17th January 2021
As we have said before, the church is not a building…we managed the Gift Service but chose
not to hold all the other planned Christmas Services in the church. Through the wonders of the
Internet, we were able to come together for Carols, the Christmas Eve Communion, Christmas
Day and the Watchnight Service. These were lovely services and we should all be grateful to
Derrick for the work which went into preparing and delivering them. The children’s gifts were
given to the Women’s Refuge who were delighted with them. The volunteers who staff The Link
were equally grateful. We gave them around 40 pairs of socks plus some scarves, gloves and
hats. Thank you for your generosity.
The Minister and Officers made the decision not to re-open the building even when we were
allowed to. This decision was justified when all the Synod Moderators wrote to churches strongly
advising them not to open the church. To summarise what they said – ‘Just because you can,
it doesn’t mean you should!’ The safety of the congregation comes first.
Fellowship News
Sadly, since our last newsletter, a number of our members have been unwell, and some of our
families are having to cope with the loss of loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers are with Vida
and her family and Cherry and her family, as they come to terms with the loss of Wilfred and
Michael respectively. Please pray for Dingile’s husband Elias, who is in St George’s hospital. We
are pleased that Kate G, Janet and Celia are all recovering from their different ailments.
Staying safe and keeping well – advice from our A&E consultant
As we’re sure you all know, Jacob is an A&E Consultant who has direct experience of the impact
of Covid-19. Jacob spoke to everyone during the service on 10th January. He stressed that we
should be under no illusions. This virus is very real and awful to contract. The pandemic is not a
myth. He strongly recommends that everyone has the vaccine when invited.
Induction of Elders
As you will remember, at the November Church Meeting, we elected Hilary Martin and Patrick
Afful to serve as Elders for four years from January 1st 2021. They were inducted at the service
on 10th January held via Zoom. At the same service the Church Officers and the existing serving
Elders were re-dedicated. Thank you to everyone who is prepared to serve the church in this
way.
Church re-development
Our architects are continuing to work on the detailed drawings for our new building. We are
continuing to work with Pocket Living on all that needs to be done to obtain planning permission.
As soon as we have more information on this, we will report back to you.
Keep well and stay safe
Let us continue to trust the Lord under whose care we dwell in safety; He will lead us
and make his way plain before our face. (Psalm 5 verse 8)
