Ge­mein­de­brie­fe

Dear friends in Christ, As we continue together along our Lenten journey of faith, I bring you greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! The last few weeks have been a meaningful time of worship, reflection, and service. Our Sunday morning Scripture readings have encouraged us to turn to God, with honest and hopeful hearts, and receive God's gifts of grace and forgiveness. In worship on Sunday 1 March, our District Superintendent Rev. Stefan Schröckenfuchs preached on the importance of "loving boldly," then led us during our annual Charge Conference in a reflection upon how we as a congregation can boldly love others in our community. Every Tuesday evening in Lent, more than a dozen church members have gathered via Zoom to learn about John Wesley's means of grace, those ordinary moments, such as worship or Bible reading, through which God offers us the blessing of divine grace. And this week we are bringing our winter Wärmestube ministry to a close, with thanksgiving to all our volunteers who have helped us serve a record number of meals this winter.This Sunday we shall gather in worship to celebrate Palm Sunday, the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem for the last time; our children will lead our celebration of worship with their procession of the palms. Then we shall commemorate Holy Week with a series of worship services: Maundy Thursday service of foot washing and Holy Communion on 2 April at 18:30;Good Friday service of prayer and penitence on 3 April at 17:30;Holy Saturday service of the procession of the holy fire into the sanctuary (hosted by the Fünfhaus Gemeinde) on 4 April at 20:00;Easter Sunday celebration of Jesus' resurrection on 5 April at 11:15.Please see a complete list of Holy Week and Easter worship services.As our Lenten journey comes to a close, may God bless you and your loved ones. I pray that through your spiritual disciplines in this season, you have found close communion with God, who has pledged to remain with us and never forsake us. May this truth give us assurance and hope, and the courage to confess our sins and receive God's great gifts of forgiveness and salvation.Lastly, please note that on Sunday 12 April starting at 10:30, we shall celebrate our annual Joint Worship Service with our sisters and brothers of the German-speaking Fünfhaus Gemeinde. Please note the earlier starting time and join us for this festival day of worship.May God's blessings and peace be with you all, and I look forward to seeing you in these most holy days ahead.Yours in Christ, Pastor John

Dear friends in Christ,As we continue along our journey of faith in this season of Lent, I pray God's blessings on you and your loved ones. In the Lenten season, we bear in mind the reality of our sinfulness and our mortality. But in so doing, we turn to God for the forgiveness of our sins, and for the assurance that our faith leads to life everlasting. May this season of penitence and prayer bring each of us to a greater understanding of the love and grace of God.I give thanks for your participation in the events that have marked the start of this solemn season. One week ago, on Ash Wednesday, we gathered in our sanctuary for a quiet service of the ashes. As each of us received the mark of the ash on our forehead, we remembered our mortality, and embraced God's gift of forgiveness.Last Saturday, it was our blessing to host the annual Ecumenical Study Day, a yearly event sponsored by the community of English-speaking Christian churches in Vienna. About 45 persons from four congregations met together for a day of learning, sharing, and fellowship. Our guest speaker was Father Elias Carr of Klosterneuburg Stift (photo below), who gave a series of presentations on the life and scholarship of René Girard. We give thanks to Father Elias and our friends from our sister congregations for their participation in the day. And we express deep appreciation to our own Farzad and Sadaf for preparing a beautiful and delicious meal!This gathering reminds us that even in the season of Lent, we are invited to celebrate the gift of life and rejoice in the blessings of God. In that light, we invite all members and friends to our congregational Talent Show this Saturday 28 February, starting at 17:30 in the sanctuary. Please bring a finger food to share with others, and come to enjoy the talents of your fellow sisters and brothers in Christ.And on Sunday 1 March, immediately following the worship service, we shall gather in the sanctuary for our Charge Conference, the annual meeting with Superintendent Stefan to reflect upon the ministry of our congregation. This gathering offers the opportunity to celebrate the good that God is working in our church and our lives, and to reflect upon the ministry and mission to which God may be calling us in the coming year.May God's blessings and peace be upon you in this holy season, and I look forward to seeing you in worship and fellowship.Yours in Christ, Pastor John

Dear friends in Christ, Greetings and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus. I wish to begin by offering my heartfelt thanks for your many words of support and kindness, following the recent announcement that my ministry with ESUMC will conclude at the end of May.It remains a bittersweet moment, as I enter these last months of ministry: grateful for all we have shared together in our worship and praise of God, sad to contemplate saying farewell, and yet excited for the new callings to Christian ministry that await me and all of you, the congregation of ESUMC.However, there is no need to look too far ahead, as God is present with us here and now, and God continues to invite us to engage in ministry together in our community and world.As we continue our shared journey of faith as a congregation, in this Epiphany season of revelation, we are grateful for the upcoming activities and programs that will bring us together for worship, fellowship, and study. In this newsletter you will find news and information about the following:a Clothing Exchange and fellowship evening hosted by the ESUMC young adult group on Monday 9 February, starting at 19:00;the annual celebration of Faschingsfest, hosted by our friends in the Fünfhaus Gemeinde, on Saturday 14 February from 14:00 to 17:00;our Ecumenical Study Day, hosted at ESUMC and sponsored by the English-speaking churches in Vienna, on Saturday 21 February from 10:00 to 14:30;our Ash Wednesday service of worship on Wednesday 18 February at 18:30, marking the start of the season of Lent;a special Lenten Bible study on the means of grace, every Tuesday evening at 19:00 via Zoom starting 24 February, with contributions from across the UMC in Austria;our beloved Talent Show and finger food potluck evening on Saturday evening 28 February, starting at 17:30;our Charge Conference, the annual meeting of the congregation, with Superintendent Pastor Stefan Schröckenfuchs following worship on Sunday 1 March.Additionally, we are happy to gather for Soup Fellowship on the second Sunday of each month through the winter season. This time-honored tradition brings ESUMC members and friends together for a sit-down meal of soup and sandwiches. We thank the Zahraman family for leading this ministry, and we welcome volunteers to help serve and your donations to offset the costs of the meal.We also celebrate the return of Youth Sunday School. On the third Sunday of every month, our youth aged 14 to 18 will gather during the worship service for a time of conversation and learning designed especially for their interests and needs. We are grateful to Noussi and her team of adult volunteers who will be leading these monthly meetings.We welcome your participation in all of these events, as well as your continued support of our weekly Tuesday Wärmestube ministry.We give thanks to God for the spirit of joy and celebration in our community of faith, as we proclaim the love of God to the world.Yours in Christ, Pastor John(Below is a screenshot from the recording of my recent conversation with Amelie Haslinger about John Wesley's means of grace, the theme of our Lenten Bible study series starting Tuesday 24 February. Read the article below for more details, and join us!)