Watchword for the Week:
The Lord is good to all, and his compassion
is over all he has made. (Psalm 145:9, NRSV)
(Moravian Daily Texts)

Bells & Prelude:

Reading: Matthew 14:13-21

Hymn: He came down that we may have love (Church Hymnary, No. 359)

Reflection: The Alternative Feast

Hymn: Christ, be our light! (Church Hymnary, No. 543)

An Irish Blessing sung by members of the ECC Choir

Notices:

Our seven-week Bible Sharing series on Parables in Matthew’s Gospel begins in one week’s time. The Bible Sharing method requires no previous knowledge, and is suitable for all ages.
The ‘garden group’ meets on Sunday, 9 August at 11:30 a.m. in the Alsenstraße. The idea is to watch the worship toolkit together, then to proceed to the Bible study. If you wish to take part, please contact Sebastian Stüwe on 0176 76496321 or sebastian.stuewe(at)gmail.com
The ‘online group’ meets on Tuesday 11 August at 7:00 p.m. using video software. Contact Pastor Jimmy on 0234 13365 or j.brown56(at)gmx.de, who will send you a link to join the group session.

The current closure of the Pauluskirche for gathered worship remains in effect until 3 August, when the German Presbyterium meets to consider plans for possible restricted forms of worship after the school holidays. A hygiene concept has been drawn up for this eventuality and will be made known soon. Until then, the church remains open from Tuesday to Friday between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and on Sundays from 10 a.m. till noon for individual and private prayer. Please observe standard precautions such as physical distancing, etc. when you enter the building.

Online worship and spiritualityresources are provided by various local and international churches. Click on the highlighted words to open these sites:

•  Sanctuary First (Church of Scotland) daily worship, prayers, pastoral guidance
  
•  Daily Devotional (United Church of Christ, USA) reflections on short Bible texts, usually ending with a one-sentence prayer  
  
•  Prayer Matters (International Presbytery) prayers, meditations, reflections and artwork
  
• Prayer Cycle (World Council of Churches) ecumenical prayer resources focussing this week on the Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea  
  
• Kraft der Musik (Evangelische Kirchengemeinde) weekly trumpet solos with short reflections (in German)
•  Kraft der Worte (Evangelische Kirchengemeinde) short meditative texts and poetry (in German) 

Our weekly offerings during worship are our congregation’s main source of income. The corona crisis has put a stop to this, so please consider making donations by bank transfer in order that the ECC may continue to cover ongoing costs. Bank account details are shown below. Thank you.