ICS News Issue 59 November 2014 - Intercontinental Church Society

Transcription

One generation will commend your works to
another . . . . They will celebrate your abundant
goodness.
From Psalm 145: 4,7
This edition celebrates God’s goodness through
the distinctive vigour and mission brought by the
African members to many of our chaplaincies; in
the vitality of young people and the challenges
they—and their leaders—face in a cross-cultural
context; and in the ongoing ministry of several
chaplaincies, especially as the baton is handed on
to new chaplains. Seasonal chaplains tell of many
meaningful encounters during this summer’s
new partnership with the local chaplaincy of
South Tenerife, as well as the long-established
winter and summer ministry in Zermatt.
The Society is refreshing the way in which news
and matters for prayer are conveyed to you, the
supporters: the website has been redesigned to
give up-to-the-minute information and ICS News,
with other publications, is being reorganised.
African Sunday at St. Marc’s, Grenoble
Christmas cards and notelets
Annual Meeting and AGM report
SOCIETY
The magazine of Intercontinental Church Society
ISSN 1755–294X | ISSUE 58 | November 2014
Contents
ICS is an Anglican mission society which makes known the Christ
of the Scriptures to people of any nationality who speak English,
mainly in countries where English is not the first language.
Object
ICS is established to advance the
Christian gospel by evangelical
mission and ministry to Englishspeaking people throughout the
world.
Legal Information
Registered charity no.: 1072584; a
company limited by guarantee
registered in England and Wales
no.: 3630342.
ICS News and Prayer Diary
Published three times a year.
Views expressed by contributors
are not necessarily those of ICS.
Any correspondence should be
addressed to the office.
Sub-editors: Dennis and
Elizabeth Sadler
Credits
Our thanks to all who have
provided articles; also to YFC (7),
Jean-Philippe Vincent (1,3,8),
Dennis Sadler (26) and Madge
Olby (28) for photos.
Other photos are generally by the
authors of articles, chaplains, staff
members or David Healey ARPS .
Common Worship
© The Archbishops’ Council 2000
Biblical quotations from the NIV
unless noted otherwise.
Appointments
These are announced subject, on
occasions, to the usual clearances.
Data Protection
Data about individuals and
organisations with whom ICS is
in contact may be held on its
database for the purposes of
pursuing its activities. We may
contact you by post, telephone or
email unless you tell us you do
not wish to be contacted. ICS
does not pass any mailing lists to
unconnected third parties.
© Intercontinental Church
Society October 2014.
No part of this publication may
be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means (electronic, photographic, mechanical,
recording or otherwise) without
ICS’s prior written permission.
ISSN: 1755-294X
2
As a mission, ICS enables the planting of new international
Anglican churches and other mission initiatives, and spreads
the gospel through seasonal outreach to tourists.
As a patronage society we recruit and nominate ministers for
Anglican churches abroad and own many church buildings.
Our website and Directory of English-speaking Churches
Abroad enable people to find churches away from home.
A list of ICS projects can be obtained by contacting the office
or by visiting www.ics-uk.org/about/articles.shtml
Features
3 For such a time as this?
4 Third culture church
6 Vive la difference!
9 South Tenerife mission
12 Kingdom opportunities in Zermatt
14 Alpinists and an army of migrants
16 Chile: the land on the edge
18 Madge Olby: travelling for ICS
19 Talking Turkish
22 Loss or reward?
24 Cannes: can you imagine it?
26 Strategy and direction
28 ICS News is changing
30 New Frontiers (AGM and Annual Public Meeting 2014)
33 Christmas cards and notelets
35 ICS family news
37 Cheltenham ICS Prayer Group
News & Prayer Diary
38 ICS prayer and support groups
39 November–December events for prayer
41 News and Prayer Diary, November and December
Information
64 Contacting ICS
ICS News and Prayer Diary | November 2014
For such a time as this?
Richard Bromley attended the inaugural Missio Africanus
think tank day focusing on the big questions around African
missionary engagement in the twenty-first century.
Missio Africanus was a great day to be with brothers and
sisters from various denominations and backgrounds; I was
one of the few white people in the room. The conversation
moved to what it means for the church in Europe and the UK
to have this explosion of life and mission from the black
majority churches. One African brother commenting on this
quoted: ‘And who knows but that you have come to your
royal position for such a time as this?’ (Esther 4: 14).
Perhaps just as the church is being written off as dying,
ageing or no longer relevant, it is going to be enthused,
renewed and revitalised by the blessing which is the majority black church. Already the statistics of church growth in
London are turning around, predominantly due to majority
black churches.
As sub-Saharan migration spills over into Europe, there
is not a city chaplaincy that is not blessed with African
brothers and sisters, bringing life and vitality. Bob Hurley,
the chaplain in Grenoble, has sent me some pictures of a
Sunday when he asked the African members to lead the
service. They are amazing! They remind me that the colour
of our chaplaincies is changing, for the better.
Perhaps the migration we are seeing across Europe carries
with it a blessing for ‘such a time as this’. Like Mordecai we
are to see where God is at work and join in. Could we be
watching the deliverance of God in Europe and witnessing
the rebirth of a vibrant Christianity? The black majority
church’s evangelistic zeal, their faith and expectation,
presents us with an opportunity unique in our times. Photos: African Sunday,
St. Marc’s, Grenoble
3
Third culture church
Jonny Torrance, Youth Worker at All Saints, Vevey shares
some of the rich challenges at the heart of chaplaincy youth
ministry which is international in reality.
Jonny Torrance
4
‘I don’t want to go back to school.’ ‘I don’t feel like I belong
there.’ ‘It’s not that they’re unpleasant, it’s just they’re so
different, and no one understands me.’ And then, the killer:
‘I’m just living my life waiting for high school to end, because it’s got to get better afterwards, right?’
These are all things that young people have said to me
over the last year. Many of them were reflections during an
incredible week away in Croatia where these teenagers got
to hang out with a big group of people their own age who,
like them, were international kids. On the last night, one girl
had us all in floods as she told us how, wherever she was, it
felt like she was an outsider and how, for that week, she had
for the first time felt like she was at home; like she belonged;
like she wasn’t ‘foreign’.
Such problems are not unusual. This is part of the reality
of life for third culture kids: young people who grow up in
the confusing dislocation of a surrounding culture that is
not the same as that inside the four walls of their house.
These are the young people we have here in Vevey; almost
without exception the youth of our church have complex,
rich backstories. Parents who speak a different language.
Cross-cultural families. A history of moves across countries
and even continents. A feeling, wherever they go, that somehow they aren’t quite at home.
And into this maelstrom of emotions and complexity, we
try to bring the reality of Jesus’ love, the concrete community of church and the hope and purpose of the gospel
into these lives. I’ve been doing this for a year now, and have
almost more questions than answers, but there are a couple
of trends I have noticed.
Firstly, building community with these guys is actually
pretty easy. Despite enormous cultural differences and often
ridiculously busy schedules, it is incredible how much the
young people I have met crave, and invest in, genuine
community with each other. As I’ve said, many of these
youths feel lonely, or dislocated in their schools, and just the
provision of a space where they can be themselves, and
Prayer points: page 60
hang out with people who ‘get’ them, is vital. Maybe we
have extra-especially wonderful kids here in Vevey (what do
I mean, ‘maybe’? I know we do) but the way they love each
other, the time and energy they spend in laughing together
and in caring for each other, and the way they interact is
remarkable.
Secondly, the challenge of compartmentalised lives is particularly hard in this context. This is a problem everywhere,
for all ages of believers: we have our ‘Christian’ lives—
Sundays, midweek Bible studies, maybe a festival in the
summer—and our ‘normal’ lives, which include family,
work, play, holidays. The interaction of the two is limited at
best. But for kids here, especially if they go to a Frenchspeaking school, this is really tough. God, for most of them,
is English-speaking; he is great and powerful and good in
the English-speaking world, but has little to say in the
strongly secular context of school. Not only that, but even if
they do speak to their friends about him, where do they take
them? They cannot come to church, because they would not
understand our language. And so we effectively create third
culture believers: people who ‘grow up’ in faith in a very
different culture to what is around them.
The challenge, then, is to build community that is strong
enough for these kids to feel at home, but that is not sealed
off from the outside world. A community where there is so
much love between the ‘insiders’ that they naturally welcome ‘outsiders’ in. A community of love that is strong
enough not only to engage outside culture, but to have a
prophetic voice that infects surroundings with its own
values of love and kindness. And in the midst of all of this, to
find ways to live out the reality that God does not only speak
English; that he is just as much the God of Switzerland as he
is of English culture. Photos: Vevey young people
5
Vive la difference!
Lazy, antisocial and selfish? Richard Bromley reflects on the
difference between our perception of young people in the UK
and mainland Europe.
There is something about ‘once a youth worker, always a
youth worker’. Eighteen months after leaving Youth for
Christ, and now with Intercontinental Church Society, I continue to look with enthusiasm and interest at the way youth
culture is different in the various places I go. While I am
never there long enough to get under the skin of what is
going on, the superficial and perhaps most obvious differences really interest me.
Friends of mine walking down a back street in Brussels
inadvertently found themselves in an unknown area and
saw in the distance a bunch of rowdy young people loitering
and looking menacing. Being British and used to a somewhat negative view of young people, they steeled themselves to walk past and perhaps endure a little abuse. What
actually happened was that, as they got closer, the young
people all stood back, smiled and said with enthusiasm
‘Bonjour’. They live in a culture that does not assume a
hostility between young people and the rest; where the
media would not consider vilifying young people, or using
them as an easy scapegoat; where they are seen as a valuable
part of society. Now I know this is a naive simplification, but
the atmosphere just feels different with young people there.
I meet energised young people: young people who are
indifferent to age boundaries and who are far more tactile
with each other. It is different.
In another context I found myself amongst what are
termed ‘third culture kids’, the children of business people,
the military or missionaries who create a third, artificial
culture, an expatriate world. Able to make friends really
quickly, but also to drop them just as quickly, in this world
where everyone is coming or going—used to moving and
being on an airplane. Spend time chatting to them and you
find they have really interesting stories. I was talking to a girl
recently and I asked her why she moved so often in her
younger years and she said without missing a beat her dad
(now deceased) was a spy! She would come home from
school and find that something had happened and they
6
were going to go and live somewhere else. No chance of
saying goodbye, just moving on again.
Another amazing group of young people I have encountered are from sub-Saharan Africa. I have had most
contact with them in Middle Eastern countries. What I
found was a huge passion for Jesus and an enormous
amount of energy. I turned up at one church, a dark shack in
a Middle Eastern country, hardly anyone there. Then over
the next thirty minutes various cars pulled up and sound
equipment was pulled out of the boot, until we had a full rig
set up in a church that could only just seat one hundred
people. What I found were people who have a huge knowledge of Scripture, a good understanding of theology, a deep
desire to follow Christ and reach out to their friends, and a
love of worshipping together. But I also found young people
who were deeply affected by western culture, dressing the
same as many would in my own country, struggling with the
same pressures and unsure how to respond.
Elsewhere I met a group of young people who have come
to faith since the Arab Spring and are first generation
Christians. The challenge for them and their families is
working out what it means to be nineteen or twenty and to
have made a decision that cuts you off from your heritage. I
have met a handful of brave young people who have made
this step. Their courage, their passion and their willingness
to stand up for the name of Christ was inspiring.
Lastly, in a conversation I had with a few young people in
the Netherlands I asked them what they thought of young
people in the UK. There were some humorous comments.
The one that got universal disapproval was school uniform.
They were just horrified by the idea that some overbearing
school would make you all wear the same clothes. Where is
the self-expression, where is the individualism? It looks
7
almost militaristic, it looks stuffy, and so British! They could
not understand how young people in Britain put up with it!
What I am coming to learn is that young people are
different. People who say that young people are the same
the world over do not know young people the world over.
Young people are different and they are formed by a huge
number of different social, religious and peer pressures. Of
course this is true of young people in the UK as well. I think if
I had my time again in youth work I would try to enable
young people to see this. I would also want to speak out
against the way our media talk about young people. God
bless Frontier Youth Trust for doing this from time to time.
While working with Youth With A Mission I learned an invaluable principle: to come in the opposite spirit. This really
mattered when I worked in Hull. You could have written a
banner to place over the city that read, ‘We have tried that
and it does not work here’. When I ministered there it was
my calling to come in the opposite spirit and try again, be
enthusiastic and believe that God had not given up on these
people. I come in the opposite spirit with young people.
They are amazing, a treasure that we cherish and a gift we
celebrate.
I want ICS to proclaim long and loud to a new generation
that God loves them; that Christ died to wash away their sins
and they are incredible in the hands of God. 8
South Tenerife mission
Herrick and Judy Daniel, and Rod and Josey Fereday, happily
accepted the invitation to go on the new seven-week mission
in San Blas, South Tenerife, although unsure what to expect.
Herrick and Judy Daniel
We went in faith with the intention to share God’s love from
the heart of San Blas. We took the great commission of Jesus
in Matthew 28: 19–20 as our foundational text: ‘Therefore go
and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit . . . and
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’. This
gave us all the confidence, drive, and assurance of God’s
presence with us which we needed for the mission. We are
pleased to say that we were not disappointed but satisfied
that God worked mightily in the mission. The hymn ‘Count
your blessings, name them one by one’ became a reality for
us. Space will not allow us to recount every single blessing
over our twenty days there, but I must mention one or two.
We discovered that on 10 August, the final Sunday of our
stay, the chaplain serving in the north of the island would be
having a farewell service. He was well known to the southern congregations and most of the people would, understandably, be going to support this service and his farewell
picnic lunch. This included the warden who normally
organised and played the recorded music for the service at
San Blas and the lay reader who supported the service. We
jokingly said to Roy Taylor (the resident chaplain of the
Anglican Church of St. Francis, South Tenerife) that it may
be only me and my wife at San Blas church that Sunday.
