Freiburg. The Anglican Church BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF GRACE

Transcription

1 The Anglican Church BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF GRACE Freiburg October 2016 Busy as Bees A few weeks ago I found myself cleaning out a bee hive. Let me explain, before you jump to any conclusions. The school where my eldest daughter attends has one parent from the Netherlands who is an Apiarist and maintains a few bee hives on the school grounds to teach the children about the lives of bees and their many benefits to our world. A previous bishop of mine was also a bee hobbyist and made me think often about the work of bees being similar to our work in the C h a p l a i n s M e s s a g e church. I will even go so far as to say that there was a clergy conference I participated in which through a series of personality type tests we were labeled as Killer Bees, Queen Bees, Worker Bees, or Drones. At the end of the seminar I think a lot of people felt a little stung by being so defined. Nonetheless, bees have much to teach us. We have been a busy church. September and October have been full of new events, groups and programs. Even the Badische Zeitung has picked up on some of our activities. Busy as a bee, as the expression goes. One of the interesting things I was able to learn while cleaning the bee hives and preparing the bees for winter was their ability to overwinter in the cold months by having saved up food. The world s population of bees is decreasing and a number of great documentaries are around to educate us on that issue. The hives at the school are not for the mass production of honey; in fact, no honey is harvested for consumption. Only the old wax is used to make bees wax candles. When the bees have a good supply Minister: Rev. Christopher Parsons Address: Lorettostraße Freiburg Church freiburganglican@gmail.com The Anglican Church in Freiburg (ACF) receives no funding from the Diocese of Europe, nor German Kirchensteuer. We rely solely on contributions from members and friends of the ACF. Bank Details: Anglican Church in Freiburg: Sparkasse Freiburg IBAN: DE BIC: FRSPDE66XXX (Konto Nr.: BLZ: )

2 Services in November: 6 Nov 11:30 All Age Worship 19:30 Taize Service with Holy Communion 13 Nov 11:30 Holy Communion 20 Nov 10:00 Joint Service at St. Ursula 27 Nov 11:30 Confirmation 4 Dec All-Age Worship Stewardship Sunday 19:30 Taize Service with Holy Communion Activities in November: 1 Nov 18:00 Men s Prayer Meeting 3 Nov 19:30 Roots and Shoots followed by Compline 8 Nov 19:30 H.O.P.E. 10 Nov 19:30 Women s Prayer Meeting 15 Nov 18:00 Men s Prayer Meeting 19:00 Joyful Singers Practice 19:30 Council Meeting 17 Nov 19:30 Roots and Shoots followed by Compline 29 Nov 18:00 Men s Prayer Meeting Groups German/English Conversation Group every Thursday at 17:30. Please contact Rafaela Furtado rfurtado_01@yahoo.com Tuesday morning Women s Bible Study Group is on hold for the time being. North Freiburg home group. Please contact Julia or Malcolm for details. ml.maclaren@web.de Young Adult Group. Meets first and third Fridays in the month, at 7:30. Please contact Debbie at debora.niermann@gmail.com. Men s Prayer Group meets every other Tuesday evening. Please contact Josef Brockmeier: fjbrockmeier@googl .com or / 7417 The Wise Ones Group for those no longer working, meets the last Thursday of the month. See Linda Sloanecker@aol.com or Keith campbellk@t-online.de for details. Singing Group In November our singing group practices will be on the 6th and 13th, at 13:15. Busy as Bees (continued) of their own food they are able to live inside the hive over winter months so that once the sun shines again they can rebuild and repopulate when they are out in the warm weather pollinating flowers and trees. Before you ask, what s he buzzing on about, and before the puns get any worse, the season of Advent will come upon us at the end of November with the First Sunday of Advent having Bishop Robert Innes to celebrate with us for Confirmation. Advent, like the season of Lent, is a time of preparation. We still have much work to do, but we also take time to rest, restore, and recuperate. The bees rest as a survival mechanism. The church rests in times of prayer and contemplation on the nourishing Word in the Bible so that it can be purposeful in the times of celebration. Advent is that pause, before we are once again busy with celebrating the birth of Christ. Christopher Joint service with the Old Catholics on 20th November 2016 Each year we worship together with our friends from the Old Catholic Church in Freiburg. The Old Catholics and Anglicans share a similar history and are linked by a formal agreement, the Bonn Agreement, by which we are able to share Communion with one another. This year the Joint Service takes place in the church of St Ursula, which is located on the corner of the Rathausgasse and Rotteckring, at 10 a.m.. All are warmly invited to share our fellowship in Christ, both during and after the joint service. Adventsimpulse The "Adventsimpulse", an opportunity to pause briefly and reflect on the Christian messages of Advent and Christmas, are offered every day during Advent at 5.30 p.m. in the St Martin's Church, Rathausplatz, by members of different innercity churches. If you would like to be involved in preparing one on behalf of the ACF, please speak to Christopher Parsons, Almut Schulz or Helen Rose Wilson. Advance Notice Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, 8 p.m., Tuesday, 20th December, in the Petrusgemeinde

