22 July 2020

Mandy Richardson writes:

Two weeks down and Rev. Dominic and family are still
surrounded by boxes but slowly settling into life in Hull and this past Sunday
Rev. Dominic not only lead our 10am live streamed service but also a said Holy
Communion service in the Minster at 11:15am. It was so good to be back in the
Minster, praising Our glorious God together, and thankfully we will be able to
do this each week going forward.

There were a few teething problems with our first live streamed service, for which we apologise, but Al and the team have been working hard to rectify these issues ready for this coming Sunday and I’m sure you will all join me in thanking them for taking on new technologies to enable those of us that maybe cannot attend in person, to stay connected from the comfort of their homes.

I am looking forward to meeting with Rev. Dominic this week
to discuss possible ways forward for Children’s ministry during our services so
please do keep your eyes out for any new information on this in future
Lifelines.

Rev. Dominic has provided us with this week’s reflection:

‘Naked
I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there;
the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the
name of the Lord.’

Job 1:21

As human beings we like to be in control
of our lives, to plan and organise, to be masters of our own destiny. But life has a habit of turning out not as we expected! Last year I happened to visit Hull for a meeting and out of curiosity having heard about the transformation project popped into the Minster. I served my curacy in Orchard Park and as some of you will know Hull is where I met Heather who came many years before as a
nursing student and where Leo was born. Little did I think when we moved to Middlesbrough in 2004 that I would be coming back and into such a strange situation.  Moving under lockdown has been an interesting experience! After a tough 2019 for us both Heather and I had exciting new jobs (that was some interview process you put on!) that we were going to, and things were looking up for us. The plan was that we were going to move after Leo had finished his GCSE’s. He was all geared up with revision timetables all over his walls and then one Thursday in in the middle of March, like so many others, his secondary school days were over. They came in the next day for a leaver’s assembly writing on their shirts ‘class of Covid-19’ and that was it. All that work and preparation finished; grades would now be estimated.

The plan was the family living in the vicarage was going to move at the beginning of April and all the works would be done ready for us to move in on the 8th July, then lockdown happened. For the last year or so our plan had been to gradually pass on responsibilities and nurture others in leadership, it was going really well people were stepping up, growing in confidence and taking on responsibility and then we were in lockdown and suddenly our dining room and our family became the face of the church and our front garden the logistics centre for surplus food and children’s activity packs. We set up a community Facebook group, the church overnight became central to the life of the community. We became incredibly close to families we had only known a little. Several hundred people would join us daily for Night Prayer which Heather and I usually prayed alone and then we left; Ben and I on our push bikes, and Heather and Leo in the car with our worldly possessions on a lorry to Hull via our Cathedral church of York Minster.

An hour later in a socially distanced service with a handful of people I was licenced as Priest in
Charge of Hull Minster under the final licence ever to be issued under the seal of Archbishop Sentamu. If after 22 years of urban ministry moving into 22 Corinthian way surrounded by boxes and arriving into a whirlwind of change I am strangely comforted that the Lord is in this for, ‘my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD’ (Isaiah 55:8) Our human plans are nothing worth, but somehow God is able to use us to fulfil his purposes, his plan, for the salvation of the world even through us who think we have plans!

Rev.Dominic Black

Mandy Concludes with a reminder of the Minster’s current opening hours:

The Minster will continue to be open for Private prayer on Friday’s and Saturday’s 12-3pm, and Sunday is from 1-3pm.

If you would like to attend our 11:15am service, you will have to book your seat online by clicking here or through the ‘my church-suite’ calendar function. We are only able to admit 75 people to keep to social distancing regulations and we are recommending that masks or face coverings are worn.

Readings:

Romans 8:26-39

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

1 Kings 3:5-12

Psalm 119:129-136

The Collect for this week.

Generous God,
you give us gifts and make them grow:
though our faith is small as mustard seed,
make it grow to your glory
and the flourishing of your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen.

July Prayer Diary

Daily prayer points throughout the month of July can be found here.