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Dear all
We had a wonderful confirmation service on Sunday 10th October with candidates from Helsinki and Närpiö. One person from Tallinn was also received into the communion of the Church of England.
On Monday 11th September I had on opportunity to meet, together with representatives from other churches, the Minister for Science and Culture, Mr Antti Kurvinen. On the agenda was religious education in schools and the church's role in civil society.
On Thurday I had a joy to participate at the meeting of the Porvoo Contact Group as a representative of the Diocese in Europe. The Communion is going forward and planning for different events and theological consultations. I raised my worry of the state of ecumenism and its implementations in the middle of organisational and financial changes taking place in our churches. Prayers for unity are still much needed at this time.
We are continuing to work on Bazaar which will this year be later than usual. Please watch this place for more information in the coming weeks.
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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 17th OCTOBER - 20th SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
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10am Sung Eucharist. Refreshments are served in the crypt afterwards.
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Concerts by the St Nicholas Chamber Choir
Autumn Greetings from myself and the choir! I am excited to share news of the first concert performance of the St Nicholas Chamber Choir at the end of October. I warmly welcome the St Nicholas community to attend as we share more than four centuries of Anglican musical heritage with the wider Helsinki community. This concert program will explore motets by Thomas Tallis and William Byrd from the 16th century, the haunting Burial Sentences by William Croft from the 18th century, the masterful Requiem by Herbert Howells set to music in the 20th century, and some newer pieces from our own time.
As we slowly begin to emerge from the physical, emotional, and artistic isolation caused by pandemic restrictions, this concert offers a moment for all of us to come together and immerse ourselves in the singularly powerful and uplifting spirit of live music produced by human voices, allowing us deeper reflection of the sacred text which inspired the music in the first place. Let's not take for granted the healing nature of live music after such a prolonged absence from it. On behalf of the choir, I welcome you all to listen on October 30th at Mikael Agricolan kirkko and October 31st at Paavalinkirkko. Both performances begin at 7pm.
Erik Johannes Riekko
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Deanery Synod of the Nordic & Baltic States
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From Thursday 7th - Sunday 10th our Chaplaincy was host to the Deanery Synod of the Nordic & Baltic States. We had around 20 guests from Sweden, Denmark, Island, Norway, Latvia, Estonia, Denmark and Finland! On Saturday morning the Synod gathered in Porvoo Cathedral for a special Eucharist which marked the 25th Anniversary of the signing of the Porvoo Agreement. The full and varied programme was put together after many weeks of organisation by Tuomas and The Archdeacon. We look forward to sharing with you a report on the Synod by our lay representatives Linda and Humaira.
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Confirmation Service
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Congratulations to all the candidates who were confirmed last Sunday. It was a joyful service, led by Bishop David Hamid. Thank you to Paul, Jill and Casimir for singing in the choir, and to Che for serving.
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Bishop David reminding us of our own Baptism!
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Thank you for our 'Pot-Luck' Lunch
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What a feast we had after the service on Sunday! Thank you to everyone who brought and made food, it really was wonderful to see the great hospitality and generosity of our congregation. It was a fitting celebration of the Confirmations that had just taken place and a wonderful finale to the Deanery Synod which we had been hosting. Special thanks to King who brought several trays of home-made African food, all of which disappeared by the end of the lunch! Much gratitude as well to Jane M and Anja who worked very hard setting everything up!
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News from around the Diocese!
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Soon after my last story 3 weeks ago my bokashi bucket started doing its stuff. It has continued to exude fluid since but I haven’t drained it as often as I could have done. With the cooler weather and poorer light levels of autumn, plants don’t need much feeding. So I have dressed my compost heap with the exudate. I suppose I could have drained the fluid into cannisters to be stored in a cool cellar until the spring, when plants wake up and start to need feeding. The fluid as it comes out of the spigot is semi-clear and we don’t find its slight odour objectionable, but I’m not sure if it will remain innocuous after a few months of storage in a cannister.
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On my model, the spigot (tap) is set into the base of the device - not at all conveniently situated for easy drainage. Ideally, the spigot should stick out so that the receiving vessel is easy to put underneath. As for utilising the fluid, manufacturers recommend using the fluid to keep drains open and odour-free; apparently the microfauna in the fluid inhibits the bacteria etc. that cause blockages and bad odours in drains. This sounds to me like a waste of good fertilisers (but then so is flushing wee down the wc!) You can, of course, pour the fluid onto a garden plot – if you have one. Done at this time of year, this too is rather wasteful, as many of the nutrients in the fluid – particularly nitrogen – will be leached out by rain and snow-melt before plants are ready to take them up in spring.
