7 May 2020

Hello everyone,

Despite still being in a lockdown situation there are a number of events to draw to your attention to this week. Firstly Sunday May 10th is the beginning of Christian Aid Week, however there will be no red envelopes being dropped through the door this year.

Minster Praise has over the past 5 years always had a coffee and cake session after the Praise service to raise funds for this very important charity. Perhaps we should do this again as soon as we are back in action. This is a small part of the Minster’s giving to help others.

So what are Christian Aid doing this year? Their Coronavirus Emergency Appeal is looking for people to donate via their website – www.christianaid.org.uk – they also have an imaginative e Envelope scheme to help raise some of the shortfall caused by the lack of public collections.

Take their work in Myanmar, for example. The former state of Burma – known to many service people for its place in the Second World War – is in particular danger because of poor access to healthcare and has around 300,000 people who have been forced from home and are living in camps. With their local partners, Christian Aid are providing soap and food rations to over 15,000 people living in villages currently in quarantine.  They are supporting the training of community groups to produce personal protective and medical equipment. They are running public health campaigns focusing on hand washing and physical distancing.  While these are a few examples of their work in Myanmar, they are active in dozens of other countries in the world, where the poor and dispossessed are at great risk as the pandemic spreads.  We hope that in this extraordinary year, Christian Aid will be able to continue its priceless contribution to the wider welfare of the people of the world

Another important event this weekend is remembering VE Day, an act of Remembrance is taking place on Friday 8th on social media from 2.40p.m. until 3.00p.m. Social media users will find the service by searching for: ‘A Commemorative VE Day 75 Celebration for the Residents of the East Riding and Hull’. Bishop Alison will be joining with the Lord Lieutenant, the High Sheriff, the Lord Mayor and others to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

On hullminster.org/vesundayservice you will find details of a 20 minute service the Minster is offering that is on Sunday from 4pm for the Veterans community and in memory of those whose family members were part of those difficult years 1939-1945. We would have been hosting such a service in the Minster on Sunday 10th May.

As I write this letter we are still awaiting the arrival of Baby Hutson (Alasdair and Amy’s baby), now overdue by several days. I hope that we can give you all the details next week and rejoice with them on the safe arrival of their daughter.

It is always good to celebrate the lives of young ones but also those not quite so young as this week Olga Clayton has celebrated her 90th birthday. Many of you will know and love Olga, energetic, always smiling and a real zest for life. Olga has served the Minster for many years and continues to do so. It is Olga that sends Anniversary of Baptism cards to all children baptised at the Minster each year until they reach school age.

I am delighted that Olga has written a few words for us on her memories of VE Day, do take the opportunity to read:

People today are recalling the joy and relief of seventy five years ago. There had been so much heartbreak, devastation and cruelty, but oh the relief when we heard the war in Europe was over. It does not seem so very long ago, when the newspapers and wireless were full of it. Few people had telephones.

On the 7th May 1945 we knew the declaration was coming the next day – the 8th May.

I was a 15 year old at school in Wakefield at the time but when peace was declared I left my homework to join in the dancing and singing down Wood Street, the main street in town – who or what you were was not important, we joined hands and danced for joy.

Yes there were wounded soldiers in blue suits from the local hospital, yes there were widows and orphans, there were people in the country who had lost their homes, people who were injured during the air raids, but just for that day we were so happy. Much of our world had been spoiled, but we all joined hands for peace.

No more blackout, no more sirens, shelters or bombs – the bells rang out again!

Tomorrow we had a new day, a new challenge to mend what had been broken as we tried to pick up the pieces of our lives and start again. So once again we are confronted by the uncertainty of the devastation we see in lives around us and yet again, shining through the darkness we see joy, love, kindness and hope in so many different ways.

 After the Manchester bombing Archbishop Sentamu wrote: The love we witness stands in stark opposition to the veil that was sent to taunt us. In the midst of brokenness of our world we have seen the triumph of love as we do now”.

We are continuing to offer worship on a Sunday morning at 10a.m. on the website and social media platforms. Please note that if you cannot log into this at that time the service continues to be available on hullminster.org/sunday-services

Little Fishes continues at 10a.m. on Friday and Minster Conversations at 6:30p.m. on Sunday.

For those who are missing Bible Studies there is material on the website to help encourage and develop your studies, at hullminster.org/teaching

We mentioned in last week’s Lifeline that a number of our staff at the Minster had been invited to join the Government’s Job Retention Scheme, or furloughing.  At the most recent meeting of our PCC Standing Committee we asked Alasdair Hutson, Mandy Richardson, Jonny Bottomley, Tom White and Jane Owen to join the scheme which involves the Government paying 80% of their normal wages.  Each have accepted the invitation and this means that there are now only two members of the church staff formally active in their current employment; they are Dan Broom (full time) and Mark Keith (part time).  The Standing Committee are gathering regularly by video-link and each time we meet there will be a review and reassessment of the needs of the church.  Furloughing is a way of sustaining the life of the church in these very taxing times; our staff have been fantastic in their response to this and many other challenges facing us at the moment. As we thank God for each and all of them please keep the whole staff team in your prayers.

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Last night was the Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards ran by the local tourism board VHEY and Hull Minster was shortlisted for the Remarkable Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award. Sadly we didn't win on this occasion as the award went to Broadgate Farm Cottages, and by what was displayed on their entry video, it was a well deserved win.

We hope that you are managing to keep busy during this difficult time and that you are able to reach some of your church friends by telephone, social media or maybe even writing letters. We hope that it will not be too long before we see slight changes in the lockdown procedure but in the mean time we must adhere to the advice given.

Stay safe and keep well. Love and prayers,

Rev Irene Wilson, Associate Vicar