Forthcoming Services - see CALENDAR OF SERVICES
EVENTS - CURRENT or COMING SOON

Confirmation Course
The Chaplain is running a confirmation course, consisting of 12 classes, in preparation for Confirmation by Bishop Geoffrey o­n Sunday 29 April 2012. There are two courses, run in parallel, o­ne for young people who are at least in second year of secondary school, and another for adults (no age limit!).
The classes continue from Sunday, 29 January in the Vicarage - see calendar. The class for teenagers is from 4.00 to 5.30 pm, and the class for adults from 8.00 to 9.30 pm.
Please contact the Chaplain if you are interested or email Lynn Barclay.
There can be some flexibility about age, but in general it helps if candidates are older, rather than younger.
Just looking? Or perhaps already confirmed, and wanting a refresher course. You are very welcome to share in the course.

Environmental Footprint Group (EFG)
The first EFG meetings in 2012 will take place in Oetrange as follows:-
Monday 16 January, 8 pm - o­n Peak everything - special focus o­n climate change and peak oil (first of a series of three);
Monday 30 January, 8 pm - o­n Limited resources (second of a series of three);
Monday 13 February, 8 pm - o­n Environment, morality and inequality (third of a series of three).
In the meantime here is a link to the recent Operation Noah annual lecture by Professor Tim Gorringe at http://www.operationnoah.org/annual-lecture-2011
See also REGULAR EVENTS

Young Adults Group
Young Adults Group will meet from 7.30 pm
o­nwards o­n Wednesday, 8 February. This will be a discussion meeting and will take place at Paul and Katarina Townend’s home in Merl-Belair. Social time will be included and food and drink will be organised.
Please contact Cherry or Ian (cherry.hooper@hotmail.co.uk / menimk@yahoo.co.uk) for more details.

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REGULAR EVENTS

Prayer Group
The Prayer Group "Wellsprings" meets fortnightly - see CALENDAR - and here for an invitation.

Parents, Tinies and Toddlers
The Parents, Tinies and Toddlers Group meets regularly (with a break for the summer) and usually, but not always, in Schuttrange from 10am, for coffee, biscuits and a chat, and a short time singing and praying together with the children. We have the use of the commune playroom (Salle Spillstuff - see map of how to get there) in the basement of the Salle Communale building in Schuttrange, which is custom built for tinies and full of interesting toys - see PHOTO GALLERY (Parents,Tinies,Toddlers). For the date of the next meeting see CALENDAR. The group is open to all Mums, Dads and Carers, including those whose children are at school. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please bring them along. If you would like further details please feel free to contact the coordinator Samantha Grocock (( 621 215 936).

Young Adults' Group
The Young Adults' Group meets regularly at different venues for a mix of discussion, worship and socialising, with socials and themed discussion meetings alternating normally o­n Mondays and Tuesdays and o­n a weekly basis - see CALENDAR and EVENTS. Any new members are very welcome - age range roughly 20s & 30s. Lifts are usually available from Luxembourg centre. Please contact Paul Townend (( 621 295 928), Cherry Hooper (( 621 437 486) or Ian Kent (( 661 963 117) for further details.

Environmental Footprint Group
This group holds periodic meetings (see CALENDAR) to explore how best as a church, collectively and individually, we could reduce our carbon footprint in line with the policy of our Diocese. The group is open to everyone and you are invited to contribute any relevant information, ideas or suggestions to the group coordinator Philippa Seymour.
See INFORMATION for meeting reports and studies.

Congregational Lunch
Normally o­n the last Sunday in most months a Parish Lunch takes place at a nearby restaurant at 1pm. All are welcome, particularly newcomers, and children under 11 eat free! Details are given in the Notices at the 11am service. Speak to the Chaplain to know more and see CALENDAR for the next occasion.

Child Protection Training
Child Protection Training is a regular event in the life of our church and will be shown o­n the CALENDAR. All adults and older teenagers who work with children under the age of 18 in any kind of church activity are legally required by the Church of England to undertake Child Protection Training.

If you would like to attend this training just to find out more, whether or not you are actually involved with children at the moment, you are very welcome to join in. In particular, it would be good to have the growing group of dads who often stay with their own children in the Sunday morning crèche and in so doing, help out with some of the other tinies.

If you would like to be able to help o­n a regular or even occasional basis as a crèche or Sunday School helper, please speak to the Chaplain.

Please email the office or speak to the Chaplain if you are interested in coming.

EVENTS ARCHIVE - see DOCUMENTS / G

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CHURCH INFORMATION

Forthcoming Services - see CALENDAR OF SERVICES

NEWS/INFORMATION - LATEST

Lent Lunches
The season of Lent begins o­n Ash Wednesday (22 February) and lasts until Maundy Thursday (5 April).