Little did we know or realise at the time that God had his
own plan for us, reminding us of Paul’s words, ‘Do not be
anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to
God.’ (Philippians 4: 6). Judy and I continued our prayer.
One morning, a few days before that service, we were at
the church as usual and a family visited. They were on holiday from Coventry—mum, dad and four young people
between the ages of 14 and 20—and were attracted into the
church by the music being played. They were deeply
involved in their home church and mum, a music teacher,
offered to play the electric piano, while the son agreed to
play the guitar. With support from the rest of the family we
9
were assured of a congregation! Even then our faith had to
be stretched: on the morning of the service we welcomed
our family in and resigned ourselves to a cosy service of
eight. However in the final five minutes before the start
people began to arrive and we had to get out more hymn
books and service sheets. We ended up with over twenty,
mostly holidaymakers, in the service that morning! We were
so thankful to God and hailed it as such a blessing.
Among those we met and ministered to over the weeks
were a lady from Birmingham who came during the first
week for prayer for help to see if God was calling her to the
lay ministry back home. We were delighted to pray with her
and she attended church each Sunday we were there.
During the second week a couple from Lancashire
attended the service. The husband, a teacher, was testing his
calling to full-time ministry. Again we were able to pray with
them. We prayed for and comforted a lady whose friend had
died back in England and who was unable to attend the
funeral, and prayed for another lady in a similar situation.
We also prayed for a family whose granddaughter had had
an accident back in England.
These are just a few of the stories we have to tell from our
twenty days of the mission.
Rod and Josey Fereday
Marisha (the Reader) met Josey and me at South Tenerife
airport on 9 August and took us to our accommodation in
San Blas where we were to continue the mission. We overlapped with Canon Herrick Daniel and his wife Judy and
enjoyed the most wonderful fellowship: they were kindred
spirits and we felt we had known them for a lifetime.
Next day Josey and I set off early for the Holy Communion
service at another church, San Eugenio (about half an hour
away at Playa de las Americas). The bulk of this congregation had also ‘decamped’ to the north of the island for the
departing chaplain’s farewell service. The music came via
my trusty IPad and the service went well, with twenty-seven
residents and holidaymakers in the congregation.
After Herrick and Judy returned home, we continued the
work, opening the church in San Blas from 10 am until 2 pm
each day; out of season it is normally locked up. Taizé music
gave soothing and sacred background throughout. The first
10 ICS News and Prayer Diary | November 2014
Photos on this page:
progression through the
Labyrinth
week saw about eighty people through church, mostly
holidaymakers who came to look around and take photographs. Both residents and holidaymakers appreciated the
church being open. We also went networking in the hotels,
bars and cafés, putting up posters, giving people details of
church services, and handing out flyers to the public in
markets and other venues.
Also everyone contacted was given a personal invitation
to services and activities, and encouraged to join in the
effort to keep the church open all year. Fifteen kilogrammes
of Christian booklets (kindly supplied by Lifewords) were
taken out by us as excess baggage; these booklets lasted until
the third week and were appreciated. On Thursday in the
second week I was invited to be the guest preacher at
Espírito Santo Church in Los Gigantes, an hour’s drive
south, where we shared a lunch with the congregation and
visited leaders of Bible studies and home groups.
The main change in the second week was the introduction
of a Christian Labyrinth during church opening times. This
proved a great success: numbers were not much greater but
the difference in ministry opportunities was huge. About
half of the eighty-odd people we saw through the Labyrinth
had some kind of experience of God, and opened up to
prayer ministry. All who passed through were blessed and
thankful for the experience: there were many tears as people
were put in touch with their deeper feelings. The effect of the
Labyrinth was to change people from sightseeing, photographing tourists and give them a spiritual experience.
Some wrote in feedback forms and the visitors’ book that it
had been the ‘highlight of their holidays’ (praise the Lord).
Labyrinth caused such a stir that Roy Taylor decided to put
it on the church’s website for more people to experience.
Tuesday evenings saw the introduction of Taizé worship.
This initially drew about fifteen worshippers and went extremely well, with Taizé chants, three silences each of five
minutes, a reading from Scripture and a very powerful
Spirit-filled prayer ministry session for reconciliation,
wholeness and peace.
The opportunities at San Blas church are really good,
mainly because there is an independent base from which to
work, and as a resource venue this was invaluable. ICS News and Prayer Diary | November 2014
11
Kingdom opportunities in Zermatt
John Kitchin-Smith and his wife Caroline write of their first
experience of overseas chaplaincy, in Zermatt where he was
chaplain at the English Church for the month of June.
John and Caroline
Kitchin-Smith
As we were the first out for the summer season, part of our
task was to visit the hundred or so hotels with posters and
leaflets advertising the church and service times. We were
always well received. We also spent an hour or two at the
church each day to welcome visitors from many different
nationalities. St. Peter’s is very beautiful and well cared for,
and its 144-year history and connection with mountaineering makes it a popular destination for tourists. The
church has a small regular congregation and is well served
by its charming and gifted young local ICS rep Andreas.
This proved to be a very special time for us, with ample
opportunity for relaxation, walking some of the 250 miles of
footpaths and enjoying the beautiful alpine flowers and
awesome snow-capped peaks, including the iconic
Matterhorn. We were able not only to offer ministry and
pastoral care to numerous people, but also to grow in our
own faith and understanding and dependence upon God.
Thrown back on our own very limited resources, perhaps
we were more open to the leading of God? But we were constantly struck by the way opportunities for ministry arose. A
few examples follow (the names have been changed).
Enjoying coffee after service
Richard and Janey, an older retired couple, came to church
on Sunday. Chatting over coffee afterwards, they gave little
sign of the immense strain and distress they were under. The
following Thursday, they came to the 5.30 pm ‘social’ at the
church but arrived an hour late because they had got the time
wrong. Had they come at the correct time, four other couples
would have been present. As it was, Caroline and I were
alone. Richard and Janey had come desperately seeking
ministry and prayer which we were able to offer them one-toone, ending the time by saying Evening Prayer together.
Caroline, hearing by chance an American voice in the
local supermarket (by the peanuts!), greeted the speaker
and told him about the English Church. Five Americans in
his tour group came to church the next Sunday as a result.
Finally, Charles was a young man on holiday with his wife
and parents-in-law who had come to church one Sunday
evening. A committed Christian, he appeared confident and
self-assured. The following evening when I came to lock the
church, Charles was inside praying and asked if he could
speak with me. His ten-year marriage was in serious crisis
and we talked and prayed for about an hour. He made the
comment, ‘There was only one person in the whole of
Switzerland who could help me and you were there!’ To
which I replied ‘That’s how it works!’
These are just a few examples of many ‘God-instances’ we
experienced during our time in Zermatt. What we learned
from these, I hope, is that God always goes before us and
prepares kingdom opportunities if we are open, ready and
willing and looking for them—opportunities that will be
life-changing, transforming and faith-building for ourselves
and for others. Of course, what we experienced was not
unique and special to us: ‘That’s how it works!’ John and Caroline with
Andreas Wildenhain
13
Alpinists and an army of migrants
Earlier this year Mark Fletcher took a small team for his
fortnight of chaplaincy at Zermatt, during ICS’s winter
programme of seasonal mission in Switzerland.
Mark Fletcher
Team members Ellie Welsh,
Mark Fletcher, John Lewis
The village of Zermatt lies at an altitude of over five thousand feet at the top of the Mattertal valley in the Swiss Alps
and it is breathtaking in every sense of the word. The village
stands surrounded by some of the highest peaks in Europe,
and is overlooked by the most iconic of mountains, the
Matterhorn.
Famous for its long tradition of Alpinism and winter
sports, Zermatt attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors
every year. It is a fixture on the grand tour of Europe, and
trainloads of tourists arrive every day to see the Matterhorn.
The wonderful traditional main street is lined with designer
label boutiques and expensive restaurants. And it is a world
class ski resort with prices to match.
There is another side to Zermatt however. The town is
supported by an army of migrant and seasonal labour
working in the service industry, and for them the magic of
the place is not always so apparent. Seasonal workers are
often paid very little, and despite the obvious attractions of
living in such a place, the reality can be quite hard and
isolating. The transience of the town means that long term
residents find that it can be a lonely place and the extremes
of wealth are often very apparent.
Just off the high street at the heart of the village is a little
church called St. Peter’s, quite literally built on the rock. The
church has served the English-speakers of the town since
1870, offering hospitality and English language Christian
worship.
This was my fourth visit to Zermatt as an ICS chaplain and,
as ever, it is a privilege to serve there. Much of the ministry is
to visitors and seasonal workers, but this year one of the
things I really appreciated was the importance of long term
relationships, both with the small community of resident
Christians, and the regular visitors whom I had the chance
to meet again.
Apart from the chaplaincy work there is the opportunity
to ski most days in the winter. Travelling up the mountain on
the wonderful nineteenth century Gornergrat railway is a
lovely start to the day, and a chance to chat to fellow
passengers. We made friends with a young Belgian medical
student; we heard his story and spoke of the Fatherhood of
God, and we have kept in touch.
Chairlifts also offer brief chances to chat. People are often
fascinated by the idea of an English-speaking chaplain there
for them, and that brief window often offers a chance for a
gospel conversation.
The church itself attracts many visitors, and the chance to
tell the story of the church is a good opportunity to share the
gospel. One especially memorable encounter was with a
young Lebanese couple, intrigued that religion could be a
force for good in the world.
And of course Sunday services attract a lovely blend of
regular visitors and tourists They include many Christians
who love the idea of a little church proclaiming the gospel in
the mountains, and also non-Christians who might be encountering living faith for the first time.
Next year will be the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary
of the tragedy on the Matterhorn in 1865 which led directly
to the founding of ‘The English Church’. So St. Peter’s, also
known as the parish church of the Alpine Club, will once
again share the limelight with those bold Swiss and English
pioneers of Alpinism. ICS News and Prayer Diary | November 2014
15
Chile: the land on the edge
David Greenwood has been Chaplain of St. Peter’s, Viña del
Mar and St. Paul’s, Valparaíso in Chile since May 2012. He
comments on the changing scene for these congregations.
David Greenwood
How do you sum up Chile? The joke about it being chilly in
Chile has run its course, and anyway the Spanish pronunciation is closer to ‘Chee-lay’. It is a land of extremes, not
least because of its great length matched by its narrow
width; there is a wide variation in climate—and there is a
gulf between rich and poor. However, there are beautiful
places in Chile, the land on the edge of the world: sealed off
by the snow-capped Andes on the east and the Pacific Ocean
on the west. In the north is the Atacama Desert; in the
middle, the vineyards; in the south the Lake District, and in
the far south the fiords and glaciers—and more mountains.
One thing does unite all, and that is frequent earth tremors.
Like other South American countries Chile is mainly
Roman Catholic, but the British, who came in large numbers
in the nineteenth century, set up their own English-speaking
Protestant churches. Now, several generations later, the
Anglo-Chileans all speak Spanish and, for some, English is
their second language. Not surprisingly a number attend
Spanish-speaking churches, including those of the Chilean
Anglican Church.
The two churches of St. Paul’s, Valparaíso and St. Peter’s,
Viña del Mar predate the current Anglican diocese by more
than a century and have to this day remained independent
of it. Moreover, the liturgy is in English in St. Peter’s, the
only one of the two which has regular services. It is generally
the older people who still prefer the English service. The
younger people prefer Spanish, move away to Santiago or
marry Catholics—sometimes all three—so our congregation continues to get older, and smaller.
As chaplain I am well into my third year. During my first
year the average Sunday attendance was twenty-four; since
then there has been a gradual decline. Christmas and Easter
do not produce much larger congregations as Christmas
falls in the summer holidays, and Easter usually on a drizzly
autumn day. Harvest Festival is unknown. If we had one it
would probably come somewhere between Ash Wednesday
and Good Friday.
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16 ICS
ICS News
News and
and Prayer
Prayer Diary
Diary| |April
November
2013
2014
Remembrance Sunday brings a larger congregation due
to British connections: in the First World War many men
returned to Europe to fight, and to die. On that day I preach
in Spanish because of the many for whom it is their first
language. We have a midweek Bible study, sometimes two.
These are attended by a small but enthusiastic group. There
is a Ladies´ Group which meets twice a month, and we have
occasional social activities. We have a choir once a year, for
the Christmas Carol Service. In all this we minister mostly to
our ‘regulars’ since there are few visitors.
Personally, I have been to weekly meetings with the local
Anglican ministers, and have taught some of them New
Testament Greek. I have also attended the annual retreat for
the Bishop and clergy. On the ecumenical front I have been
involved at Valparaíso’s Catholic University and Cathedral.
My moment of fame came when I was asked to read the
lesson at the annual Te Deum, attended by all and sundry, including the high and mighty.
In conclusion, the future of the chaplaincy is uncertain,
although the current congregation would like it to continue.
It is in God’s hands, and for the time being there is a group of
people who care, and welcome the church’s ministry. The photo opposite shows David giving a recital on the organ at
St. Paul’s, Valparaíso on 4 August 2014.
Carol Service, Viña del Mar
17
Madge Olby: travelling for ICS
‘Here I am Lord, it is I Lord, I have heard you calling in the
night. I will go Lord, if you lead me. I will hold Your people in
my heart.’
Madge Olby with banner
See also page 64
This song encapsulates our response as God calls each of us
to make him known, even though it is hard to live up to.
In 2009 I was appointed an Honorary Travelling Secretary
for ICS, along with several others, and had to make something of a job that was not there before. The ICS office furnished me with a big banner to use at events, a list of
supporting churches in my area, a supply of current magazines, and visiting cards, without which no modern ‘salesman’ can function.
I decided from the first to keep a log of all my activities,
along with responses to letters and speeches at meetings so
as to gauge how the work was progressing. Every year I have
also made lots of jams and jellies, putting out a notice in
churches—both in the UK and France—that says, ‘Help
yourself and give a donation to ICS’. Magazines and other
promotional material are taken, with conversations and
connections made, all in an unthreatening environment.
