UPDATES AND USEFUL
INFORMATION (1st July 2020)
Dear All
From Saturday the government regulations about
the use of church buildings will change.
The Synod Moderators have produced some
guidelines, “Emerging into the ‘new normal’.” – which is on the URC website,
here
(This is also posted on the Synod’s coronavirus
blog - https://urceasternsynod.blogspot.com/2020/06/emerging-into-new-normal.html
)
This updates, and so replaces the earlier
document “Ready for the ‘New Normal’’”. It is a 28 page document, which may
seem a little daunting, but there is a great deal of useful information in
there for all churches and for all of us, however we are feeling.
The vital thing to remember is that the
coronavirus has not gone away, but that as the number of people infected has
fallen, we are able to think about responding in a new way.
As you think about changing, again, what you
do as a church you may be feeling many things. Some of us will be feeling…
Despair: ‘we
just can’t cope. It may be time to close our church altogether’.
Take time to ask for
God’s guidance, and don’t struggle alone, ask the Synod team (in the first
instance, the Moderator, the Mission and Training Officer, or the Children’s
and Youth Development Officer) for help with the questions you face.
Pain: ‘we have been
through so much heartache in the last few months’.
Take time to talk
together about what has happened and what you might do in the future, but don’t
rush into action straight away. Seek the support you need.
Overwhelmed: ‘there
is just is much guidance to read and so much to do as a result’.
Take time to learn
about the new guidance, and don’t feel you have to do everything at once. Seek
support to help you.
Unsure: ‘what
changes can we make, safely? How quickly should we respond?’
Take time to ‘stage’
any re-opening of the building for essential mission, other users, and worship.
Steadfast: ‘now
is not the time to be re-opening our building’
Take time to
communicate your decisions to people inside and outside the church. Review this
decision when there are any changes.
Rejoicing ‘at
last we can re-open the building’.
Take time to assess
the risks and make sure you have put wise measures in place to minimise risk.
Learn from the new ways you have worked during the Covid crisis.
As you read through these you may recognise
where you are, or where other members of your local church or Eldership are.
You may also realise that almost everyone is advised ‘take your time, seek
further information, seek help’. We need to discern, together, with prayer, the
wisest thing to do in response to this difficult situation.
So what is in the “Emerging into the new
normal” document? (Page numbers refer
to the version on the denomination’s website.)
If you are looking for Then
turn to
A reminder of the situation Introduction (p2)
First thoughts Summary
(p5) & Surveying the landscape (p6)
What
is the ‘new normal’ for you? (p19-23)
Next steps Preparing
to step out from lockdown (p7-11)
Specific help Contents
(p3&4)
Preparing
the buildings for resumption (p 12)
Using
our buildings safely (p13-18)
Making choices about
returning to activities in
buildings
(p25-27)
Remember – the Synod staff are here to help
you at all stages. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.
As Moderator, I most look forward to a time
when I can once again meet you all face to face, but in the meantime can be
contacted by email, zoom or phone.
I am reminded of the words of the covenant
Jacob and his father-in law make (in Genesis 31: 49): “May the Lord watch
between you and me when we are absent one from another”.
PAUL
RE-OPENING A PLACE WORSHIP
If/when you are thinking
of re-opening, please check the latest government advice –
Please remember that just because we can
open that we should. I know that a lot of churches are delaying re-opening.
The main thing is that you MUST complete
a risk assessment. The one recommended by the URC is found at
(pdf
version)
(excel
version)
The
other thing to note is that shielding people should not attend worship until at
least the beginning of August and extremely vulnerable people are discouraged
from doing so. You should not, for the time being, invite people in high risk
categories to lead worship or undertake other duties.
The
denomination has provided a simple personal risk assessment to assist in considering
this. It is at - https://urc.org.uk/images/Communications/docs/Personal_Risk_Assessment.pdf
Everyone
needs to take care. Those who score under 3 are low risk, 3, 4 and 5 are medium
risk, 6 or over is high risk. I (Paul) score 4, so I need to take note of that.
