Category Archives: Uncategorized

UPDATE FROM THE BRITISH EMBASSY

Uncategorized

Please see the following update, sent on behalf of the British Ambassador, by Deborah Christophers. Feel free to pass this on far and wide.

Dear All, 

I hope everyone is well. Apologies in advance for the somewhat mammoth email, but there is a lot I wanted to update you on. As always, we really appreciate your support in sharing our information and hope you find it useful. If you have social media channels do please consider sharing our content from facebook.com/britsinspain – particularly those updates aimed at helping UK Nationals ensure they are ready for the end of the Transition Period.

And now for the update – 

1.       Residency information:

–          We know that there are still many rumours around that green residency certificates must be exchanged for the TIE by 31 December. Please be assured that this is not the case. While the Spanish Government has highlighted that there may be some advantages to having the TIE – it is more durable, contains biometric data and may speed up administrative processes and border crossing – they make it clear that the green certificate remains valid evidence of your residency status and rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, even after the end of the Transition Period. See their Q&A document for more detail.  

–          You may be aware that some UK Nationals have been issued with TIEs with incorrect wording. We continue to work with the Spanish authorities on this issue. The Spanish have emphasised that these cards remain valid documents, however, we appreciate the desire of UK nationals to obtain a card with the correct wording and are awaiting further information from the Spanish authorities on the process for doing this.

–          We know that it is still difficult to get residency appointments in many areas. Please encourage anyone who is struggling to obtain an appointment to make sure they have all the documentation necessary for their application and to prove that they are legally living in Spain by the end of this year. 

–          We have published a series of videos on residency on our Brits in Spain Facebook channel: an FAQ video, a video specifically for first time applicants and a third on exchanging the green certificate for a TIE. In addition, we have updated our page on gov.uk on registering as a resident in Spain.

–          If people are particularly struggling with the residency process as first-time applications, please do signpost them to the organisations that have received funding from the UK Nationals Support Fund to assist them. The level of support may vary depending on where in Spain you are, but their helplines are open to people from across the country. You can find their details here.

2.       Driving licences 

–          As you know one of the key actions for UK Nationals living in Spain is to exchange their UK driving licence for a Spanish one. However, recently it has been extremely difficult to get an appointment. We have a key update from the DGT:

–          The DGT is aware that UK and other licence holders are facing problems in obtaining an appointment. They will soon introduce a new process to streamline the current exchange process until the end of the year. UK licence holders will be asked to complete a form with the details the DGT needs in order to verify the driving licence with the UK authorities. This form must be submitted to the DGT by 25 December at the very latest. Once a person has presented their form, they will need to obtain an appointment with DGT to finalise the exchange process. However, as long as the form was submitted by the date above, and the licence verified by the DGT before the end of the year, the appointment to complete the process can be after 1 January 2021. We will share information on the new process as soon as we have it. 

–          So, whilst further details are needed about the system and when it will come into effect, this should be welcome news to people who may be struggling to get through the exchange process. In addition, the UK continues to negotiate the rules on the recognition and exchange of UK driving licences from 1 January 2021onwards with member states, so do encourage people to sign up to email alerts on gov.uk/livinginspain, so that they are kept informed of the latest information.

3.       UK bank accounts

–         We are aware that some UK nationals who hold UK-based bank accounts, but are resident in the EU, have received letters from their UK bank, informing them that these accounts are to be closed.

–      Most people living in Europe shouldn’t see any change to their banking at the end of the transition period(31 December 2020). Whether UK banks can service EEA-based customers is a matter of local law and regulation. Also banks are set up differently and may have taken different actions to continue to serve their customers.  Your bank or finance provider should contact you if they need to make any changes to your product or the way they provide it. If you have any concerns about whether you might be affected, contact your provider or seek independent financial advice.

–      Meanwhile, please be assured that your UK state pension can be paid into your Spanish bank account. This link from gov.uk may be useful. 

4.       Passports

From 1 January, passport validity rules are changing for travel to European countries. You’ll need to have at least 6 months left on an adult or child passport to travel to most countries in Europe (not including Ireland).If you renewed your passport early last time, any extra months added to the normal 10-year validity will not count towards meeting this requirement, so we encourage everyone to doublecheck their passport validity online now at: gov.uk/checkpassport

5.       Healthcare

–          We held a Facebook Live Q&A session with colleagues from DHSC on Tuesday. You may want to point people who have health-related questions to the video, which is now available to watch. 

–          The team has also created a useful infographic (attached), which explains the different ways people can access healthcare in Spain. Please do share this with anyone who may need clarification on the system here, as well as signposting our healthcare page on gov.uk. 

6.       Q&A sessions

–          We have a number of Q&A sessions coming up on our Facebook page. The current schedule is:

27 Oct: Travel and swallows

10 November: Education

1 December: Residency

10 December: General Q&A

Please do signpost people who have questions to these sessions, but be aware that the schedule is subject to change, so do keep an eye on the page for the latest dates. 

