Saint George's News
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HARVEST FESTIVAL
Our Harvest Festival this year will be a united service on Sunday 2 October at 10:30. (Please note there can be no Mitte service on that day.) We will be taking a special retiring collection for flood victims in Pakistan.
We will also be collecting items for the homeless who seek help from the Bahnhofsmission. If you can, please bring to the morning service: sugar, coffee, tea, milk, socks, underwear (new), soap, toothpaste, body lotion, other toiletries.
St George's Autumn Book Fair 2022
This year's Autumn Book Fair will take place on Saturday, 8 October from 10am to 4pm in our church.
We would love volunteers to help put the books on the pews the day before and put the books back afterwards. If you would like to help, please contact the parish office or speak to Jean.
Our Heating this Winter
We are all facing much higher heating bills this autumn.
Therefore we need to reduce our gas consumption
in St George's Church and hall, too.
So we have made the decision to heat our buildings at Preußenallee
only to 15°C, which in winter will feel cold!
We ask for your understanding
and please dress warmly!
Concerning St George's email address
Due to a IT problem, the church office (at office@stgeorges.de) is unfortunately not accessible at the moment.
To contact the clergy please use the email addresses below:
The Revd Canon Christopher Jage-Bowler:
christopherjagebowler@posteo.de
The Revd Joachim Reich
joachimreich@posteo.de
The Revd Martin George
martingeorge@posteo.de
Diocesan Lay Discipleship Course
In September our diocese, the Diocese in Europe,
will launch a diocesan online educational course
for the lay faithful of the diocese
under the guidance of Dr Clare Amos,
the Diocesan Director of Lay Discipleship.
The course is linked to the four pillars of the diocesan Rule of Life:
Knowing God, Growing in Christ, Building Community, and Living Beyond Ourselves. Each module will consist of five units. The first and second modules will be available online for September, with the third and fourth modules being ready in the New Year. The entire course is designed to be able to be completed in the course of a year.
The course is intended to serve the laity in our chaplaincies who wish to deepen their understanding of the Christian faith as the Church of England has received it, to expand their own knowledge of the main points of theology, for their own enrichment or spiritual development. The course is designed for small groups (face-to-face, or virtual) supported by a locally based leader, but is flexible enough to be followed by individuals as well. For St George's, Revd Martin George will be the local leader of the course. (Zoom) meeting times for those who want to participate in this local group will be on demand and flexible.
Those who enrol in the course by September and carry through all the four modules in one year, may receive a "Bishop's Certificate" at the end of the programme. They will be theologically prepared for seeking some lay ministry such as Worship Leader or Reader.
All laypeople of St George's are cordially invited to enrol in this course. For enrolment or more information please write to The Revd Martin George at martingeorge@posteo.de
Joining a Parish Group?
St George's offers a variety of ways to meet and share in groups (currently online only). Are you looking for a parish group? There is sure to be something for you!
More Parish News
and General Information
Looking Ahead
This year's Harvest Festival will be on 2 October at the 10:30 service at St George's.
Our Autumn Book Fair will take place on Saturday 8 October from 10:00 to 16:00 during the Preußenallee street fair. We will need help in setting out books on Friday 7 October from 10:00 and clearning them away again on Saturday the 8th from 16:00. Can you help us?
The St George's Christmas Fair will hopefully take place this year on 3 December.
We do need volunteers for this and maybe some new ideas. To have a brainstorming during a nice meal we would like to meet up towards the end of September. Further details will be announced on the St George's homepage in due course.
Dedication of our Labyrinth
On 25 September we held a dedication
of our St George's Prayer and Meditation Labyrinth
after the Sunday morning Eucharist,
followed by cakes (kindly made by the Women's Group),
coffee and Sekt in the church garden.
This labyrinth is dedicated to the memory
of our beloved former asst pastor,
The Revd Dr Irene von Treskow-Ahrens (+11.05.2019).