3 Peace and Remembrance: Special Ecumenical Services and Events in November November often has a focus on remembrance, particularly of those who were killed and suffered as a result of wars. For many years, there has been a parallel ecumenical movement in Germany to dedicate 10 days in November to initiatives to promote peace at all levels of human interaction personal, regional, national, international. This year, the opening service of this Friedensdekade for our State of Baden- Württemberg will be held here in Freiburg, in the St-Andreas-Kirche, Sulzburger Strasse, Weingarten, starting at 6.30 p.m. on November 5th. Together with representatives of different German, African and Rumanian churches, Christopher Parsons and I have been involved in preparing the service, and we warmly invite ACF members to join us in praying for much-needed peace in this world. Further events in Freiburg to promote peace are listed in the programme for the Friedensdekade, which can be found under / Friedensdekade 2016 Gesamtprogramm Freiburg.pdf As a member of the State Council of Churches (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christlicher Kirchen in Baden-Württemberg), we are represented in the recently published Friedens-Appell, which can be found under the link This call for peace proclaims the churches shared intention to be channels of peace, providing theological background to the initiative and recommending concrete action. Finally, we are reminded of the constant need to actively work for peace in the ecumenical Service of Remembrance observing the bombing of Freiburg in 1944, which will be held in the Freiburger Münster on 27th November at 8 p.m. Helen Rose Wilson CELEBRATION AND COMMISSIONING Just recently I spent some time in a clinic in Bavaria. Sunday was our day off. As Munich was only 60 km away, I decided to attend the Anglican Service there. I received a warm welcome. It was a service of Ökumenischer Gottesdienst zur Eröffnung der Friedens- Dekade in Baden- Württemberg in St. Andreas Sulzburger Straße 18, Freiburg-Weingarten Samstag, 5. November Uhr Im Anschluss Empfang, Austausch und Eröffnung der Ausstellung Verkopft KRIEGSSPUREN Celebration and Commissioning. All the people who serve there were commissioned and the Minister included me for my ministry in Freiburg and the Anglicans in Germany. Most were dressed in national costumes or Dirndl and Lederhose. As the priest has spent his sabbatical in South Africa, he had brought a liturgy and hymns from there. It was a wonderful service and worth the traveling. After the service there were coffee and cake and a lot of chat. Why do I write this? Ökumenische FriedensDekade 6. bis 16. November Our church is great, but I want to encourage you: when you are traveling try to attend a service at other places. Anglicans are welcoming people. We have churches in Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Heidelberg, Augsburg, Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Ulm, and Munich (times of service and locations are available from me). Or if you are not travelling, try to go to Basle or Stuttgart and make friends there.

4 Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat... Dates for your diary Our Carol Service will be Dec 20th. But there is a chance to have it earlier (in case you are leaving for Christmas): Basel and Stuttgart have theirs on Dec 11th. Both Churches also offer a Bazaar, both on Nov 19th! Both places can be reached by public transport, cheapest way is the Baden- Württemberg Ticket. For details please look at their websites or ask Almut. H.O.P.E. Tip Remember the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it, Genesis Till and Keep -- that is, serve and preserve the soil. H.O.P.E. -- Till and Keep At the last two meetings of H.O.P.E. we took a quick look at Diana Butler Bass's book, Grounded, in which she writes after quoting vs 15 in Genesis 2: Thus humankind's divine vocation is to be Earth's custodians, the overseers of the soil. The early Biblical heroes are all shepherds, farmers, and tribal judges. Ancient humans domesticated animals, terraced fields, built water systems, and in doing so they ruminated on the Ground and God, drawing connections between creation and cultivation, between Soil and the Spirit. To Quote Old Testament Scholar Ellen Davis, There is no extensive exploration of the relationship between God and humanity that does not factor the land and its fertility into that relationship. The whole story of the Bible is that of Land, its abundance and its fruitfulness, and how humans are disconnected from the land by sin and connected to it through acts of faith and justice. And what is happening now? We are using pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, gene technology -- probably one of the most deadly developments in human history; destroying the complete circle of life. Pollution of the soil leads to pollution of the air and of the water systems, already causing incredible problems worldwide, and caused mainly by non-organic farming. This leads to disease, hunger, and poverty, also causing many to leave their home countries, (even where there is no war) hoping for a better future here in Europe. Use of the above mentioned and insecticides harms, affects, and kills insects, especially the bees, animals, plants, and eventually humans. We are being told by the media, politicians, chemical companies, lobbyists and multinational companies (where profit is the most important factor) that this is only way to feed the exploding world population. This is extremely misleading! It is exactly the opposite way (i.e., organic) which will help to keep, preserve, allow diversity of life, and bring better health and in the end peace to our planet. So remember what God said to Adam: Till and Keep. Quoting Rev Elizabeth Bussmann, the Environmental Officer of the European Anglican, A fundamental change is required in the lifestyle, mentality, and attitudes of the rich and powerful in both industrialized and industrializing countries, so as to embrace the renewal and sustainability of creation. She asks, how are recommendations that she mentions in her article in the latest newsletter, (European Anglican) to be realized? Are we prepared to be personally involved? Are we? Then we should be receptive to the Holy Spirit and be ready to be part of the answer to our own prayer: Giver of Life, sustain your creation. Margaret, for H.O.P.E.

