USPG Prayer Diary

USPG-Anglicans in World Mission provides much needed practical support as partners to Anglican Dioceses in the developing world. You can read about some inspiring people and activities in the Autumn Prayer Diary that can be accessed here.

Advanced Notice: Nacht der Kirchen

The 6th Night of the Churches in Hamburg will be held on Saturday, 19th September 2009. From 18:00 until 24:00 churches all over Hamburg will open their doors and invite members of the public to learn about the churches in their city. St Thomas Becket Church will once again being taking part.

Further details on all the activities surrounding this event can be found on the Nacht der Kirchen website.

Climate change and changing behaviour

With developed and developing nations agreeing that global temperatures should not rise more than 2C above 1900 levels, in a G8 summit declaration issued today, perhaps we need to reflect on what this means for how we act.

Watch the the winning entry to the German Watch short film competition to consider your position!

The World's Oldest Bible? - online

About 800 pages of the earliest surviving Christian Bible, known as the "Codex Sinaiticus" have been put on the internet as part of a scholarship project being undertaken by the British Library, the University Library of Leipzig, the National Library of Russia in St Petersburg and St Catherine's Monastery, Sinai where the manuscript was found in 1844 - well preserved due to the extremely dry climate. The 1,600 year old manuscript offers a window on early Christianity and some interesting differences to the Bible we use today.

The website is well worth visiting to find out more.

Summer Edition of Becket News

The July-September 2009 edition of Becket News is now available, containing many varied articles and notices of forthcoming activities.

Our thanks to the Editor for pulling this together at a busy time.

Bishop Geoffrey's Address to the Diocesan Synod

The full text of Bishop Geoffrey's Presidential Address to the Diocesan Synod held at the beginning of June has been posted on the Diocese in Europe website. It sets out the challenges and opportunities for the Anglican Church in its broader context for not only those attending the Synod, but perhaps all of us, to reflect on.

Services for July Posted

This month's services and "Pause for Thought" have been added.

Please note Children's Eucharist 5 July followed by picnic - datails below.

Also Church Outing 11 July - details also below.