This year, as last year, we would like to organise several lunches every week, hosted by different members of our congregation, either o­n a weekday or at a weekend, whichever is easier for the hosts.

Read here how to host a Lent Lunch. 
This is a simple meal of soup, bread and cheese, for which guests make a donation towards our Bishop’s Lent Appeal. It is also an opportunity to invite non-church friends to share part of our Lent tradition.

Please contact Elaine Birch in the Church office (office@anglican.lu) if you would like to host a lunch, so that we can publicise dates.

The Christingle Service o­n Saturday 24 December 2011 was well attended and raised EUR 999.59 for the Children’s Society. The Children’s Society relies o­n the vital funds raised through Christingle celebrations to fund their work with vulnerable children and young people in different communities and across the UK

The 2011 Bishop’s Advent Appeal raised EUR 1,204.60; the money will be used to support the work of the Friends of the Holy Land. The primary purpose of their work is to support Christians in the Holy Land, to enable them to maintain a minimum level of quality of life such that pressures to abandon their homeland are reduced. The Friends provide resources for small projects that make a big difference to Christians in the community, and the funds made available contribute to the sustainability of Christians (especially the most vulnerable) in the Holy Land.

Photos of Christmas Lunch and Christingle Service 2011
Photos of the Christmas Lunch held, thanks to Rani Roloff and Moira Hogg, o­n December 18 and photos of the Christingle Service o­n Christmas Eve are in the PHOTO GALLERY

Departure of Assistant Chaplain
Sunday 4th September 2011 was the Rev'd Joan Lyon's last Sunday in the Anglican Church of Luxembourg. After nine years, of which five as Assistant Chaplain, Joan has moved to England to take charge of four churches in the Sole Bay Team Ministry in Suffolk.
During the service, in which Joan gave her last sermon (read here), to mark their appreciation of her ministry in Luxembourg, Joan was presented with gifts by members of the Sunday School and by Catherine Allen, churchwarden, o­n behalf of the congregation. Afterwards in the Hall a vin d'honneur was offered to the many present, during which the Chaplain, the Rev'd Chris Lyon, gave a farewell address. For those unable to attend, or unable to hear in the challenging conditions, his address can be read here. Following the vin d'honneur a farewell lunch was held in the hotel next door, kindly organised by Rani Roloff.
For photos of the whole occasion - see PHOTO GALLERY / Revd Joan Lyon Farewell

Parish Coordinator
The Church Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Lynn Barclay to the post of Parish Coordinator with effect from 20 September 2011. Full details of this new post are here.

Church Fair 2011
Photos of the Church Fair o­n June 19 for those who were not there, and for those who were there, are in the PHOTO GALLERY / Church Fair 2011. Thanks to the enthusiasm and organisation of the coordinating team, Cherry Hooper and Ian Kent, the day was very successful and enjoyable. Despite the changeable weather which deterred some people, the Fair proceeds came to over 8000 euros which all goes to charities we support. See also the "352" article o­n the Fair here.

Ruth Sibson
Ruth Sibson left Luxembourg in June 2011 for her new home in Canterbury after some 40 years of faithful service to the Anglican Church in Luxembourg. To mark our appreciation for all Ruth has done over the years for members of our community, a special presentation was made by the Chaplain at the service o­n Sunday 12 June, including a book of messages from her many friends. Photos of the presentation to Ruth are in the PHOTO GALLERY.

Maundy presentation
On Sunday, 8 May 2011, at the 11am service John Overstall described his experience of the ceremony at Westminster Abbey o­n Maundy Thursday when, along with 170 recipients from the Diocese in Europe and the Diocese of Sodor and Man, he received a gift of Maundy money from the Queen - see PHOTO GALLERY / Maundy Thursday 2011. In recognition of John's many years of service to our chaplaincy he was presented with an 18th century leather-bound, gilt-edged Book of Common Prayer combined with the Whole Book of Psalms - see PHOTO GALLERY / Maundy presentation.

Environmental Footprint Group
(see REGULAR EVENTS for a description of this group)
Meeting reports and studies:
- Initial recommendations and the Church Council's response - Notes from a subsequent meeting.
- A relevant Advent Calendar from the Aquitaine Chaplaincy website
- The Environment, the Bible and Christian morality - Simon Norcross
- How to rediscover the Good Life - in the face of Climate Change and Environmental Degradation.
- Climate Change and the Christian response report o­n a meeting hosted in January 2011 by the Seymours and attended by some 25 people.
- Living lightly - report of the meeting o­n 21 March 2011.
- Report of the meeting o­n 23 May 2011

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting
held o­n 8 March 2011 in Bereldange.
Draft Minutes of the 2011 AGM, including the Chaplain's report, are here.
Reports o­n Church activities in 2010 submitted to this meeting are here.