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This brings me to another theme I had planned to write about: the unnatural aspects of modern gardening. One often hears people hankering to ”get back to nature” by starting to cultivate a garden. The reality is far from natural. A moment’s thought will remind us that left to itself, a cultivated plot of land will very soon revert to a riot of nettles, dandelions, mugwort and various other scruffy-looking ”weeds”. But what is a weed, anyway? The best-known definition is ”a plant in the wrong place”, but wrong for whom/what? For us humans, for the welfare of the soil, or for wildlife in general? Or perhaps for all of these in varying measure?
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Weeds are opportunists, land-grabbers. They quickly exploit a vacant patch of ground and take it over rapidly, ousting other, more slowly growing plants. (One is reminded of certain kinds of people such as many politicians and property speculators). Some beautiful garden plants belong to this category such as prolifically seeding annual poppies /unikot, lupins and foxgloves / sormustinkukat. Rapidly creeping perennials such as golden rod / kultapiisku, Michaelmas daisies / syysasterit and rugosa roses also fit the bill. Unlike properrty developers and the two scavenging Peters, these invasive plants are lovely as long as you keep them under control - but woe betide you if you turn your back for a few summer weeks!
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Nettles /nokkoset avidly take up nitrogen and other nutrients, and an infusion of their leaves makes an excellent fertiliser. Dandelions / voikukat have a deeply penetrating tap-root that extracts nutrients from deep in the soil and returns these to the surface to be recycled. The plants thus oppose nutrient loss by leaching. And you can put the bitter but nutritious leaves in a salad. Mugwort / pujo is admittedly an objectionable allergen, but produces large amounts of seeds that many birds eat during the winter. A weed definition I particularly like is ”a plants whose virtues have not yet been discovered”.
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If you are fortunate enough to have a large garden, you can consider leaving a patch of nettles in an odd corner. You’ll then have a source of fertiliser (in addition to bokashi) for watering pot-plants. Bear in mind, too, that the caterpillars of the tortoiseshell butterfly (nokkosperhonen) depend on a supply of nettle leaves. Please refrain from reaching for the weedkiller bottle to eliminate broadleaved weeds from your grass areas, and when the dandelions start to turn your lawn / grass
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patch into a golden carpet, put off mowing until the display tails off. Dandelion flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and many other insects. Much the same applies to white clover when it starts to flower later in the summer.
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I begin to notice that this theme is endless. So I’ll save some more for a further episode or two. I believe we should work towards some kind of compromise or golden mean that satisfies our aesthetic and culinary needs while at the same time giving some room for wildlife in the garden. In the meantime, please put on plenty of warm clothes, get out there and enjoy gardens and real nature as much as you can. Keep moving and stay well!
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Turku Cathedral International Congregation
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One of our sister congregations in Turku have started a newsletter, which is available to sign up to on their website. Please check out and 'like' their facebook page if you can, and share with friends in Turku who might be interested! TCIC
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The Christmas Bazaar!
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Please let Sarah or the Church Wardens know if you can help with the Bazaar this year! Thank you to those who have already got in touch offering to help!
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SUNDAY SCHOOL & YOUTH GROUP
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Last Sunday we discussed Mark 10:17-31 when a rich man asks Jesus how he can enter God’s Kingdom and receive eternal life. We tried to thread a needle with threads of different thickness and talked about what Jesus meant when he said “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” We were shown a demonstration of the importance of putting God as our first priority. If we do that, then all our other tasks and priorities will fall into their correct place - there can be time for God and for all our other tasks like household chores, homework, hobbies and meeting friends. Finally, Youth Group demonstrated how to make a camel fruit snack. You can see the lovely (and tasty) results!
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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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Please contact Erik at erik.riekko@anglican.fi if you have any questions about the choir. We need singers for Sunday services, Evensong, Concerts and the Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols!
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takes place on the following Sundays at 18.00, Töölön Kirkko
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21.11.2021, 5.12.2021, 16.1.2022
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COVID guidelines when coming to worship at St Nicholas
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Social Distancing is no longer required but we continue to wear masks and practice good hand hygiene. 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!
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Unaccompanied English Choral Music from the 16-21st Centuries
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at Mikael Agricola Kirkko, 19:00 - 20:30. Tickets at the door: 20 Euros
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Unaccompanied English Choral Music from the 16-21st Centuries
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at Paavalinkirkko, 19:00 - 20:30. Tickets at the door: 20 Euros
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Youth Fundraising Event after the Service for Unicef!
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Armistice Day Service - location tbc
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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
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God, our light and our salvation:
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that we may see your goodness in the land of the living,
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and looking on your beauty may be changed into the likeness of 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 Liverpool, Bishop Paul Bayes, Bishop Beverley Mason
Church in Wales: Diocese of Monmouth, Bishop Cherry Vann
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark: Diocese of Haderslev, Bishop Marianne Christiansen
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Father Tuomas Mäkipää (050-3099132)
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[Please use the contact emails provided]
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