When I speak at synods or churches by invitation, I never
mention money; I just give an update of what we do and
how we do it, and because of my regular times in Aquitaine
and keeping up with various chaplains, the news I give can
be very up to date. I am a member of Rochester Diocesan
Synod and I use this position as an opportunity to raise the
profile of ICS whenever and wherever I can. We have a diocesan World Mission Forum (WMF) where several mission
agencies are represented, and this is a point of great mutual
encouragement as we discuss and pray with one another.
On 19 July the WMF hosted a diocesan mission conference
with speaker Bishop Michael Nazir Ali who teaches at theological colleges in Pakistan, Egypt, Ethiopia and the UK. He
recognised that people are entering ministry in difficult circumstances, with many obstacles to spreading the gospel.
I too have found many obstacles and frustrations along
the way in this job. One of the main ones is getting invitations to speak to congregations and meetings; overseas
mission is not important to many churches. At ICS our task is
now to engage a new generation of people in mission. 18 ICS News and Prayer Diary | November 2014
Talking Turkish
Zinkoo Han has recently left Famagusta for Australia. Here
he recounts how his six-year ministry in Northern Cyprus
started somewhat unexpectedly.
Zinkoo and HyeonShil Han
with Ogun and Gaye
In November 2007, I attended a conference while serving in
Korea. The day before I attended that conference I had
received a call from the province office asking me to
translate a lecture manuscript. That lecture happened to be
about the ‘Cyprus Problem’ and had been given by the
Venerable Steve Collis, then Archdeacon of Cyprus. As I had
lived in Turkey and knew about the ‘Cyprus Problem’, I
cried while I was translating that article and I decided to
introduce myself to Steve Collis when I got to the conference. When I met him, he mentioned that there was a priest
in Famagusta who would be interested in having a Turkishspeaking priest in his church. The next thing I knew was that
I had an invitation from the Revd Robin Brookes to work
with him in Famagusta. Ten months later my family and I
moved there.
Starting a new life in Famagusta was not easy. Soon we
learned that getting a residence permit in Cyprus was difficult. Complicating the matter was the delicate political situation in Northern Cyprus. With the help of the diocese, we
were able to get the residence permit, but it also meant that
our children had to attend a school far away. The children’s
Zinkoo’s licensing to
St. Mark’s, Famagusta,
October 2008
19
education since then has been a challenge for us and is
behind our decision to leave Cyprus.
The ministry in Famagusta, on the other hand, was
exciting. My main ministry there was to develop the Turkish
service. Soon after I arrived, I met with Turkish-speaking
Christians from various backgrounds. By April 2009 we had
started a Turkish service with just a handful of believers.
Finding a suitable time for worship was a challenge though.
Some believers worked on Sundays, so they could not come
regularly. Furthermore, St. Mark’s shared the church building in Famagusta with other churches and it was hard to
find a time when the church was available on Sunday. We
changed the service time three times until we finally settled
for early Sunday morning.
While my main ministry was in Turkish, I also had a duty
to the English-speaking congregation. With the early retirement of Robin Brookes in 2010, the English-speaking congregation became my main ministry when the Bishop
appointed me as Chaplain of St. Mark’s. The congregation
there is a wonderful group, mainly composed of international students from Nigeria. As Famagusta is a mostly
Muslim city, international students tend to be the only
Christian population. They are a truly remarkable group of
people who generally show great devotion to Christ. We also
have some people from other countries or areas where
International students
listening to music
See also page 46
Muslims are the majority. Some of them have chosen to
follow Christ while in Cyprus.
While most of our members exhibit commitment to Jesus
Christ, they also show a need to grow in many areas. Many
of them have grown up with wrong theologies—prosperity
teaching leading the list. As international students, they
need to learn to live cross-culturally while coping with the
stresses of academic work. Being away from home, they are
also exposed to temptations—especially in the areas of sex
and money. I have tried to help with this but I am also
grateful that they help one another as well.
As our children’s education became more and more difficult, we took the decision about a year ago to look for a new
post. Since then, we have been able to feel God’s hand
leading us. Our biggest concern was the Turkish service.
While I was sure there were other people who could minister to the English-speaking congregation effectively, I also
knew that it would not be easy to find a Turkish-speaking
minister for the handful of Turkish-speaking believers.
While they are few in number, it is still a significant part of
our ministry as Turkish is the local language of the area.
God had his own plan in this area. Soon after we made
that decision, a Turkish-speaking preacher moved into
Famagusta without knowing that we were hoping to leave.
With his arrival, the nature of the Turkish service changed as
well. Now it is an ecumenical service which is supported by
all of the churches in Famagusta (including the Roman
Catholic Church).
We will certainly miss Famagusta and our ministry there.
We are also thankful that God has led us through these six
years and allowed us to have a good closure. We certainly
look forward to God’s continued leading in the future. Service on the beach
21
Loss or reward?
Richard and Jen Hines leave the Falkland Islands knowing
that the outcome of their ministry there is in God’s hands:
‘The Day will bring it to light.’ (1 Corinthians 3: 10–13)
Richard and Jen Hines
at Surf Bay
The conclusion of a seven-year period of Christian ministry
and pastoral responsibility inevitably provides pause for
reflection. For us both, these reflections are that much more
profound, because our recent departure from the Anglican
Parish of the Falkland Islands coincided with the start of
retirement—a deliberately chosen change of pace and
personal circumstance to mark the end of thirty-five years of
varied work together.
Life in the service of the gospel in the South Atlantic
proved every bit as interesting, demanding and rewarding
as it did in earlier settings: in the wild and severe Chaco
region of Northern Argentina, on a Norwich housing estate,
whilst teaching at a theological college in London, and when
serving seven rural seaside parishes for ten years out on the
windy north-east coast of Norfolk. But there are many
unique features associated with ministry in the Falkland
Islands. There is something noticeably ‘British’ about life in
the small and remote 3,000-person community situated just
off the south-east coast of South America—but much that is
distinctively ‘Falklands’ in style and content. It took several
years to discern the daily, weekly, and annual rhythms to
community, commercial, school and farming life, both in
Stanley (‘town’) and everywhere else beyond (‘Camp’). It
took all of our seven years to appreciate the longer-term
effects on individuals of the trauma and distress associated
with the invasion and occupation by Argentine troops in
1982. It took time to grow in admiration for the
resourcefulness, resilience and can-do attitude of many
Islanders in the snow
Welcoming children in Christ
Church Cathedral
HRH The Duke of Kent,
Remembrance Sunday 2012
Islanders; but also to grow in compassion and concern for
those ensnared by the scourge of alcoholism, and for those
who give every indication of soon joining their ranks. It
would take another seven years at least to discern the most
effective ways to live and speak of the kingdom of God, and
to commend the gospel of Jesus, so as to speak more helpfully into the real-life situations of Islanders—spiritually to
‘scratch’ where they ‘itch’.
It has become something of a cliché to speak of the rapid
changes to which Falkland Islanders are subject at present, a
pace of change which is bound to accelerate as large oil
companies move from the exploration to the exploitation
phase of their campaign on behalf of the Falkland Islands’
government. There will soon be huge gains in wealth on the
part of many in the Islands, unimagined increases in
disposable income, and yet further temptation to abandon
the traditional patterns of mutual care and support and of
generous and open hospitality which have hitherto
characterised Falklands’ community life.
In recent decades, whilst all this has been brewing,
Christians in the Falkland Islands have sought in their
different ways to be faithful to the vision of the kingdom of
God as inaugurated, lived and proclaimed by Jesus. The
evangelistic ‘planting’ and seed-sowing has continued, the
steady ‘watering’ ministry of preaching and teaching has
been maintained, and God has granted encouraging signs of
‘increase’ and growth. It is particularly good to acknowledge with gratitude the witness and contribution of three
native Falkland Islanders currently at the heart of Cathedral
life: a licensed Reader (who now also serves as the first Port
Missioner of the Islands) and two Wardens. It is also likewise
good to acknowledge the presence of a popular ecumenical
Messy Church group, a faithful children’s Sunday Club, and
the precious kernel of a Cathedral youth group.
As the new Anglican Rector and his wife arrive this
month and begin themselves to build for the kingdom of
God here in the Falkland Islands, those of us who now step
aside are very conscious that ‘the Day’ of testing at the end of
this age will alone disclose how we have built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. And, of course, the Lord himself will
determine who suffers loss and who will receive reward. ICS News and Prayer Diary | November 2014
23
Cannes: can you imagine it?
At the beginning of September Giles Williams, Chaplain of
Holy Trinity, Cannes, led the annual chaplaincy weekend at
a mobile home park in the Var.
Home group
Giles Williams teaching
on Ecclesiastes
In the forests of the Var
Can you imagine it? The members of Holy Trinity Cannes,
giving up their sumptuous homes and luxurious beds, to
stay on a campsite? Swapping their posh French restaurants
for cassoulet-out-of-a-tin in a mobile home kitchenette?
To be fair, most of us are not that posh, or as wealthy as
you might expect of expats on the French Riviera. We have a
few homeless people, asylum-seekers, and a number of
elderly folk on modest pensions. Most of the millionaires in
Cannes have yet to spot us over the tops of their piles of
cash! But even so, in September we headed for the hills.
Every year we get away for a weekend of relaxation and
Bible teaching in the forests of the Var. It is not so far away,
but it is a long way from the bling and hassle of the Croisette.
We stay at a campsite (in chalets), and with a bit of
imagination you could think it is rather like the Israelites at
the Feast of Tabernacles. Every year, they were supposed to
get away from their homes and their usual routines, and
camp out with their fellow-believers under the branches.
Tabernacles was a time to stop and remember the wilderness wanderings of the Exodus. It was a time to reflect on
where they had come from, and to remember that they were
just pilgrims through the wilderness, journeying on. And to
study the Bible. And which bit of the Bible did they read at
Tabernacles? Ecclesiastes. Since there is nothing new under
the sun (or under the branches), we looked at Ecclesiastes as
we camped out this year. It is a famously tricky book, but it is
one that has some important messages for anyone who lives
along the Côte d’Azur—or anywhere else for that matter.
Cannes is notorious for conspicuous wealth and glamorous luxury, and for an array of cultural and commercial
activities. But Ecclesiastes reminds us that riches, learning,
music, family, home, gardening, sex—and life itself—are
actually gifts from a gracious God. Ecclesiastes uses the word
‘enjoy’ more than any other book of the Bible. Our congregation may have more modest means than one would
expect, but we enjoy living in such a lovely part of the world.
We mainly know how fortunate we are.
ICS News and Prayer Diary | July 2011
Ecclesiastes insists that our gracious God wants us to enjoy
these blessings, value them and use them well. And what
does ‘well’ mean? It means to enjoy them in the fear of the
Lord, and in accordance with his commandments.
But if we do not use them well, those heart-warming
blessings have the potential to leave us cold. People in
Cannes sometimes try to use them as a substitute for faith;
they can fill their lives with luxuries and pleasures and
clever-clog wisdom, and leave no space for God. Pray for us
as we try to reach them with the gospel! It is the Creator God
who gives shape and meaning to our lives.
Sometimes when we are stripped of our usual routines
and comforts, we can get this world in a better perspective.
When we look up past the branches and glimpse the stars,
we remember how small we are, and how majestic is our
Creator. Ecclesiastes refuses to give us simple answers to life’s
big questions but it does remind us to let God be God.
So it is good for us to get away from our comforts and
remember that we are on a journey with God. Ecclesiastes
reminds us that we are just passing through. Is your caravan
too firmly cemented to the ground? Of course, that is not just
a message for Cannes! We love it when ICS supporters come
to worship with us. And we pray that your visits to our
churches, and your prayers for our work, will help you on
your journey with God. Can you imagine it? Children ready to run the race
with ‘eyes fixed on Jesus’
(Hebrews 12: 1,2)
25
Strategy and direction
ICS has always been an agency to identify frontiers and
then move ministry towards them, writes Richard Bromley;
at our best we pioneer and plant in places as yet unreached.
Over the last six months ICS has spent much time in prayer
and talking about the strategy and development of ICS. This
has been a fruitful time as we engage with some major
themes but also sense what God might be saying. The outcome of this has been a clarified strategy that is starting to
form our work: a renewed focus on mission and the reclaiming of our heritage as a frontier mission agency. A
desire to foster healthy outward looking chaplaincies and
taking every opportunity to reach out with the good news of
Jesus Christ. To identify new places, new ways or new
people to reach out to. This is an exciting strategy; for a
twenty-first century mission agency, the mission field is
different and our opportunities perhaps more complex. For
us identifying these new opportunities and then seeking the
resources to move in faith into them is crucial.
We continue to develop our seasonal ministry. It is with
this in mind that this year we have taken the decision to
cease the French campsite ministry and allow this pruning
to give us the opportunity to grow new work in different
places. We are hugely grateful for the commitment and hard
work of the people who have been involved in the French
campsite ministry over the years. There is a long and glorious history here. As times change and opportunities move
elsewhere we want to remain the type of organisation that
can celebrate the past but move into the future.
One of the blessings we have is patronage of a number of
churches around Europe. Our desire is to be strategic with
this and to act as responsible patrons presenting strong
candidates and supporting them in the missional ministry.
French campsite
Our desire is to echo the prayer of Jesus, ‘Lord of the harvest,
send the workers’. Where we are patrons we wish to be a
blessing to those we work and serve alongside.
Our operational objectives are probably not the sort of
thing that would interest people in this magazine but the
bullet points are that we want to be a robust, lean organisation fit for purpose in the twenty-first century, wellresourced in both prayer and finance, wisely using the
assets God has given us.
Finally, our strategy talks about our relational objectives.
We are well aware that we are only one small cog in God’s
purposes for mission in Europe and beyond. Our desire is to
work constructively and creatively with our partners, the
dioceses we are engaged with and our members and
supporters, to make sure that the Society is understood and
welcomed, and adds value to the partnerships in which it is
involved.
