COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Update 14th March 2020

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