Busy weekend

Tomorrow, Friday 30 December, 11 am, we hope to see you in our regular worship service. I will preach on Psalm 147 - about God's care for our life. I know that some of our good members are enjoying Dahab, but if you are in Cairo, please come!

On Saturday evening, New Year's Eve, we celebrate the year and we pray for 2012 together with our Egyptian congregation. This worship service begins at 9 pm.

It will be a dual-language service. The experiment on Xmas-Eve proved to be massively succesful! After this service, you'll get a nice memento and finger food and drinks. Come and enjoy!

So... hoping to see you on Friday and Saturday!

Christmas Eve - come and join!

Dear friends!

On Christmas Eve, Saturday 24 December, you are warmly invited to join us for a joyful Xmas celebration. With Egyptians, Sudanese and people from many other nations we will listen to the 'good-old stories' and sing of the Christmas child and more!

Our celebration is from 9-10.15 pm. Welcome!

Monday 12 December book club

Judith Snowdon welcomes you all to her home this Monday evening 12 December for the book club meeting. For more information, please call her on 012-2-754-3850.

The book Taxi by Khaled Al-Khamissi will be discussed.

7 December Carol Singing

On 7 December, at 7.30 pm, we will enjoy an hour of Christmas Carol Singing in the Catholic Basilica in Heliopolis. This is an English service to the community. Welcome!

Women's Meeting 5 December

This morning, 5 December, Adrienne hosts meeting for English-speaking women.

These biweekly meetings provide mutual encouragement and help us to live as Christians in Cairo. We will use Devotional Classics: Selected readings for individuals and groups by Richard J Foster and James Bryan Smith.

Childcare (0-4 years) is supplied to give you a carefree morning. Between 12-1 pm we eat together.

Friday 2 December and a White Christmas

This Friday 2 December, I will preach from the opening verses of the gospel of St Mark. He does not take time for slowly introducing who Jesus is, but he hammers it in: He is the Son of God, whom we should obey. That is likely what I will speak about this Friday - though I need more words than the Evangelist.

A white Christmas I do not expect this year, global warming etc... :-)

I hope to see you on Friday. Many of us were traveling or just skipping last week, so let's make sure that we meet one another this Friday. Maybe you have a friend who may want to come along as well?

After church this Friday the Church Council (Amira, Thomas, Andre and I) will be meeting. Do mail us your ideas!

Grow your church. Lower numbers.

Great article in the Huffington Post about "growing your church". More Jesus, less members.

Now I like his approach: focus on Jesus and His Kingdom. "But please Lord, can we have a few more members?" :-)

Quick greeting from Cairo airport

I am about to fly to Malaysia for a few days - sitting in the lounge of Terminal 3 to wait for Singapore Airlines to airlift me to Dubai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

May the good Lord be with you in Heliopolis! Enjoy the worship services this weekend. You are in good hands. Everlasting arms actually.

On Friday, Rev Raja will celebrate Holy Communion, while Rev Gerald Lauche will preach. I am sorry to miss that!

Okay, must run. Boarding!

Friday 18 November: Rapture of the Church?

Friday 18 November at 11 am, I will preach on 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5. A passage that is often quoted by fervent believers in the 'secret' return of Christ. There is, however, nothing secret or hidden about his return.

Come and join us in St Michael's Church!

Tonight men's evening out

Tonight, Tuesday, we will discuss JI Packer's book Knowing God. Men, feel free to participate, at 6.30 pm. We'll be ready by 8 pm.

Book reading group: this Monday, 14 November

Monday 14 November, 7.30-9 pm: Book group - reading Arabic Literature

This time: Palace Walk, of Naguib Mahfouz, will be discussed. A great way to get acquainted with Egyptian culture and literature. The event will this time be at the home of Maggie Morgan.

You are welcome tonight! For details, email adriennese@gmail.com or call her on 012-22499821.

Bazar today - Saturday 12 November

Mind your own business

It was nice, last Friday, to see a new face in our congregation, and we had a meaningful church service to worship our God. But most of you were at Ain Sokhna I guess :-). We hope to greet you this Friday!

Friday I will preach on 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 - Paul continues to speak about love. 'Love one wife, love all Christians, and mind your own business', seems to be a good summary.

This week, with the deacons and priests of the diocese, we will retreat to the desert. Much sunshine, no beach. I will have to lead a session on the lessons we as clergy can learn from the letter that church father Polycarp (ca 150 AD) wrote to the congregation in Philippi. Sound esoteric, but it is rather practical and great reading! (If you like an English or an Arabic copy of the letter, mail me and you'll get it!

Sandmonkey comes to speak for us this Thursday

Thursday, 3 November, 8 pm at night, 'Sandmonkey' Mahmoud Salem will be our guest at St Michael's. Mahmoud is an outspoken blogger and very active on Twitter. He is also a candidate for our district of Heliopolis for Egypt's parliament. Mahmoud will share with us his views on the present situation in Egypt. Maybe even some of his bruises. We will then have an opportunity to discuss with him.

The lingua franca will be Arabic; we are trying to arrange simultaneous translation in English.

Location: 8 Seti Street, off Baghdad Street, Korba, Heliopolis.

English teacher needed / Arabic class offered

A few times a week, we need an English teacher for teaching some Egyptians on our church compound. A small stipend is negotiable. You like to teach 4-6 hours per week? Please contact us: priest@heliopolischurch.com

Likewise, we offer an Arabic teacher - reading and writing Arabic. If you need Arabic lessons, contact us!

Friday morning 28 October: spiritual battle

Dear friends! Friday we will continue in church with our series on Paul's letter to the church in the ancient city of Thessalonica (modern Saloniki, in Greece). The text for for sermon is 1 Thes 2:17-3:5, and the theme will be 'spiritual battle'.

What is spiritual battle? For some that is, to get up in time to go to church on a day off :-) but we have made it easy for you by starting at 11 am. Hope to see you on 28 Oct0ber.