

For those not out of town at Kirchentag, do please try and make it to the Ascension Day Service at 10.30 am, Thursday 2nd June.
A good sermon is promised - our current locum Dr John Arnoid, former Dean of Durham Cathedral will be taking the service.

Kirchentag 2011

We wish all those taking part in the 33rd Deutscher Evangelisher Kirchentag in Dresden a safe trip, and a rewarding experience

Hamburg Marathon!!

Sunday 22nd May is Hamburg Marathon Day. If you plan to come to church, you are strongly recommended to come by public transport.
The runners will be running along the Elbchausee, and up the Reeperbahn. See the Hamburg Marathon website for the route and HVV for changes to bus route.

Welcome to our next locum

Our thanks to Revd Gottfried Grünewald for leading the service last Sunday. The sermon explaining the difference between a pastor and chaplain has left a thought trail!

This Sunday we welcome Revd Dr John Arnold, who will be with us until 5th June.

Dr Arnold is a former Dean of Durham, a very distinguished priest, and has been President of the Council of European Churches. His wife Annaliese is German, and they both speak fluent German.

We extend a very warm welcome.

URGENT MESSAGE FROM BISHOP DAVID

Bishop David has posted on his blog an urgent message from the Chaplain of Christ Church Amsterdam, the Revd Mark Collinson concerning the plight of a Ugandan national about to be deported back to Uganda. Your prayers are asked for. Further information can also be found here.

A chance to learn about honour and shame!

Each year the Council for the Anglican and Episcopal Churches in Germany CAECG offers an opportunity for anyone connected with the Anglican and Episcopal Churches in Germany to participate in a Christian Education Weekend.
This year it will take place at St. Catherine’s Church in Stuttgart and will be led by Rev. Dr. Robin Stockitt from the Anglican Church in Freiburg.
The theme will be looking at the question of ‘Honour and Shame’ in selected biblical texts and finding connections with our own culture today.

Please refer to the CAECG website and flyer information for further details. Dates are 1-2 July.

St Thomas Becket on Facebook!

For social media fans there is now a St Thomas Becket community on FACEBOOK!.

Wanderers on amphibious excursion!

Saturday 14th May sees the Wanderers off for a 'Wattwanderung' from Cuxhaven to the island of Neuwerk.

Travel instructions: 9.45 meet at Hamburg Main Station Travel Centre.
10.07 depart on Metronom Train to Cuxhaven, arriving 11.50.
Walk to harbour and along the coast westwards.
13.00 picnic lunch near Duhne
14.30 tide should be low enough to walk away from shore.
17.30 approx. walk onshore to Sahlenburg. Coffee and cakes.
Bus to Cuxhaven. 18.10 or 19.10 train from Cuxhaven to Hamburg, arriving at either 20.00 or 21.00.
Walking all the way to Neuwerk and back in one day may be rather ambitious, but there is the option of walking there and returning on a horse-drawn coach!

Your Wanderer-in-chief advises 'Do bring amphibious footwear and wear shorts! If we don't walk as far as the shells and stones, it is possible to go barefoot, but ideally wear shoes that can be either washed or thrown away afterwards, e.g. old jogging shoes or tie-on plastic shoes, which don't slip off in 20cm of sludge. Bathroom flip-flops are useless.

Group train tickets will be purchased as usual, so please let Stuart know by Friday 13 May if you intend to come.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Church of England on a splendid wedding which apparently 2 billion people are said to have watched.

In case you wish to ponder more on the articulate and warmn address by the Bishop of London, the The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dr Richard Chartres, it is up on the Diocese of London website.

We wish the married couple a long and happy marriage.
Both dresses were beautiful!

Services for May posted

Please click here for the list of services for May and June.

During the Vacancy Period the church is being served by locum chaplains. Currently our locum is Canon Paul Rose. The next locum will be The Very Revd Dr John Arnold from May 22nd - 5th June. The locum chaplains provide the full ministry as chaplain and are available for pastoral matters.

