Dear Friends,
And so, the ‘second wave’ has well and truly hit. Whilst for now we may not be as badly affected as those living in the North West, the North East, & the Midlands, the number of confirmed cases in our own Borough is rising steeply. We cannot afford to be complacent. ‘Hands, Face, Space’; we cannot be reminded too often of the need to ‘wash our hands’, to ‘wear an appropriate face covering when out in public’, and to ‘maintain social distancing’ wherever we are, whoever we are with…
…For now, the proposed changes to the restrictions that have been applied, have not changed the situation as far as places of worship are concerned. Yet we still have to continue to be especially vigilant as far as the preparation, organisation and delivery of the Sunday service is concerned…
…I have been delighted to see so many attending regularly. Thank you. But can I issue a plea. Because we broadcast the service via social media, it is only fair to those watching wherever they are that we start on time – not something we are that used to in the Free Church it must be said – and of course we have to record everyone’s details before the service starts. So, if you are coming next Sunday, please think about arriving 5 minutes earlier than you might otherwise have done. And if you are watching from afar, please be patient with us…
…I want to say a special ‘thank you’ to Gary Blackman, our cleaner/caretaker. He has had to take on the onerous responsibility of ensuring that both the Church itself, and the hall are both kept clean enough for everyone who comes and goes to do so in relative safety. Gary is doing us all proud right now. And also, a big ‘thank you’ to those of you who are also working incredibly hard to make sure that the church is functioning efficiently in these difficult times. I Know we ask a lot of one another, now more perhaps than ever, and it is to everyone’s credit that we are doing as well as we can. We cannot rest on our laurels; we are likely to have to work even harder…
…I’m also aware of the prayerful support that so many of you are giving. Of course, this is the one way that everyone can help. Our prayers don’t have to be elaborately crafted. As I suggested some months ago, if you have a church handbook, set aside half an hour each day to prayerfully read through the names of the members and friends of the congregation. Some each of us will know better than others, some will only be a name to us, but that will be enough…
…And then go that bit further. Each day telephone somebody; send a couple of e/mails, a few text messages. Just so that we can make sure that nobody within the family of the church is left out of the loop. I know many of you are doing this already, and thank you for that, but maybe now is the time for doing that little bit extra…