Newsletter - Holy Trinity Brussels

Holy Trinity Brussels
March 29th 2015
Palm Sunday
Newsletter
Today’s Services: 10.30 Holy Communion: Jack McDonald
14.00 Holy Communion: No service
19.00 Palm Sunday service
Sunday School Theme: Victorious Love
March Mission Focus: Rewari International
Our readings this week
Isaiah 50:4-9a Christians see Jesus in the “suffering servant” of Isaiah. Four times the servant
points us to the Sovereign Lord. It is from him that the saving word comes; to him that the servant
listens; to him that he is obedient; in him that lies his hope; to him that he looks for vindication.
Philippians 2:5-11 Jesus does not treat his exalted state as something to be clung to, but is
prepared to make himself nothing, taking human form as a servant. As a servant obedient to the
limit of human imagining, he knows suffering, accepting a horrifying death. But the result is
vindication: Jesus is exalted, as part of the very being of God, to receive the worship of the
whole created order. We are called to follow his example of obedience.
Psalm 31 There are 4 great themes in this psalm. First, the psalmist’s reliance on God as his
place of refuge; last, his praise before the wonderful delivery that God offers. We are invited to
focus on the two middle themes. First comes the cry of the one who is abandoned and betrayed
by all human love and support. Second, his prayer to the God from whom alone can come
deliverance.
Mark 14:1-15:47 Mark’s narrative shows how completely humanity abandoned Jesus. From
Judas’ treason, through Peter’s denial, and Peter, James and John’s inability to watch, to the
frantic flight of his every companion, not a friend remains. Meanwhile his enemies strike him,
mock him, spit on him. No voice is raised in his defence, only the call to crucify. The passersby, the leaders of society, even the criminals insult him. Ultimately he is so empty that even God
seems to have abandoned him. Only in death does he find recognition from a foreign soldier,
love from the women, courage from a secret disciple.
Pointers for prayer
 Pray for all who are in distress, to find God’s rescue;
 Pray that every time our actions and words betray Jesus, we may find repentance and
forgiveness;
 Before such faithfulness, before the solitary suffering that won our salvation, we can only
fall on our knees in worship.
Special Palm Sunday service at 7pm
Our Life Together
Welcome to Holy Trinity. Coffee and tea are served downstairs after the 10.30
service, the bar is also open. Do come down and join us for this time of fellowship, and
introduce yourself if you are new to or visiting Brussels.
This week many of our congregation are at our Church Weekend away, La Foresta.
We pray that they will enjoy teaching, fellowship and worship and return refreshed and
inspired.
Sunday School. The Eastertide topic is “Victorious Love.” This week the Bible
passage is Luke 19:28–40; 22:39–48.
Congratulations to James and Eliane Pitts on the safe arrival of their tenth child,
Susanna Maria, 52 cm and 3.74 kg. Mother and baby are both doing well.
Throughout Lent the 12.30 Holy Communion service each Wednesday will be
followed by a bread and soup lunch (a small donation is requested). As we prepare for
Easter why not pause to join us for this hour of prayer, calm and fellowship?
Services in Holy Week and over Easter. As always, there are a number of extra
services during Holy Week, in addition to the usual Wednesday Holy Communion at 12.30
(followed by the final bread and soup lunch): Maundy Thursday Holy Communion at 19.30,
Good Friday meditations “At the Foot of the Cross” between 12.00 and 14.00 (it is possible
to arrive and depart during the service if you cannot spare the whole time) and the
St Matthew Passion at 19.00. There will be Holy Communion at all four services on Easter
Sunday. Easter is the most important celebration of our Christian year, don’t hesitate to
invite friends and colleagues even if they’re not regular church-goers.
Church Council is holding its April meeting on Monday 30th March at 20.00 in Church
House.
Chris Martin’s departure after Easter. This time he really is going back to
Edinburgh and leaving Holy Trinity! If you would like to show your appreciation for all the
pastoral care and humorous comments that Chris has given to the HTB over the last 18
months and to Susie, for doing without him for so long, please send your contribution to
IBAN: BE14 3100 3441 5383 BIC: BBRUBEBB marked (‘gift for Chris & Susie’) so that we
can buy them a really good present.
Richard and Gill Frost will be joining us after Chris has left. Richard's first Sunday
with us will be 12th April and they will be staying in Brussels until the 1st Sunday in August.
Please do make them very welcome and pray for them as they settle in and minister among
us.
Our Mission Focus this month is Rewari International, working in North India among
some of the poorest and most despised people of that region. It is now the end of the school
year and the pupils at the Good Shepherd School have just finished taking their exams. The
school hopes to admit 200 pupils for the new school year starting in April and is still striving
to get itself recognised by the official bodies in India. Pray for the safety and unity of the
Christian community – which is very limited in the Rewari region – during this time of
persecution and climate of hatred. Extremist Hindus are actively trying to destroy the work
that is going on to help people in the slums so Robin requests: ‘Do pray for the children and
their family members in different locations of the Rewari district, for their health and wellbeing, as they are the direct beneficiaries of our programmes. Pray also that they will
continue to trust us as their Christian friends helping to meet their needs. Also many of the
sponsored children have now grown up into young men and women: pray that they might
know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour in the coming years of their life’.
