Has a spirit of mission and awareness of God been set free by the closing of our church buildings?

As various lockdown restrictions are eased there are increasing conversations around when and how we can open church buildings safely and what we may be able to do in the buildings in the light of various new risk assessments and safety checks now required.

I long for our churches to open for quiet reflection and I really miss being able to gather for worship, community events and celebrations. However, I realise that I don’t want us to just go back to how it was before lockdown. I believe that a new spirit of mission and awareness of God has been set free by the closing of our church buildings and this is something worth holding onto.

So in the coming weeks and months my hope is that the Church will hold on to some of the lessons we have been forced to learn. We have discovered new ways of worshipping God through online services with contributions from people sharing from their homes and outside in God’s amazing creation.

Space and time for reflective walks in the countryside, painting, poetry, music and encountering the rich stories and teaching found in the Bible have been a gift for many people who are finding themselves encountering God’s love in new places and ways.

We are learning that we can make the changes needed to care for the environment. New opportunities to volunteer and deepen local friendships have arisen in lockdown. New people have connected with God and the church in all sorts of ways. Our communications have improved and the churches I am part of are now investing in sending out a weekly newsletter to 500 people – 180 of whom receive this by post as they are not able to access an email account!

We now share daily prayer podcasts and a thought for the day with those interested. We have a new Wellington Team Churches Facebook Page and Wellington Team Churches YouTube account. We have set up new groups of people to regularly phone one another and pick up prescriptions, shopping and help in their local communities in all sorts of ways. We are even learning to pray over the phone and in Zoom meetings!

So as conversations about the opening of church buildings begin I pray we can hold on to the many new ways of worshipping, serving and encountering God that have been set free in lockdown that are worth treasuring.

Loving God

Whatever the future holds help us to encounter you in our homes, our hearts, our countryside and relationships. Help us discover Your Holy Spirit a work in small acts of kindness, those standing up for justice and through people making sacrifices to care for the environment and keep others safe. Inspire us to share hope and joy in our communities in Jesus’ name.

Amen

Rev Selina Garner