If you need further information on any of the above topics, please let me know and I will do my best to help. But please do be aware that I cannot answer questions relating to people’s personal circumstances.

With continued thanks for your support.

Debbi

Sunday Worship

Uncategorized

SUNDAY WORSHIP
Sunday worship continues in our churches as in recent weeks. The service in Albir is being held at 3pm for a while. Sunday worship in Javea recommenced last Sunday (and Wednesday services will be suspended for now).

And for those not able, or not yet ready to attend one of our churches, Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin will be conducting the weekly Eucharist service live on the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940) at 7pm tonight. It will then be available as a recording at the same link from to watch on Sunday. Click anywhere on the highlighted text to watch.

https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940

Tuesday Offering from Fr Marcus 6th October 2020 

Uncategorized

Stories you will love!

My Dear Friends, 

I hope that something wonderful happens for you this week, just because life is tough and folk are feeling low.

Before I moved out here to Spain I was the Vicar of St Mary Magdalen and St Denys in Midhurst, and Rector of All hallows Woolbeding. 

Midhurst is a very picturesque town nestling in the South Downs and was made part of the South Downs National Park during my time.
I was not only the Vicar, but also the Town Crier, and I had the wonderful job of proclaiming to the folk of Midhurst that the South Downs National Park had been Designated on April 1st2010.

So with all my dramatic regalia on, and hat, bell and parchment, I walked down the steps of the church into the grounds to speak to the assembled crowd of dignitaries.
I managed to trip over something, and fell flat on my face smashing my glasses into my nose, tearing the skin and immediately my face was the size of Belgium, with blood everywhere!
But not to be daunted, and with the help of some lovely bystanders, I managed to get up, clean myself, gather myself and proclaim that the South Downs National Park was officially open, and that Midhurst was part of it. Not sure how much was heard, through my smashed up face. I was then whisked off to hospital to have my good looks restored.

The point of this little story is just to set the scene for a much greater drama some 1700 years earlier. Our church was dedicated to Mary Magdalen, whom you all know, and St Denys! Lesser known, and an interesting combination.

Denys became a priest and in 245 Fabian, the Bishop of Rome, consecrated him and six others as missionary bishops to work in Gaul (France) where many Christians had suffered terribly during the persecutions set in motion by the Roman Emperor Decius.

Denys arrived in Paris as its first bishop with two companions, the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius. They settled on an island in the Seine and built a church there. From there they went out preaching the gospel. The local pagan leaders incited the people to force the Roman governor, Fescenninus, to stop their teaching. When Denys and his companions refused to stop, they were seized, tortured and beheaded on the hill of martyrs’ ‘Montmartre’ on October 9th 258.

The brilliant story is that after Denys was beheaded, he bent down, picked up his head, tucked it under his arm, and walked the six miles to the place of his burial, preaching as he went.
Imagine the fun we used to have keeping that part of our Partronal Festival on October 9th.
One year I got my friend Stephen, who really is quite short to dress up as a much taller guy, and we made a costume so that he looked like he was carrying his own head. That was part of our procession. Sadly I couldn’t persuade him to preach as he went through the town.

The story may well be some urban myth, but I love things like this not so much for the facts, or ‘interpretation’ of them, but for the meaning. Denys was so full of the Gospel, that nothing and nobody was going to stop him telling of the great things that God had done. And he wasn’t bitter, and he wasn’t angry – he was full of the love of the Lord.

Sadly I can’t find a record of what he was saying, but wouldn’t it be great if he used as his text

 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 

And

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I know it has been a tough few months, but as the old saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Tomorrow will be a brighter day.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you,

Fr Marcus

SUNDAY WORSHIP

Uncategorized

Sunday worship continues in our churches as in recent weeks. The service in Albir is being held at 3pm for a while. Sunday worship in Javea recommenced last Sunday (and Wednesday services will be suspended for now).

And for those not able, or not yet ready to attend one of our churches, Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin will be conducting the weekly Eucharist service live on the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940) at 7pm tonight. It will then be available as a recording at the same link from to watch on Sunday.

Friday Offering from Fr. Marcus 2nd October 2020

Uncategorized

My Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

Peace.

I hope all is well, and that you are finding times of joy in a tough world.

On Sunday October 4th the Church celebrates the life, work and witness of St Francis of Assisi. One of our most loved saints, and an inspiration to many way beyond the church.

Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, who lived quite a lively life to start with, spending money lavishly, and becoming a devotee of the troubadours.

He later joined a military expedition, but was caught and held prisoner for over a year. He returned home, and went back to his former life but was soon disillusioned by the worldly ways. When his friends teased him and asked him if he was going to marry he replied  “Yes, a fairer bride than any of you have ever seen”, meaning his “Lady Poverty”.

