Your August Update

Your August Update

Here’s what’s new at St Cuthbert’s in the summer season.

Worship in August

This month we will have one service each week at 10am. The service will feel a little different from what we have become used to – a little more informal, with music from the bands rather than organ and choir.

Singing

Talking of music, we are now able to sing again in church! The guidance does remind us that singing indoors in a poorly ventilated space is a transmission risk, so when possible we will have the doors open to let fresh air flow through.

The Peace

The introverts among us have had a lengthy break from being hugged, but now we can reinstate the peace as a time to greet each other in a tactile way. But – let’s be gentle with each other, and agree beforehand to respect others’ wishes.

The same goes with wearing masks – some people might prefer to keep their mask on, and not want others coming into their personal space, so please can we allow each other to travel at whatever pace we feel comfortable with.

The hand sanitiser will remain, and we will keep on doing communion in the same way at least for a while longer.

Refreshments

If the weather is fine, we will probably serve tea and coffee outside. This won’t work every week (it didn’t last week!) but when it does, let’s enjoy the sunshine and the freedom to socialise as safely as possible. But if the weather’s wet, then coffee in the hall, with windows and doors open for fresh air, will be the order of the day.

The PCC will review the situation as time goes on, and devote much of their October meeting to a thorough examination of the future of our worship pattern.

Church roof

We cordoned off the rear of the car park after a tile fell from the roof, so please take great care when entering or leaving the church via the back door, and avoid parking your car at the rear end of the car park. If the car park is full on Sunday – you’re welcome to park in the vicarage driveway – there’s room for at least 4 extra cars.

We feel that fixing the roof is now urgent, so The PCC took the big decision to release some money that we’ve been keeping to employ a children & families worker in order to get the work done more quickly. But I hope that this doesn’t mean that we will lose the vision of employing some extra to help take the work of our church forward. We know that the pandemic has had a huge impact on people’s mental health, particularly young people, and I have had the idea of seeking to employ a Covid recovery worker. I’ve been informed that there is grant money available for the voluntary sector to start projects such as this, so I’m working on a proposal which the PCC will consider in due course. I can’t give you much detail yet – the idea is in its very early stages, but I cherish the hope that we might have a repaired roof and a new worker by the end of 2022.

Be Kind

We have different feelings and attitudes to the restrictions placed on our lives as a result of Covid. Some of us think the whole thing has been an over-reaction, others are concerned that we are being reckless in removing all restrictions.

What I think we all agree on is that we are all members of one body in the church, and we are called by God to love and care for one another. If one rejoices, we all rejoice. If one suffers, we all suffer. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)

Please remember to be gentle with each other, try not to insist on having things the way you like them, but look out for the interests of others. Let’s treat the next few months as an experimental period. Let’s test our strength, like a convalescent patient working out what they can and cannot do, as their health returns. God willing, we will recover our strength and go on from here into a bright future, in which we welcome many more people to join us in discovering God’s love for themselves.

And finally …

Stephen Brent, Karen Griffiths, Debbie Elsden, Sam Baker, Sandra Maniez and I have been working for a while on this new website. It’s still a work in progress, but a welcome improvement on our old site which was looking dated. So check it out thoroughly, and tell us what you think!

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