Dear all,
this week I wish to write on three things:
#R2C feedback and #AscensionDay and #ZoomCoffee
#Return2Church feedback
On Saturday @17:00 a neat dozen, only one of whom came ‘unangemeldet’, joined me at our first R2C service. The service followed closely the online service for Rogation Sunday and I shall attempt to keep close links between the two services in future so that we maintain some sense of ‘worshipping together’.
Even though the liturgy will be different, I will aim to keep prayers, readings and hymns (plus the occasional extras) the same so as to keep a thread of unity.
It may well be that the R2C congregation ‘attend’ both services, as we are not yet allowed to sing in church and at home you can sing to your heart’s content.
A Reminder:
if you plan to be in church please register with Alison wardens@stcatherines-stuttgart.de or phone her by 08:00 on Friday. (if you are on our mailing list your name will suffice but if you are bringing visitors we will need full contact details in case we need to trace all those present at the service)
Kara will confirm places on each Friday
At our first Wednesday Open Church / Stillness 12:00-14:00 – I had three folk come through the doors.
#AscensionDay
This Thursday is Ascension Day and of course a Feiertag, though for those in home-office and home-school this may not register as much as usual(?).
Last year, on Ascension Day, a group of us met at the Anglican Centre for a prayer and then we walked up to Bopser, read the Ascension story and prayed for Stuttgart and then disbanded – some to stay for a beer and others to head home…
This year the ‘responsible clergy person’ in me is discouraging unnecessary use of public transport and congregating, and will therefore invite you to do three things if you have no other plans….
- go for a walk somewhere near your home, if it includes a hill then all the better
- somewhere on your walk (at the highest point ?) read / talk about the Ascension story in Acts 1.1-11 and pray for the bit of Stuttgart you are in, which ties in nicely with our Rogation service Sunday just past (if you are in India / California / UK / anywhere else … – pray for your locality)
- take a pic or two and send in via email or whatsapp to Kara (chaplain@stcatherines-stuttgart.de) or Frances (webmaster@stcatherines-stuttgart.de) to add to our Life Affirming – Life Giving Gallery
#ZoomCoffee
This is a slightly longer term project, hoping to provide an online “venue” for some of the social aspects of church that we have been missing.
The planned format will be that on Sundays @10:30* Zoom Coffee will open (invitations with joining codes will be sent out ahead of time) people can then join in any time between 10:30 and 11:00 as they wish and see who else is there. Bring your own coffee (or other beverage)
Someone will ‘host’ the meeting and at around 11:00 the Chaplain will invite us all to share the peace, after which we will all log out and get ready for the online service as usual (or follow whatever timings for online worship work in your home) …
I am still working with Tim, our zoom master, and other possible ‘hosts’ so I am not giving a launch date here, but the very, very, very soonest will be 31st May.
This proposal is the conclusion of much discussion about the inclusion / exclusion aspects of zoom and timing* versus numbers of people for free usage of the app.
(*zoom can only be used for 40 minute sessions before it begins to cost money.)
It remains for me to wish you all a blessed week,
stay well and stay safe,
with prayerful good wishes
Kara