There is nothing quite like ICS. As I look around at my
colleagues who run other Anglican agencies, we have a
unique role to play at this time. The essence of our strategy is
that we know where we are going and under God seek to
faithfully serve and to honour his calling on us. We can only
do that with your generous support and prayer. I never tire
of saying ‘thank you’: your faithfulness allows us to step out
in ministry and advance to new frontiers. Barcelona city
27
ICS News and website changes
Richard Bromley is keen to tell readers about some major
changes in the magazine, ICS News & Prayer Diary, other
publications and the website.
Literature display
Firstly, each edition of the magazine will contain prayer
points for four months. This will mean that there will be a
little less information to guide you in your prayers, but it will
allow us to stop publishing the ICS Prayer Diary Supplement
which has proved to be unpopular. However, we are
changing the layout of the magazine, which we hope will
better inform our prayer for the Society and its work.
Secondly, we will re-introduce the monthly ICS News and
Prayer Update. This news-sheet has the advantage of being
very immediate and it will give you prayer and news information that is current and accurate: something that will
allow you to pray more intelligently and with focus. This
will be sent out as an email ideally, but for people who prefer
a paper copy, we will happily post one. Obviously, in the
light of postage costs our preference is always going to be
email, but we want people to pray and not be hindered by
not being able to access information.
Thirdly, immediate news and prayer points are now available on our all-new website. This is updated on a daily basis
and offers so much more by way of instant communication.
I realise that change is not easy for some and I would value
your comments and feedback. These changes have been
driven partly by the increased costs of postage and the
desire of some of our members and friends to receive more
up-to-date information. This can now be provided with the
website and the News and Prayer Update. We hope that, by
making these changes, we get the combination right and
meet people’s needs to be able to pray and be informed
about what God is doing in ICS.
More about the website
Now, if you have Internet access, please put down this
magazine and go to www.ics-uk.org. Like the old site it has
all the information about ICS but much more.
Under ‘News and Prayer’ not only can you get stories and
news as we receive them in the office but also the specific
prayer points for each day; a blog with ideas and resources
www.ics-uk.org © ICS
for ministry written by Richard; a Twitter feed with short
updates with what is happening right now from wherever
Richard is, including news, comments and prayer needs.
You can subscribe to ICS Twitter @interchsoc.
If you prefer to get information through Facebook, go to
www.facebook.com/intercontinentalchurchsociety for the
ICS Facebook. Here we post videos, photographs and news
updates as well as interact with our friends on Facebook.
Returning to the website, you can also find out about
‘Supporting ICS’, ‘Your Church and ICS’ and the highly
successful ‘Used Stamps Scheme’. There are details about
vacancies, how to volunteer, and seasonal chaplaincies in
which we are involved, as well as the resources that we have
to offer.
One part of the website I am particularly pleased with is
the church finder www.ics-uk.org/churches. Here you can
explore by clicking on the map or the links on the right hand
side and zoom right down to street level and see where ICS
supported chaplaincies and associates are: a great resource
when you are looking for a church.
The new website, Facebook and Twitter all mean that this
isn’t about us talking at you, but rather talking with you.
Come on line, post a comment, interact with us and engage
with us in our mission to reach people with the good news of
Jesus Christ. Welcome to the new website
29
New Frontiers
The theme of the Society’s 2014 AGM and Annual Public
Meeting, held on Saturday 20 September at St. Michael’s,
Chester Square, was indeed ‘New Frontiers’.
ICS President and Chairman
Nick Clarke
Our history has always been one of looking for the next
frontier: a sense of opportunity and excitement about being
faithful to this call focuses us as we minister in the twentyfirst century.
We were pleased to welcome a large number of members
and supporters and also some new faces wanting to find out
about ICS. The meeting was opened and everyone welcomed
by Bishop Julian Henderson, Chairman of ICS Council. He
introduced Richard Bromley who gave an update on the
work ICS is engaged in at the moment.
Richard shared something of the opportunity and challenge of living in such a time of change as ours. Yet within
this change our calling remains the same, to seek out the
frontiers and proclaim Christ afresh to this generation. ‘This
generation have not rejected Jesus,’ he said, ‘they have just
not heard. This is the harvest field we face’. Richard used the
metaphor of his allotment to explain that there has been a
need to clear the ground for new things to grow and to
nurture some tender new growth. Like his allotment, it is
hard work but we are seeing fruit.
Richard then introduced an insightful video interview
with Chris Maclay, chaplain at St. Mark’s, Versailles, made
while he was visiting the chaplaincy last July.
Nick Clarke, chaplain at St. Peter’s, Chantilly—also in the
Paris area—followed Chris. He updated us with what was
happening at the chaplaincy and he told us how the work
started there with Mr Tucker, who in 1840 was commissioned by the Colonial Church Society (now ICS) to be a
missioner (a lay catechist) to Chantilly and the surrounding
towns and villages. He worked so effectively that a church
with a full-time chaplain were established after two years.
Nick went on to affirm the message that Richard communicated earlier: that through the chaplaincies the Society
is still taking the gospel message to the frontiers. Of course,
back in the 1840s, what Mr Tucker was doing was fulfilling
that vocation and vision, as a pioneer minister planting
churches on the frontiers of his day.
Bishop Sandy Millar
Our keynote speaker was Bishop Sandy Millar, formerly
Vicar of Holy Trinity, Brompton—and thirty years ago an
ICS seasonal chaplain at St. Peter’s, Zermatt. Bishop Sandy
spoke about the urgency of evangelisation, and of how he
first started Alpha, in order to answer the question, ‘How
can we evangelise?’ He was inspired, and brought a word in
season to ICS. His wisdom, wit and insight spoke powerfully
to many of us present. A summary would not do justice to
what was said but the full talk may be heard on the ICS
website (www.ics-uk.org).
The importance of prayer was a key thread running
through the Public Meeting and AGM. Bishop Sandy spoke
about it during his talk—’the house of faith that God is
building today, and some of it through ICS, is built on
intercession’—and he encouraged us all to enrol as many
people as possible to pray. The President of ICS, Viscount
Brentford, opened the AGM by reading from Colossians and
we had a long time of intercession when we prayed together
for the work of ICS.
Life Membership was awarded to the following members:
Maggie Gerber: ICS Local Church Representative (previously
known as churchwarden) at St. Bernard’s, Wengen since
1999. She is invaluable to the work in Wengen in looking
after the church building, the practicalities and the seasonal
chaplains.
Viscount Brentford presenting
Life Membership certificates
New Life Members
Hazel Perrin, Maggie Gerber,
Mary Sims and Madge Olby
31
Hazel Perrin: first a deputy churchwarden at St. Peter’s,
Zermatt (2002–04) then becoming churchwarden until she
moved to nearby Sigriswil in 2011. Now she will be taking
on the role of Local Church Representative for the coming
season while we have a vacancy. Again her work at St. Peter’s
has been and is invaluable to ICS’s seasonal ministry.
Julian Henderson, Chairman
Madge Olby: ICS Honorary Travelling Secretary since 2009.
She promotes the work of ICS in Rochester Diocese and
beyond. She was an ICS Council member (1999–2008) and as
a Council link person kept in contact with the chaplaincies
of Basel, Freiburg and Aquitaine (see page 18).
Mary Sims: ICS Secretary at Holy Trinity, Worthing, Mary has
been an ICS prayer group leader in Worthing for many years
and together with her mother, Daphne, contributed greatly
towards the work of the ICS Young-at-Heart ministry.
At the AGM we were delighted to welcome Revd Michael
Sanders to ICS Council and pleased that Mrs Valerie Thomas
and Rt Revd Henry Scriven were re-elected to remain on
Council for another term.
At the end of the meeting people were in no rush to depart,
and the fellowship and catching up after the presentations
was a valuable part of the day. The family of ICS is wide and
varied but it is a joy and privilege to be together! All talks are available to listen to or read on the ICS website (www.ics-uk.org).
Keith Robbins, Treasurer
The supportive gathering at
St. Michael’s in London
ICS Christmas cards
WENGEN W9A/B
All cards, size 6”x 4"
(148 x 105mm), have
laminated or UV coated
images; with envelopes
Twelve per pack @ £3.50
Six of each design
Painting: Elaine Nash
Photograph: Brian Hutton
ICS built the historic English
Church in 1927. Using volunteer chaplains it maintains and
develops seasonal (summer and
winter) ministry to tourists
and local people.
W9B Christmas crib scene
at St. Bernard’s
W9A Starting to snow, Wengen
ZERMATT Z8A/B
Six of each design
Photograph: Chris Denham
Painting: Patrick Duncan
Z8B St. Peter’s, Zermatt, in winter
ICS built the historic English
Church in 1869. Using volunteer chaplains it maintains and
develops seasonal (summer and
winter) ministry to tourists
and local people.
Z8A St. Peter’s, Zermatt
ZERMATT Z7A/B
Z7A St. Peter’s, Zermatt
Six of each design
Photographs: Chris Denham
Z7B St. Peter’s, Zermatt
Greeting and verse
in Christmas cards:
Wishing you peace and joy
this Christmas
and in the coming year
By the tender mercy of
our God, the dawn from
on high will break upon
us to give light
Luke 1: 78, 79 (NRSV)
ICS News and Prayer Diary | November 2014 33
ICS notelets
WENGEN W7A/B
Six of each design
Blank cards (notelets
without Bible verse)
Photographs:
David Healey ARPS
W7A St. Bernard’s in the spring
W7B Wengen in springtime
Z6A St. Peter’s, Zermatt,
in summer
ZERMATT Z6A/B
Six of each design
Blank cards (notelets
without Bible verse)
Paintings: Patrick Duncan
and Miriam Ogle-Nelson
Cards and notelets
size 6”x 4"
(148 x 105mm),
have laminated or
UV coated images
and feature ICS’s
seasonal ministry;
envelopes included
Z6B Old Zermatt
All enquiries regarding card orders please via website or
to Maggie Winham at Intercontinental Church Society: see back page
ICS family news
Chaplaincy news now generally appears in the Prayer Diary
but here are further details of changes. The lives of those who
have served in the chaplaincies are also celebrated.
Ben Harding, Lyon
Keith Burrell writes: on Sunday 14 September, in a truly joyful
celebration including the church’s African Praise Group
and attended by representatives of other denominations
present in Lyon, Revd Ben Harding was instituted and
licensed as the new chaplain of Lyon Anglican Church by
the Venerable Ian Naylor, Archdeacon of France. Angela
Marshall presented Ben on behalf of ICS. Ben served in the
Diocese of Derby and was also the National Director for the
North of England with Christian Vision for Men (CVM).
John Chapman, Barcelona
Revd John Chapman was licensed to St. George’s, Barcelona
on 3 October. He joins St. George’s from St. Martin’s, Sharjah
(United Arab Emirates). John is married to Deborah, who is
also ordained, and they have two married children. John, a
Scot, has come from a strong Christian background and
before Theology studied Pharmacy.
David Roper, Falkland Islands
The new Rector to Christ Church Cathedral in the Falkland
Islands, to be licensed later this year, is Canon David Roper.
He is married to Chris. Ordained in 1995 after a career in the
RAF, David served in Norwich Diocese then in two benefices
in Canterbury; also as Area Dean, mentor to new incumbents and a training incumbent. In 2008 he was appointed
Honorary Canon of Canterbury where he also enjoyed
singing in the cathedral as Hon. Minor Canon.
ICS is supporting the following two appointments in Cairo
recently announced by the Diocese of Egypt.
Michael Dobson
Revd Dr Michael Dobson is now Priest-in-Charge of St. John
the Baptist Church, Maadi in Cairo. Michael is married to
Janet with two children: Gordon (17) and Emily (15). They
come from having served in various churches in Vancouver,
Canada, with a particular focus on refugees and interfaith
activities. Michael is excited to start working at St. John’s
35
and coordinating the ministry amongst all of the congregations there (Egyptian, Sudanese and English), in addition
to helping within the wider Diocese.
Drew Schmotzer
Revd Drew Schmotzer is to be Priest-in-Charge of the
English-speaking congregations at All Saints Cathedral,
Cairo where he has served in an assisting capacity since
2008. He has been Chaplain to the Bishop since 2008 and
served in various capacities within the Diocese of Egypt,
including teaching at the Alexandria School of Theology,
serving as the English-speaking Secretary of the Synod and
the Executive Board, and assisting with the Anglican
Communion-Al Azhar Dialogue.
John Watson
Preb. John Watson died at the end of June, in his mideighties; a memorial service was held in Ivybridge, Devon
on 4 August. John’s interest in ICS (then Com and Con) began
when he was sent to a sanatorium in Davos in about 1953 for
a year as part of his recovery from tuberculosis. He became
involved with the English-speaking church there, supporting the chaplain and occasionally preaching. After
retiring as Vicar of St. Andrew’s, Plymouth he served as ICS
Chaplain at St. Peter’s, Zermatt (1997–2004), enjoying the
skiing. John was the eldest of three brothers: Tim is a former
General Secretary of the Society and Robert has also served
on several seasonal chaplaincies. Their parents met in
Zermatt at a Christian house party in 1924.
Extra news from Amsterdam
Christ Church, Amsterdam and Heiloo congregations are
running an outreach stand at the Expatica i am not a tourist
fair on 2 November. ‘This event helps those who are new to
the Amsterdam area find out how to integrate into life here.
We want them to consider Christ and his Church too!’
Mark Collinson writes: The visit to Rwanda was very successful: thirteen people went, including five children, and it
was a real eye opener to see the lives of other Christians, with
whom we have a relationship. It was an excellent way of
strengthening the relationship with our mission partner,
Second Chance. We look to continuing the relationship.
Cheltenham ICS Prayer Group
When Jeannette Skuse asked Audrey Martin-Doyle to write
about the Cheltenham ICS prayer group, her immediate
reaction was ‘Oh, but we’re so small!’
