Right from the beginning of the COVID 'lockdown' we were able to move the ministry of our church online. For over six months we have relied, in the beginning completely and latterly a little less, on the internet to gives us the means to carry on meeting. Even now, meeting as we are at our church building for Sunday morning services, we are still using Zoom for our other meetings. We are also livestreaming the morning service for those unable to attend in person.

I was reading a newspaper article entitled When comfort reading won't cut it: books to restore hope in humanity. Even the title of the article caught my eye, but these closing paragraphs struck me...

For many years I lived in rural East Anglia in a very small village, a hamlet I suppose, surrounded by the fields, meadows, trees and hedgerows of countryside and farmland. We were used to observing the passing of the seasons as we saw the colours and contents of the landscape changing during the course of a year. The empty brown fields would start to show a flush of green over the winter months and then would burst into life in spring as crops grew, trees would green up as leaves budded and grew...

As of today, we have a new set of rules for social distancing - notably the 'rule of six'. Listening to the various discussions, it is clear that clarity is lacking in the minds of many about where we are with guidelines! We are not helped by the differences between the four nations of the UK, nor by there being tighter local measures in some places, nor by the variety of requirements in different settings. I am sure most of us will make every effort to abide, some will not, but that is human nature.

All being well, I am pleased to say that this Wednesday from 6pm we shall be starting again our foodbank collection. Details can be found here of what is needed and how it will be used.