I realise
much of this is daunting, and can even seem negative, but the church has a
responsibility to model good practice, and we do not want to risk becoming
centres of transmission. And, surely we don’t believe that the light of Christ
is restricted by our needing to comply with these things for the moment.
Here is a summary of
some of the key points that should be in place (and note this also applies to
church grounds):
1) You should identify
the capacity of the room/sanctuary when complying with social distancing –
note: any weddings or funerals are limited to 30 people, regardless of the size
of the room.
2) You should identify
a ‘venue manager(s)’ to guide people and give information.
3) You should inform people of safety and hygiene measures ahead of time. Ask them to bring their own tissues, masks, gloves.
4) You should vlean toilets: provide signs,
liquid soap paper towels or hand dryers, open windows, provide waste bins
5) You should make premises Covid-19 safe –
have door handles, lift button, stair rails and toilets cleaned before worship
and any surfaces to be used washed.
6) You should consider signage and floor
markings.
7) You should remove any soft furnishings or
toys.
8) You should place or mark seats (not using
those of soft fabric) 2 metres apart except for people in the same household or
in a support bubble.
9) You should try to improve ventilation –
perhaps fix doors open
10) If at all possible, you should have a
one-way system, so that people do not enter and exit by the same door.
11) If people may arrive together, there
should be a queuing system.
12) Ideally people should wash their hands on
arrival and departure.
13) You should provide hand sanitizers at
various places.
14) You should not use service sheets or hymn
books or Bibles.
15) If celebrating you need to think carefully
how this can be done – please see the advice.
16) There must be no singing.
17) You should discourage giving by cash.
18) People should be encouraged to move on
promptly after the service to minimise risk of contact and spread of infection.
COMPLETING A RISK
ASSESSMENT
Risk
Assessments for Reopening: as
stated above, Ministers, Elders and Stewards begin to consider reopening
buildings it is essential that a risk assessment is carried out.
It is important to do this soon, even if you have already decided not to reopen
for a while, so that you can begin to think through what will need to be done
and who will do it. The URC has produced a risk assessment document and
Paul and Lindsey are offering a session next week to support anyone with help
in working through it. The session will be on Tuesday 7th July
at 10am, via Zoom. Please email Lindsey at training@urceastern.org.uk if you
would like a link to join the session.
It
would be helpful if you had printed out a copy if participating. As stated above, the links to do so are:
(pdf version)
(excel version)
YOU TUBE RESOURCES
Please check the Synod YouTube channel
for useful resouces –
You will find the Worship Roadshows plus All-Age
Resources and Under Fives Story Times from Nicola.
LOCKDOWN PHOTOS
What some have been saying about themselves
and the gospel – more next week!
North Avenue, Chelmsford
Dovercourt – for Easter Day
Ipswich Road, Norwich
ALL-AGE RESOURCES FOR THIS SUNDAY (5th
July)
Families at home - Come to me …
Story time
for the under 5’s Calming the storm
A gathering
prayer
As we gather
in your name, Lord,
we bring you all our worries,
all our fears
and all the things that make us sad.
Help us to find our peace in you.
Amen.
we bring you all our worries,
all our fears
and all the things that make us sad.
Help us to find our peace in you.
Amen.
Reading
watching and listening together.
Matthew
11:16-19,25-30
demon also described as an evil spirit; spiritual
forces that trouble people – sometimes this might be interpreted as mental
illness;
sinners people who are not living life as God
intends;
yoke a curved piece of wood put across the neck of
an animal pulling a plough or cart, and so a burden to be carried.
Come to me
Matthew 11:28 - A reflection with Nicola
Singing together
Cast our cares on the lord – Seeds family worship
Praying
together
A quiet place
In a quiet corner
build a cushion fort. Pile up as many cushions as you can find and make an area
you can sink into or hide behind. Add a
blanket that you can snuggle under. This
will be a great place to talk to and listen to God. If you have a candle and a
cross you can add those to your quiet safe place. Lie down and just rest quietly knowing that
God is close to you and you can give your cares and worries to God.
