Church buildings to close (except for funerals) in new November lockdown

1st November 2020
Bryony Taylor
News

Following the announcement from the Prime Minister, our church buildings will close from Thursday 5th November to Wednesday 2nd December except for funeral services.

The guidance for places of worship can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november#weddings-civil-partnerships-religious-services-and-funerals

We will continue with the pattern we have been using:

Sunday services will be broadcast live at 10am on Facebook and available thereafter on YouTube.

Phone Church will continue on Thursdays at 9.15am and 10.15am.

Dial a Sermon continues to be available, just ring 01246 833487 or click on the sermons section on this website to listen on your phone or tablet.

At times like this it is good to draw on the great tradition of lament that we find in the Bible and in particular in the Psalms. It is ok to not be ok with this! Here is a prayer of lament written by Jayne Manfredi:

Save us, oh God. Deliver us from our enemy and its many miseries. It is an unseen terror like we’ve never known and its devastation seems unstoppable.
This deadly foe is without mercy. It lurks in silence and murders the innocent. It wreaks havoc upon the weak. It annihilates the poor. Not one person is truly safe from it. It has us all in its grasp.
In you we seek refuge. We cry out to you and ask that you hear our prayer. Hear the sound of our weeping and be our shield.
In the absence of relief people say “where is your God?” And so we ask too: how long must we all suffer? How long? Do not hide your face from us Lord. We need you now more than ever.
Remind us that we have not been forgotten, for you are our rescuing strength. You are our promise that the weak shall be strengthened. The poor shall not perish. The mentally exhausted and frail shall not be overcome. We will not give in to our frustrations. We will not succumb to anger and bitterness. We will find solace in each other and take care of the vulnerable. We will calm one another’s fears and be gentle with each other, and we shall all find comfort in you.
In our distress we cry out to you, in Jesus’ holy name.  Amen.
By Jayne Manfredi