To find out more about this work that Holy Trinity has supported over the last 4
years, check out the website www.rewari-international.org
Easter Lilies. As in previous years, the flower team invites you to give Easter lilies in
memory of departed loved ones. Each lily costs €2 and envelopes are available at the back
of the church. Please put the name(s) of those you wish to commemorate on the envelope
and the corresponding amount of money inside and return to the basket.
Sunday April 26th around 12:00 Holy Trinity has its Annual General Meeting.
You are eligible to vote at the AGM if you are registered on the Electoral Roll. If you
haven’t registered yet, please ask for a form from the Welcome table, fill it in and put it in
the pigeon hole of Paulina. Or send her a message and she will send the form via E-mail to
fill in at leisure: [email protected]
We have received a number of kind offers of accommodation for an ordinand
hoping to come to Brussels for medical treatment in the summer. However, since the clinic
is in Neder-Over-Heembeek, in north Brussels, with relatively poor public transport
links, it would be very helpful if someone living a little closer could accommodate him as he
needs to attend the clinic daily. The clinic is served by STIB buses 47, 53 and 57 and De
Lijn 820. If you could help please contact John Wilkinson or Chris Martin via the church
office.
The Prayer Chain welcomes requests for prayer for any situation with complete
confidentiality to Ilka Tank: [email protected] Tel 02 675 52 10 or to Anne Fieldsend 02
735 1997.
Vacancy: Anglican Religious Education has two vacancies in secondary school teaching :
two hours in Brussels-Laken and two hours in Antwerp-Kapellen.
Information
www.anglicaneducation.org Contact: [email protected]
Music at Holy Trinity. There will be a performance of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater
at 15h30 today, performed by Catherine Lybaert (soprano) and Marjut Leskinen (mezzosoprano) accompanied by string quartet and organ. Entry is €10/€8.
Then on Good Friday, April 3rd there will be the traditional performance of Bach’s
St Matthew Passion, at 19.00. Admission is free (though donations will be most welcome)
and pre-registration is preferred at passiontoperform.eu to ensure a seat.
Do you fancy a holiday in the South of France and pay your rent to the Church
House Redevelopment Project? Sue Bird has a villa in the foothills of the Pyrenees, not far
from Med and mountains, 5 bedrooms, private swimming pool, for all year-round holidays.
Sign up quickly though as July and August are nearly full! If you are interested, please contact
Sue on 0476-410-875 or [email protected]
The Wider Church
Edith Cavell Commemoration This year we commemorate Edith Cavell and the
Belgian Edith Cavell Commemoration Group (BECCG) is organizing a series of events
together with the Commune of Uccle and Cinematek. We would like to know of members
of Holy Trinity who might be interested to receive direct information and who might be
interested in getting involved on the practical side with one or two events. A web site has
been created and is available in English and French: www.edith-cavell-belgium.eu/ The first
scheduled events are a number of guided walks taking place from April in Uccle/Ixelles to
enable you to discover the main places linked to her life and her work, details of these are
on the web-site under ‘events’. Please contact Birte Day for further
information: [email protected]
The International Christian Women’s Club of Brussels invites you and your
guests to their “Home from Home” guest night dinner 2015 with Yuri Cardozo and
Miguel Ferrer which will be held at the American Women’s Club of Brussels on Saturday
April 25th from 7.15 till 11.15. Music from the de Burbure family, guest speakers Mark and
Gabrielle Arnot. Full details on the poster in the lobby, or take a flyer from the table.
Accommodation wanted: A Christian professional man of forty-five, of Ghanaian
origin, currently living in the Czech Republic, moving to Brussels in the next two or three
weeks with his conference business and therefore looking to share with other Christians in
a house or to rent a flat. If anyone can help, please contact Frederick Gyebi-Ababio
([email protected], tel: +420 734 595 268 Skype: fredgyebi).
Address: The Pro-Cathedral of Holy Trinity Rue Capitaine Crespel 29,
B-1050 Brussels Website: http://www.holytrinity.be
Phone: 02/511.71.83 Email: [email protected]
Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9a.m. – 12 p.m.
Tuesday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Newsletter items: to [email protected] by 9 a.m. Tuesday
Associate Chaplains: Canon John Wilkinson and Canon Prof. Jack McDonald
Assistant Chaplain: The Revd Chris Martin
Lay Minister: David Fieldsend
Pastoral Assistant: Mrs Janet Sayers Outreach Worker: Jeremy Heuslein
Lay Assistant: Naomi Brown
Gift account for pledges and donations to Holy Trinity Brussels is:
IBAN: BE14 3100 3441 5383 BIC: BBRUBEBB
Contributions to Church House Redevelopment Fund is:
IBAN: BE39 3104 5510 7619 BIC: BBRUBEBB