See also page 38
But, of course, ‘small’ or just a few people is not a problem
for God and after all Jesus mentioned ‘two or three gathered
in my name’ and we can usually manage that.
We may be small in numbers but we are committed and
enthusiastic. We have so many personal links with areas of
ICS life. Mike Sanders, with Lesley, was the chaplain in The
Hague; they have also done some locums, and Lesley was on
ICS Council for a while; Bishop Pat Harris always has up-todate ICS news; Patti (Schmiegelow) Price, in The Hague then
ICS General Secretary in the 1990s, remains in touch with
many folk; Marianne Kelly experienced ICS ministry when
she and her husband were abroad; and I visited the Falkland
Islands just after Richard and Jen Hines went to serve there
and we have kept in monthly contact ever since. We have
links with the Lyon chaplaincy through Keith and Elspeth
Burrell by email and I sometimes meet them when they visit
their son in Cheltenham. We occasionally see the Robinsons
who were in The Hague but now divide their time between
Tewkesbury and the huge Aquitaine chaplaincy in France.
As you can imagine, these are all very busy people so we
are grateful when they are able to come and join us, even if
some have to be bribed with special biscuits!
Of course, there is always much to share about the latest
news, there is also a great deal of laughter, and then we pray.
Bringing everything to the Lord is such a privilege. I am
always aware that he has had his hand on this Society for so
many years. We praise him for what he has done, commit
the chaplaincies to his care and protection now, and trust his
envisioning for the future. Bishop Pat Harris, Audrey
Martin-Doyle, Lesley and
Michael Sanders
37
ICS prayer and support groups
Bristol
Cambridge
Cheltenham
Exeter
Keighley
King’s Lynn
Knutsford
North Birmingham
Northern Ireland
Contact: Sheila Brown (0117 – 962 8067)
Wednesday 26 November, 8 pm at Impington Church Hall
Contact: Dennis Sadler (01223 – 232 194)
At 39 Moorend Street, GL53 0EH
Contact: Audrey Martin-Doyle (01242 – 510 352)
At 2 Portland Court, 1 Portland Avenue, Exmouth EX8 2DJ
Contact: John Philpott (01395 – 225 044)
At 42 Hollins Lane, Utley, BD20 6LT
Contact: Michael Savage (01535 – 606 790)
At 65 Tennyson Avenue, PE30 2QJ
Contact: Michael Rees (01553 – 691 982) or John Wallis (01485 – 600 336)
Contact: Albert Lawless (01565 – 653 803)
Thursday 4 December, 7.30 pm at 52 Millbrook Drive, Shenstone WS14 0JB
Contact: Jacqueline Relph ([email protected])
Contact: John Dinnen (028 – 44 811 148)
Norwich
At Holy Trinity, 110 Trinity Street, NR2 2BJ
Contact: Peter Carroll (01603 – 664 864)
Romford
At St. James’s Vicarage, 24 Lower Bedfords Road, RM1 4DG
Contact: Angela Marshall (01708 – 746 614)
Stockport
At The Rectory, Gorsey Mount Street, SK1 4DU
Contact: Roger Scoones (0161 – 429 6564)
Warwick
At 11 Verden Avenue, Chase Meadow, CV34 6RX
Contact: Anna Hopkins (07745 – 223 580)
The Wirral
Woking
Worthing
Monday 15 December, 7.30 pm at 11 Stanford Avenue, Wallasey, CH45 5AP
Contact: Peter Jordan (0151 – 639 7860)
At Fosters, Pyrford Heath, GU22 8SS
Contact: Paul Bond (01932 – 351 137)
Tuesdays 10 February, 12 May, 8 September, 10 November 2015, 2.30 pm
at Ramsay Hall, BN11 3HN
Contact: ICS Office (024 – 7646 3940)
Some members of
Cambridge area
ICS prayer group at AGM
November events for prayer
Saturday 1
Sunday 2
Monday 3
Tuesday 4
Saturday 8
Sunday 9
Wednesday 12
Thursday 13
Friday 14
Saturday 15
Sunday 16
Monday 17
Wednesday 19
Saturday 22
Sunday 23
Thursday 27
Friday 28
Saturday 29
Advent Sunday 30
Rotterdam British bazaar
Bruges Anglican-RC remembrance service in Koolkerke
Grenoble apéro after service; Bob Hurley preaching in London
Amsterdam/Heiloo outreach at Expatica 'i am not a tourist' fair
Basel bazaar
Brussels council meeting preparing chaplaincy profiles
Seasonal mission: winter chaplains’ preparation day, Coventry
Fontainebleau women’s retreat day
Paris seekers’ teaching day on the Holy Spirit, Maisons-Laffitte
Leipzig training day for children’s ministry
Tervuren Invitation Sunday
Cannes Remembrance Sunday service with local British Legion
Grenoble Café Church, led by youth group
Corfu Remembrance Sunday service
Rio Remembrance Service and Poppy Ball
Heiloo Christianity Explored course ends
Falkland Islands licensing of David Roper as Rector,
Canterbury Cathedral
Voorschoten church weekend, Mennorode, Netherlands
Cannes Teaching morning on Romans (second half)
Maisons-Laffitte Emmanuel Gospel Choir, Holy Trinity
Versailles/Chevry weekend visit by Bishop Robert
Amsterdam ICS Mission Director’s visit for weekend
Versailles Paris area Confirmation Service, Bishop Robert
Freiburg joint service with Old Catholic Community
Falkland Islands David and Chris Roper arrive
Heiloo ‘Network serving with your gifts of grace’ course ends
Brussels Installation of Bishop Robert in Holy Trinity
Tervuren church weekend, La Foresta
Grenoble film night: A leap of faith
Ibiza licensing of Peter Pimentel as chaplain
Freiburg Advent Labyrinth
ICS Council 24-hour meeting, Coventry
Cannes Holy Communion in retirement home
Chantilly St. Peter’s Christmas Kermesse
Poitou-Charentes Christmas fair
Freiburg opening service, Petrus Gemeinde
Corfu Christmas fair
The Hague Christmas market
Barcelona St. George’s Christmas fair
Lugano Christmas market
Vevey Core Jr weekend away
Bruges Anglican and Protestant celebration: sharing building
Grenoble Thanksgiving and Advent meal
Amsterdam Zuidoost Thanksgiving Service: harvest, bazaar
December events for prayer
Tuesday 2
Thursday 4
Friday 5
Saturday 6
Sunday 7
Monday 8
Saturday 13
Sunday 14
Monday 15
Tuesday 16
Wednesday 17
Thursday 18
Friday 19
Sunday 21
Tuesday 23
Wednesday 24
Christmas Day
Tuesday 30
BCAS volunteers’ thank-you Christmas lunch
Rio school Carol Service
Tervuren St. Paul’s Christmas Ball
Cannes church council meeting
Maisons-Laffitte Christmas Fair
Rio Christmas bazaar
Brussels Jazz Carols; Tervuren Nativity Service
Prague Lessons and Carols, Brno
Fontainebleau Nativity play
Arnhem/Nijmegen ICS Mission Director’s visit
Voorschoten all-age Carol Service
Basel Nativity Service
Falkland Islands 1914 sea battle commemorations
Grenoble Christmas party
Voorschoten Service of Lessons and Carols
Brussels Service of Lessons and Carols
Tervuren Christmas Carol Service
Prague Lessons and Carols, St. Clement’s
Chantilly Family Carol Service; Fontainebleau Carol Service
Grenoble Carol Service
Paris Carol Service, Alpha course launch
Heiloo Christingle Service
Barcelona all-age Nativity presentation; Carol Service (pm)
Basel Carol Service; Rio Carol Service, Christ Church
Poitou-Charentes Carol Service, Civray
Seasonal mission: Liz and David Leaver to Wengen; Herrick and
Judy Daniel to Zermatt
Poitou-Charentes Carol Service, Parthenay
ICS Council Standing Committee, London
Freiburg Carol Service
Poitou-Charentes Carol Services: Ambernac, St. Dizant du Gua
Cannes Christmas Carol Service
Chantilly Service of Lessons and Carols
Rio Carol Service, All Saints, Niteroí; Heiloo Carol Service
Cannes Holy Communion in retirement home
ICS office closes (reopening 2 January)
Tervuren Crib Service
Cannes Children’s Carol Service; Midnight Communion
Poitou-Charentes Carol Service, Alloue
Heiloo Holy Communion; Barcelona midnight Communion
Christmas Day services in most chaplaincies
Seasonal mission: Andrew and Lindsey Attwood to Wengen;
John and Jill Currin to Zermatt
News and Prayer Diary
For God was
pleased to have all
his fulness dwell in
him, and through
him to reconcile to
himself all things,
whether things on
earth or things in
heaven.
Colossians 1: 19, 20
DAY 1
ICS Council
Seasonal mission
Jim Perryman
See also pages 12, 14
NOTES TO EVENTS
AND PRAYER DIARY
We pray for our ministry partners, mainly serving as
permanent chaplains of international Anglican churches
(alphabetically by continent/region, country and location).
Chaplaincy profiles, news items and daily prayer points are
interspersed with prayer for ICS’s seasonal mission and
other aspects of the work.
ICS News & Prayer Diary is published three times a year,
with interim updates in ICS News and Prayer Update to give
fresh prayer points between magazines.
The President, Laurence Biggs, Jim Duxbury, Julian Henderson
(Chairman), Sylvia Leyton, Angela Marshall (Vice-chair),
Dominic Newstead, John Philpott, Thea Price, Keith Robbins
(Treasurer), Dennis Sadler, Michael Sanders, Henry Scriven,
Valerie Thomas, David White, Steve Wookey
Observers: John Dinnen (Ireland), Nick Clarke (Chaplains)
November Council will be meeting for an overnight meeting
(28/29): pray for wisdom for the new Council.
December Remember the Standing Committee meeting (18).
The true ‘closed season’ for seasonal mission is November and
the first half of December. This is a time of planning and
preparation when the focus is much more on the office than on
the mission field; so we value your prayers for this vital background work which underpins and equips the front line mission
of our fantastic team of volunteer seasonal chaplains.
November Pray for the Preparation Day for the Swiss winter
chaplains (4) and the task of recruiting, during this month, the
team for the 2015 summer chaplaincies.
December Give thanks for Andreas Wildenhain’s faithful work
as our Local Representative in Zermatt for the past few years; he
left to return to Germany at the end of September. Pray that this
vital practical role will be covered in Zermatt as the winter
season begins just before Christmas. Give thanks for Maggie
Gerber who continues to serve in this way in Wengen.
Information in the events calendar on pages 39 and 40 may be amplified by
reference to the chaplaincy entry in the News and Prayer Diary.
Photos are captioned as follows: chaplain, spouse, and then any dependant
children by age (which is not necessarily the order they appear in the photo).
*Asterisks denote ICS associate ministry partners (clergy licensed by the
bishop of the Anglican diocese in which they serve and who choose to link to ICS,
with their chaplaincy’s support); also a chaplaincy in interregnum where the
previous chaplain was such a partner.
Algeria, Egypt
DAY 2
Algiers*
Hamdy Sedky
Holy Trinity, Algiers
November Pray for Revd Hamdy’s pastoral support for the
many sub-Saharan students who attend church, plus his involvement with the worlds of business and diplomacy, and his
engagement with Algerians.
December Pray for progress with agreement over the ownership, renovating and making available of the superb building on
the church site. This will give an apartment for the minister-incharge and rentable apartments for others, plus a base for the
local ministry of church members.
Cairo: Maadi*
Michael Dobson, Janet,
Emily and Gordon
See also pages 35, 36
Cairo: Cathedral*
Drew Schmotzer
We give thanks to God for our hospitality ministry; the oven has
been emptied of wellington boots and the gardening tools
replaced with coffee cups and tea pots. Our fellowship hour is
dramatically transformed. We thank God for his grace in our
leaders without which worship and discipleship in so many
languages and nationalities at St. John the Baptist, Cairo would
be so much more difficult.
November We need hymn books: pray that a church in the UK
may have an unused set (we can cover transport from London to
Cairo).
December Pray for those preparing for confirmation. May the
fruit of ministry be enjoyed and celebrated by all the nations.
Jesus was a refugee in Egypt, and so All Saints Cathedral is a
refuge where people of all nations can gather to worship God,
for fellowship and to be empowered for mission. At All Saints we
are looking at how God calls us to depend fully on him. This is
also my own prayer as I begin this new ministry here.
November Pray as the church council discusses and discerns its
vision and mission for the next three to five years: how every
member can be involved in the church and her ministries.
December As we enter Advent and Christmas, may the Lord
reveal himself more and more to us, as well as to our majority
neighbours.
www.dioceseofegypt.org/english
Egypt, Tunisia/Libya
Cairo: Heliopolis
Jos Strengholt* and Adrienne
DAY 3
Tunis
Bill Musk and Hilary
Tripoli*
St. Michael’s and All Angels’ still offers a ‘sanctuary for a while’
for anyone who needs a break from his or her hectic life. Our
church and its compound offers that quiet place, but ultimately
the sanctuary is our Lord Jesus Christ himself; St. Michael’s
community is a pointer to him who said: ‘Come to me, all who
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’.
November Our N. T. Wright reading group of about ten people
has been meeting as a theological study group every Wednesday
since September at church. Pray for our group as we use Paul and
the Faithfulness of God (1700 pages) by former bishop N. T. Wright,
as the stepping stone for our theological discussions.
December East of Cairo, more than five hundred Sudanese
children have no opportunity to attend school. Our church aims
to open and manage a school in September 2015 for two hundred
children of Sudanese refugees in Cairo. The goal is to offer
Sudanese-curriculum education (in Arabic) to ten classes of
twenty children from 5–9 years old. The school will not only
serve the needs of children of our church (which has grown to
over 860 members, with hundreds of kids not in school) but also
children of other churches and Muslim children from Sudan
will be welcome. Pray for this new project and for the provision
of funds. Pray for peace in Egypt during the Christmas season,
often a time of increased tension in the country. May our congregations experience the peace of the Lord.
www.heliopolischurch.com
November Pray for the handling of change in the Englishspeaking congregation with the departure of 65 per cent of the
congregation to the Ivory Coast, including Pastor Kwame; for
the welcoming of newcomers to Tunis, including Revd Dr Peter
Knight and his wife Christine; also for fresh vision and energy
for future ministry at St. George’s.
