Freiburg. The Anglican Church BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF GRACE. Minister: Rev. Christopher Parsons Address: A Healthy Diet of Prayer

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1 The Anglican Church BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF GRACE Freiburg June 2017 A Healthy Diet of Prayer Not everyone was able to attend the Weekend Away event at the end of May, but reading on may give you a taste of what happened. A life of prayer comes with many challenges, as well as delights. There are times when our prayer life seems to be at a low point; the reverse is also true. Throughout the centuries Christians have been praying in different ways and traditions that we have access to through books and people. Styles of prayer just like a great many C h a p l a i n s M e s s a g e things in life sometimes feel familiar, and others are an acquired taste. Certainly the knowledge of traditions and prayer styles give us a greater awareness of a boundless God who comforts the afflicted, and afflicts the comfortable. Learning to appreciate a form of prayer that may not be what you are used to, or even comfortable with, is in itself a great learning and a sign of growing deeper in relationship with God. Many of us come from rich backgrounds of Christian tradition, as we are not all Church of England, or Anglican; rather we can and do come from Methodist, Baptist, Orthodox, Pentecostal, and so on. Growing in appreciation to the styles of prayer that each of these traditions holds as important is a learned experience. Just as you might have looked at a plate full of broccoli as a child with dislike, and as you grow you find that either you discover you really do like broccoli, or you have not such a violent reaction to it anymore and can appreciate even a little bit every now and again. At the Weekend Away, we learned about what we feel at home Minister: Rev. Christopher Parsons Address: Lorettostraße Freiburg 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 A Healthy Diet of Prayer (continued) Services in June: 4 June 11:30 Pentecost - Holy Communion 11 June 11:30 Holy Communion 18 June 11:30 Morning Worship 25 June 11:30 Holy Communion Activities in June: 8 June 19:30 Women s Prayer Meeting 13 June 18:00 Men s Prayer Meeting 27 June 18:00 Men s Prayer Meeting 27 June 19:30 Council Meeting There is no Roots and Shoots this month. Groups. German/English Conversation Group every Thursday at 17:30. Please contact Rafaela Furtado rfurtado_01@yahoo.com Women s Prayer Group meets the 2nd Thursday of the month at 19:30. Please contact Lauren Warnatz, warnatze@t-online.de Tuesday morning Women s Bible Study Group is meeting again! Please join us. Contact Margaret or Cindy for details 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 on the even-numbered (geraden) weeks. Please contact Josef Brockmeier: fjbrockmeier@googl .com or 07661/7417 The Wise Ones Group for those no longer working, meets the last Thursday of the month (June 29). See Linda Sloanecker@aol.com or Keith campbellk@t-online.de for details. Singing Practice In June our singing practice will be on the 11th and the 25th at 13:15. with, and what style of prayer felt uncomfortable, or awkward. We picked up some skills in learning about the styles of prayer that we found an appreciation for, and realize that not one style of prayer is going to be always life giving. Just as binge eating on the tastiest deserts (although a comfort food for many) leads to malnourishment if it is the only thing we eat. The Weekend Away was topically about prayer. It was a moment in our year to get to know each other better, and to know our God more and more. In prayers we were able to find comfort, as well as challenge, but at least we are able to taste and see that the Lord is good : a growing appreciation for the ways God has spoken to people down the ages and provided them with the spiritual food they need for the journey of life and faith. Christopher Save the Date Invitation to "Freunde von der Straße" on Sunday, 16th July (setting up in St. Martin on Saturday, 15th July)" Helen Rose Weekend Away 2018 Based on what the majority preferred, we have reserved dates for next year! May 18-21, 2018 Location: same lovely venue in Elsass Lauren Coming Up: There are several events in the planning stages, including a Barbecue, a Shared International Meal, and a Concert! There will be more information as dates are finalized. Shakespeare For those who are interested, there will be a production of Twelfth Night on the 23rd of June. There is a poster in the lobby of the church if you want more details. Church Directory We are updating the Church Directory. To have your current contact information is important both in order to make out tax receipts and to ensure communication to and in between church members. Over the course of the next few Sundays, we will hand out forms for you to fill in your contact info. Included is information on how we will use your contact information, as well as a choice for you if and how your information is to be shared. Please grab a form after the next service and fill it out!

