28th June 2020
Dear Friends
“Whoever
welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent
me.” (Matthew 10)
Over the
last few weeks, the majority of us have not been able to physically welcome
people into our homes. There’s not been an open church where we can welcome
others. But most of us have been able to welcome people by the wonders of
technology or on the phone. Whoever would have thought that we would be having
meetings on Zoom and my street credibility certainly went up with my
Grandchildren when they could see me on YouTube!
I’ve been
fortunate to be able to go for walks with the dogs in the countryside nearby.
I’ve seen fields cut for silage, those same fields ploughed, planted and now
new crops growing in them. There has been time and space to appreciate wildlife
close by, fir cones forming on the trees, squirrels jumping from tree to tree,
(that’s as long as my spaniel doesn’t see them first). A sign of God’s creation
all around us. And, yes, I’ve become a Lego addict. I’m enjoying phoning the
group of people regularly whose names I’ve been given and sharing their news.
Of course, I miss Tots Group, and going into schools but it’s a small price to
pay to protect those around us.
During these
weeks one in four people in this country have accessed Church of England
services online so maybe that will be the way to welcome people into the church
in the future.
Let us build
a house where hands will reach beyond the wood and stone
to heal and
strengthen, serve and teach, and live the Word they’ve known.
Here the
outcast and the stranger bear the image of God’s face:
let us bring
an end to fear and danger.
All are
welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
Take care
and hope to see you all soon,
Ruth
You will
all, no doubt, have heard that the government has announced that from 4th July
churches can have services - with appropriate social distancing, etc, and no
singing.
We have
discussed this, and we have decided that we will not be starting services in
any of our churches again until 2nd August.
There are three main reasons for this:
· We need to plan carefully and
prayerfully how we are going to best restart our services with all the
appropriate safety measures in places, and we are not going to rush into this.
· Many members of our congregations are
still shielding until 31st July, and we would like to find a way from 2nd
August to bring them back into church.
· Both of us need a break! Ann is going to be taking the week beg. 11th
July off, and Georgina the week beg. 25th July.
It is also
possible that by 2nd August things will have moved on again and holding
services will be a bit easier.
Blessings
Ann and
Georgina
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