Newsletter – 19th March 2020
The second part of the text above is part of the letter from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, advising us that public worship in all our churches should cease immediately.
Here’s a letter from Edith to us all -
What strange times we are living through! Fear is inevitable, but it is important not to let it get out of proportion. Easy to say, but I don’t say it lightly.
We are the Body of Christ in this place, whether church is functioning as a place of public worship or not. It is particularly important to proclaim this at this time of the year. I’m sure when we began Lent –just a few short weeks ago – I don’t think anyone foresaw the current state of affairs.
There is so much anxiety around, not just about catching the virus but a whole range of other issues including difficulty of shopping, child care, job security and so on. It is so important we hold on to our Christian faith and share it.
Huge as all this feels now, the bigger picture is that when Jesus rose from the dead it demonstrated God’s love for each one of us – a love we must repay by caring for all our fellow human beings. That love we show in practical ways – checking on those who are isolated (by phone), helping out where we can (but staying safe ourselves) and by prayer.
Some of you will remember that last Holy Week we organised a ‘Compline at a distance’ by letting people have an outline service so everyone who wanted could join in and know they were not alone. I plan to put together a similar simple service we can use –perhaps at the prayer times Liz mentions in the newsletter. In addition, there will be some simple sermon notes you may find useful.
Meantime take care and stay safe
Edith
The situation is changing so rapidly that whatever we plan now may have to change – but we are thinking of ways in which we can continue to share God’s love far and wide in different ways than before.
St Thomas’ Church will be open from 10 am to 12.30 pm every day for private prayer and reflection, and everyone is welcome to drop in. During difficult times many people who would not usually come into a church may need a quiet space to pray, and the current Church of England advice is that we should be open. There are notices in the porch about how to keep all visitors safe.
Prayer times – Wherever we are, we plan to pray daily at 6 pm, and also at 11 am on Saturdays and Sundays. Edith’s already working on suitable prayers, or people could use the Lord’s Prayer. Most importantly, we should let as many people as possible know that we are doing this, so that those who are unable to get out can join us in prayer and know that they are not alone. A church bell will chime at those times as a signal to everyone within earshot that we are praying for them and with them.
We’re working on how to share prayers, readings and sermon notes, and possibly some children’s resources, in the near future.
Some people have expressed concerns about how church closures will affect applications for places at our Church of England secondary schools. The Governors of Crompton House have issued a statement in which they acknowledge these concerns, will issue guidance when the situation becomes clearer, and given reassurance that no future applications will be penalised due to the limited opportunities for church attendance.
The biggest challenge we face is how we communicate everything that we’re doing with those who don’t have access to electronic communications – we will need help with that!
Finally, St Paul wrote his joyous letter to the Philippians whilst he was in prison. Chapter 4, verses 4-7, sends a very clear message which is very fitting to our current situation - Don’t worry about anything but pray about everything with thanksgiving.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Items for the newsletter, website and facebook pages to Liz (lizzy.dent@googlemail.com) whenever you want to send. Lots of lovely pictures please – especially now!
