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Autumn is getting very busy! It has not certainly helped me that there was a fire in a shop below our home on Monday evening. We – and everyone else – are fine. We thank God for the professionalism of the rescue workers and for the care and support between neighbours.
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Our Churchwardens, Arne and Johnson, were “sworn in” at last Sunday’s service. On Tuesday, 14th September, the newly-elected Council had their first meeting. We are blessed to have such talented and committed persons to serve the church. I wish to thank all those council members who are not continuing after the ACM. Your input has been essential in taking the mission and ministry of the Church forward.
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I am pleased to see that, after debates and voting both in the Council and at two consecutive ACMs, the Chaplaincy’s application to join the Inclusive Church Network has now been accepted by the Trustees.
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At this time of the year, our focus starts to move towards the Bazaar and service of Nine Lessons and Carols. You will find more information about these and other events in the newsletters and from our website. As before, we are planning to open a webshop for you to make pre-orders of festive food.
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A word from the Book of Wisdom of Solomon 8:17-18
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When I considered these things inwardly,
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that in kinship with wisdom there is immortality,
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and in friendship with her, pure delight,
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and in the labours of her hands, unfailing wealth,
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and in the experience of her company, understanding,
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and renown in sharing her words,
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I went about seeking how to get her for myself.
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The Wisdom of God is described here as a living, beloved, friend. The idea of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia), the personification of Wisdom, was received to Christianity from the Old testament. Where Western theology identifies Jesus primarily as the Word of God, Easter theology speaks of Jesus as Wisdom. St Paul writes of how we “speak the wisdom of God in a mystery” 1. Cor: 2:7.
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Let’s continue to explore this ‘mystery’ together, ‘seeking how to get her [the Wisdom of God] for ourselves.’
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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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Morning Prayer is streamed live on Facebook, in English and Finnish, several mornings a week at 9am
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SUNDAY 19th SEPTEMBER- ALL AGE SERVICE FOR THE SEASON OF CREATION
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10am The Eucharist is followed by refreshments in the crypt
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We need greeters, readers, intercessors, technical assistants, and coffee helpers each week. Please email office@anglican.fi with the date(s) you can volunteer and preferred role. If you are willing to organise a rota please do get in touch!
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Join us for the Season of Creation: 1st September - 3rd October
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Please join us this Sunday 19th October for our All Age Service which is dedicated to the theme of creation and the renewal of God's world as a home for all! The children have been busy preparing something special to show you!
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A few weeks ago I promised to write something about Bokashi composting, a method developed in Japan for converting kitchen waste into a nutritious medium for growing plants in. The idea is that even if you don’t have a garden you can compost waste via a (more or less) odourless, controlled fermentation process eg., in your kitchen. In this way you avoid the problem of attracting rats and creating an awful pong. I felt a bit of a fraud writing about a topic I have no personal experience of, so I thought I’d better at least start some Bokashi composting myself. This morning I set out to search for some reasonably priced equipment.
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Nothing in Prisma, so then I tried the Bauhaus just down the road from us. Yes, they had some models, but on learning the prices – the cheapest models were close to 100 euros - I was assailed – nay! - inexorably overwhelmed by an all-pervading attack of stinginess. (This wording reminds me of a fatuous observation of John Major’s all those years ago, to the effect that his electorate had been ”incited by inertia!”). So over the road to Plantagen, which I had hitherto thought of as rather pricey. They presently stock an outfit called Urban Garden, basically an approx. 6 litre, sealable rectangular bucket with a basal grid and at the bottom a spiget for drawing off fermented fertiliser fluid, for a little under 50 euros. So I overcame my residual stinginess and forked out the damage.
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Whenever you put a litre or so of your mix of vegetable scraps, meat gristle, chicken and fish skins/bones etc. onto the basal grid, you spray the mix with enough of a liquid activator (about 8 euros/litre) containing extra nutrients and an innoculum of suitable microbes to lightly moisten the mass. (used Ajax spray-bottles are much better than the proprietary bottles off the shelf). You can also buy a solid innoculum based on wheat bran and innoculated with similar bugs. This is sprinkled on the surface of each waste consignment. Either way, you then press the mass down with a plunger (included in the set) to exclude air – the fermentation should be anaerobic. Put the lid on firmly until you’ve accumulated enough waste for the next consignment, possibly a day or two later. Carry on doing this until the bucket is full and leave it for a fortnight. After this time you can start drawing off the liquid that should have started to accumulate in the bottom space. Suitably diluted (to 1-2% ), this is your plant fertiliser.
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In principle, almost anything organic is compostable. As well as soft, readily decomposable waste I put old coffee filters, chopped up twiggy matter and a certain amount of newspaper (lining the bucket) into my outdoor compost. When you only have a 6 litre space in your bokashi thingummy, it’s not worth clogging it up with rather inert paper or woody material that doesn’t decompose easily. In fact, with the amount of organic kitchen waste we two oldies produce – we eat a lot of fruit and vegetables – the 6 litres looks like filling up very rapidly.
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The manufacturers point out that it’s a good idea to have 2 buckets working in series. You can start up the second bucket while you’re waiting over the fermentation fortnight.
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The set-up is so simple that I reckon anyone with a little technical imagination can construct a workable device by starting simply with a plastic bucket (2-5 euros?) with a tight-fitting lid. Try to find one that will take 15 – 20 litres of material; unless you have the appetite of a mouse your 6 litre space will fill up in no time.. Maybe your natural stinginess (shall we call it ”thrift”?) will stimulate your imagination and hone your technical skills. You’ll have to improvise the basal grid by cutting to size a suitable piece of plastic or aluminium salvaged from somewhere or other, perforated with holes and supported above the bottom of the bucket with – well, I don’t know, maybe a zig-zag up-and-down snake bent out of a piece of stiff wire. Please bear in mind that I’m not a technical genius, though a natural scavenging-cum-scrounging propensity usually stands me (as well as my good namesake Peter K) in good stead. No spigot? Well, just carefully pour the fermented fluid out of the lip of the bucket (less messy if it’s a rectangular bucket, just pour the fluid out of one corner). Almost any piece of firewood can serve as a plunger.