December Pray for the handling of change in the Arabicspeaking congregation with the sudden departure in September
of Revd Emil, and for the search for a new pastor to lead this
incipient indigenous congregation.
www.stgeorgetunis.com
November Revd Vasihar and Mrs Malini with Revd Ayo have
remained in Tripoli to minister to and support Indian and
African members of the congregation: pray for their protection.
Egyptians have mostly left Libya; Revd Samuel and Mrs Hony
are at present spending time in Egypt.
Day 3 continued on next page
Belgium
December Pray for miracles of grace and protection for the
members of Christ the King plus some political solution to the
impossible and incredibly dangerous general situation in a
nation collapsing in on itself.
www.dioceseofegypt.org/english/
DAY 4
Brussels
Senior Chaplain: vacant
Associate Chaplain:
John Wilkinson, Susie
(Jo, Michael and Thomas)
ICS Intern: Naomi Brown
Church House
(architect’s impression)
Holy Trinity, Brussels continues to rejoice at Bishop Robert’s
appointment and is now in the early stages of the recruitment
process for a new Senior Chaplain, which will involve all four
congregations in our church family. In the meantime we seek to
maintain our community life by meeting and praying together.
November Pray for the follow-up by the council to a week of
conversations about the profile for a new chaplain.
December Pray for our Jazz Carols (7), Lessons and Carols (14):
for the musicians, choirs and readers, and for all who attend.
www.holytrinity.be
EU Institutions
Outreach Worker,
EU Institutions:
Jeremy Heuslein and
Natalie
The new Mandate has begun! And with it, new young professionals and returning ones have flocked to Brussels. I am
spending more of my Fridays in the EU Parliament, talking and
meeting with these wonderful and curious people. In order to
expand the network and conversations, I have also taken to the
internet in my new blog: parliclete.wordpress.com.
November Please be in prayer for the programmatic events that
are scheduled to take place. In the midst of the busyness, may
those seeking find the God of peace.
December Pray for the young professionals over the Christmas
season, as many are returning home for the first time in a long
while: may they be met with welcome and hospitality. Pray also
that when they return they may be met with the same welcome.
The fruit of silence is prayer. The fruit of prayer is faith. The fruit of
faith is love. The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace.
Mother Teresa
44 ICS
ICS News
News and
and Prayer
Prayer Diary
Diary| |April
November
20132014
Belgium
DAY 5
ICS office
staff team
See back cover for photo
Leuven
Jack McDonald*
DAY 6
Ostend/Bruges
Augustine Nwaekwe,
Uchechi, Ozioma, Karen,
Charlotte (and Sorochi)
Day 6 continued
on next page
November Pray for the preparations currently under way for
next year’s budget. This year, we are again taking orders for ICS
Christmas cards and notelets (please see pages 33–34 and our
website for more details): pray for an efficient processing of the
orders. Remember Richard visiting Christ Church, Amsterdam
(15/16) to lead a council and leadership away day.
December Pray for Andrew who will be preparing the yearend accounts, and for Richard meeting the council of the
Arnhem and Nijmegen Chaplaincy this weekend (7). The ICS
office will close on 23 December (reopening 2 January) when we
look forward to an enjoyable Christmas break with our families.
Jack’s work has been extended as he begins additional duties as
President of the Central Committee of the Anglican Church in
Belgium (a post occupied by Bishop Robert while he was at Holy
Trinity, Brussels), with certain legal responsibilities for the
Anglican and Episcopal parishes in the country. Pray for balance
in this mix of pastoral, academic and administrative ministries.
November Pray for the growing closeness between M&Ms and
the International Church of Evangelicals in Leuven, as ideas and
energies are pooled for the growth of the kingdom of God.
December Pray for the annual Advent Carol Service with the
RC chaplaincy: a time of witness and tradition for many Englishspeaking students who do not normally come to church.
www.anglicanchurchleuven.be
The English Church Oostende is yet to have its building renovated. The work and budget for this extensive work has received
approval from the city and regional governments, but it can only
start once the necessary funds are released. The architect is
ready and waiting, and our congregation is praying. The state of
the building gets worse day by day, and we are currently negotiating with the local Roman Catholic church for an alternative
place of worship until the renovation project is done.
Our congregation in Brugge is holding a joint service with the
Protestant Church in Brugge on 30 November to celebrate thirty
years since the Anglican community in Brugge began to share
their present place of worship (‘t Keerske or Sint Pieters Kapel)
with the Verenigde Protestantse Kerk in Brugge in 1984, with
Sunday services for the Protestants at 10 am, and the Anglicans
at 6 pm. Pray for Augustine Nwaekwe and Pastor Frans van der
Sar of the Protestant Church as they continue to minister to their
different congregations in this historic building and city, and
plan this joint service together.
Belgium, Czech Republic
November Give thanks for all who were recently baptised and
confirmed by Bishop Robert in Oostende, and for all new members and families who have recently joined our church family.
December Pray for our children’s and youth ministry to continue to develop, and for the work of the chaplaincy council in
leading the mission of the church in both cities with commitment
and clear vision.
www.echob.be
Tervuren
Simon Tyndall and Ann
Our Assistant Chaplain moved on during the summer and we
are reflecting and praying about the way forward. We would
like to appoint a new full-time colleague but need to be clear on
the role and purpose for the appointment, and how it would
enhance the ministry of the whole church. It is also important
that, going forward, we are confident that we will be able to
afford this role and minister.
November Pray for our plans for our parish weekend to be held
at La Foresta near Leuven (22–23) and led by Andrew and
Marion Gready from The Hague. We are taking the theme of
‘Belonging’ and we are praying that many would come along
and find their place within the community of our church life.
May the Holy Spirit shape and bless our time together.
December As with many churches we are holding a number of
events during the Christmas period to reach out and encourage
people to discover for themselves ‘the reason for the season—
Jesus’! Pray that we would invite, welcome and celebrate, and be
a witness for Jesus in Tervuren and the surrounding area.
www.stpaulstervuren.be
DAY 7
SE Cyprus
Famagusta
Now that associate ministry partners Simon Holloway and Zinkoo
Han have left South-East Cyprus and Famagusta, Northern Cyprus
respectively, continue to pray for these chaplaincies (see page 19).
Prague
Almost every Sunday morning throughout the year, we enjoy
having visitors to Prague from around the world, joining the
St. Clement’s congregation for worship. Many express great joy
in finding an English-language service and share their appreciation of the welcome that they receive. This past summer, we
also welcomed two visiting choirs from the UK who greatly
enhanced our worship.
November Give thanks for two grants received in recent
months which have eased our difficult finances. Pray for the
church council as it seeks ways toward greater financial selfsufficiency.
Ricky Yates* and Sybille
46
46 ICS
ICS News
News and
and Prayer
Prayer Diary
Diary| |April
November
2013
2014
France
December Pray that both the Prague and Brno congregations
will use our Services of Lessons and Carols (7,14) to invite nonworshipping friends to hear the good news of the Incarnation.
www.anglican.cz
DAY 8
Aquitaine
Paul Vrolijk, Janine, Hannah,
Davita, Boaz and Lydia
Assistants:
Lis Morris and Richard
Gill Strachan and Ian
Bramwell Bearcroft
and Jennifer
(Bordeaux)
Brian Davies and Pam
We give thanks for our recent Confirmation Service, led by
Bishop David; also our small groups conference with Amanda
Allchorn on ‘Missional Communities’, and our third annual
WorshipFest on ‘Harvest!’.
A new project is our ‘Eymet Experiment’, a new outreach initiative in the town of Eymet where many English-speakers live.
Pray for Allan and Julia Petchey who run this initiative, in conjunction with local French Protestants.
November Pray for all who were recently confirmed; all candidates received an ESV Gospel Transformation Bible as did all our
wedding couples. Pray for the next phase in their discipleship
journey. Preparations for our Advent courses and various carol
services are in full swing.
December At the time of writing, we have not yet decided on
the number of carol services, but quite likely we will have a
similar number to last year (14!). Pray for the Lord to break
through the superficiality of this season and touch people in
these services, and for congregations and small groups in their
planned follow-up. In some places we hope to run Alpha in
January.
www.churchinaquitaine.org
France
DAY 9
Cannes
Giles Williams and Chris
DAY 10
Chantilly
Nick Clarke, Cherry
(Rebecca, Alastair) and
Patrick
See also page 30
Fontainebleau*
Vacant
Our Sunday sermons will be on ‘Hope for when I’m hurting’,
dealing with issues like doubt, bereavement, discouragement,
parenting. During Advent we will be looking at 2 Thessalonians.
November We are running an Alpha course on Thursday evenings over the autumn: pray that people will come to know Christ.
Pray also for David Sinclair’s teaching morning on Romans (15).
December Pray for our Christmas Fair, that many will be
drawn in (and for money to be raised!). Pray for light to shine in
the darkness at our Christmas services (see also page 24).
www.holytrinitycannes.org
This autumn there have been many poignant historical memories. St. Peter’s, Chantilly stands on the frontier of some of the
military engagements that took place both seventy years ago and
one hundred years ago. Alongside living relatives of those
involved, members of St. Peter’s community attended two local
commemorations in which Nick Clarke participated. St. Peter’s
community organised a picnic and walk starting and finishing at
Thiepval on 28 September: an opportunity to walk and talk, and
also to reflect and pray, all on a family-style outing.
November St. Peter’s will be preparing for a major outreach
through its Christmas Kermesse (29): stalls, puppet shows telling
the Christmas story, music and carol singing. Pray for the
organisers and team, and for good conversations with members
of the anglophone and French communities.
December At our Family Carol Service this coming Sunday (14)
and the Service of Lessons and Carols (21), pray that we communicate the message of God’s love through the birth of Jesus,
both clearly and creatively.
www.stpeters.fr
St. Luke’s, Fontainebleau continues to serve Jesus Christ through
welcome, worship and witness in an international community. In
this period of interregnum, we continue to enjoy the fellowship
and spirituality of our visiting locums and their wives.
November Pray for the locums who are coming to visit us: that
we may be able to cover most Sunday services and that they
enjoy their time with us. Pray for the work being done to offer a
solid programme of teaching for our children and young people:
may more helpers come forward to lead the various groups, and
may we attract more children each Sunday morning.
December As we seek to offer a strong musical content to each
service, pray for the musicians on Sunday mornings and their
48
48 ICS
ICS News
News and
and Prayer
Prayer Diary
Diary| |April
November
20132014
France
fellowship, especially as we prepare for the Christmas period.
May our Carol Service attract many locals and spread the joyful
message during the Christmas season.
DAY 11
Grenoble
Bob Hurley and Jane
Assistant:
Alan Golton and Valerie
See also pages 1, 3
Lille
Debbie Flach, Jérôme,
Christopher, Gregory, Edward
St. Marc’s has a new website (see below): please have a look and
see what is happening. More and more children are coming to
church—which is fantastic—but we don’t have enough people
to look after them in the Sunday club and crèche, so we need the
Lord to send us more workers to help with this growing ministry.
November Now is the time when students are deciding
whether to be involved in church during their time in Grenoble:
pray that they would find their way to us and that we would be
an oasis for them. Pray for our student fellowship each Tuesday,
meeting for food, fun and fellowship in the chaplain’s flat; pray
for continued growth in numbers and good times of fellowship.
December Continue to pray for our finances: we need the
resources to put people in place to help with the Sunday school
and crèche. May we also attract new people and students to join
our congregation and replace those who left during the summer
months. We also have many asylum seekers in our congregation
who are having trouble with both accommodation and visas:
may we be able to give them the help and support that they need.
www.grenoblechurch.org
We are a small congregation with a big heart and spirit. We sing
joyfully, we worship prayerfully, we eagerly seek to learn more
about God and to deepen our relationship with the Holy One,
and we gratefully serve the world in Jesus’ name.
November Continue to pray for the new families and students
joining our congregation: may they feel welcomed in our church
and feel part of our church family.
December Pray for the many Christmas and carol services
planned during this month; may the Holy Spirit work in the
hearts of those who only step into church during this season.
www.christchurchlille.com
France
DAY 12
Lorgues/Fayence
Peter Massey* and Shirley
Lyon
Ben Harding, Jo (Roman
and Tobias)
See also page 35
DAY 13
Maisons-Laffitte
Olaf Eriksson and
Marie-Claire
It is hard to believe a year has passed since we became a chaplaincy: the Anglican Church of Lorgues with Fayence in the Var.
There is much for which to be thankful: the Institution in
December, our celebration on Ascension Day for the Riviera
Chaplaincies; then the Installation of Bishop Robert in Gibraltar
in which I was fortunate to participate, and our Quiet Garden
Day here with Fr Ian Naylor asking us to reflect on ‘Walking in
the Way that leads to God’.
November Pray for our CONNECT home groups, exploring the
York Course ‘Jesus re-visited’ this autumn: may this be both a
time of reflection and renewal.
December Pray for our Christmas outreach carol services and
as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour with all who know him
and, more importantly, those who don’t!
www.lorgueswithfayence.org
Jo, Roman, Tobias and Ben arrived in July and have since then
been settling into the rhythm of life in Lyon. Lyon chaplaincy has
been described in the past as being similar to a ‘filling station’:
people call in on their journey through life, finding nourishment, equipping and direction as they join the believers here.
November Pray for us as we prayerfully explore vision and
direction for the chaplaincy: new leadership, new people, new
challenges—but timeless calling. Pray for us as we muster and
respond afresh.
December Pray for our leaders of various ministries: a lively
worship team, a number of youth and children’s groups and
various other prayer, interest, charity and social action groups.