We also made available copies of Irene's Sermons,
Heaven is My Destination.
The sermons were selected by Sue Hepner and Eleanor Emerson,
with graphics by Irene's daughter Lisa von Treskow.
The booklet is available after services
for a minimum donation of €5 to cover printing costs.
We hope that our new Prayer Labyrinth will bring insight,
peace and renewal to all who walk it. The sacred geometry of the labyrinth – its twists and turns, taking us close to the centre and then out to the edge again – invites us into a walking meditation. Unlike a maze it has no dead ends. The labyrinth offers a way to quieten our minds, open our hearts, pray for our concerns, give thanks, and turn to God for guidance.
Printed Sermons from Christopher
Copies of our second booklet of sermons from The Revd Canon Christopher Jage-Bowler,
A Year of Grace, are available at the back of St George's church.
Be sure to get a copy for yourself and more for your family and friends!
(Available for a donation of at least 4 euros to help cover the printing costs.)
Ulm Café. Other ways to help those fleeing war in Ukraine
Meeting Café: Ulmenallee 35, 14050 Berlin-Westend
Café Ukraine in the Ulme35, a meeting café is offered daily (Mon-Sat) from 14.00 to 19.00. In order to be able to offer Ukrainians something to eat for free, cake donations are needed. In the Ulme35 advice and help is provided with the preparation of applications and forms (social welfare offices, schools) and the accompaniment to authorities and doctors is organized. Parents can come with their children, for whom child care is set up. There is also help in finding accommodation and in providing clothing. SIM cards for telephone and online contacts are available free of charge for war refugees.
Please can you help?
A clothing closet has now been set up at Ulme 35 for Ukrainian refugees.
We need: - clothes rack or clothes rail, hangers
- School bags, school backpacks, school supplies
- For women (20-45 years) and children between-seasons jackets and well-preserved shoes
- Clothing that can be worn immediately (trousers, T-shirts, blouses, etc.)
- NEW underwear in all sizes for women girls boys
- clothing for young people (12-17 years f/m)
Afternoons in Ulmenallee 35.
St George's young(ish) adults group at Marienkirche
A warm invitation to a dinner or pub get-together after our Anglican Sunday evening service at Marienkirche, always on the last Sunday of the month:
something to eat, something to drink and a bit of nice chatting.
Join Us: Other Parish Groups meeting on ZOOM
Women’s Group meets weekly alternating Friday evening and Saturday mornings by Zoom.
Exploring prayer – theory and practice: once a month, Friday 18.00 by Zoom.
German Anglicans meets last Weds of the month 19.15 by Zoom
Simple Living meets first Weds of the month 19.00 by Zoom.
Night Prayer Tuesdays and Thursdays 21.30 by Zoom.
Theology Reading and Discussion Group for more information / copy of the text, please contact Tim Redfern via the church office.
Eco-Group meets once a month by Zoom, usually Saturday 11.00.
Contact Michael Seadle for info: seadle@hu-berlin.de
St George's choir sings and meets at 16.30 in the Marienkirche
each Sunday to rehearse for the 18.00 evening eucharist.
Complaints
We sometimes receive complaints that members of the congregation are not personally informed about news via email or do not receive our newsletter. We are very sorry about this. Unfortunately, email addresses become outdated, the newsletter has not been ordered or we have not been given permission to use the email address in accordance with the DSGVO.
So if you are in any doubt as to whether we have your proper and up dated contact details, please kindly contact the parish office so that you are well informed by emails from the parish. For up-to-date information about our parish events, changes to our corona regulations or church services, please visit this, our official website. Here you will be informed as up-to-date as possible. Also point other parishioners and friends of St George to this website. We thank you very much and appreciate your cooperation.
