Following the announcements from the Prime Minister and his advisors last night, which encouraged us to refrain from all unnecessary social contact, we have taken the decision to suspend all normal church activities including Sunday Services for the time being.
This is not a decision we have taken lightly, as we know that as Christians we are encouraged to value meeting together. However, for the sake of the vulnerable members in our church community, and for the sake of the community at large, we feel that this is the most loving thing to do.
It also means that we have had to postpone or cancel some upcoming events such as The Men’s Curry Night (postponed for now) and the Mark Drama (rebooked for Easter 2021) and the Church Holiday (postponed for now).
We are beginning to put in place ways in which we will seek to operate going forwards. Here are some details:
Sunday Services
Following the success of our livestream last Sunday morning, we will either livestream a form of service or pre-record a form of service for this Sunday morning. We will aim to include aspects which are accessible to our children too.
After this Sunday, we will aim to provide a digital form of service at the normal times of 10.30am and 6.30pm. More details will be sent out about how to access these in due course.
Prayer
Replacing our normal bulletin will be a new Weekly Prayer-Bulletin. This will be emailed out like the E-Bulletin and we will send paper copies to those of us who don’t use email.
Growth Groups
As Growth Groups have also been suspended for the time being, we are exploring ways that groups can interact online, possibly using a platform such as Zoom. Your Growth Group Leaders will be in touch with more info soon. Staying connected to each other will be really important over the coming weeks.
The daytime group might find online communication more of a challenge, so we will try and come up with an alternative plan.
Pastoral Care
We will endeavour to maintain ways of caring for each other. For those of you who belong to a Growth Group, please make use of these to share prayer requests and needs as many of you do already.
For Church members who aren’t currently part of a Growth Group, we will be allocating you either to a growth group or to a Pastor, an Elder or a member of our Pastoral team who will maintain contact by telephone over the next few weeks.
We are also seeking to provide forms of contact and support for those connected to us through our various weekly groups such as Plus Point, Quilters and Tiddlers.
Practical Care
We are exploring the possibilities of forming a practical care team who might be able to supply food to people who are self isolating and have no family members or neighbours to turn to (both for those within the church family and for those in our local community). Again we will be in touch with more details soon both with how to volunteer if you would like to serve in this way, or with how to access this help.
Contact
Please make use of the Church Office phone number: 0208 642 5070 which we will try to keep answering during office hours if you have any questions or concerns over the coming days.
And if you are able, please keep an eye on the Church Website: www.cheambaptist.org for further updates.
We are also launching a blog which we will make use of in order to provide a regular flow of articles and resources to help us keep our eyes on Jesus during these uncertain days. It can be accessed at: https://nicbianchi.wixsite.com/cheambaptist
And finally,
I’m reading through Colossians chapter 1 at the moment – a verse a day - and today reached verse 22 (which leads into verse 23 as it is one long sentence). Paul there encourages us to continue in our faith, established and firm, and not to move from the hope held out in the gospel.
May that be true of us all over these coming weeks.
Yours in Christ,
Nigel