Interviews for the position of Chaplain are due to take place 10th May - please pray for Renu and Stuart who are representing the Chaplaincy Council in this important decision. There has been a pleasing response to the advertisement with apparently many good candidates. This website has had just under 150 referrals from the job vacancy section of the Church of England website, that of the Church Times and Diocese in Europe. We seem to have given a good account of ourselves, thanks to the hard work of many people - not least the churchwardens who have had to shoulder a huge burden. Keep up the good work.

William and Kate's big day

On Friday HRH Prince William and Ms Kate Middleton will do what many millions do - get married the Anglican way - except their wedding is just a bit more public than most.

The media frenzy is in full swing, but perhaps this short webcast reflection by the Archbishop of Canterbury helps to put it all in context.

Prayer for the Royal Wedding from Church of England website
God of all grace,
friend and companion,
look in favour on William and Catherine
and all who are made one in marriage.
In your love deepen their love
and strengthen their wills
to keep the promises they will make,
that they may continue
in life-long faithfulness to each other;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Archbishop of Canterbury's Easter Sermon

In his Easter sermon preached at Canterbury Cathedral, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, spoke on the theme of joy, and the capacity to be surprised by it. He makes the point that ultimately, joy is about discovering that the world is more than you ever suspected, and so that you yourself are more than you suspected.

Click here for the full text.

You might like to note that the Archbishop's website has been redesigned - now better than ever.

Easter 2011

The Easter Eucharist is at 10:30 am this Sunday. Please do come along and join in the celebration.

On Easter Monday there will be a ecumenical celebration of Easter Vespers at the St Michaelis Church at 18:00 featuring the choir of the Ghana Catholic Mission in Hamburg.

Bishop Geoffrey's Easter Message has been posted on the Diocese in Europe website. It looks at the context and meaning of this celebration.

Episcopalians might like also to note the Easter Message from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori link here .

Wishing all readers of this website a very Happy and Blessed Easter!

One of our own to be honoured!

At this year's Maundy Thursday ceremony it is the turn of the Diocese in Europe to provide the star guests, namely 40 individuals selected for their service to the church, who will receive the traditional Maundy purses from HM the Queen. And among the 40 is our own Rosie Curran.
The event can be viewed live on BBC 1 - for further details see the Diocese in Europe website.
Congratulations and all good wishes Rosie!

Click here for BBC News online report.

Holy Week and Easter

Following the mood changes of Holy Week through the different services can be a very moving experience and makes the Easter Day service more meaningful

Sunday 17th April on Palm Sunday the Eucharist re-enacts the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Maundy Thursday on 21st April commemorates Jesus washing his disciplines feet and then eating his Last Supper with them before he prepares to face betrayal, trial and death. The service is followed by a vigil - a quiet time to reflect on the meaning of it all.

The Good Friday service has no Communion. We try through the liturgy of the day to share the sense of loss and abandonment.

On Holy Saturday 23rd April prayers are offered on the Day of Waiting, and the church is prepared for Easter Day, a celebration of a festival of light, an occasion to renew our Baptismal Vows and give thanks for Life!

Service times are to be found on the "Services" Page.

New Chaplaincy Council

The church AGM was held after a delightful Mothering Sunday Eucharist on Sunday 3 April.

Reports were given on the various activities and groups. The electoral roll has rolled above the 100 mark - 17% increase on last year! The Church Wardens, Deborah Ockert and Renu Roy, were re-elected unopposed - given the amount of work that needs to be put in for the vacancy period it is wonderful that they have agreed to continue. The six Church Council positions were filled without opposition: Peter Alexander, Stuart Cooke, Matilda Hammond, Christopher Sacra, Emmanuel Saarkodie and Wendy Sprock. Karen Berquist-Lüth, Birte Fischer, Harriet Sasse were elected as lay delegates for the CAECG - one more than last year thanks to the expansion of the electoral roll.

We wish the new team and all those who give their time and service to enable the church to function as a community, and not just on Sunday mornings, all the best for the coming year of office.

Goodbye and hello

Last Sunday, we said farewell to Bishop Rupert and his wife Gesine. Once again we have reason to be so very grateful for the ministry of a locum chaplain. The Mothering Sunday children's talk will be long remembered by adults and children alike!

Now this Sunday in time for commencement of Holy Week we welcome, Canon Paul Rose who will take the services for the Sundays up to 2 May. We extend a very warm welcome!