"Dying in Luxembourg"
The Church Council of the Anglican Church of Luxembourg has commissioned a booklet entitled “Dying in Luxembourg”.
We have discovered, through personal experience and through the work of the chaplains, that few people know what practical steps to take in the event of the death of someone close to them. Lack of knowledge can add considerably to the distress of a bereavement.
This booklet has been written to give a clear guide to the practical and legal procedures to be followed in Luxembourg. We recommend that you read this booklet before such a situation arises as it contains useful information about e.g. funeral arrangements, which should be known to next of kin living in other countries. Each country has its own procedures and we cannot assume that what happens in another country will be the case in Luxembourg.

“Dying in Luxembourg” has been distributed to various organisations throughout Luxembourg and further copies may be downloaded from this website here.

The Chaplain and Church Council are greatly indebted to Jacqui Spence and Pam Lyon, members of our congregation, who have assiduously and meticulously put together the information in this booklet.

If the Chaplain, Reverend Chris Lyon, may be of assistance in this kind of situation, please do not hesitate to get in touch with him at office@anglican.lu.

Donation Envelopes
Donation Envelopes dated weekly from 4 July 2010 to 26 June 2011 are available at the back of the Church for those unable to come to Church o­n a regular basis but who would still like to make an offering - see GIVING for more information.

Children's activities and coffee after the service - please read here

Who's who in Church - at a glance
A compilation of photos of church officials - see also PHOTO GALLERY

NEWS/INFORMATION ARCHIVE - see DOCUMENTS / G

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AT CHURCH

3-5 'All Stars', 6-8 'Comets', 9+ 'Galaxies': These three groups start in the chapel with their families and then go downstairs to the hall with the Sunday School Leaders and Helpers. The Leaders and Helpers bring them back into the chapel to join their families in time for communion. At this point the children are the responsibility of their parents.

Sunday School Library
Please encourage your child to continue their Christian Education at home with you by helping them select books from our Sunday School Library. It is available every Sunday morning downstairs during the refreshment time.

Tea, coffee and juice are served after the main 11am service. Please join us. For some time now we have been serving Fair Trade coffee and tea. It is obtained through Traidcraft, which is the UK’s leading organisation dedicated to fighting poverty through trade.
For people o­n the coffee rota, here are the instructions.

Contact Forms are available at the back of the church, mainly for newcomers so that we can keep in touch. An explanation is given o­n the form.
A printable copy of this form and explanation is also available o­n the DOCUMENTS page of this website.
Completed forms should be placed in the box at the back of the church or sent to the vicarage.

Electoral Roll Enrolment Forms are also available at the back of the church for people who wish to vote at the Annual General Meeting and be eligible for appointment to any of the official positions within our congregation. An explanation and form containing full details of eligibility are available o­n the DOCUMENTS page of this website.
Completed forms should be returned to the Anglican Office at the Vicarage by 28th February to be entitled to vote at the following AGM in March.

Crèche and Sunday School children
A reminder to all parents that they are responsible for their children after the 11am service is finished. This is part of our Child Protection policy which has the safety of your child as its priority.

Crèche Helpers
Help is needed in our crèche! If you feel able to help out in our crèche o­n an occasional basis with our babies and tinies during the 11.00 am service, please contact Eyi' Geers-Faderin as our list of helpers reduces regularly due to teenage helpers moving o­n and other mums away o­n maternity leave. This is an important facility to offer young families – please think of helping out – any age (over 14) accepted! Details are here.

Child Protection policy
A Code of Good Practice has been drawn up by the Church of England, including the Diocese in Europe to which this Chaplaincy belongs. Full details can be found o­n the Diocesan website here.

Readers / Sidespersons
Any member of the congregation who would like to read a lesson or act as a sidesperson from time to time should get in touch with Jane Wickens who organises the rota.
Readers / Sidespersons are responsible o­n their Sunday for handing out the books and taking the collection. Instructions for these tasks can be found here.

Flu epidemics
The Chaplain has received guidelines from the Diocesan Office for the giving of communion should flu rise to pandemic conditions within Luxembourg.
Should any people receiving communion prefer to receive in o­ne kind (i.e. bread o­nly), they are free to choose to do so.
While communion in both kinds is the norm in the Church of England, when it is received in o­ne kind o­nly the fullness of the Sacrament is nonetheless received.
The full guidelines issued for swine flu are available to read here.

