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Thursday 26th March 2020
In this first video, in a series of three, Rev. John Hookway invites us to look at the promises in God's word and how they impact us.
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 COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Update: Message from Rev John Hookway 25th March 2020 Dear Friends I pray that you are well in this unique time. We are all finding ourselves required to react to instructions from our leaders and it is no different for vicars! Even since Sunday’s live transmission from the church, the rules have changed; on Sunday I was supported in church by three people “behind the scenes”, as you may be aware, the Archbishops and Bishop’s have instructed us to close the church building until further notice and to transmit from home instead. Additionally, all of our office team are now working from home instead of gathering in the church centre. They are all active via their email in the usual way however. As we know the people of God are more than a building, we are a praying, living community, therefore, with so much information flying around, let me clarify how we are going to move forward. I am going to do two main transmissions each week: Thursdays at 1200, We will post a short pre recorded video each week concentrating on God’s promises. Sundays at 1000. Live stream. www.christchurchware.co.uk/live-stream We will initially follow the pattern from last week except it will be from my office and my support team will be “virtually” helping me! We were so delighted with the response to the transmission and the numbers who watched. Our approach is one of calmness in the storm, hopeful and secure in our God. As the situation moves forward, I may well arrange for other resources to be posted via our social media to help us maintain and develop our faith. In the meantime, may the Lord continue to grant you His peace. With my prayers John By now you may already be aware of today’s communication from the Archbishop’s of Canterbury and York announcing that “public worship will have to stop for a season. Our usual pattern of Sunday services and other mid-week gatherings must be put on hold”. Here at Christ Church, we have already been planning for various outcomes and – although sad - at least we can move forward with some sense of certainty.
Today, I am able to confirm that all upcoming church activities are postponed immediately. Further, whilst we intend to maintain and staff the church office as normal, we cannot receive visitors so please contact us by phone or preferably email initially. Be assured that we fully intend to provide ministry and support to our congregation and wider community. Starting on Sunday, I will be sharing a live stream from the church online. Exactly what that looks like is hard to define right now but we will be presenting God’s love and hope to you, albeit in a very new way! Why not tune in to find out more, look out for details before Sunday? Clear communication is going to be vital in these fast paced and changing circumstance that we find ourselves in. The team is busy preparing ways to share information and to continue to make the Good News of our Lord central in that. Expect an update from me before the end of the week – and regular ones from now on. What can we all do? Prayer is the first thing. We are also looking to keep in contact with our congregation with regular calls and support. The harsh reality is that several people in our congregation have already taken the decision to self isolate for an extended period. Out of sight is definitely not out of mind and we will love and support each other through this testing time. If you would like to be a part of this team making calls happen please email the office. Also, please do communicate this email to other members of the church who may not be connected or for whom we do not hold details. I will keep this note short today except to say that I believe that God uses every circumstance for good and we will see Him working in this time. Please look out for more information in the coming days and keep looking to the Lord. With love and prayers for you all John Dear friends
I am sure that you are well aware of the fast changing environment that we all find ourselves in as a result of the virus. I have been meeting with the Senior Leadership Team of Christ Church, and discussing how best to both respond to the official Church of England guidance and still serve our community. Fundamentally, the message is “Services are continuing” with some small, sensible modifications. For example, we will stop serving refreshments after church, will only provide bread at communion and are discouraging handshakes and hugs. So, as I write, the timetable of events for church is unaltered. More than ever, the call for us is to display hope and care, rooted in our faith in Jesus. God has always called us to love Him and our neighbour as ourselves. For centuries, the people of Jesus have risen in faith to respond to plagues, persecution, political upheaval and national unrest and this is another opportunity to do just that. Naturally, we are taking all practical steps to ensure our services are as safe as possible. We have increased our cleaning around the church building, ensuring that handles and other highly touched surface areas are sanitised regularly. Will we need to respond and adapt in the days and weeks ahead? Certainly; and be assured that we are thinking about a range of options including the possibility of livestreaming from next Sunday 22nd. In the meantime, all our sermons are recorded and are on the website. Communication is going to be key as we monitor the situation, and follow the advice we are given. We will keep you updated on all our social media channels, communication emails, and our website. Whilst we love meeting together as one big family, if you are unwell in any way, please stay at home to prevent spreading the disease to others. Challenging times demand a response and we can be praying for and loving our neighbours. We can be sharing hope rather than spreading fear. We can pray for our leaders, our government, and our health care professionals. Most of all we can trust God during the uncertainty we are currently facing. We will continue to move in faith, hope, and love as we navigate the days ahead together. With much love, John
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