3 Laughing to Cope with Stress The first women's breakfast of 2017 took place on with the participation of 22 women from 15 nationalities, coming from the ACF congregation. We all enjoyed the morning with a lot of nice surprises. After thanking God for this fellowship and having a delicious breakfast the invited speaker Dr. Cornelia Dremel introduced the topic of "Stress in women with migration background: Causes and how to cope with them". The rich discussion allowed the audience to jointly identify the main causes related to stress and depression while adapting to a new environment. The last part was dedicated to identifying activities to cope with stressful situations: listening to music, laughing, dancing, physical activities, and other feasible interventions. The spiritual life and the proximity to talk to our best friend, our wonderful God, when imbalance occurs was also emphasized. The group who participated in the breakfast summarized the event as "very enjoyable and useful" and suggested that we continue these type of meetings in the future. You can see the evidence of our happy hour in the photo! Unity in Diversity Ecumenical Evening Service on Pentecost Saturday To celebrate Pentecost together, inner-city congregations (St. Martin, Methodists, Anglicans, Old Catholics, Ukrainian Catholics and Salvation Army) will be gathering for an ecumenical service in St Ursula (Rathausgasse 50) at 6 p.m. on Saturday, 3rd June. Like the description in Acts that people who spoke different languages all understood the Pentecost message, this service is enriched by the different liturgical traditions represented. All interested are warmly invited to attend. There is an Open invitation from Wiehre Ecumenical Group to attend another service on Pentecost Monday, the 5th, at 10 at Johanneskirche. Everyone is invited to participate. On behalf of the organizing committee, we immensely thank our speaker Cornelia and all women who participated in this beautiful event. Love, Sonia "the butterfly swimmer" together with Rafaela (black-belt Karate Woman!), Mirna, and Margaret 500 Jahre Plus Among the activities this year commemorating the Reformation, the Freiburg ACK invites you to participate in its annual study and fellowship day on 24th June, Under the title, 500 Jahre Plus, members of the Baptist, Lutheran, evangelische Landeskirche, Methodist, Anglican, Salvation Army, Roman Catholic and Old Catholic congregations invite you to discover traces of the Reformation in Freiburg and celebrate together. The pilgrimage starts at 1.30 p.m. with coffee and cake at the Baptist Church, Stefan-Meier-Str. 145 and information about Witnesses of Faith. Further stations along the route are the Lutheran Erlöserkirche (Stadtstr. 10) and the Alter Friedhof at 3 p.m. to discover A tree of hope in Freiburg, the Methodist Emmauskirche (Katharinenstr. 9) at 4 p.m. to hear about The heritage of the Reformation in England and the Roman Catholic Seminarkirche (Schoferstr. 1) at 5 p.m. for the Effect of the Reformation in the Roman and Old Catholic Churches. There will be a short talk on each of the topics, and the opportunity to share with each other during the walk from each church to the next. (Transport will be organised for those who need it.) The ACK hopes that this idea has aroused your interest and would be pleased to greet you there. If you have further questions or wish to request transport, please speak to Christopher Parsons or Helen Rose Wilson.