News from the Diocese in Jerusalem

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

This edition contains reports on a busy schedule of visits and meetings in this troubled part of the world.

Apocalypse or Opportunity?

The challenge posed in a new Pause for Thought. In 2050 it is estimated that we will have to share this planet with 30% more people than today - 9 billion people. How do we equip the younger generation to deal with the legacy of our unsustainable use of the planet's resources? Well it gives reason for Pause for Thought? Gute Lektüre

Wanderers off on spring walk Saturday 9th April

Having done the spring cleaning - many thanks to all who lent a hand - now for the spring walk!

The Wanderers are venturing further afield: From Krempe to Glückstadt via Eildorf and Borsfleth and then further along the dyke. Approx. 12km.

Joining instructions are on the Wanderers page.
Please do let Matilda know if you are coming

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Mothering Sunday and AGM 3 April

This Sunday is a double bill Mothering Sunday and AGM.

There will be a special and slightly shorter children's service with flowers for mother's and Ellen's special cake!

The AGM will follow immediately after the service. Please do try to make the time to stay for this. It provides the one chance in the year to get a full report of all the activities. If you are on the Electoral Roll you can also vote.
Please support this - your church needs you! It also provides an opportunity to express appreciation for all those who give generously of their time to keep it running.

Good sermon ups the takings!

Our current locum chaplain, Bishop Rupert Hoare, has kindly provided the text of his sermon preached on Christian Giving Sunday - 27 March. Well worth reading, but above all acting on, if you missed the service, or if you would like to remind yourself of what was said.

Evidently it inspired. Reports are that the collection was definitely up on usual. But we still need to do better as a church. Our Treasurer points out that if everyone on the Electoral Roll would increase their contribution by just €5 a week, it would put us in far better position financially to cover the things we need to - please see note below.

Still some have made a good effort last Sunday thanks perhaps to the sermon which can can be accessed here.
Hope it inspires a few more!

Anglican Lutheran Society Conference Sept 2011

The Anglican Lutheran Society has existed since 1984 to promote church unity by encouraging Anglicans and Lutherans to work, pray and understand each other better.

Those interested in deepening their understanding of both traditions, may be interested in attending the next International Conference, to be held in Salisbury, England, from 16th to 20th September, 2011. The website gives further details.

Christian Giving Sunday 27 March

Today we are reminded about the practical side of being a church.

The church of St Thomas Becket does not receive any income other than by voluntary giving by members of the congregation and friends. We receive no money from Kirchensteuer nor anything from the Diocese - we have to be entirely self-funding to cover the chaplain's salary, accommodation, the upkeep of the church and its activities.

On this Sunday mid-Lent we are reminded to look at our giving. 'All things come from You and of Your own do we give You'.

Those on the Electoral Roll in particular are asked to reflect on their financial commitment. But if you are reading this and don't attend church very regularly, we also ask you to consider making a donation to the cost of having the church here in Hamburg: a place and organisation you are free to use whenever you need it, though not unfortunately free to provide. All donations are tax deductible and every amount helps.

For details on how to donate, click here - THANK YOU!

FOR FULL TEXT OF BISHOP RUPERT HOARE'S SERMON - CLICK HERE.

Daily News on the Diocesan website

Your webmaster has received a happy note from the Diocesan Commnunications Officer Paul Needle to say that he is now able to update the Diocese in Europe website himself. So now there is a flurry of activity and it is actually worth visitng the site more than once a quarter! He will have his work cut out to keep up with Bishop David's blog though!

Special Concert!

Thanks to Yotin, the church choir has been involved in a special project to perform John Stainer's The Crucifixion. The performance will be on Saturday, 16th April at 5:00 pm.
Hila Gharakhanian (Soprano), Lukas Dittmann (Bass), with the Stainer Project Choir, Jochim Trede (Organ), Yotin Tiewtrakul (Conducting).

Tickets at the door, €8, or €4 for concessions.

For those wishing to join the project, please refer to Choir Page under Activities on this website

Spring Cleaning 2 April

The church needs a spring clean. So does Hamburg!

For anyone who would like some exercise and to contribute to a cleaner and better world inside the church and out, please do come along commencing 10:00, or a bit later if you need extra snooze time.

