11 September 2020

Rev. Dominic writes:

Minster Life after Covid:

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:1–6

These are difficult times! I do not know about you, but I am getting tired of Covid restrictions, social distancing, face coverings, not singing etc! During lockdown it wasn’t pleasant but it was simple, stay at home unless really necessary, now it is really complicated each week before church I need to check was is the latest thing we should or should not be doing. Thankfully the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, who in her previous career was Chief Nursing Officer, is now heading up the recovery group for the Church of England negotiating with government what is and is not permissible and we are beginning very slowly to open up the Minster again.

Unlike many other churches, as so much of our income at the Minster has in recent years relied in trading through the shop, café and events, we have been hit financially very hard. Before lockdown the Minster was already in financial difficulty as we were employing far more people than we could reasonably sustain with the income we were bringing in. Thanks to the government Furlough scheme the blow has been softened but we are still a long way from opening and are still heading for a serious deficit. Sadly, the seriousness of the situation has meant that most of the staff roles have had to have been made redundant. A re-adjustment of staffing was coming but the crisis has accelerated the situation. In the next couple of weeks after the PCC has had time to prayerfully consider we will share with you our future staffing plans.

Please pray for all those, many of which may be personal friends, whose posts are being made redundant and for the PCC as we prayerfully consider our future staffing needs. We are deeply grateful to the tremendous contribution many of the people who are affected have made to the life and ministry of the Minster and they remain our friends and fellow pilgrims.

As a Minster church we remain fully committed to a broad menu of different styles of worship from the quiet and contemplative to the loud and energetic, traditional and contemporary. The necessity of having to do a deep clean or allowing 72 hours between services has meant that since we reopened for worship, we have only been able to have one service on a Sunday which necessarily has been blended. We have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have returned to Worship or joined us for the first time in the last few weeks. Though congregational singing is not permitted we have been allowed one person to sing at a time and have tried to include a menu of both traditional and contemporary music as part of this service. From this Sunday we will be allowed a small group of people singing so will be able to expand our musical offering. We have also continued to offer online worship at 10am and intend to offer this long term for those who are unable due to frailty, sickness, shift work or whatever other reason are not able to attend physically. Though numbers joining us online have gradually fallen, as restrictions have been relaxed, we know that it has been a lifeline for many.

These are difficult times for all of us, and for some, including those at the Minster and elsewhere whose jobs have gone, more difficult than others but like any crisis it is also a time of change and opportunity, please pray for the future of our ministry as a Minster to this great city that needs more than anything the message of good news.

Rev Irene concludes:

OPENING TIMES FOR PERSONAL PRAYER AND VISITORS

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 12–3 pm

*Please note: Saturday 12th September The Minster will be closed for a wedding.*

On Sunday there will be an online service at 10am and a live service in the Minster at 11:15 am. If you would like to be in the Minster for the service at 11:15 please book a place on-line here or by telephoning the office on 01482 224460.

Dan adds: Will you consider setting your alarm for 11:02 each day?! Jesus teaches on prayer in the Bible in Luke 11:2, and we would love for you to continue praying for our Alpha course which began at 7pm on the 8th September. Several people attended our first session and a fun and relaxed time was had by all. Please set those alarms!

And, if you or anyone you know would like to explore the Christian faith more then you can book onto the Alpha course here.

Readings:

The Collect for this week.

Almighty God,

whose only Son has opened for us

a new and living way into your presence:

give us pure hearts and steadfast wills

to worship you in spirit and in truth;