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Last Sunday’s baptism was a joyful occasion with more than 60 persons, of which more than 20 were children, attending the service. It was good to see so many new faces but also old friends who have not been in the church for a long time.
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I am especially proud of our welcoming team, vergers, who in their gowns are not only recognisable but create a sense of warm welcome and security. They guide people where to go and what to do, making sure that safety regulations are kept and people have enough space around them.
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We are approaching a Season of Creation and during the coming weeks we will look at what the integrity of creation might mean and why it is so important. This includes saying prayers for creation during the service and different activities, like walking and appreciating nature together.
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As Easter people, those who believe in the resurrection of Christ, we should remember not only to look back but forward: Christ came to this world not to abandon it but to save it and to claim it for his own. The season of Creation is also about justice and peace. There’s an invitation to attend a Peace Walk with members of other religions and churches, focusing on what action needs to be taken to halt Climate Change.
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Please keep our Sunday School teacher and Youth Group leaders in your prayers as they continue their work. Please pray also for all those who find it difficult, or even impossible, to attend church services or social gatherings since the beginning of pandemic.
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SERVICES
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Most of our Services can be viewed live on Facebook, or you can click this link to
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SUNDAY 29th AUGUST- 13th SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
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10am Sung Eucharist followed by refreshments in the crypt and the Annual Chaplaincy Meeting
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(picture credit: The Pharisees Question Jesus, by James Tissot)
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We need greeters, readers, intercessors and technical assistants each week for our Sunday Services. Please email office@anglican.fi with the date(s) you can volunteer and preferred role. If you are willing to join a new WhatsApp Group of volunteers then please email Sarah with your phone number.
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FEATURES & NEWS
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Annual Chaplaincy Meeting - This Sunday, 29th August!
The ACM takes place this Sunday in the crypt of Mikael Agricola Church at 11.45am (after coffee). Apologies for the error in the email you received on Wednesday - the deadline for nomination forms is this Saturday 28th August (not September!). If you are unable to attend the meeting in person but wish to attend virtually then please email Sarah at office@anglican.fi to receive a zoom link. You will need to provide/confirm the email address for where you wish the link to be sent.
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Join us for the Season of Creation: 1st September - 3rd October
Renewing the Oikos of God is the theme of this year’s Season of Creation. What is 'oikos' you may well ask! The root of the word Oikos comes from ancient Greek and can be attributed to two meanings: “house” or “family“.
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God's family and our family is made up of the whole of humanity and each of the species that inhabit this planet. Together we share a common home, a home God intended for all. But our home is in danger, the climate crisis is causing loss of habitats and ecosystems that are home to millions of species, this also includes us, humans, our home is also endangered by climate disasters and conflicts - it needs to be renewed. Renewing the Oikos of God is returning to the initial desire of the Creator, a home for all.
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Opportunities for participating in the Season of Creation:
Thursday 9th September - Churches in the Garden event at Fredrikintori, Punavuorenkatu 2, Helsinki, 5.30pm. Pray for creation with different Christian churches, including a blessing of the harvest, coffee and music. Organized by the Helsinki Ecumenical Committee.
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Sunday 19th September - All Age Service for the Season of Creation at St Nicholas' with involvement from the children and young people of our Sunday School and Youth Group. Hymns and prayers will reflect the theme of Earth being a home for all.
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Thursday 23rd September - Interfaith Peace Walk for climate action. Respect for the environment and nature is a unifying factor for all religions, and combating climate change is a common cause for all. The Peace Walk is part of the Youth Peace Week’s program. The walk starts at the synagogue of the Helsinki Jewish Parish (Malminkatu 26), continues via the Islamic Society of Finland Mosque (Lönnrotinkatu 22) and ends at the steps of the Old Church (Helsinki Cathedral Parish, Lönnrotinkatu 6). At the stops, speeches will be heard about the role of religions in halting climate change. All representatives of religions and world views as well as non-religious people are warmly welcome to join!
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Sunday 26th September- Parish Walk after the service (tbc - more details nearer the time!)
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3rd October -St Nicholas' All Age Harvest Festival
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For more details you can email Sarah in the office, and please get in touch with your own ideas too!
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New British Ambassador to Finland
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We extend a warm welcome to the new British Ambassador to Finland, Theresa Bubbear. She has made the short journey over the Gulf of Finland from Estonia, where she had her last posting. Father Tuomas met with the Deputy Ambassador Kirsti Bourret last week.
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Congratulations
to Daniel on his Baptism day last Sunday, and grateful thanks to Madonna & family for providing delicious refreshments after the service.
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Gardeners' Corner Returns with more green-fingered advice from Peter Joy & Peter Knight!
The short but unmistakeably Mediterranean summer we have variously enjoyed (or endured?) has been a real challenge to all gardeners, whether beginners or experienced.
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You may have noticed that when the hot weather started up in June, plants like tomatoes growing in pots soon needed watering twice a day to keep them from wilting. I’d imagined that my young tomatoes in would manage throughout the summer in the 5 litre pots I’d planted them in. I’d made an error of judgement. By midsummer I was so tired of their unquenchable thirst that I moved them into 10 litre pots – quite a bothersome job. Perhaps the more technically inclined among you have set up ingenious trickle systems, but I’m afraid others of you may have had some casualties.