Pray for those in positions of leadership, and pray the Luke 10: 2
prayer, for the harvest is plentiful!
www.lyonchurch.org
Holy Trinity, Maisons-Laffitte is an ecumenical Anglican church
on the north-west side of Paris, with plenty of room for people of
various backgrounds, sizes and shapes. We have started new
Sunday groups for the children to attend on Sunday mornings.
This is a fun and spiritually enriching time for our smallest members, where they can come together over a snack, a Bible lesson
and a craft.
November Pray for the benefit concert (15) by the Emmanuel
Gospel Choir from Rueil-Malmaison, a wonderful programme
from the vast repertoire of gospel music; the proceeds will be
given to Holy Trinity’s charities fund. Also pray for families old
and new, in a new academic year and a busy autumn.
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France
December Pray for wisdom, as we seek to renew and refashion
our church council and our administrative set-up.
www.htcml.com
Paris
Alyson Lamb
Assistant:
John Moore and Claudia
Saint Michael’s is an international Anglican church at the heart
of Paris. Each Sunday people of up to thirty different nationalities worship at three English-speaking services. During the
week many members meet in small groups to share a meal, study
the Bible and pray. We also host a number of pastorates (mid-size
groups), including groups for young adults and for Tamil and
French-speaking members.
November Pray for the launch of a new format evening service
of contemporary worship, designed to strengthen young adults
in their discipleship.
December Pray for our preparations for the Alpha course, to
start in January 2015.
www.saintmichaelsparis.org
DAY 14
Poitou-Charentes
Hazel Door* and Martin
We have a large area to cover in this chaplaincy with constantly
changing congregations, mostly comprising retired folk. This
autumn several couples who have been very involved with the
chaplaincy are returning to the UK. Please pray that others will
give of their time, talents and treasure to fill the gap that they
will leave.
November As part of our planning for the future we are
looking to purchase a property that will serve both as a house for
future chaplains and a church office. Pray for guidance and
wisdom for those involved in making the final choice, and for
the necessary funds to make the right purchase.
December Pray that we will make good use of the opportunities for outreach to the many English-speaking people who
live in Poitou-Charentes and who come to our carol services but
often do not otherwise come to church.
www.church-in-france.com
France, Germany
DAY 15
Versailles/Chevry
Chris Maclay and Louise
Assistant:
Elaine Labourel (Hervé,
Alexandra and Victoria)
St. Mark’s, Versailles
At St. Mark’s we are studying Ephesians this term, hoping to
improve our understanding of the Church and our particular
parts in it. We have seen an encouraging growth in our youth
group in the last year, and hope to consolidate on that growth.
November Give thanks as Bishop Robert celebrates at least two
hundred years of St. Mark’s with us this weekend and conducts a
Confirmation Service.
December Pray that we would learn from Ephesians and
demonstrate God both in the physical and the heavenly realms.
www.stmarksversailles.org
DAY 16
Freiburg*
Vacant
A collect
(Common Worship)
The Anglican Church Freiburg is a multinational congregation
in a lively university city, known as the ‘Green capital of
Germany’, with a constant flow of students and visiting academics from all over the world. This makes for a colourful and
interesting life together! We have recently submitted our papers
for the appointment procedure and are trusting in God’s grace to
provide us with a new minister for March 2015.
November Pray for our move back to the Petrus Gemeinde,
now a new Intercultural Ecumenical Centre, with a special
opening service (29). Pray for our stewardship training with
Area Dean Ken Dimmick and Archdeacon Peter Potter; also for
our Advent Labyrinth (27)—a contemplative afternoon.
December Pray for our Carol Service (18) and our efforts to
improve our financial situation.
www.freiburganglicanchurch.wordpress.com
Jesus, our companion,
when we are driven to despair,
help us, through the friends and strangers
we encounter on our path,
to know you as our refuge,
our way, our truth and our life.
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Germany, Greece
Leipzig
Martin Reakes-Williams*
Lay assistant:
Klaus Hickel, Judith
(Oliver, Lucas) and Max
Leipzig congregation
A diverse church committed to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour,
worshipping him primarily in the English language, we seek to
love God in all of our lives, with all that we are: ‘all our heart,
soul, mind and strength’.
November Pray for the council as they work through a process
of organising and structuring our church better; for Martin
coping with the added workload after Rob Horne’s departure.
December Pray for those involved in the German language
ministry to be encouraged as they see the Lord at work in one
another’s lives.
www.leipzig-english-church.de
DAY 17
Corfu*
Vacant
We praise the Lord for the successful appointment of our new
permanent chaplain, who will begin next year; we thank everyone for their prayers and support. We are also grateful for the
recognition of the Anglican Church in Greece after so many
years. The church room is very cold in winter and hot in summer:
we are therefore looking to install a new air conditioning unit.
We held a mezzes, drinks and music evening in July which raised
a large amount of money and we have received a very generous
donation from the Rotary Club. We are looking forward to
raising the rest of the money through other fundraising events.
November Give thanks for the amazing provision of locums
during our interregnum. Remember Frank Sawyer and his
family as they minister here in Corfu for the next few months.
Pray for our preparations to welcome our new chaplain. Pray
also for our Christmas fair (29) and for our winter outreach programmes, that people will be drawn to the church and into a
closer relationship with the Lord.
December Pray for those working in the tourist industry that
after the busy summer season they may find a time of relative
rest in the winter months. May our church be refreshing to
newcomers and a beacon of light in our community.
www.holytrinitycorfu.net
The Netherlands
DAY 18
Amsterdam
Senior Chaplain, and South:
Mark Collinson, Sue, Isobel
and Samuel
City Centre: James Hill, Anna,
Jonathan and Lucy (below)
Zuidoost: Dan Eze,
Ben Crabbe
City Centre
Amsterdam
South
Zuidoost
We continue to welcome people from all walks of life as well as
tourists and people who are looking for a church to call home.
We’re grateful for all the new infants in the crèche but are feeling
the squeeze in our limited space. Christ Church is becoming
more their own church. We currently have seven small groups
which meet regularly.
November Pray for all who attended our parenting course,
now completed. Pray for the life of our small groups, that they
would continue to grow.
December Pray for all visiting here over the Christmas period,
especially the friends of children who are not in church yet.
This autumn we are launching two discipleship courses for the
Amsterdam South congregation—‘Fruitfulness on the Frontline’
and ‘Smartbuilder’—as well as the Parenting Children course,
and the ‘Reason for God’ discussion group. May people at all
levels of faith grow to be Spirit-filled followers of Jesus.
November Pray for the council and leadership following their
team day away facilitated by Richard Bromley (15/16). Pray for
unity across the four congregations.
December The communications team is looking for a new
chair: pray for the right person to organise our communications
in the coming year so we can more effectively reach nonChristians with the gospel, and build up our community life.
We are grateful to God that this year’s holiday season has passed
with our dreams and outdoor mission events fulfilled.
November Pray for new accommodation to conduct our worship within the same area of South-East Amsterdam. The plan to
have new accommodation is not urgent but necessary for our
growth.
December It is our desire that God enrich us spiritually, direct
music instrumentalists to our opened door, and help us in all our
planned activities for this quarter. May we bear the gospel more
fruitfully into the coming year and for the years thereafter.
www.christchurch.nl
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The Netherlands
Heiloo
Heiloo: Francis Blight,
Georgina, Tom, Sam and Zoë
Developing out of our five-year planning, the new purpose and
mission aims for Christ Church, Heiloo are to:
Worship and glorify God when we meet and in our daily lives;
Invite and help friends, family, neighbours and colleagues to
discover a living faith in Jesus Christ;
Care for one another and the wider international community;
Learn to become disciples of Jesus Christ by knowing and
obeying God’s word, the Bible;
Equip disciples of Jesus Christ to serve in the growth of his
kingdom.
November Pray that our new purpose and mission aims (see
above) will help us to grow and build up Christ’s body here as
each person serves with their gifts.
December Pray for new guests and occasional visitors at our
Christmas outreach services, remembering all who heard the
gospel at last Sunday’s Christingle Service (14) and all who come
to the Carol Service (21) and the Christmas Eve Communion
Service (24).
www.christchurch-heiloo.nl
DAY 19
Arnhem-Nijmegen
Vacant
See also page 29
Our first two months as an independent chaplaincy have been
interesting and encouraging. Attendance at services has increased and we have welcomed some new people who appear to
be very happy with us and have every intention of staying. On
the whole there is a good atmosphere of hope and joy at services.
Now we have to begin to think more about longer term planning; we look forward to ICS Mission Director Richard Bromley’s
visit, especially at the council meeting (7 December).
November Pray for a solution to the problem of helping the
elderly get to services: the distance from one another and dark
winter days increase the difficulties.
December Ask a blessing on our carol services, and also on our
main fundraising effort at a Christmas market.
http://arnhemnijmegenchaplaincy.nl
The Netherlands
Rotterdam
Stephen Hazlett
A prayer by the
Mission to
Seafarers
St. Mary’s and the Mission to Seafarers continue to be a joint
chaplaincy under the pastoral care of Stephen Hazlett. Grada
Schadee, our lay reader, has been off ill for some time and is still
in hospital where she is slowly recuperating. She is sorely
missed, not only in taking services but as a skilled pastoral
visitor. Church attendance was lower over the summer months
but numbers are picking up again. There are new faces most
Sundays, or old friends returning. In contrast the summer was a
bumper month for ship visiting, with over ninety vessels being
visited in June alone. Parties organised by the Flying Angel Club
and Seafarers’ Centre in Schiedam are invaluable, along with the
huge help from St. Mary’s church members. The chaplaincy
played a key role in organising a huge public service in the Sint
Laurens Kerk, attended by some seven hundred people, for the
local victims of the tragic Malaysian Airways Flight MH17.
November St. Mary’s hosts the annual British Bazaar (1). This is
much more than just an essential fundraiser; it has been for
many years an opportunity to both put the church clergy on the
Rotterdam map and promote the work of MtS in this huge port.
Remembrance Sunday (9) especially emphasises the centenary
of the Great War. Although the Netherlands was neutral, many
of our parishioners of various nationalities had loved ones who
served in the conflict, many of whom died. Their individual
names and regimental or ship details, will be recalled in prayer
in the service, thus making everything more personal. This
service attracts many people from the English-speaking community. A piper, trumpeter and the presence of the Holland
branch of the Royal British Legion add solemnity to the occasion.
December Once again, we appeal for woollen clothing for our
sailors as they sail in some of the world’s coldest weather. Pray
for sailors who are so often exploited and grossly underpaid. In
Rotterdam, one cook recently was summarily dismissed for no
good reason and supposed to find his own way back to Manila.
We took up his case and he was reinstated. Sadly his circumstances are common. We also deliver Christmas boxes to sailors
stuck in port over the season which means so much to them. Our
many volunteers from St. Mary’s assist in the parties we host for
mariners far from home.
www.stmarys.nl
God, you give us so much. Give us one thing more, a heart filled with
love for you and for those we meet today. May we be ready to listen to
others as you listen to us. May we be happy to laugh with those who
laugh, and weep with those who hurt. May we share what we have
with those who have less. For Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
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The Netherlands
DAY 20
The Hague
Andrew Gready and Marion
DAY 21
Utrecht
David Phillips
Groningen
Sam Van Leer, Coretta,
Francisca, Nicolas and
Stephanie
We are in good heart in The Hague in a busy autumn with
groups restarting. We continue to look at staffing levels: we need
extra people on board if we are to make the most of the many
opportunities available to us. We enjoy our diversity, while
realising the importance of community and identity.
November We have major events like Remembrance Sunday
and Advent Sunday, along with the usual opportunities to reach
out. Pray particularly for our Christmas Market (29).
December As with other chaplaincies around Europe, we face a
very busy Christmas period: highlights include a Service of Nine
Lessons and Carols, a family Carol Service, and the services over
Christmas itself. Pray that we would welcome people to these,
and share something of the joy and light of Christmas with them.
Pray also for our plans in the New Year: to hold an Alpha course
and to have extra staff on board too.
www.stjohn-stphilip.org
On Saturday 20 September we celebrated the precise centenary
of the inauguration of the organ at Holy Trinity, Utrecht with a
special Choral Evensong. The organ, built by Utrecht organ
builder J. de Koff, was given by Mr and Mrs C. M. van Hulst in
memory of their daughter Constance May who drowned in the
Loosdrechtse Plassen on 15 August 1913 at the age of twenty-five.
November In September we re-advertised for a full-time assistant priest to join our ministry team at Holy Trinity, and the
Anglican Church in Zwolle. Council has also approved funding
to hire a part-time administrative assistant. Continue to pray that
God would lead the right people for our ministry to flourish.
December Pray for our Christmas services, for new guests and
occasional visitors attending these services, and for good opportunities of outreach.
www.holytrinityutrecht.nl
On the first Sunday in our new worship location we were
blessed with twice as many worshippers as before: may this
trend continue! We seek God’s guidance as we put necessary
structures in place to grow as an Anglican pioneer church here.
November Pray that the lectures and courses Sam is offering
this month through the University pastorate will raise the profile
of our Anglican community here.
December Pray that our carol services and fellowship events
this month will bring light and life to all, especially to those here
who are far from their home countries and families.
The Netherlands, Spain
DAY 22
Voorschoten
Ruan Crew, Lisette, Emily,
Hannah, Tim
DAY 23
Barcelona
John Chapman and Deborah
See also page 85
Ibiza and
Formentera*
Peter Pimentel and Susan
At the start of 2014 we recommitted ourselves to reaching out
with the gospel amongst the international communities in the
Leiden area. This autumn over seventy of our own church family
have engaged with the Alpha course, with a view to inviting
others on to future courses. Thank God for this time of renewal
and for spiritual fruit both inside the church and beyond.
November Pray for those key moments of contact with the
international community during the coming season of Advent
and Christmas.