Francis had on occasion already shown exceeding generosity to the poor, and soon joined some beggars and started to live a very simple life, begging and staying in very lonely places. It was  in the forsaken country chapel of San Damiano, just outside Assisi, in which the Icon of Christ Crucified said to him, “Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins.” He took this to mean the ruined church in which he was presently praying, and so he sold some cloth from his father’s store to assist the priest there for this purpose.

But the plea from Christ to restore his church meant so much more than the repairing of a particular building. Francis spent the rest of his life building the kingdom by putting Christ at the centre of everything, and letting go of all that would come between a person and God. He embraced simplicity, poverty and the whole of creation, and felt such a close connection to nature that he referred to the Sun and moon as his Brother and Sister.

There are so many stories about his life that fascinate me, but today I want to focus on the one we have just heard – his desire, and the words of Christ to restore the church.
I would like to take this as a prompt to ourselves to build the kingdom in this beautiful place in which we live.

This year has been devastating for so many. Business have failed, people’s livelihoods have dried up, and all of our plans, whatever they were have probably come to nothing, and there is a real sense of uncertainty, as we don’t know what next week, or next month will be like. Add to that the folk who have suffered from the virus, all who have been so poorly, and the risks taken by those who have cared for them has meant that this has been a truly difficult time.

Alongside everything and everyone else the church has struggled, and for months we were not able to worship together, and even now some folk are nervous about returning. We missed coming together for the great celebration of Holy Week and Easter, and something has gone from our normal fellowship.

Fr Rodney and Fr Robin have been streaming live services which is brilliant, Fr Jim has been doing wonderful pastoral work which is great, and I have been producing these offerings and videos. 
‘Thank you’ to those who have told us you appreciate all of this.

However great our offerings are, they are not the same as the joy we experience when we can gather together. We miss the fun and laughter that just flows naturally between us. We miss the touch of others, that hug when we haven’t seen someone for a while. We miss that natural way we communicate when we are just mixing with each other, and through our regular chat things get done.
Those things are not happening, and they are replaced by a sense of weariness and anxiety, of concern and fear, and normal things have become a struggle, and what would have been resolved over coffee has become an issue here and there. Folk are feeling flat at best, and are getting crappy much more quickly than normal.

We are all in need of a lift, some joy, some hope, some restoration, some knowledge that it will be OK.

Well Francis is the person to show us the way to make sense of all of this, and I shall focus on just three of his greatest examples, which of course are completely linked together.

Firstly he let go of any sense of ego, and absolutely embraced an intimate relationship with……everything and everyone. For him there was a connection that meant whoever he met he treated as if they were Christ. He showed love and honour and respect to all, and his humility became infectious. He loved and loved and loved, and of course was loved in return.
And the whole of creation was his family, knit together by the bonds he knew existed because we all come from God. Brother Son, Sister Moon, Lady Poverty, but also Brother Hunger, and Sister food.

He was able to see the hand of God in everything.

The second was that his starting point was nothing. There was no waiting until things were in place before he started to restore the church. He focused on what he had, not what he wanted or was told he needed. Very soon people came to him. He restored the church by loving the people, valuing every one, and making sure that they knew they were loved, and included, and were part of something. He managed beautifully the mixture of simplicity, quiet, and being alone, with the joy and freedom of coming together. Francis had a great love and devotion to the Eucharist, and believed it bestowed sufficient grace to last us until the next time. So where possible his followers would have a daily Eucharist, but sometimes they would have to wait days, weeks or even months, and Francis made that Ok

Thirdly he couldn’t help himself, but saw the Joy in everything, and found every reason to sing praises to God. Life could be tough, but when you know that you are an awesome creation of a loving God who brought you in to being in order that he could love you, and gave you this incredible world, and all it’s beautiful inhabitants to be your home, and your family, then what could you do but Praise Him.

I am so inspired by St Francis that I named my firstborn Son after him. Joseph Francis.

But I am also inspired to think that all of us in the beautiful Chaplaincy of ours can be moved torestore this place, and not let the Covid Blues drag us down. Let’s build on all of our relationships, every single one. Let’s tell the people that we love that we love them. Let’s tell our friends that they are important to us. Let’s treat our fellow church members as our brothers and sisters, and let’s share in a glorious virtual (for the time being) hug.

For those of us who can safely make it to Church, what a joy it is to receive our Communion. For those not ready, Bless you, I hope you are being spiritually fed by our online presence, and we will welcome you when the time is right.

For all of us, may I plead that we look for the best in every thing and everyone. We couldn’t be closer than we are in the eyes of God.

I want to do that singing thing to finish again, but as you know God gave the beautiful voice he had planned for me to Elvis, and I got this one, so it’s good that you can’t hear me as I sing

 Make me a channel of your peace.

Where there is hatred let me bring your love;

Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord;

And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

Oh, master, grant that I may never seek

So much to be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved, as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.

Where there’s despair in life let me bring hope;

Where there is darkness, only light;

And where there’s sadness, ever joy.

Make me a channel of your peace.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

In giving to all men that we receive;

And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you.

As ever,

Fr Marcus