4 Dear ACF, Blessings from across the Atlantic! All is going well here in Orlando- it is a very busy time for me as I juggle my full-time work with YWAM, wedding planning, applying for a Green Card, as well as learning to drive, but it is all good stuff! God is helping me to stay connected to Him, even in the midst of the busy day-to-day. Working in the admissions department is allowing me to see how our upcoming Discipleship Training Schools are growing in numbers, as well as giving me the opportunity to grow relationships with future students who are not yet on our campus- this is something I am very much enjoying! Last year, as a community, we embarked on a three-month 24/7 prayer marathon to see more students apply for our programs. We had been growing consistently, but there was a sense that we needed to come together as a community to see a greater degree of breakthrough in the size of our schools. Coincidentally, I am working in the admissions department only a matter of months after this prayer campaign, and needless to say, we are seeing God s faithfulness respond to our plea! We operate on a quarterly cycle here, meaning that we have 4 semesters a year, each lasting three months. We run a collection of schools in every quarter, the most prominent being the Discipleship Training School, which is the entry-level school into Youth With A Mission. Our summer DTS, which starts in June, is currently double the size of last year s, and our Fall Discipleship Training School, which will begin in October, is currently on course to be the biggest school we have ever had! There are over 50 students who have applied and been accepted, and the school is over four months away! God provided us with a very large campus (184 acres) only a few years ago, and there has always been an overwhelming sense that He wants to expand our ministry. After years of faithful stewardship, we are beginning to see God s vision for our campus become a reality- very exciting! On a personal level, I am doing very well here. I have been praying that I would grow deeper relationships with my peers, and I am certainly seeing God answer this prayer. After moving to Florida in September of last year, I feel that my roots are settling in, and that a new season of growth is underway. Thank you all for your prayers! God bless, Alastair H.O.P.E. Thoughts Romans 1:20 says that ever since the creation of the world, God's eternal power and divinity -however invisible- have become visible for the mind to see in all the things that God has made. One has to sit still in it, observe it and love it without trying to rearrange it, by thinking you can fully understand it. A combination of observation and love leads to contemplation. St Francis, a living contemplative, walked the roads of Italy in the 13th century shouting "The whole world is our cloister". The early Franciscans said the first Bible is creation itself, the Cosmos. It is surely no coincidence that the head of the Roman Catholic Church in times like these is a Franciscan. Last week the President of the United States had an audience with him. Pope Francis gave him much to read on climate change and he promised to do so. But he (the President) has decided: America first and withdrawal from the Paris Agreement! Margaret, for H.O.P.E.

5 Weekend Away 2017 Although we were a smaller group than usual, we thoroughly enjoyed the extra night and day, which gave us time to go on walks, have extensive conversations, and go on an outing to Munster. The amazing weather and stunning scenery set the right tone. The teaching sessions led by Christopher gave us an opportunity to interact in small groups, as we discussed the four main traditions of approaches to our Christian faith: contemplation, holiness, charismatic, and evangelical. Hearing about the backgrounds of those there, where they came from before joining the ACF, and how they feel in this Community, led to a good basis for further discussion. The children were very lovingly looked after by Anke during the sessions, allowing the parents to join in, for which they were very grateful. Everybody including the children, pitched in to help to make our stay in France run smoothly. We served one another through cooking, teaching, planning, cleaning, and making music. We even got to chop wood and build a bonfire. Most importantly we were able to spend time with God and in Fellowship with one another. Christine and Nic enjoyed making sure everyone was well fed. They thank everyone who helped in the kitchen and dining room. Everyone did a great job, and here the Rota certainly helped to know when and where one was on duty. The children spontaneously and very enthusiastically put up a Weekend Away Gala Night. They folded napkins, wrote menus, made small appetizers, and even waited tables. Here a big thank you to both of you for the good food and smooth running of the kitchen, from all of us who were able to enjoy it! Christine mentioned that their four kids enjoyed playing with their friends, who they normally only see for a short time on Sundays, and they were thankful to the adults who kept an eye on them, allowing both of them to work in the kitchen. The collective cleaning enabled us to get an "All Clear" from the Manager, without having to do any extra cleaning; and an amused smile from his wife, when she saw our carefully folded blankets and heard of the demonstration we had had from Mirna. Please save the date for next year. As we have to

6 book now, the Organizing team has decided on the Pentecost weekend at the beginning of the School Holidays, May the 18th to 21st They hope to see you there... and thank you to all who organized, planned, worked, cooked, taught, looked after children, cleaned, and of course to those who made the music... Lauren,Christine, Ceri, and Margaret Contact: Revd. Canon Christopher Parsons / / His day off is Monday. Please visit our website: All pictures taken are for our website only and not to be posted on Facebook or other social media. July 2017 Newsletter If you have any items for the July newsletter, would you please send them to Cindy by June 23rd. Thanks. cindywyneken@gmx.de