A Letter from Fr Leonard to the St Paul’s Community

The Anglican Church in Greece (Church of England) St. Paul’s Church

1^st April 2020

Dear Friends,

I hope that you are well, and keeping safe under these extraordinary circumstances. We feel bereft of St. Paul’s church for our worship, and the proximity of friends and fellow worshippers. If you have the need for a conversation with someone please don’t hesitate to phone me or Deacon Chris. These are challenging times, and although ‘social isolation’ is for the greater good, we are not created to be alone, and the church is a ‘body’ or a fellowship, not a building. We will get through this however, and we know already that the cost will be great. We pray daily for the sufferers of COVID-19, and those who have died. We pray also for those in our health care system at this demanding time for them, and Lynne and I have appeared a couple of times on the balcony on Sunday evenings to clap with others in the street, for the gratitude we have for all health care workers. We should be thankful too for those who keep our food supplies going, right through the food chain. The staff at Kritikos in Irodotou have been great with us while we have had a complete 14 day quarantine imposed on us because we flew back into Greece on March 22^nd after my dad’s funeral.

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A short order of service for Praying daily at home in the morning and evening

+Both morning and evening begin with:

Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy  Spirit. Amen.

 +Morning only:

Come, let us sing to the Lord:

Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving:

And raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

For  the Lord God is a great God:

And a great King above all  gods.

In his hands are the depths of the earth;

And the heights of the hills are his also.

The sea is his for he made it;

And his hands have moulded the dry land.

Come, let us bow down and bend the knee;

And kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture

And  the sheep of his hand.

+Evening only:

Behold now, bless the Lord,

All you servants of the Lord;

You that stand by night in the house of the Lord.

Lift up your hands in the holy place

And bless the Lord:

The Lord who made heaven and earth

Bless you out of Zion.

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ST PAUL’S ANGLICAN CHURCH ATHENS DIOCESE IN EUROPE Everything We Touch – A Mothers’ Union Service for Mothering Sunday

Welcome

Welcome to this service for Mothering Sunday, a celebration, not only to thank God for all Mothers but to thank and recognise all those who nurture us through our lives, including God.

The work of the Mothers’ Union around the world is about nurturing individuals, groups and communities by enabling them to improve their quality of life and providing opportunities for communication and reconciliation within families. The MU facilitates a network of parenting groups, provides a range of support for families and produces resources on issues important to adults and children.

Leader: ‘As truly as God is our Father, so truly is God our Mother, and he revealed that in everything, and especially in these sweet words where he says: I am he; that is to say: I am he, the power and goodness of fatherhood; I am he, the wisdom and the lovingness of motherhood; I am he, the light and grace which is all blessed love; I am he, the Trinity …’ (The Showings, Long Text, Mother Julian of Norwich, 14^th century)

Worship Focus

You are asked to light a candle and put it in a window or place where it can be seen at 9pm greek time tonight. Please extinguish it when you got to bed. This is an initiative asked of us by Abps of  Canterbury and York. ( see Church of England website)

Nurturing God,

we light this candle

in recognition of the great care and love

you have for each one of us.

All Nurturing God,

we praise and thank you.

Nurturing God,

we light this candle

in thanksgiving for all mothers,

for all they do, or once did,

for all they give, or once gave

and for all they mean and will always mean.

All: Nurturing God,

we praise and thank you.

Nurturing God,

we light this candle

for all families

throughout the world.

All Nurturing God,

we praise and thank you.

Nurturing God,

we light this candle

for the family of the Church,

here and everywhere. And for all peoples.

All Nurturing God,

we praise and thank you.

Nurturing God,

we light this candle

for all who nurture

and encourage others may we do the same as we journey together as one..

All Nurturing God,

we praise and thank you

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Worship Resources during the Corona Epidemic

From Bishop Robert

Click on this link to access a short order of service that can be used at home whilst the Churches are closed.

We pray for everyone connected with this epidemic, especially the Healthcare workers who are striving to keep this epidemic under control.

Worship at home

CORONOVIRUS RESPONSE – ST. PAUL’S ANGLICAN CHURCH ATHENS

Due to the widespread affect of the current Coronovirus outbreak the Liturgies at St. Paul’s are cancelled for the next two weeks -22^nd March and 29^th March.

This includes the Wednesday Liturgies.

The Annual Meeting due to be held on 29^th is postponed until a future date.

ALL CONCERTS booked in St. Paul’s are cancelled until the end of March when we will make an assessment of the situation.

To find out if services are resuming on April 5^th please check our website and Facebook page.

www.anglicanchurchathens.gr

https://www.facebook.com/AnglicanAthens/

@AthensAnglican

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING CONCERTS AT ST PAUL’

PLEASE NOTE that all CONCERTS at St Paul’s have been cancelled by their Organisers with immediate effect.  This is in line with Government Policy.

Please keep an eye on our website and Facebook pages for further information and for details of when the concerts will re-commence.  We apologise to everyone for their disappointment and pray that these measures will be effective in helping to eradicate the virus so that we can welcome visitors to St Paul’s once again.

St. Paul’s Anglican Church response to the Coronavirus

St. Paul’s Anglican Church response to the Coronavirus

At public worship:

• Sanitize hands on entering and leaving the building
• Do not shake hands or do ‘kissy-kissy’ greetings
• Have gel or wipes with you at all times
• Bread only distributed at Holy Communion

We will follow Government directives about any church closures. The Wednesday Liturgy is suspended for the next few weeks anyway.

If St. Paul’s has to close, and no worship can be provided there will always be a weekly sermon posted on the website – in printed form, and where possible, a voice recording. You can access these also on Facebook.

There is a very good ‘Daily Prayer’ app that you could download for free, and you will get Anglican Morning and Evening Prayer provided. It is very simple to use.

At home you might set aside time each day for some quiet reflection and prayer. Keep in touch with the elderly and in particular any known to you who live alone. At present shops that deliver food can stay open.

Pray for one another, and all who are suffering worldwide from this virus – including those whose livelihoods are affected eg. tourism

www.anglicanchurchathens.gr     https://www.facebook.com/AnglicanAthens/

@AthensAnglican