Opening
for Private Prayer?
It was recently
announced that churches in England could reopen for private prayer. The UK Government
issued guidelines about this, to come into effect from 13 June. These are here.
Local
churches are not obliged to reopen.
In the United Reformed Church we value highly our custom of gathering for
worship, and we have generally been less concerned to identify particular
places for private prayer.
Wherever we
are, we can pray. However, some congregations are used to opening their buildings
for private prayer, for members and for visitors and passers-by, and they may
be starting to think about reopening.
If this is a
move you want to make, here are some preparatory guidelines. Although these are
written with England in mind, they may also be helpful to our churches in
Scotland and Wales as they prepare for the easing of restrictions in their
respective nations. These ought to be read in conjunction with the Synod Moderators’ ‘New Normal’ document:
2) Many
people cannot visit church
at all at the moment, because of medical concerns. That might affect both the
value of reopening, if some members felt excluded, and the number of people who
could help with tasks such as door stewarding.
3) Further to the point above, some elders and ministers will be very
uncomfortable with reopening now, perhaps for reasons of personal health or out
of concern for others. We must not pressure one another, either
to consent to a decision to reopen at this stage or to participate personally
in the activity needed to reopen.
4) If
you do want to go ahead, remember that this is a local decision, but not
only a local decision. The Elders’ Meeting is responsible for practical
matters. But before going ahead, elders should check with the building’s trustees
(usually the Synod Trust Company). You must also check with insurers; the Trust
Company may be able to help with this.
5) What works in one place might not be
right elsewhere. Do a proper Risk Assessment, for your building
and context, and record this in the Elders’ minute book. Here is a Risk Assessment template, prepared on behalf of the Synod
Moderators.
Here is a worked
example of the template. If this was the way it came out in your local
church, you would decide not to open yet.
6) Churches must be Covid secure before opening even for
private prayer. Here is a sign you should display to
show that you have attended to this. Care will be needed around cleaning, staffing, stewarding and monitoring,
toilets, entrance and exit, and social distancing. This will not be easy.
7) Any
use of the building in this way should be genuinely individual –
not an organised gathering of church members who are ‘all, of course, praying
privately’.
8) Churches
with community facilities –a café, for example – should not
confuse opening for private prayer with a decision to open the café. These are
different matters, and a decision about one does not automatically decide the
other.
9) Wales and Scotland have governments and regulations of their own, and churches there
must follow their directions. Decisions about these matters by the Westminster
Government apply in England only.
10) It is also possible that
some areas or regions of England will have their own restrictions or concerns. We
must take public guidance seriously, both national and local.
URC Bookshop
The URC Bookshop now has some practical items in stock for when our
buildings reopen, www.urcshop.co.uk/coronavirus, with more
to follow.
Other URC resources
Free, downloadable and customisable resources will be added to the URC
website shortly, and you will be able to find links to them on our coronavirus advice page.
John Proctor, 12 June 2020
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