Ash Wednesday this year is on 5 March. There will be a service at 20.00 in the church lead by Jean-Pierre Herman. Lent is a time of reflection and an opportunity to meditate. People often speak about ‘giving up something’. Why not? We live in a world of plenty yet were reminded last Sunday by our Burmese (Karen) brother that there is a world out there in chronic need: starvation in Southern Africa, deprivation almost everywhere outside the West and some appalling black spots within our own cities. Let us identify with them. Bishop Geoffrey Rowell is commending a mission in Russia called ROOF. You are invited to give to that or to another mission agency whether it be here in Brussels or elsewhere.

 

Archbishop Rowan Williams will take his seat formally in Canterbury Cathedral on Thursday (27^th). He will have to face many issues including the future of Anglicanism itself. During Lent this year we will attempt to examine three of those issues with tapes from the conference on the ‘Future of Anglicanism Conference’ at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford last July. The dates and three subjects I have chosen are:

·                                  Wednesday 12 March: The Interface with Islam. Tape by Dr Patrick Sookhdeo (Barnabas Fund). (Chair: Hugh Cox – Chaplain Tervuren).

·                                  Wednesday 26 March: Sexuality. Tape by Martin Hallett (True Freedom Trust) with special emphasis on same sex relationships. (Chair: David Fieldsend, CARE)

·                                  Tuesday 8 April Environmental Issues. Tape by Peter Harris (A Rocha). (Chair: Annali Bamber-Jones A Rocha)

You will need to bring pen and paper to make notes. Each session will be followed by a period of discussion. All three are burning issues for which we need a Christian mind. You are welcome to join us in the Conference Room on these dates at 20.00. Home Groups are invited to join us for these sessions.

                                                                        Nigel Walker

TODAY

At 10.30 during Communion, Nigel Walker, Chaplain, will speak on ‘The pre-eminence of Christ’.

At 14.00 during Communion, Isaac Mensah, Assistant Chaplain, will speak on ‘In Jesus, all things hold together’.

At 19.00 during Evening Praise, Peter Walley, Assistant Chaplain, will speak on Luke 9.57 – 62: ‘The fox, the funeral and the furrow – the challenge to follow’.

 

COMING SOON . . .

Next Saturday Yet more fun working for the Centenary Renovation Project!! Come between 8.00 and 13.00 in warm, old clothes to sandpaper, paint or do any of 1001 other jobs. The air’s a bit chilly but the fellowship’s very warm.

Alpha This 12 week course on the building blocks of Christianity continues on Thursday 27 February starting at 19.00 and finishing at 21.30. A hot meal will be served each week, followed by a short talk, questions and small group discussion. The venue is c/o Carolyn Walker Rue François Debelder 11, 1200 Woluwe St-Lambert, Brussels (very close to metro stop Tomberg). More information from Filip Ameloot at amelootfilip@hotmail.com The cost of the meal is €5, the Alpha manual is €2.50. Unemployed and students can come for free; please let one of the Chaplains know if you need a subsidy.

Oasis - Counselling Training for Christians Certificate in Counselling (also known as Level 1). Oasis are running this course in conjunction with PhilippiTrust. It is recognised by the Association of Christian Counsellors.  It will run in two sections Thursday 6 (evening only) - Saturday 8 March, and Thursday 20 (evening only) - Saturday 22 March. The cost is €185 payable at the beginning of the course. This course is a great follow on for those who have done Acorn Christian Listeners or who would like to learn more about Christian counselling. For more details there are leaflets at the back of church today with all the contact addresses and details. Oasis Counselling Centre 02/502 32 72

'The Belgian Partnership – workers amongst Turks' is organising a training and information day on how to live and work with Turkish Muslims, what are the differences between our faiths and what attitudes should be adopted or avoided. The session will take place on Saturday 15 March from 9.30 to 16.00 at the Christen Gemeenschap, Lakenmakersstraat, Mechelen, both in English and in Dutch. Cost €4 per person including photocopies and food. To register, please e-mail lwborkes@pi.be.

DITT (Dyslexia International – Tools and Technologies asbl) are pleased to invite you to hear and meet Lee Pascal and Susan van Alsenoy, experts on study skills, dyslexia and learning differently, who will be talking about helping children to succeed in school, overcoming the nightmare homework can be and offering teachers support. This will be from 16.00 – 18.00 on Wednesday 19 March at 1 rue Defacqz, B-1000 Brussels, from where tickets at € 15 each can be purchased or places booked. Phone 02/537 70 66.

