Words from Bede Circuit

Dear friends,

Hope this letter finds you well.

Masks? Yes or No. Opening Churches? Yes or No. Slimming clubs using our buildings? Yes or No? Hugging? Singing? Meeting for coffee? No.

If you are like me it is and continues to be difficult getting your head around all the guidelines from government, church, hearing other people’s interpretations of these. What is it we can do and what is it we can’t ?

At our weekly staff meeting held on Tuesday morning we discussed the information we have received from you about reopening. The range of viewpoints made goes from opening tomorrow to opening next year. Alongside this we have also read the guidelines offered by the Methodist Church which are available on the Methodist Church website.

So what is the way ahead for the Bede Circuit?

The decisions for reopening for private prayer, worship, room hire, are to be made by the local managing trustees. How can we make these decisions when we can’t meet? This has to be done either via, Zoom, Email or letter giving everyone an opportunity to respond.

The decisions are to be based upon a thorough risk assessment carried out by property steward/ stewards/ minister. A separate risk assessment will be required for each different event i.e. private prayer, worship, and room hire. These events will highlight different risks.

Alongside the risk assessments we are encouraged also to ask questions about our mission. From August 1st a document called `Mission Planning Workbook’ will be available on the Methodist Church website. www.methodist.org.uk.

Within the guidelines for reopening buildings, the document states `Reopening our church buildings is a significant decision by Managing Trustees, and should not be taken lightly. It needs to be well planned – both before opening and then kept under review once the building is in use – and should be undertaken in the light of the church mission plan.’

Over the next few weeks this work will be carried out in all the churches and based on the results of this work will determine what plans then can be put in place for starting some events in our church buildings. Certainly we have no dates as yet to resume planned Sunday worship.

This week another document appeared in my in box from the Faith and Order Committee of the Methodist Church who have done some work on worship and particularly on Holy Communion. Within the document it refers to Psalm 137 and the words ` How could we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?’

The report then says the following-
`When the people of God were exiled to Babylon, their grief at the loss of Zion was grief for the loss of the Temple. The Temple was the place which acted as the supreme symbol of God’s presence with them, where God’s name dwelt, a true presence. The Temple was the place where sacrifice could be made, in celebration but also in penitence for sin; this was the means God had ordained for the experience of forgiveness and renewal, an ordinance of grace. To live without it was devastating. Yet when the prophet Jeremiah wrote to the people in exile, he did not offer them an alternative Temple but told them to disregard competing claimants to provide God’s presence; he urged them to settle down, “to seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you”, to remain faithful until they experienced again God’s blessing. It was perhaps in this period that the people discovered the riches of sabbath observance and of corporate prayer as new ways of encountering God. It was while away from the Temple that they also discovered a new vision of what the Temple could be and stand for.’

What are the new ways for us to encounter the Living God?

In the mean time we will continue to worship together on Zoom, Bible Study ( for next week), Morning Prayer, WhyPay, and using the worship materials published by the Methodist Church for use at home. We continue to hold each other in prayer, to walk alongside those who are in pain and who struggle, to listen to the voice of God.

With love

Jane

On behalf of the Circuit Staff Team