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Keep on regularly drawing off the liquid (every second or third day?) for as long as the supply continues. You can bury the exhausted must in the garden about 20 cm deep or mix it into an old-fashioned compost heap. You can plant on top of the burial site, but keep the new plants’ roots separate from the very acid must with a 10 – 15 cm layer of soil. By the time the roots reach the layer the acidity should have dispersed.
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Sometimes the fermentation goes awry and the brew gets smelly. Apparently this can happen when:
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- you don’t drain off the exudate often enough,
- you haven’t added enough bokashi activator whenever you add more waste or
- you haven’t excluded air or closed the lid properly.
A healthy culture should be fairly odourless and have a white mould layer on top. If it’s gone wrong, you’d better chuck the yucky mess away or bury it, rinse out the bucket and start again with fresh material.
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I’ve just started my bokashi composting. I’ll let you know in a fortnight or so how it progresses and whether the exudate has started to be released. And tell you something about the gladiolus seedlings I have been growing recently. Let’s hope for some autumn sunshine; happy mushrooming! PJ
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We are sharing some wonderfully healthy and warming soups for the Season of Creation.
If you have a recipe to share then please email Sarah at office@anglican.fi
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Thank you to Lara for sharing one of her favourite recipes
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Black Bean Salsa Soup - Lara McCoy
2 tsp olive oil /1 yellow onion /1-2 garlic cloves /2 boxes of black beans, rinsed and drained /2 cups vegetable broth /1 jar of salsa /1 tsp cumin /salt and pepper to taste
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Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and saute until soft. Add all but 1/2 cup of the black beans and cumin, stir for a minute or so, add vegetable broth and salsa. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes. Using a stick blender, blend the soup until it is smooth. Stir in reserved beans. Serve with avocado or sour cream.
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Next week we have some easy soup recipes created by Diana Webster!
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Thank you to David Bullivant for sending us these Paraprosdokians
If you don't know what a paraprosdokian is, then you are about to find out!
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Winston Churchill loved paraprosdokians, figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected. 1. Where there's a will, I want to be in it. 2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it's still on my list. 3. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak. 4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong. 5. War does not determine who is right - only who is left. 6. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. 7. They begin the evening news with 'Good Evening,' then proceed to tell you why it isn't. 8. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research. 9. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out, I just wanted pay checks. 10. In filling out an application, where it says, 'In case of emergency, notify:' I put "DOCTOR." 11. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you. 12. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman. 13. A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory. 14. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice. 15. Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with. 16. There's a fine line between cuddling and...holding someone down so they can't get away. 17. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not so sure. 18. You're never too old to learn something stupid. 19. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target. 20. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be. 21. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine. 22. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. 23. I'm supposed to respect my elders, but now it’s getting harder and harder for me to find one.
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A Fruitful Harvest
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Camera's at the ready! It's time for our annual photography challenge and this time we are looking for photos which capture a 'fruitful harvest'. Think berries, mushrooms as well as vegetables and fields of crops!
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Entrants should send photos as JPEGs or similar files to henry.rawstorne@gmail.com by 30.9.21.
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Henry will be making a YouTube video using the best images as in previous years!
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(Henry is our Environmental Officer on the Council)
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SyysMatin Autumn Market
This weekend,18-19th September, 10am-4pm at Espoo Cathedral, Kirkkopuisto 5
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A wonderful Autumnal event with craft stalls, food, music, fun activities for children such as archery & making hobby horses, animals and more! https://www.espoonseurakunnat.fi/syysmatinmarkkinat
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Season of Creation Events:
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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SUNDAY SCHOOL & YOUTH GROUP
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At Sunday School last week we talked about how our actions and words can impact God’s creation. We saw how plastic litter causes huge damage to our environment, and likewise how angry and unpleasant words can hurt peoples’ hearts. We also learnt that recycling plastic is important to make useful things from waste, and likewise God can help us to control our anger and be good to others. We also made seed bombs as a symbol of sowing good words and doing something positive for the environment!
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Children & Young people are invited to join activities based on creation and climate change throughout September.
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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 continued discussing the Season of Creation last Sunday, with a focus this time on caring for other human beings. Our planet should be a welcoming home for all. We played a game where we had to guess in which box a bell was hidden in and then discussed what ‘noise’ our life makes in terms of our behaviour, actions and decisions. We also read a script of a modern-day version of the parable of the good Samaritan – what great acting skills we have in the group! Then we talked about which people tend to get forgotten in society and started preparing a play which you can watch this Sunday at the All Age Service.
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Youth Group meets this Sunday at 10am in the crypt.
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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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It was wonderful to have 8 voices in the choir last week!
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Please contact Erik at erik.riekko@anglican.fi if you would like to join. All are welcome!
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takes place on the following Sundays at 18.00
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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!
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
whose glory is around us and within us:
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open our eyes to your wonders,
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that we may serve you with reverence
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and know your peace at our lives' end,
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through Jesus Christ our Lord
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Please continue to keep in your prayers the troubled places of our world
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Church of England: Diocese of Sheffield, Bishop Pete Wilcox, Bishop Sophie Jelley Church of Greenland: (Diocese of Greenland within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark) Bishop Paneeraq Siegstad Munk
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Father Tuomas Mäkipää (050-3099132)
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[Please use the contact emails provided]
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