What has got us through the last 20 months is our focusing on God and seeking to be the body of Christ –rooting ourselves in prayer, supporting one another, and respecting the different views and feelings, while seeking to create a space so that as many as possible can be with God and each other. As we all grow increasingly weary and confused by the twists and turns it gets more difficult and I hope we can all look out for each other and find ways to support each other as we together seek to serve the wider community.

Advent is about us preparing to discover the presence of God in the reality of our lives and world. The Christmas story is, behind all the gloss we have added over the centuries, a messy and tough story of the birth of a child in challenging circumstances. But those who focus on that baby discover something wonderful and peaceful in the midst of the chaos and mess. Perhaps we can each this Christmas seek to discover where God is in this current mess and how we can share that peace and wonder with those around us. Perhaps we need to focus on what we can do – and do it well – rather than become distracted and frustrated at what we cannot do, or by those who seem to be making the situation worse. Let us seek to do all we can in our worship, in our music, in our care of each other, in our
welcome of the stranger etc so that we may be the body of Christ in the midst of the uncertainty of the world.

We will further adapt the guidance we have previously put in place. It is now a legal requirement for face coverings to be worn in Church. Please consider whether you wish to remove them when singing or not. We will restore all our seating to being spaced out and will resume administering communion to each person where they are. Tea and Coffee will be served, but please be sensitive to others and do not crowd around the serving tables, and only remove face coverings when actually drinking.

We appreciate that for some these moves will not be enough while for other they may be challenging and unsettling. Please do let the Ministry know your feelings and thoughts and we will be adapting and developing as we believe is best for the common good. Please continue to show the care and respect for each other- and our worship and love of God – that you have shown in such depth over the past months.
We hope that you will be able to share with us as far as possible in our life of prayer, worship and reflection. We have made some changes to our Advent programme and events. In the attached newsletter is a list of services and activities – but please be aware these may change and be further adapted as things change around us.