December Give thanks with us for God’s rich blessings in 2014;
and pray for safe journeys for those of us travelling over the
Christmas season.
www.stjames.nl
We ask for prayers for our new chaplain John Chapman and his
wife Deborah, following John’s licensing on 3 October. We are
very thankful for our locum priest Gabriel Amat and his wife
Anna Maria who steered us so well during the interregnum.
Kelly Malefyt Kulp from Philadelphia has taken up the role of
Youth Outreach Worker, following on from Joanna Wilkinson
who left at the end of July. Kelly has extensive experience in
youth ministry, outreach and running after-school programmes,
and has previously worked in Malawi. Her husband Chris is
starting a master’s degree and will assist her in his free time.
November Pray for John and Deborah, and Kelly and Chris to
settle in happily and be well supported by the congregation.
December Pray for the many events taking place in the run-up
to Christmas.
www.st-georges-church.com
Exciting news as we give thanks that we have a new permanent
chaplain, Peter Pimentel who with his wife Susan takes up the
reins at the beginning of November. We give thanks for churchwardens Art and Solveig, our PCC and all the locum chaplains
who have kept us going during the interregnum. We pray for a
smooth start to this new era and that our chaplaincy will grow
and flourish under new guidance.
November Pray for a smooth start for our chaplain Peter, and
Susan, as he is officially installed by our Archdeacon, Geoffrey
Johnston (23, today!).
December Pray for all the services over Advent and Christmas:
may there be a touching of hearts and may many people want to
know more about Jesus.
www.theibizachurch.com
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Spain, Switzerland
South Tenerife
Roy Taylor,* Monika, Daniel
and Dominic
See also page 9
Our community is very active: if you would like to read about
our recent and forthcoming activities, please visit our website.
The key thing for us is that, in all that we do and are, we seek to
live out our motto: ‘Living and working in the Christian faith’.
November Give thanks for the Summer Mission in San Blas, a
very busy and fruitful time. Herrick and Judy Daniel, and Rod
and Josey Fereday worked tirelessly, meeting hundreds of
holidaymakers. We are thankful to all involved in making this
happen, particularly Marisha Carter, and Jenny and Barry Bott.
December Our winter ‘Swallows’ from the UK have been greatly missed and we look forward to welcoming them to our
worship again, this season at three centres: Las Americas, Los
Gigantes and San Blas. Pray for all of us leading worship.
www.sfacst.com
DAY 24
Basel
Assistants:
Anne Lowen, John
(Elanor and Alexander)
Russell Hilliard and Vreni
Hilary Jones and Byron
We are a growing church made up of people from all walks of life
and from different backgrounds and cultures. We enjoy being a
diverse community, all sharing in a common goal of making
Jesus Christ known in our community.
November Pray for the follow-up from the annual Christmas
bazaar (2): for good outreach and for the profile of the church to
be raised amongst the English-speaking community of Basel.
December Pray for all the ongoing preparations for the arrival
of our new chaplain, Sam Randall, and all the Christmas services.
www.anglicanbasel.ch
Lugano
Andy Horlock* and Annie
In mid-September we launched our church-wide consultation
which we undertook in the form of a comprehensive questionnaire. From this we will formulate an action plan for the coming
years and take some important decisions regarding the direction
and financing of ministry and use of our buildings. We hope to
encourage the greater involvement of our present congregation
and to help people realise and develop their gifts, as well as to
increase our focus on outreach.
Switzerland
November Pray that there still may be a good ‘buzz’ about the
questionnaire and as we feedback to the community there will be
a sense of church-wide ‘ownership’.
December Our Christmas, All-age and carol services are an
important outreach for us: pray that people would experience a
new dawning of the meaning of Christmas.
www.stedwards.ch
Neuchâtel*
Christine Bloomfield
and Lionel
Our priest, Christine has been required to take an enforced leave
of absence due to ill health. Please join us in in praying for her
swift recovery to health. We are grateful and delighted that the
Revd Leighton Thomas and his wife Viv will help us out in the
meantime. They arrived in Neuchâtel on 9 September.
November We had a discernment meeting in October, looking
at the framework of the seven signs of a healthy church to
determine together our vision/mission/purpose: pray about our
agreement on how we can achieve that at Neuchâtel Church.
December The Neuchâtel English Choir now exists: the Open
Evening in August attracted twenty-two prospective singers,
including four men! Pray for their preparations for the Carol
Service, with a piece by John Rutter in two parts, and the
Téléthon carol singing in town with some harmonised carols.
www.neuchatel-church.ch
DAY 25
Vevey/
Château d’Oex
Clive Atkinson (Yvonne,
Jacob and Rebekah)
Children’s and Youth
Ministry: Jonny Torrance
All Saints’, Vevey
See also page 4
Christmas Day
November Pray for the planning under way for the January–
March 2015 period, including preparations for a new Alpha
course in January.
December Christmas is a great opportunity to reach out to the
wider English-speaking community: pray that our services,
including carol singing in town, Christingle and carol services,
will appeal to all age groups.
By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon
us to give light . . . .
Luke 1: 78, 79 (NRSV)
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Switzerland, Lebanon, Brazil
Château d’Oex
Elizabeth Bussmann
and Eduard
DAY 26
Beirut
Nabil Shehadi,* Sarah
(and Sebastian)
DAY 27
Rio de Janeiro
Ben Phillips, Jo, Jack, Kate
and Tom
Assistant: Mark Simpson
and Jess
The chaplaincy council met at the end of October to make long
term decisions about the future shape of ministry at St. Peter’s.
November Pray for stamina for Elizabeth Bussmann, and her
husband, continuing to serve in a locum capacity. This is often a
season when there are fewer visitors as winter begins to bite.
December On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services will
be held in Gstaad as well as at St. Peter’s, Château d’Oex; also,
this year, on the Sunday before Christmas. Pray that this would
help us to establish more contacts in the Gstaad region especially
among those who are more long term residents.
www.allsaints.ch
Lebanon is caught up in unprecedented times as a million Syrian
refugees have poured over the border seeking relief and shelter
from the atrocities of civil war. And yet, in the midst of this crisis,
Lebanon and Syria are seeing an incredible and unique move of
the Spirit of God with large numbers coming to faith in Christ,
many baptisms and a need for large-scale children’s work.
November Mission partners Amy and David Roche have
arrived to join the team at All Saints and to work with a local
Christian development agency. Pray that the seven months of
overlap that they have with the Shehadis will be a time of
learning, sharing experiences and fruitful ministry together.
December After ten years of leading All Saints, Nabil will be
taking a sabbatical from Easter 2015: pray for All Saints as,
with the Bishop of Jerusalem, they search for a new vicar. The
Shehadis are exploring the possibility of helping share the Alpha
course more widely in Lebanon post-sabbatical: give thanks that
recent progress with Alpha has been most encouraging.
www.allsaintsbeirut.com
Christ Church, Rio is a lively and growing family church. We
pull together a huge range of different nationalities and church
backgrounds to worship God in English. Our goal is to share the
love of Christ with people from all over the city.
November Remembrance is a big event for pulling the British
community together in Rio: pray that the glory will go to God
and that people will be drawn to worship as they remember.
December The Christmas season is a big opportunity to evangelise at the secular school here and to bring in disparate members of our English-speaking community: pray that we will be
effective in preaching the gospel and in showing the love and
truth of Christ to all who visit during the season.
www.christchurchrio.org.br
Chile, Falkland Islands
DAY 28
Viña del Mar
Chaplain:
David Greenwood
DAY 29
Stanley
David Roper and Chris
See also page 35
DAY 30
Diocesan Bishops
and Staff
Advent Sunday
November The chaplain regularly meets with local Anglican
clergy and two ecumenical groups: pray for good use of these
opportunities to join with the Spanish-speaking community.
December At the start of the summer holidays pray for times of
relaxation and renewal, and for safety in travel (see also page 16).
The Parish of the Falkland Islands is going through a period of
change. Our Rector (Richard Hines and his wife Jen) for the last
seven years left us in August. We are very pleased to have a
locum duo, Canon Paul Kerr and his wife Canon Jean Kerr,
looking after us during the interregnum. Our new Rector David
Roper has been appointed and will be licensed in Canterbury
Cathedral on 13 November.
November Pray for the Parish in this time of change, with the
move of our new Rector, Canon David Roper and his wife Chris
to the Falkland Islands (17). Pray that they may settle in quickly
and be well supported by the congregation.
December Pray for this month’s commemoration of the Battle
of Coronel (1 November 1914) and the Battle of the Falklands (8
December 1914) with all who were lost at sea in these battles.
www.anglicanparishfalklands.co.uk
Egypt and North Africa: Mouneer Hanna Anis; Assistants:
Grant LeMarquand, Bill Musk
Cyprus and the Gulf: Michael Lewis
Europe: Robert Innes; Suffragan: David Hamid; all the archdeacons
Jerusalem: Suheil Dawani
South America: Filadelfo Oliveira Neto (Rio de Janeiro), Héctor
Zavala Muñoz (Chile)
The Falkland Islands: Nigel Stock
November Since 2000 the Anglican Church in Ethiopia in the
Diocese of Egypt has grown from eight churches to over eighty:
a great example of what God is doing throughout Africa. Now,
however, the greatest need is theological education, spiritual
formation and leadership. In 2012, God sent the Revd Dr Grant
LeMarquand to become the new Area Bishop for the Horn of
Africa with a vision to meet the need by starting a school of
theology. It was decided to start two new campuses in Africa:
St. Cyprian’s College in Tunisia and St. Frumentius’ College in
Ethiopia. The main goal of these campuses is to form local
leaders for the church through providing theological training
and spiritual formation. Pray for these projects.
62
62 ICS
ICS News
News and
and Prayer
Prayer Diary
Diary| |April
November
2013
2014
Australia
December Continue to pray for Bishop Robert Innes as he
adapts to a heavy travel schedule visiting the many dispersed
chaplaincies that are part of the Diocese in Europe.
DAY 31 In July 2014 Ran and Jenny Mitchell began providing pastoral
Bush Church Aid care to farmers in rural communities where there is prolonged
Society (BCA) drought. They travel in Northern New South Wales as trained
Mark Short, Monica,
Andrew and Matthew
counsellors, offering mental health and other support services: a
joint venture between BCA and Anglicare Northern Inland. Pray
for them, particularly going into summer, that they will be able to
help the most needy in the communities they visit. The BCA
Volunteers’ Thank-you Christmas lunch is on 2 December: these
awesome people regularly come into the National Office to help
with office work and are greatly appreciated!
December Pray for wisdom and discernment over the BCA
Council’s approval of the budget for 2015. Pray for pre-advent
preparations by the Field Staff, for the carol services being held
around Australia; that those who are lost and in darkness will
see the light of Christ at this time and be saved. Pray for safety in
travel as many will visit relatives and friends in other parts of
Australia.
http://bushchurchaid.com.au
ICS President
and Patrons
President: The Viscount Brentford
Patron: His Royal Highness the Duke of York, KG, KCVO, ADC(P)
Vice-Patrons: The Archbishops of Canterbury, York and
Armagh, and the Bishops of London and Lichfield.
December As we reach the end of the year, we give thanks for
the ICS President and Patrons, and for the support they have
given over the year.
Partner mission
agencies
Pray for ICS’s partner agencies: BCA, Mission to Seafarers,
Church Mission Society/South American Mission Society. ICS is a
member of Partnership for World Mission ( PWM) and Global
Connections; the Evangelical Patrons Consultative Council; and
the cross-tradition Patrons’ Consultative Group.
For the New Year
We never know how God will answer our prayers, but we can expect
that He will get us involved in His plan for the answer. If we are true
intercessors, we must be ready to take part in God’s work on behalf of
the people for whom we pray.
Corrie ten Boom
Contacting ICS
Left to right:
Jeannette Skuse,
Andrew Rice,
Jim Perryman
Richard Bromley,
Maggie Winham,
Yelena Williams
ICS office staff team
Mission Director
Supporter Services
Manager
Accountant
Richard Bromley (The Revd): [email protected]
Maggie Winham (Miss): [email protected]
Donations, mailings, supporter records and address changes
Andrew Rice (Mr): [email protected]
Seasonal Mission
Jim Perryman (The Revd): [email protected] [part-time]
Communications
Coordinator
Jeannette Skuse (Mrs): [email protected] [part-time]
Administrative
Assistant
Yelena Williams (Mrs): [email protected]
Honorary Travelling Secretaries and Diocesan Representatives
Bradford
Chelmsford
Michael Savage (The Revd): 01535 – 606 790, [email protected]
Angela Marshall (The Revd): 01708 – 746 614, [email protected]
Chester
Peter Jordan (The Revd): 0151 – 639 7860, [email protected]
Coventry
Jim Perryman (The Revd): 01926 – 850 610, [email protected]
Ely
Exeter
Manchester
Dennis Sadler (Mr): 01223 – 232 194, [email protected]
John Philpott (The Revd Canon): 01395 – 225 044, [email protected]
Brian Johnson (The Revd): 0161 – 485 3787, [email protected]
Rochester
Madge Olby (Mrs): 020 – 86 503 844, [email protected]
Southwell
Glyn Jones (The Revd): 0115 – 846 9947, [email protected]
Northern Ireland
John Dinnen (The Very Revd): 028 – 44 811 148, [email protected]
Southern Ireland
Michael (The Revd) and Rhodanne (Mrs) Heaney:
01 – 493 1167, [email protected]
All are available to speak at church services or other meetings. Alternatively call the
Hon. Deputation Secretary, Dennis Sadler: 01223 – 232 194
Telephone: 024 – 7646 3940
Intercontinental Church Society
IDD Code: +44 24 –
Unit 11 Ensign Business Centre,
Email: [email protected]
Westwood Way, Westwood Business Park,
Web site: www.ics-uk.org
Coventry CV4 8JA, United Kingdom
Twitter: @interchsoc
Registered charity no.: 1072584
Facebook: facebook.com/intercontinentalchurchsociety

ICS News Issue 59 November 2014 - Intercontinental Church Society

Transcription

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