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Still, I’m sure many of you have had some success stories and have been delighted by how well subtropicals like tomatoes, cucumbers and squashes (zucchinis) have revelled in the heat and sunshine. Among flowers, geraniums (pelargoniums), petunias, fuchsias, daturas, cannas and gladioli have given splendid displays. Perhaps you have spotted especially attractive plants you would like to keep ”ticking over” during the winter so you can enjoy them next summer? Some kinds like petunias are too difficult to keep going over the winter, but you may like to have a go at striking stem cuttings of fuchsias, daturas and geraniums. This is the only way to ensure you can ”fix” a particular coolour form, i.e., by clonal propagation as follows:
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Put some sandy potting compost in clay pots provided with sharp drainage (road grit over a crock at the bottom of the pot). Cut approx. 10 cm stem cuttings from the tips of vigorously growing shoots, remove any flowers or flower-buds. You should make the cut just below a leaf node and remove the basal leaves. Make holes in the compost to place the bottom 2-3 cm of the cutting in, then firm the base in the compost with gently finger pressure. Give enough water to make the compost moist but not sopping wet!
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Fuchsias, daturas and most other species will benefit from the whole caboodle (pot + cuttings) being enclosed a transparent plastic bag ”tent”. This will maintain a humid atmosphere around the cuttings while they are (you hope) rooting. It’s a good idea to make a supporting wigwam structure of sticks inside the bag to prevent this sagging over the cuttings. Cut a small hole in the top corner of the bag to supply the rooting plant with oxygen. In a couple of weeks’ time when the plantlets are visibly growing, you can gradually enlarge the ”breathing hole” so the young plants acclimatise to lower humidities.
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Geraniums cuttings tend to rot under such humid rooting conditions, so don’t put them in a plastic bag. The same goes for cacti and other succulent plants that don’t appreciate high humidities. Water the geranium pots rather sparingly.
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The potted cuttings need warmth, light, moisture and oxygen. The pots should be placed in a warm, well-lit place but sheltered from the hottest sun (but are we likely to get much more of that, I wonder?). From the beginning of September onwards some artificial light, eg., from fluorescent tubes giving 12 hrs/day, will promote good rooting. This supplementary lighting (8-10 hrs/day) is practically essential from October till the beginning of March to keep the plants growing sturdily and healthily.
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If you have access to a cool, dry storage space (a traditional Finnish potato store / perunakellari (ideally 3-6C) you should have no trouble storing gladioli, cannas and gladioli over the winter.
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There’s no hurry over this so I’ll remind you a little later in the autumn. In the meantime, you might like to sound out some of your friends about whether you could put a few tubers in their cellar in return for a beer or coffee or two.
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Wishing you a sunny September,
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Calling all knitters!
A reminder that we are looking for some keen crafters to make knitted figures of Mary and Joseph! We will be asking our families with young children to host the holy family for one or more nights during Advent before passing them on to the next family. The knitted figures will then reach the stable for Christmas Day at Church. If you can help then please contact Sarah in the office!
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SUNDAY SCHOOL & YOUTH GROUP
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Last Sunday children were learning about putting on the ‘Armour of ‘God’ as they go back to school. Jayawin gave us a great demonstration and Tino made a wonderful ’sword of the spirit’ out of balloons for each child!
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Children & Young people - are invited to join activities based on creation and climate change throughout September in Sunday School & Youth Group.
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Children at Coffee Morning: Children are welcome to sit at a table with their family or play at the far end of the crypt with parent supervision. Please avoid letting children run between tables near where coffee is being served - this is to aid social distancing and avoiding close contact with vulnerable groups. Thank you!
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Sunday School takes place on Sundays at 10am in the crypt! Young people aged 11 and above are kindly asked to wear a mask, as are parents accompanying their children. Please wash and sanitize hands on arrival. Sunday School meets at the far end of the crypt and Youth Group meets near the crypt entrance.
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YOUTH GROUP
Youth Group for ages 11 and above meets on the following dates:29.8, 12.9, & there will be joint sessions with Sunday School on 26.9 & 31.10.
We will also have All Age church services on 19.9 and 3.10 when the children and young people will participate in the service.
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Thank you to Peter J, Brenda, Johnson and Lara for singing in the choir last Sunday!
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Please contact Erik at erik.riekko@anglican.fi if you have any questions about the choir.
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Rehearsals for the Sunday Service
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take place every Thursday from 18.00-19.30
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takes place on the following Sundays at 18.00
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5.9.2021, 3.10.2021, 21.11.2021, 5.12.2021, 16.1.2022
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COVID guidelines when coming to worship at St Nicholas
We continue to practice social distancing at Church and masks and hand sanitizer are available on arrival. Those with symptoms of Covid-19 or other respiratory or flu-like illness, or an elevated temperature, or who are particularly vulnerable to infection should not attend public services.
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Please wear a mask on entering the Church and wait to be directed by the Verger to your seat.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Annual Chaplaincy Meeting after the service
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Choral Evensong at18.00 from Töölön kirkko
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'Churches in the Garden' Ecumenical Event at17:30
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All Age Service for the Season of Creation
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Bishop's visit, Confirmation Service, & 'Pot luck' lunch
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Service of Nine Lessons & Carols
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SUPPORTING US
Your continued support is greatly appreciated, please consider donating towards our ongoing costs via our Donate buttons on our website or by means of a bank transfer using the details below:
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Suomen Anglikaaninen Kirkko (The Anglican Church in Finland)
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IBAN: F173 3131 1000 3282 07
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PRAY WITH US
who sent your Son to save us:
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remind us of your goodness,
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increase your grace within us,
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that our thankfulness may grow,
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through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Please continue to keep in your prayers the people of Afghanistan & Haiti
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Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland: Diocese of Turku, Archbishop Mari Leppänen. Bishop Kaarlo Kalliala Church of England: Diocese of York, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, Bishop Paul Ferguson, Bishop John Thomson, Bishop Alison White, Bishop Glyn Webster
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Father Tuomas Mäkipää (050-3099132)
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[Please use the contact emails provided]
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