21 May 2020

At this time of year activities and seasons change at an increasing rate. Are we still in the Spring or have we now started Summer? We’ve just celebrated the third anniversary of Minster Making and one of its great architects the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, is retiring. Ascension is opening the door into Pentecost and we are anticipating the (re)birth of the church.

And we can think of that rebirth in all kinds of ways in the present circumstances. There is some anticipation that the third phase of the easing of Coronavirus restrictions – due to begin at the start of July – will allow the re-opening of churches and other more publicly-accessible premises. My instinct at the moment is that we will have to “wait and see” what this means – the tentative steps being taken may have to be slowed or restrictions re-imposed if the infection rate rises again. What level of opening will be possible, and even whether that will include public worship, is still uncertain. What I can say is that the hugely committed team of volunteers (including our very hard working Churchwardens Iain and Robin) and our small staff team are working away to get us ready for whatever comes our way. Meanwhile our on-line presence continues to develop, and this is likely to be a significant part of our Minster life for the future.

Returning to one of those changes mentioned earlier, Hull Minster is losing a valued counsellor and unstinting supporter in the retiring Archbishop Sentamu. We are particularly thankful that he was with us in the Minster for the Friday evening of the Northern Bishops Mission to the Diocese – and that was barely a week before all services of public worship ceased. He and his wife Margaret have prayed for us, been available to come to us and of course it was the Archbishop’s initiative to make Holy Trinity a Minster. If you have particular memories or stories of Archbishop Sentamu’s visits can you let us have them – perhaps up to 50 words – and we can include some in next week’s Lifeline and if you have a digital photograph that would be great too. We will be compiling a joint message for the Archbishop and sending a gift in thanksgiving for his remarkable ministry so all your stories will be distilled into that tribute. The Sentamus’ final day in the Diocese is June 7th so the deadline is Monday 1st June please. Please send your remembrances to office@hullminster.org or by post to me at the Parish Office, address at the bottom of this week’s Lifeline.

Please do find by your regular email link from the Minster, or on the website – hullminster.org or even coming through your post box, the first four of our daily Finding Firm Ground prayer and pause reflections to prepare our hearts for Pentecost, the great birthday of the Christian Church. And look out for the final four coming your way at the beginning of next week. We are grateful for the thought and prayer of all of our contributors to Finding Firm Ground.

We have had a number of questions about our financial giving. During our regular worship service which goes out at 10.00am each Sunday (and then is available at any time on hullminster.org/churchathome) we mention how we can give on-line by a secure route. However we know that not all people are comfortable with that, so regular and one-off giving by other means is possible by another route. An email to office@hullminster.org asking us to contact you about this will activate our confidential collection system; if you don’t have email, a phone message on 01482 224460 with your contact details will be followed up too. We have been impressed by the ingenious ways people have been employing to keep us their discipline of weekly giving and thankful to God for so much generosity.

We hope you will make use of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s free national phoneline as a simple way to bring worship and prayer into our homes any time of the day or night. Daily Hope can be found on 0800 804 8044.

Finally this week, a remarkable and regular member of our 11.15am congregation is celebrating her 99th birthday this weekend – yes, can you believe that Maisie Weightman is one year off her hundredth? I have loved chatting to her on the door at the end of the service as she awaits her faithful drivers to take her home. Don’t forget to sing Happy Birthday to cheer her along on Sunday morning… if you can’t wait until Sunday, watch the choir sing by clicking on her picture!

We were very sorry to hear that Neal Barnes's father, John died earlier this week. Neal's mother Muriel is also quite frail. Can we keep Neal and Stella, Sarah and Rachel in our prayers.

A verse from an Ascension Hymn ends these notes this week – and you can hear it sung on our music page – Isaac Watts’ Jesus shall reign.

Blessings abound where’er he reigns:

the prisoners leap to lose their chains;

the weary find eternal rest,

and all the humble poor are blest.

With warmest greetings in our ascended Lord and King.