A prayer to say together
God the burden-bearer
we thank you for your promise of rest.
Today, we think of those
who are struggling at this time.
We particularly pray for…
and ask you to lift their burdens
and give them rest.
Amen.
we thank you for your promise of rest.
Today, we think of those
who are struggling at this time.
We particularly pray for…
and ask you to lift their burdens
and give them rest.
Amen.
Creating together
Hearts
Using a paper plate cut out a heart shape in the centre. Using paints, stickers or collage decorate
the heart. Add different colours to
think about the different burdens (worries) you have been thinking about.
When completed hang the hearts in a window and as you look through the
heart pray for the people in your community who may be feeling burdened.
Playing together
Hop and help!
Play a game
about sharing the burden
You will
need: a large sheet of newspaper
or paper for each person taking part.
Working
together in pairs with a sheet of newspaper or paper each, try to cross the
room or the garden by only standing on the paper. No touching the floor or tearing the paper!
See how
far you can get. If you need help, try
both standing on one sheet of newspaper and step across, one at a time, to the
next piece, moving the newspaper as you go.
CELEBRATING CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE URC
Children’s
and Youth Work Committee and URC Youth invite you to Let’s
celebrate: children and young people in the URC Wednesday 15th
July 7-8pm
Come
and share in an uplifting hour focussing on all that has been happening with
0-25s, thanking God and praying for the next steps.
This
is a General Assembly online fringe event open to everyone – please secure your
free place by booking here.
MYSTERY MONEY
The Synod bank account has been credited with £200.66 for each of the
last three months. It is marked as from ‘United Reformed Church’ and the bank
can’t tell us more because of data protection. If you think it might be from
your church, can you check with your treasurer and, if it is, let us know so
that we can make sure it is allocated to the right place. Please contact the
Finance Officer, David Smith at finance@urceastern.org.uk
or the Moderator.
RETREATS
AT SHELDON
(The
Society of Mary and Martha): this retreat centre and ministerial support hub
was recently recommended to me (Lindsey); their focus is on the self-care of ministers,
acknowledging the continual need to deal with the conflicting tensions of
ministry: “Like Martha we need to be
activists. Like Mary we need to be contemplative. And like Lazarus we need to
know our own needs and limits.” The community, near Exeter, is open for a range
of retreats (both private and guided) with careful distancing measures in
place, https://www.sheldon.uk.com/.
THANKS
In these days we are sharing many things, and helping each other out with
advice and sharing experience. Lindsey and Nicola share with me in preparing this
weekly emailing, but many others contribute in a range of ways. This week, I
just want to especially acknowledge that, though I have very readily put my
name to it, the words around our current experience largely came, in the first
instance, from Ruth Whitehead; and the work on summarising government advice
was initially done by Catherine Ball. I am grateful to both for permission to
use and adapt their work.
URC ADVICE
Just
a reminder that the coronavirus advice page on the URC website is being updated
with resources and advice on a daily basis:
Finally,
just a reminder from Lindsey, Nicola and myself that we are still there for you
and, if there is anything you think we might offer, or you just want a chat, then
do contact us:
Our prayers and our best
wishes,
A PRAYER FROM THE SYNOD MODERATOR
Lord, how can
we sing your song in these strange times?
Hear us, as we
weep over the struggles and difficulties of these days.
Bless
especially those who feel particularly isolated,
and those
facing significant health issues, whether covid related or not.
Help your
church to shine with your light, whether by YouTube, by Zoom,
or as we begin,
in some places, to meet together.
Help us not to
leave behind others who are not able to do what we can
in our enthusiasm
to establish the ‘new normal’.
Above all, may
your light and love shine through us.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen
STAY SAFE AND KEEP WELL! GOD BLESS! PAUL
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