NW Europe Archdeaconry Retreats 2003 Two Lenten Retreats will be held in the Netherlands: 4 - 6 April: Conductor: Rt Rev Dr Geoffrey Rowell, Bishop of the Diocese in Europe. 11 - 13 April: Conductor: The Reverend Jonathan Goodall, Chaplain & Research Assistant to the Diocesan Bishop in Europe. More details at the back of church.

 

INFORMATION

The Mission focus for February is the Karen/Karenni people. They are ethnic minorities persecuted by the military junta of Burma. On the mission board in the porch and on the notice board near the coffee area you will find warm letters of thanks to you from orphanages and a Bible College.  There are also prayer booklets for the Global Day of Prayer for Burma, 9 March. The loose plate collections from all 4 services last Sunday will be sent to old people in the refugee camps. These are WW2 veterans who receive no pension, and only have their medals to show.  Thank you for all the support given so generously.

Intercessors, lay assistants and readers please collect the next quarter’s rota from your pigeon hole.

Tuesday morning Bible Study Just to let you know that the new Tuesday morning Bible study is underway and we will be looking at 'Women like us' - a study of women in the Bible. We meet at Ilka Tank's house, Chaussée de la Hulpe 439, 1170 Watermael Boitfort, each Tuesday morning from 9.30 - 11.00 and there is a crèche for those with small children.  All are welcome.  For more information
contact either Ilka Tank on 02/675 52 10 or Helen Walley 02/354 59 85 or
helen.walley@belgacom.net and we can send a programme for the term.

Due to a shortage of volunteers, we can only offer a supervised crèche 3 Sundays a month. The room in Church House is of course still available but there will be no helpers there on 16 March. More volunteers would be highly appreciated. Pease contact Gayl Russell on 02/649 11 30 or gaylr@skynet.be.

The church office regularly receives news and instructions from the U.S. Embassy. The information will be posted up on the 'Community news' notice board. If however you are an American citizen and would like to receive this personally, you should register at the embassy and be added to their mailing list.

CRP report - More project progress Formal approval to start our contract is now near at hand. With an increased number of volunteers the recent positive results are:

·       100% of the Hall wall is down and the wood labelled for replacement

• 95% of the nails are now out of the wood strips, or wall battens.
• 100% of the wood has been sanded, by hand with no power.
• About 75% of the holes in the wood battens have been filled.
• 100% of the wood battens has been primed, first coat.
• 10% of the battens have second sanding, hole filling, and final paint.
• The telephone booth has been twice painted for cleaning-storage use.
• The booth light switch, light, and electrical outlet have been relocated.
• (Two metal cupboards are now in the room to create the storage.)
• The former coatroom has been cleared for contract plumbing work.
• Two bar-storage shelves have been constructed 2m x 2m; & 2m x 3m.
• The bar-storage room has been final-painted with 35 litres of paint.
• The latter includes ceiling, walls, doors, new storage shelves and floor.
• The small bar-storage was cleared of 50-year-old construction debris.
• The small bar-storage hall has been prepared for painting.
• Bar-storage electric outlets are rewired and the cooler relocated.
• A hot water plan is agreed for the upper-rear, coffee area, and toilets.
• A cheap hot water plan is agreed for the bar.

One of the Building Steering Committee will supervise work each Saturday. The task is simple - get paint on the wood; and keep the 'work-site' safe & clean. The latter includes post-paint cleaning. We will also:

·       Install some brighter fluorescent lighting in the bar-storage area.

·       Install brighter fluorescent lighting in the small bar-storage hall.

·       Construct a gyprock ceiling for the small bar-storage room.

• Use the bar-storage room to secure our tools - during construction.
• Lock the door to the adjacent small storage room – leads to the bar.
• Experienced opinion is that we will need March to finish Hall painting.

The architect has noted the following for Pierre Compté, the contractor, who will:

• Install a door for the adjacent small storage room, to open from the bar.
• Ensure the need for hot water in the bar, perhaps from the main boiler.
• Paul Gray will later lead bar renovations and install the Nave panelling.

Items for the Newsletter Please send these by 9.00 on Tuesdays to the Church Office or by e-mail to David.Iliff@Pandora.be