25 June 2020

I am not a great watcher of the TV, except to see the news and enjoy the sports programmes, oh, and a small confession – The Repair Shop has become a must during the lockdown. However, last weekend we decided to watch the programmes about the Salisbury Poisonings on BBC iplayer – it is the story of the Novochock poisoning of the Scripals and the drama-documentary had received positive reviews. We were not disappointed as the three programmes, though harrowing, were powerful in the story they told and of the people who were portrayed. I was struck by how those terrible events in Salisbury in 2018 have a remarkable similarity to the experience of the Coronavirus pandemic today.

The programmes showed the slow realisation that something quite out of the ordinary was happening in that English city and the terrifically demanding task for the authorities to get up to speed about something for which they were not prepared. The crisis took far longer to resolve and the city was in virtual lockdown, the community alternately fearful and angry, the health services doing amazing work, profound acts of kindness and compassion, and unlikely characters emerging into public prominence. Salisbury Cathedral in all its magnificence watched over the city as the story was being played out, its role not obvious or particularly in view, but the steady and persistent faith and prayer of its community spreading quietly and healingly into the city and its people.

Here, one of the many wonderful, quiet and largely unseen aspects of the last few months has been the prayer which has been going on in homes and households, over Zoom conferences and telephone calls as people have steadily upheld our city before God. And many people who may not be regular worshippers at any of the churches in Hull have joined in the online services or social media conversations, investigated the offerings on church websites and taking the time to explore what faith might mean for them for the future.

As we engage in the gradual process of the re-opening of the city’s life and the part the Minster plays in this we are offering an invitation to join in a focussed week of prayer which will coincide with the arrival of our new Priest-in-Charge, Rev Dominic Black on the 8th July. We will be praying for the family as they move into the Vicarage on Victoria Dock, and for the relationship which begins to develop between the church community and Dominic in these early days. This and the prayer for our city and community that the many painful stories of these last months might find the soothing balm of God’s love and the many flowerings of creativity and generosity might find fuller and wider expression as we emerge into a new future.

Stage one of this is the July prayer diary which is available with this edition of Lifeline whether you receive it online or by post. Stage two is a week of meditations on some of the Psalms, aiding us as we enter into a period of dedicated prayer. As we did around Ascension to Pentecost different members of our church family will contribute a reflection and there will be headlines for our intercessions. The link is on the website from Monday June 29th and will go out on social media platforms from July 1st. Copies of the daily prayers will be posted to those who have been joining in through weekly envelopes on their front doormat. All of this of course will still be happening at home or wherever we turn to God in our daily personal prayers.

We are beginning to digest the latest news that it will be permitted for churches to open further as from July 4th. There will be detailed guidance coming out in the next few days and we will keep our readers up-to-date with our plans here at the Minster. At the time of going to press we are finalising our plans for very limited opening for personal prayer starting on Friday 26th at 12 o’clock. The Minster will not be open for general visitors or tourists but only for those who have come to pray. I want to offer heartfelt thanks to those who have been trained and deployed as Hull Minster Guides and those who have re-organised and cleaned the church for this particular purpose; it has been a big but worthwhile task as we look to welcome people again.

While the Parish Centre isn’t yet open, and those staff who are not furloughed are working from home, we are still monitoring the telephone messages coming in to the Minster office, so please leave a message on 01482 224460 and one of us will get back to you as soon as we can.

Warmest best wishes,

Frank White

Interim Priest-in-Charge.

The Readings for the 3rd Sunday after Trinity:

Jeremiah 28 verses 5 – 9

Psalm 13

Romans 6 verses 12 – 23

Matthew 10 verses 40 – 42

The Additional Collect for this week.

God our Saviour,

look on this wounded world

in pity and in power;