We only really exist because of your support: Spendenbescheinigungen
I shall be preparing tax certificates for those who donated to the church in 2021 by the end of February. If you are expecting to receive a certificate, please check that we have your current address details. Addresses are taken from the Electoral Roll, from the information given in the bank transfer, if provided, or if you tell us. Otherwise we have no means to deliver a certificate to you. If you have any questions or do not receive a tax certificate that you think you are entitled to, please contact the church office.
Your treasurer, Jean Frick
No St George's Midweek Eucharist in September
Please note that there will be no Wednesday Eucharist services in the month of September.
Exceptions to the Regular Worship Times at Marienkirche
Please note there are NO Sunday evening Eucharists at Marienkirche:
13 November and 11 / 18 / 25 December 2022.
Thank you!
We thank all who have support our parish through this time of heightened corona numbers. Your generosity allows us to fulfil the mission of St. George´s and to celebrate and spread God's love in our community and beyond. We invite everyone to join together in sharing the financial blessings to which God has entrusted them. Please prayerfully consider what portion of your money you can commit to the life of St George's.
We especially appreciate donations by monthly standing order.
May God continue to bless you in every way.
St George's on Social Media
YOUTUBE
By now we have – thanks to some generous donations – a stable setup for the recordings on our YouTube channel. The only thing we would need is one or two more volunteers who could cover the actual recording duties once every two months. Martin and Carolin would give you a thorough training and are always available if there are problems or questions! Please contact Martin Abend via the church office if you can help.
FACEBOOK
There is now an official Facebook Page for St George's: www.facebook.com/stgeorgesanglicanchurchberlin. Please
like and subscribe to it if you haven't already!
INSTAGRAM
St George's Instagram feed can be followed at @StGeorgesBerlin.
TWITTER
You can also find us on Twitter at @StGeorgesBerlin.
A Prayer for Ukraine
God of peace and justice,
we pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen.
Archbishop Justin Welby | Archbishop Stephen Cottrell
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York
Pastoral Letter
To the clergy and people of the Church of England, calling on them to pray for peace in Ukraine.
St George’s Choir is looking for you
The choir is very happy to be singing at services again. We are singing at the Marienkirche in Mitte evening service each Sunday.
We meet at 16:30 to learn the music for the 18:00 service.
If you would like to join the choir, please contact Andrew Sims at choir@stgeorges.de.
How to become a member of the Church of England?
If you’ve been baptized in water and in the name of the Holy Trinity in another church or denomination, your baptism is valid in the Anglican Church.
You can attend our services and events at any time, even if you are not a formal member of the Church of England or another Anglican/Episcopal church.
However, if you wish to become a full member of the Church of England and our congregation, you must, in addition to sharing the faith of the Church of England, usually live in Berlin or Brandenburg and also wish to attend services and church events. You would then be received into the Church of England during a service. Talk to our clergy to clarify any further questions or write an email.
St George's Wanderlust Initiative
There is a new initiative for parishioners and friends of St George's. The idea is to see sights close to Berlin as well as travel to other locations further afield, whether you are a newcomer to the area or a seasoned resident. The idea is to get to know each other better in a fun setting while experiencing all that the area has to offer. Depending on interest, it could be as simple as a day touring Potsdam and Wannsee, a day hiking trip to Sächsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland, about 2 hours away), or weekend trips to Bavaria, Dresden, Prague, or anywhere else people might be excited to go. The goal is to organize one outing per month, schedules permitting. Our new church council member Kim Purvis is collecting names and email addresses for anyone interested, and will handle the organizing of the trips. If you enjoy touring or have suggestions on where to go,
please send an email to Kim via office@stgeorges.de
Happy Wandering!
St George's Towards an Eco Church
To Look over the Rim of a Tea Cup
The Church of England News
The Diocese in Europe News
Anglican Communion News
The Protestant Church in Germany News
The Roman Catholic Church in Germany News
Germany News
Berlin News
St George's offers Covid Vaccination Support
Do contact the church office if you need some assistance in making an appointment or travelling to the Vaccination Point.