Aside from making the church look smart and tidy for the AGM Sunday 3rd April, we plan to help Hamburg räumt auf! to give the the city a tidy up. In past years this has been a lot of fun and good exercise. Do come along if you can.

Spring Edition of The European Anglican

The Spring Edition of The European Anglican has been posted on the Diocese in Europe website. It includes an article about our 400th Anniversary!

Vacancy Announcement for Chaplain

The Vacancy Advertisement for Chaplain has been posted on the Diocese in Europe website Job Vacancy page.

We hope anyone considering applying will be helped by the information to be found on this website.

Closing date for applications is 14 April. Interviews will take place 10 May.

Change over time again

On Sunday, we said farewell to Canon David Ratcliff who has now returned to Kent. We have greatly appreciated his ministry and wise advice and creative input on how to develop the STB church community. Our thanks and prayers go with him.

This Sunday you have the chance to meet an eminent theologian, Bishop Rupert Hoare who will be with us unitl 10thn April. Bishop Hoare is a former Dean of Liverpool, Bishop of Dudley and Principal of Westcott House Theological College, Cambridge. He will be joined by his wife. Both he and his wife speak German too.

Report from CAECG meeting

Bishop David's blog gives us some insight into what went on at the CAECG meeting in Freiburg at the weekend. For the rest we will need to interrogate Karen who represented STB. Rumour has it that her flute playing was the hightlight of the conference!

Prayers for the people of Japan

Eurobishop Blog provides some news of the Anglican Bishop of the diocese most affected by the earthquake and tsunami, and a prayer posted on the Church of England website.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all who have been affected.

Happy Birthday Michel

We extend warm birthday greetings to the Michel, whose 350th Birthday is being celebrated. A younger church than St Thomas Becket - we will be celebrating 400 years in 2012 - but a good age nevertheless.

Dedicated on March 14, 1661, the Michel was named after the archangel Michael. It took some battering at the end of WWII, but now is fully restored and attracts over a million visitors each year.

The Local has a short write up that explains more here.

WALK ON!

There being no train driver strikes planned, the Wanderers are off as planned to Schwerin. See note below. If you are delayed please phone Cicely 0162 635 93 98. Make sure you have ticker before bording the train!
Enjoy the walk!

AGM 3 April

The annual general meeting of St Thomas Becket Church will be held after the Mothering Sunday service on 3rd April. New registrations for the Electoral Roll for this meeting are closed, but whether or not you are on it, please do come and support the Chaplaincy Council, old and new, by attending.

Lent begins...

... and with it we have a new Pause for Thought reflecting on recent events in the CoE. How do we accommodate strongly held convinctions that are contrary to our own?

Deadline for Becket News approaching rapidly.

Please note the deadline for the next edition of BN is 16th March!

Kirchentag Dresden 1-5th June 2011

For those interested in attending the 33rd Deutscher Evangelisher Kirchentag there is a special price deal going if you can commit before 13th March - so hurry and make up your mind.

Price for all days/full program: 89,-- Euro/Person incl. public transport.
Bus 52,-- € per person, leaving in front of the Michel Church on Wednesday, 1st June.
Complete price for bus, (private) accommodation) and ticket: 160,-- € per Person.

If you are interested, or require further information, please contact Birte on email fischer_birte(at)web.de.
To secure a place you need to give Name/Address/Telephone/Date of Birth.
Deadline is 13th of March.

And you might like to note that Kirchentag 2013 will be in Hamburg.

Ash Wednesday Service 9 March 19:00

Carnivalling comes to an end folks. Wednesday, 9th March is Ash Wednesday - a chance for you to get into gear for Lent.

19.00 Eucharist with Penitential Rite.

How about giving up Facebook for Lent? See The Local.

Wanderers off to Schwerin

This month's walk on Saturday 12th March will hopefully take the Wanderers to Schwerin - locomotive driver strikes permitting.

Rendezvous outside the Reisezentrum at Hamburg Hbf by 10.05 to catch 10.26 train to Schwerin. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Group tickets will be purchased and costs shared. Do be punctual - it is school-holiday time and the train will probably be busy. Anyone arriving late should go straight to the platform.

