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Updated Covid restrictions and Social Distancing regulations – a message from our Chaplain

Dear All

 As you know I have been trying always to ensure that our compliance with Government COVID restrictions conform to legal interpretation from our lawyer, Mrs. Papatsori.

I was able to speak with her this morning. Nothing has changed yet in terms of 1 person per 15sqm inside the church – double masking. Outside we should be 2 metres away from each other, seated.

Free self-testing for those ‘essential for the worship’ has now ended. Instead a Vaccination certificate is required – either the Greek one or the EU COVID passport, proving that the individual is vaccinated (or a CPR test, 72 hrs before, or a more recent negative self-test.) I have to hold a copy of this certificate in the church. People around the altar, the Wardens, and Sidesperson, should provide one of the forms of certification in order to undertake their duty. The same is required for those attending the Swedish Mass.

Coffee after the service is still not permitted – ‘by analogy’ (the phrase used by the Government regulators) coffee would have to be at tables, no one standing, tables socially distanced, ‘coffee servers’ masked and tested. Clearly we cannot comply with this as yet. Let’s hope for the future….

The Government seems keen to progress by encouragements or advantages towards vaccination. We will see how this affects the churches.

Thanks for continued patience.

Fr. Leonard

130 lilies

Easter Lilies

A big thank you to all those who donated 130 lilies in memory of their loved ones. you can see the virtual lilies above and below, the  beautiful flower arrangements that were placed in the Church for Easter Sunday.. The names of your loved ones are given below and will also be written in the Easter Book of  Remembrance, which will be available to view in the Church when it re-opens.

Once again we are hugely grateful to Mary Pelides for making these wonderful flower arrangements to decorate the Church.

 

 

IN MEMORIAM

Maurice Ashford

 

Ann Skinner,

 

Hardy, Lounton and Griffin families

Anthony Antoniadis. Christine Woodlands  . Karl Darley.

 

Donald Orr, Carolyn Grandstaff,  Costas Makaritis,
Sandra Makaritis
Marjorie, Dimitris, Pat, Mary, Mario,

Zoe, Pantelis ,Maria, Anastasia, Vera.

 

Maria, Paraskevas, Maria, Eftsathios, George, Ephraim, Salome, Momo 8

 

Matilda Amartey family

 

Jenkins/Dedes Families

 

Angela Hutton, Pat Mills, Pam Nicholson, John and Roseabelle Newton, Arthur and Rose Wayt, Moscha Arabopoulou, Peter Contraros. Alex maroukis Dimitri maroukis, Wendy mansell

 

Jack and Margery Bradley

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Dr John Kittmer receives an award from the Greek Ambassador to the United Kingdom

From the Anglican congregations of Athens and Greece, our sincere congratulations to Dr. John Kittmer, former Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Greece. John was awarded the honour of Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix by The President of Greece for his work as Chairman of the Anglo-Hellenic League, based in London. The photograph shows Dr. John Kittmer (left), receiving his award, with the Greek Ambassador to the United Kingdom (centre), and Professor Paul Cartledge (right), who incidentally taught John Kittmer when he was at Cambridge.

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Easter Eggs

This Easter we are launching our Easter Egg Appeal!

Thank you Jane for our 17th Egg!

Help us fill the basket with brightly coloured eggs for Easter.  You can help by sending a donation to St Paul’s.  Each donation, of whatever size, will add an egg to the basket and a new picture will appear.

Donations can be made in several ways:

Bank Transfer – THE ANGLICAN CHURCH IN GREECE, ST PAUL’S,  ATHENS
BANK: Bank of Piraeus
IBAN: GR82 0172 0500 0050 5008 6327 479
SWIFT CODE: PIRB GRAA

(Reference “Easter Eggs)

(including fee except for inter-Piraeus Bank)

PAYPALwww.paypal.me/StPaulsathens

(reference “Easter Eggs”)

Please let us know if you do not wish your name to be published.

Let’s fill the basket and rejoice this Easter!

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting for St Paul’s Anglican Church Athens will take place on Zoom, at 1.00pm on Sunday 21st March 2021, after the morning service.

You will not need to log-in separately, just stay online after the service.