GIVING

Church Money
Apart from the state-paid salaries of the Chaplains, all expenses of running our church here in Luxembourg are supported entirely by the generosity of the congregation. Without this support we would not have an Anglican Church in Luxembourg.

Day-to-day finances are managed by the treasurer o­n behalf of the Church Council, about 12 people elected by the congregation. All significant payments are authorised in advance by the Church Council. Annual Accounts are prepared and audited.

Church expenses are roughly €120,000 a year, or an average of €10,000 a month to be collected in o­ne way or another from the congregation. That works out at an average of €40 a month, or €10 every week, for each of the 250 adults who are currently coming to church. Some people can afford more, which compensates for those who can afford less.

There are four main ways to give: one-off donation (anonymous or not); monthly donation by bank standing order (only the treasurer knows); weekly envelopes (fill at home, put in collection); offertory (cash collections) during services. The choice of method and amount is entirely yours, although, particularly if you cannot be in church very often, a bank standing order is the easiest way to pay your share.

Flower Fund
Contributions to the Flower Fund will be gratefully received by Liz Alexander. There is a box at the back of the Church for your donations.

Charitable Giving
It is our policy to give at least 10 per cent of our Church income to charity each year, including the entire proceeds of our annual Church Fair, in addition to occasional special appeals for particular causes. The charities we supported in 2011 are here. If you would like to nominate a charity, please speak to or email the Church office or the churchwardens.

Children and Charity
Every week the children contribute their collection during Sunday School and this goes into the general church funds along with all the other offerings given by the congregation. At least 10% of this is distributed each year to different charities.

APPEALS

The Bishop’s Advent Appeal
The Bishop’s Advent Appeal this year is to support the work of Christians in the Holy Land. Their situation is in many cases very desperate. For more information, follow the links above. There is a basket for donations at the back of the Church and we ask for your generous support at this time.

ACAT – Action des Chrétiens pour l’Abolition de la Torture.
ACAT in Luxembourg proposes:
- a monthly appeal to state authorities to end torture situations.
- when necessary, an urgent appeal o­n behalf of victims of injustice in imminent danger of torture or unlawful killing.
Copies of ACAT appeals are also at the back of the Church.

ADMINISTRATION

Anglican Office hours and Chaplain's day off

The Anglican Office is open as follows:
Tuesday 09:30 - 13:30
Wednesday 09:30 - 13:30
Thursday 09:30 - 13:30
The Rev'd Chris Lyon's day off is Monday.

Minutes of Church meetings
Abridged Minutes of Church Council meetings and Draft Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting are posted o­n the Documents page when available.

Konvikt Magazine
Please send your contributions - in electronic form o­nly please - to our editor: Rani Roloff - see CALENDAR for the deadline for the next issue.
The Konvikt magazine is available o­nline o­n the Magazine page. Everyone who has registered their contact details with the Anglican Office receives a copy by post.

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CALENDAR

Forthcoming Services - see CALENDAR OF SERVICES

2012

FEBRUARY

Thursday 9th February 2012
- Wellsprings prayer group meeting at 8pm in Cessange - see REGULAR EVENTS for details

Friday 10th-Sunday 12th February 2012
- Wellsprings retreat at the Abbaye d'Orval in Belgium

Sunday 12th February 2012
- Confirmation Classes in the Vicarage at 4pm (teenagers) and 8pm (adults) - see schedule

Monday 13th February 2012
- Environmental Footprint Group meeting (3rd of 3) at 8pm in Oetrange - see EVENTS for details

Friday 17th-Sunday 19th February 2012
- Archdeaconry retreat at the Emmaus Monastery in the Netherlands - details here

MARCH

Sunday 4th March 2012
- Confirmation Classes in the Vicarage at 4pm (teenagers) and 8pm (adults) - see schedule

Wednesday 7th March 2012
- Church Council meeting at 8pm in the Vicarage

Sunday 11th March 2012
- Confirmation Classes in the Vicarage at 4pm (teenagers) and 8pm (adults) - see schedule

Sunday 18th March 2012
- Confirmation Classes in the Vicarage at 4pm (teenagers) and 8pm (adults) - see schedule

Tuesday 20th March 2012
- Annual General Meeting - see Notice here - at 8pm in the Salle Rouge, Clubhaus Am Becheler, Bereldange - map

APRIL

Thursday 19th April 2012
- Church Council meeting at 8pm in the Vicarage

Sunday 29th April 2012
- Confirmation by Bishop Geoffrey during the 11am service in the Konvikt Chapel

MAY

JUNE

Sunday 17th June 2012
- Church Fair in Useldange

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