The walk will be approx. 10 km. Please bring a picnic lunch, and the sun!

Note: due to the train drivers strikes, arrangements will be confirmed by Cicely on Friday, 11th by email and posted on this website, so if you are planning to come please let Cicely know - contact details on 'Wanderers' under 'Activities'

Latest news from Diocese in Jerusalem

The latest Diocese in Jerusalem Newsletter provides further news of projects being undertaken by this brave community.

Rather less positive news is given in the Press Release sent out with the Newsletter revealing the fact that the Israeli authorities have revoked the right of Bishop Dawani and his family to reside in Jersusalem.

Please keep them in your thoughts.

Making Lent Meaningful

Since our friends in Cologne are busy carnivalling, this can only mean one thing - Lent will soon be upon us.

This year's Bishops' Lent appeal focuses on prayers and fund raising efforts for Uganda to raise awareness and money for three projects in the Ugandan Diocese of Luweero, on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, which has firm links with the Diocese in Europe.

For other ideas on how to tackle Lent visit the CoE website on Lent.

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Prayers for Malta and Libya

For those of us living in the security of Northern Europe, the turbulence in North Africa may seem far away. But the conflict involves real people, many of whom are now fleeing their country to neighbouring regions.
Many from Libya have fled to nearby Malta, where the people are having to cope with a huge influx of refugees.

Bishop Geoffrey has sent out a letter requesting prayers for the victims and for those involved in having to deal with the humanitarian crisis. Let them be assured of our prayers.

Passing Thoughts

A new Pause for Thought has been added - reflections from Locum Chaplain Tony Rutherford's last weekend with us on the subject of Working Together.

Dates for your diary

A reminder that the deadline for the next edition of Becket News is 16th March.

Also to note is the AGM to be held 3rd April.

A Lent course 'A Rich Inheritance' is planned. Please let a Churchwarden (see About US - Contact page) know if you are interested in joining (in order to order the right number of texts).

Change over time!

On Sunday we bid farewell to Tony Rutherford who has been the locum Chaplain since 15th January, and on Sunday we welcome our next locum David Ratcliff.

Tony Rutherford's ministry has been much appreciated. Even in just a few weeks he has managed to get to know many people in the congregation and City. He has instigated the habit of a group post-eucharist Sunday lunch, which may well continue!

David Ratcliff, who arrives this week joined by his wife Gillian, is no stranger to St Thomas Becket, having been our Archdeacon until his retirement to Kent. We look forward to welcoming them both to Hamburg. David Ratcliff will be serving as locum Chaplain until 14th March.

New Mothers' Union Website for the Diocese in Europe goes online

Hot news from the Eurobishop Blog, the announcement of the launch of a new website for the Mothers’ Union in the diocese. It is intended both to raise the awareness of the work and witness of the Mothers’ Union worldwide and to reflect the development of the MU within our own diocese. Click here to access the website.

Secondhand-Clothes-Sale 26 February

A Secondhand Clothes Sale is being held on Saturday 26th February from 9.00 am - 1.00 pm in the Mariä- Himmelfahrt Church, Hamburg-Rahlstedt, Oldenfelder Str. 23 (Train station Hamburg Rahlstedt and follow signs to church).
Good Secondhand Clothes will be sold for 1-2 Euros per piece with the proceeds going to one of Pater Hillen's mission projects in South Africa.
Good place to pick up a bargain and support a worthy cause.

Wanderers off again 12 Feb

The Wanderers are setting off on an old favourite walk - a round walk from Sülldorf and back to Sülldorf through Klövensteen with the possibility of going on to Falkenstein.

Meet at the exit from Sülldorf Bahnhof at 10.55 a.m. The S1 train (direction Wedel) depart Hamburg Hbf at 10.19, Landungsbrücken at 10.25 and Altona at 10.32. arrive. Sülldorf at 10.51.
Length 8.5kms or 11kms if we go as far as Klövensteen.

Please wear boots or stout walking shoes and appropriate clothes for the weather and bring a picnic lunch. If it's cold and/or wet we can take refuge in the "Ponywaldschänke" for some soup or a cup of coffee!
Kaffee u. Kuchen in Blankenese or Falkenstein before heading home.