Click here for the Zoom Login for Sunday Service

 

All the documents pertaining to the meeting have been uploaded and are available to view online.  They may then be personally downloaded or printed if necessary.  Each document has a separate link and should be clicked to view.  They are not altogether on one link. There are nine documents altogether:

  • Information on Zoom Meeting
  • Agenda
  • Minutes of the APCM 2020
  • Nomination form for Church Wardens
  • Nomination form for Parish Council Members
  • Nomination form for Archdeaconry Synod Representatives
  • Accounts for the last Financial Year
  • Auditors Report
  • Reports on Church Organisations and Events.

 

 

Feb 7th

Zoom Service for Sunday 21st February 2021 at 12.00 noon

We are following the Orthodox date for Easter this year. Today is the

4th Sunday before Lent. 

 

Welcome to our worship brought to our homes by Zoom. After the worship we can have a short chat together. The hymns and other shared texts you might know by heart, or you can print out this service, or you may have a hymn book at home, or you may be happy to listen in silence.

 

The Sunday worship login will remain the same until the end of April. See notices at end of sheet.  

 

Fr. Leonard will lead the worship today, assisted by Deacon Chris who is the preacher. On the keyboard is Christina Antoniadou. 

 

Priest:      Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

All:           and also with you.

1 Morning has broken
Like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird.
Praise for the singing!
Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing
Fresh from the Word!

 

2 Sweet the rain’s new fall
Sunlit from Heaven,
Like the first dewfall
On the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness
Of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness
Where his feet pass.

 

3 Mine is the sunlight,
Mine is the morning,
Born of the one light
Eden saw play.
Praise with elation,
Praise every morning,
God’s re-creation
Of the new day!

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Picture Trinity 17

Celebrating Easter in a time of Covid

Easter 2021 will be the second Easter in this long period of the COVID pandemic. The Greek Government approaches COVID restrictions and the Church in its own distinct national way. Due to these two factors St. Paul’s Athens will align itself this year with the Greek date for Easter. This is for 2021 only and it is hoped that by celebrating Pascha almost a month later than the western date there will be more favourable conditions for worship in St. Paul’s. We sought permission for this, and the Church Council was unanimous in its vote to make this change. St. Thomas’s Crete, and Holy Trinity Corfu will also follow this practice.

Key dates: Ash Wednesday March 17th

                    Palm Sunday       April 25th

                    Holy Thursday    April 29th

                    Good Friday        April 30th

                    Easter Sunday    May 2nd

                    Ascension Day   June 10th

                    Pentecost           June 20th

Times of the Liturgy and Zoom services will be announced and publicized via the Website.

coffee-beans-and-steaming-cup

Virtual Coffee Morning

Is the Perpetual Pandemic getting you down?  Do you miss seeing and chatting to your friends and acquaintances?

Why don’t you join us for another Virtual Coffee Morning on Saturday 20th February 2021 at 10.30 am.  Invite friends, bring your coffee to the screen and have a good old chat.   Better still, why don’t you buy one of our St Paul’s Coffee Mugs so you have a truly immersive experience!  If you didn’t manage to make it last Saturday we hope you will put a note in your diaries and join us on the 20th.

 

Fr. Leonard will start by being host by setting up the zoom link for us to send out to friends making it very easy for anyone to join.  

If you would be prepared to help be a ‘zoom host’ on the odd Saturday zoom coffee morning please email Fr.Leonard.

Join Zoom Meeting

Zoom link to the virtual Coffee Morning

Meeting ID: 810 7786 3979

Passcode: tv7JXN

Coffee Mugs

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St Paul’s Church Council Meeting

St. Paul’s Church Council will meet via Zoom on Saturday 23rd January at 10.30 a.m. Items discussed will include a Covid 19 update, Financial Report, Environment, Safeguarding and “Breathing Life” (a report and action paper from Diocesan Synod on the subject of Racial Justice and its application to us).

Our Council Officers for 2021-22 are:

Senior Chaplain and Chairperson – the Rev. Canon Leonard Doolan

Assistant Chaplain and Refugee Response Facilitator – Deacon Christine Saccalis

Churchwardens – Trevor Kamuzonde and Lynn Stavrou

Hon. Secretary – Jean Mertzanakis

Hon. Treasurer – Nelly Paraskevopoulou

Assistant Treasurer – Noelle Barkshire

Safeguarding Officer – Lynn Stavrou

Matilda Amarty

Banji Ipinsokan

Lesley Paschalakis

Sue Stephos

 

Co-optees for one year – Alice Karanja and Angelos Palioudakis

Congregation member Linda Paparsenos continues as Local Environment Officer.