… and is now settling into her home ready for starting her ministry here at St. Catherine’s after her installation on Saturday 21st April.
All are encouraged to join us at this service to welcome our new chaplain … and if you wish to take an active part then Eric is still looking for two volunteers to read out a sentence and present one of the congregational offerings. Please get in touch warden@stcatherines-stuttgart.de
After the service we will be providing refreshments for all those who attend the service. Any contributions would be very welcome: these should be any kinds of finger foods: sandwiches, savoury biscuits, slices of quiche, mini-pizzas , sausage rolls, national delicacies etc. – and cakes as well as we will probably run into teatime. We won’t have space or the facilities to warm up any food or provide seating for everybody for a sit-down meal so finger food is essential. Thank you for your help.
Contact Alison women@stcatherines-stuttgart.de
Welcome Book for Kara – Last call for contributions. These must be e-mailed to welcomebook@stcatherines-stuttgart.de or given to Frances by Sunday at the latest.
A template can be found here. This book will be for Kara’s personal use and not for circulation. If you aren’t sure what to write just think about how you would like to introduce yourself / your family to Kara, what contact details you think she might need and write it down so she has it as a point of reference … maybe with a photo so she can start putting names to faces.
Annual General Meeting before our new chaplain starts work, we, as the congregation, have an important job to do. We need to elect new wardens and a new church council. Sunday 15th April – if you are an enrolled member of St. Catherine’s, be prepared to stay after the service, and after a Bretzel lunch, we will get down to business … receive the reports from last year and then elect new wardens and council members to accompany Kara in her first year of ministry at St. Catherine’s … this is an important time for our church community … if you can’t be with us in person, be with us in prayer … and prayerfully consider what role you can play in the coming year.
Spoiler Alert: in order to sustain the life of the church the treasurer would like you to prayerfully consider your planned giving for the next year … if you haven’t already made a regular committent to making a financial contribution to the life of St. Catherine’s please see the information here http://stcatherines-stuttgart.de/stewardship/
Future Dates
Sunday 29th April – 17:00 – Leonhardskirche – American-German Gospel concert
Saturday 16th June – English Book Sale
22nd July – Celebrations for the 150th Anniversary of St. Catherine’s
Summer Pilgramage Please contact Ken for more details if you are interested in joining him and his fellow pilgrims. pilgrimage@stcatherines-stuttgart.de
Ken writes: “There are still places for 2 or 3 others, if any of you know of any who would like to join our merry band of Pilgrims exploring St. Paul’s legacy on Malta. …
My best wishes and prayers will be with St. Catherine’s on Sunday the 21st for the arrival of the new Vicar. I look forward to meeting her on my first opportunity.
Here is a Pilgrims’ Prayer, which I hope you will all start incorporating into your daily devotions.
O God of our pilgrimage,
give us a desire to take the questing way
as we set out on a journey to a small island
decorated by the memories of a very special visitor
two thousand years ago.
Give us open eyes to see all around,
those marks of faith which draw us from normal routine,
into enriching spiritual adventures.
Open our eyes to new experiences,…
Open our ears to hear your voice…
Open our hearts to your unfailing love.
Help us to keep our hearts so fixed on Jesus,
that in all we experience on the way,
we, like your servant blessed Paul of Tarsus,
may glorify you in all things. Amen
Lord, you know our beginning and our end.
Help us to realise we are ever pilgrims on this earth.
Save us from being too attached to worldly comforts.
Grant us the freedom to wander,
the freedom to hope,
and the freedom to love
as you love us.
Amen
—-Ken +
