Dear Friends,
As we are gradually and carefully being released from the restrictions that Covid has placed upon us, it has been interesting to talk to people who have found this whole period very testing. There have been those who could not wait to get out and about again, and also those who want to get out and about, but are not quite brave enough to do so. And there are some who simply do not want to go out at all. There is still much fear of the virus, and we know that there can be pockets of infection in unexpected places. So, it is that we still all need to be very careful as we try to pick up the pieces of our lives. Indeed, it has been so long since anything has been ‘normal’, that many are wondering what normality is.
In the church too, we are still taking great care. It was lovely to have a baptism in Holy Trinity last Sunday, with a most perfect baby, but some people remarked that I did not hold baby Alex and nor did I take him round the church, and that they had missed that. At the moment that is not possible, although I very much hope it will be possible within the not too distant future.
However, it is now possible to come to church and worship together as there is no cap on numbers and we can accommodate as many as the building can safely seat. We cannot yet sing, although I hope it will not be too long before we can. But we can worship together, and that makes a huge difference as we encourage each other in fellowship and faith.
One of the world’s foremost authorities on the subject of revival and reawakening was Dr. J Edwin Orr. In the early 1970s when Dr. Orr was presenting a series of lectures on revival at Columbia Bible College, a student approached him.
‘Dr, Orr’, he said, ‘Besides praying for revival to occur, what can I do to help bring it about?’ Without a moment’s pause, Dr. Orr replied, “you can let it begin with you’.
As we pray and work for the future of our own congregations, and for the future of the church in our land, after the restrictions of Covid, and we look for the revival of our work in the community, please remember that ‘You can let it begin with you’.
With love and blessings
Marion
Categories: Minister's Blog