An anniversary is a time for looking back, but also for looking ahead. The 'English' congregation in Bern, dating from the early part of the 19th Century, was already well enough established in 1881 to need the impressive altar cross that we still use today, and had lost enough of its 'Englishness' for the cross to be dedicated by a British diplomat to the "English and American Church". By then building a church was already being considered, but it was not until 1906 that St Ursula's was built, largely with American money.
As the years went by, growth continued. A clergy house and then a hall were added, and the hall was later extended. Records examined so far show that the original capacity of the church had been reached by the 1980's. Since then more and more seats have been squeezed in, so that now we have over 160 seats in a space designed for 100.
Other changes have taken place. Last year, for the first time since 1985, we had only one service on Christmas Eve, and even that was not particularly well attended. However, on Christmas morning the Church was packed. Looking back through the records, we see that the popularity of "Midnight Mass" has steadily declined, while that of the Christmas morning service has increased. About 35 years ago, communicant numbers at Christmas Eve ('Midnight') services were over double those of an ordinary Sunday, whereas only very few took communion on Christmas Day. In the last few years 'Midnight' numbers have dropped to under half those of an ordinary Sunday, while Christmas Day communicants are close to the maximum possible in our building. Interestingly, the total number of communicants at Christmas services has stayed much the same for twenty years.
There would be no history to look back on if our predecessors, a hundred years ago and more, had not looked forward and invested in the growth of the Church. Today we see this growth continuing, even at a time when the Christian faith is believed by many to be in decline. Perhaps the best 'thanksgiving' for the past 100 years is a commitment to prepare for the next hundred, seeking to equip St Ursula's to continue the growth of God's kingdom here, and asking what part each one of us can play in that growth.
Your Chaplain, Richard
P.S. As we prepare our anniversary celebrations, please look out anything you have that might illustrate our history (old magazines, baptism or confirmation cards, photographs, movies, etc). Also, if anyone is interested in looking through our archives and getting them in order, please let me know.
Richard Pamplin