5 Dear ACF, Hello from across the pond! This is my first newsletter update since joining YWAM Orlando as a full-time staff member. Thank you so much to all of you who have chosen to support me on this journey, your prayers and giving have opened the door for me to step into full-time ministry here in Orlando. I arrived on the campus on September 18th and was launched into staff training the following day. For one week a group of 17 staff members prepared for the arrival of over 50 Discipleship Training School students who arrived the following week. Our responsibility as staff members for this school is to partner with God in the redemptive work that He does in the students lives. We lead times of group discussion, one-on-one times as well as local ministry trips. In additions to this, I am co-leading the sports and fitness track, which includes weekly workouts and teachings about stewarding our bodies, nutrition, workout techniques and a biblical view of fitness. We are currently one month into the school, and we are beginning to see evidence of changed lives. We are seeing spiritual wounds healed, and false-beliefs exposed in the light of God s truth. Faces are growing brighter and brighter as students walk in newly discovered freedom in Christ. Experiencing the Discipleship Training School from a staff-member s perspective is wonderful. I am seeing such restoration in the lives of the students, but all the while growing so much in my own walk with Jesus. In January 2017 I am co-leading a mission trip to Europe. We are still praying about where God would like to lead us for our trip, but we do know that we will be working with refugees. As a team of 14, we are already preparing for this trip through intercession and team building. If you would like to know more information about our trip and how you can be involved, please me on cuthbea327@gmail.com. I look forward to sharing more details with you all as God reveals His plan to us! God bless! Alastair Report of CAECG Christopher, Peter Widdess and I travelled northwards to attend the recent meeting of the CAECG, Council of Anglican and Episcopal Churches in Germany. Peter used to attend in former times with Sheila who was our delegate then. Solveyg joined us later. She had been invited to play at the Eucharist together with Martin from Munich. The meeting was held in north Germany at the British Army conference centre known as Church House, in Lübbecke. The topic of the meeting was Persecuted Christians and (in order to avoid Muslim bashing ) we had invited as Guest Speaker the Revd Dr. Yazid Said, recently of Tübingen, now on the faculty at the University of Liverpool. Our congregation knows him: he had come twice as a locum. From Berlin came two members of the congregation both persecuted Christians and the youngest participant we ever had- a four month old baby with his mother. It was a most interesting topic which engendered much discussion. The refugees with their own experience were a great asset. In the evening we watched two films. One from Nigeria showed us reconciliation is possible if people really want it and pray for it; the other was less optimistic, it came from Palestine. But the best part as usual was being with and praying with, the other Anglican congregations from all around Germany. In future there will be some more. On Saturday 14 people from the area came to join us at the Eucharist and to take part in a workshop by Ken. They want to start four or five new English speaking Churches once the army will have left in 2018.They reminded me of us when we only had two dozen members..please pray for them.

6 Theological Reading Course Markus Franke and I will hold our next Theological Reading Course, this time about Martin Buber, on November 9th, 16th and 23rd at 7 pm at the Petrus Gemeinde. We warmly invite the Anglican Community. If anybody needs further information please have a look at our PP newsletter, this time in red outside in the hall. Texts of the religious philosopher Martin Buber will be read. He grew up in Vienna and the Ukraine and was influenced by his jewish grandfather. As a religous philosopher he dedicated himself to the understanding of Eastern European Judaism. He was teaching religion, ethics, anthropology and sociology. The main topic of his work is the relationship of a person with God and with another person. He is mainly focusing the dialogue. We invite you to discover the world of his language. The evening will finish with conversation and a glass of wine. Literature: Martin Buber: Der Weg des Menschen nach der chassidischen Lehre Led by: Pfarrer Markus Franke and Heike Jansen Dates: 9th, 16th and 23nd November 2016, 7pm Im Herbst beginnt der nächste Theologische Lesekurs. Gelesen werden diesmal Texte des Religionsphilosophen Martin Buber. Dieser wuchs in Wien und in der Ukraine auf und wurde dort von seinem jüdischen Großvater geprägt. Als Religionsphilosoph widmete er sich dem Verständnis des osteuropäischen Judentums. Er lehrte jüdische Religions lehre, Ethik, Anthropologie und Soziologie. Thema seines Werkes ist das Verhältnis des Menschen zu Gott und zum Mitmenschen. Dabei steht bei ihm das Dialogische im Mittelpunkt. Wir laden Sie ein, seine sprachliche Welt mit uns zu entdecken und den Abend anschließend bei einem Glas Wein und einem Gespräch ausklingen zu lassen. Heike Jansen Petrus Gemeinde Contact: Revd. Canon Christopher Parsons freiburganglican.pastor@gmail.com / / His day off is Monday. Please visit our website: October Newsletter If you have any items for the November newsletter, would you please send them to Cindy by October 24th. Thanks. cindywyneken@gmx.de