Please contact Cicely if you plan to come - details on Wanderers page.

News from the Diocese of Jersusalem

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

This edition of the Newsletter reports on Christmas visits and Services for Christian unity.

St Ansgar Vespers 3 February Hauptkirche St. Petri 19:00

The annual St. Ansgar Vespers is an ecumenical service for all denominations in Hamburg to be held in the Hauptkirche St. Petri.
Erzpriester Constantin Miron, Greek-Orthodox Church will preach. Works from von Lechner, from the Russian-Orthodox tradition as well as Gregorian chants will be sung.
Further information is given on the St Petri Church website. Do come along.

This is God calling

People who do not profess to hold a religious faith are often baffled by the idea of 'God calling each individual personally'. Equally they are disappointed if someone who professes to being a Christian does not tell of a dramatic 'Road to Damascus' conversion.
Bishop David explored the nature of God calling us in his sermon 'God calls us by name' preached at St Paul's Anglican Church, Monaco appropriately on the annual Patronal Festival, the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul. His sermon was recorded as a podcast accessible on the St Paul's Monaco website. Highly recommended listening.

Parish Profile

To initiate the process for finding a successor to Roger White as Chaplain, a Parish Profile has been prepared carefully and conscientiously by a small team who have consulted widely in the church. This has now been posted on this website - see note above.

The Parish Profile has been welcomed by Archdeacon Jonathan who has commended it as a very good piece of work.
We hope that it gives a fair and honest reflection of where we are, and where we feel we need to develop and that it is helpful to anyone who feels called to ministry here.

Thanks are due to Karen and her team for all the hard work and effort that has gine into this extremely important document.

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Locum Chaplains during the vacancy period

During the Vacancy Period STB is fortunate to have a series of very distinguished and experienced Locum Chaplains. The Locum Chaplains fulfil the full role of Chaplain while serving here and are therefore available for pastoral matters. Chaplaincy Office contact details are available on the Contact Page under 'About Us'.

From Monday 24 January Locum Chaplain can be contacted on Mobile Telephone number 01578-9207899.

Wanderers Walk 15 Jan CANCELLED!!!

Now the motto of our Wanderers is that 'We walk in all weathers', but rumour has it that rain has put people off. This is not Queensland folks!

We are expecting a better turnout for 12 Feb. As the Scots would say, there is no such thing as bad weather only poor clothing. Buy some wellies and a raincoat for goodness sake!

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Welcoming Revd Tony Rutherford

This Sunday's service will be taken by our first locum priest. We extend a warm welcome to Tony Rutherford and his wife Janet and wish them an enjoyable stay with us in Hamburg for the coming month.
Tony has kindly provided some biographical details which can be found in the current edition of Becket News.

Eurobishop Blog - Roger and Heidi in African dress

There is a note of appreciation for Roger's ministry and a rather splendid photo of Roger and Heidi on Bishop David's Blog.

Launch of revamped CoE website!

Regular visitors to the Church of England's website may have noticed that it has been give a new look.

Wanderers setting off in the New Year

The Wanderers will have their first outing in 2011 on Saturday 15th January for a stroll round the Stadtpark. Wrap up warm and join the happy band - good opportunity to work off some calories!

Meet at the exit of U3 Borgfeld U-Bahn station at 11:00 am. Please let Cicely know if you are coming (contact details on Wanderers page).

Happy New Year!

Remembering our Coptic brothers and sisters

Following the recent violence shown towards Coptic Christians in Egypt, Bishop David invites us to remember our Coptic brothers and sisters in the intercessions this Sunday. See Eurobishop Blog.

We think today too of the people of Sudan, particularly in Southern Sudan who are voting in a referendum to decide on whether to become an independent state.

HAPPY NEW YEAR - HAPPY BIRTHDAY KJB

2011 sees the celebration of what is considered one of the greatest works in the English language, and as someone put possibly the only time a committee has produce something of lasting value. In 1611 what has become known as the King James Bible, or Authorised Bible, was published.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, in his New Year address suggests reading the King James Bible to appreciate the 'bigger picture'.

There are many events planned for this 400th anniversary. These can be found together with more background information on The King James Bible Trust Website.

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