“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.””
I once broke down on the A12 heading towards Felixstowe harbour and we needed a recovery truck. It was late at night as we headed in a car full of friends to the ferry for a weekend in Bruges. I am convinced that we broke down on the darkest and only stretch of road with no phone signal and no houses. It was so dark, and the road was so empty that we decided that we’d stick together as a bunch of friends rather than some go off to find help. It was incredibly disconcerting. We knew where we were heading but in that moment we had no idea how to get there or what the next few hours might look like.
We eventually found a remote house. I recall ringing the bell at what must have been 1am. A scared looking guy came to the door and was very wary of a group of people, all in their 20s, facing him. I explained that we’d broken down. I don’t know who looked more relieved; us when he invited us in or him when he realised we were not about to burgle him.
I tell you this story because it might resonate with where we are right now as a church family, and with reference to Galatians 5. It was written to a church where there were different opinions. Some wanted to do one thing and others longed for another way. Paul urged the brethren to think in a way that was counter to the culture; to think of serving others first.
We have had 18 months of predicament and searching in the darkness for what comes next, almost as if we are on a dark and long road. We might have seen glimmers of light or places of respite but we’ve not known how welcoming or permanent they might be. As a church family we have innovated and experimented. At times we’ve made do or made ends meet. In all of this we have held together as followers of Christ in the manner of Galatians 5 and it is incredible to see that this community of Christ has stood firm together. This is testimony to our shared faith during the 18 months of rescue. The rescue phase appears to be over. We now head towards recovery.
This puts us in a strange place, almost like my A12 road trip. Recovery is not instant nor is it secure and it needs to be seen as part of a journey, like my search in darkness for a house. In terms of Galatians, it is a journey of walking by the Holy Spirit of God (Gal 5:16). We know where we want to get with being the church family. We long to sing praise to God, to be able to hug our brethren, to stand outside without masks and hear news for prayer and to be inside without any restrictions. There may even be something in the evangelical psyche of personal salvation by faith in Christ of feeling dismay at being told collectively what to do, where to queue or which QR code to scan.
As we head to recovery how do we get there together, as brethren on the journey? At the APCM we explored what it means to be ready to go. We did not say where to, nor how. Readiness and willingness are the first things. Where to comes next. It is too early for the where to. We need to enter recovery first.
One of the most important messages in disaster recovery, bereavement or trauma response is do not to rush into recovery. Paul understands this when he writes about looking beyond ‘me’ to ‘us’. Those who work in sports, health or trauma recovery know that taking time and stepping beyond self are key aspects of recovery. There is a spiritual dimension to all recovery.
Recovery takes time and it is part of the healing of wounds. In terms of my story of friends on a roadside, if we had rushed into the darkness, we would have tripped and fallen down what turned out to be a dangerous roadside bank. Recovery is about the long-haul rather than the euphoric quick fix that never lasts. Surely, our Christian faith prepares us well for recovery because we know that it isn’t what happens for ourselves today that fills our minds but what is good for the many over the long term.
The good for the many is our gift to the World. Christ died for many. We live with a mindset which asks what is good for others and this is our deep Judeo-Christian value which has given good shape to our Country and which we live as a local church together now. I might be free to do something, but what does my freedom do to someone else? It is the story of the Good Samaritan and the teaching of The Sermon on the Mount. It is written through Scripture and it is written on our hearts as we enter recovery.
We conducted a brief survey and nearly 400 people looked at it and the responses echo all that I have written. We wanted to know how people felt as we inched towards recovery. The responses have been humbling and demonstrates the resilience and belief in God that we share. Here are some of your comments in the survey:
· “Situation is very fluid and guess you need to respond accordingly. You’ve done a great job so far!!!”
· “I think you have all done really well during the pandemic with online services etc. Live singing would make all the difference.”
· “I wouldn't want other people to be put off coming if there were no restrictions in place.”
· “we would be happy to socially distance still to protect older people”
· “I would hope numbers of infections would drop before all precautions are dropped, and I wouldn't want to leave precautions if other people felt uncomfortable.”
Recovery means walking together and seeking the best for our brothers and sisters in Christ rather than rushing ahead alone. It is our chance to “through love serve one another”. It is only for a short time as we look to the future and God’s renewal.
The dilemma we have in what to do right now with worship is that 36% of you would think twice about coming to church if we ceased all safety precautions but 33% of you would think twice about coming to church if we kept all the current safety precautions.
8% of people are okay with what we offer now but 82% specifically want us to reintroduce singing. While 39% would like this to be with face masks on 43% would like face masks to be optional for singing.
Mask: With a spirit of serving one another in mind, we are asking everyone to think of one another and please voluntary wear a face mask whilst in a church building unless involved in leading worship.
T&T: No-one needs to track and trace (but the QR code will be there if you wish to) nor do you need to sign up in advance for worship. Just turn up. You’ll still be invited to sanitise your hands.
Outside: There’s no need to wear it outside nor any need to rush away from chatting after church. Coffee will be served.
Sing: We are offering singing at every service.
No distance but distance at the rear: We are inviting everyone to be aware of distancing whilst seated but this is a personal choice. To bless those who wish to ensure that they have 2m of space we’re reserving the rear of both buildings for socially distanced seating only.
Just say: We are confident that no-one in our church family will be offended if someone asks people near them to please sit or stand slightly further away.
Communion: We are reintroducing communion in both kinds and will leave it to each person to decide whether to receive this completely, just the wafer (we’re sticking with wafers for now) or not to receive at all just yet.
Pray: Please be praying for those who serve you in leading worship at this time as we head into recovery. We will be keeping how we conduct worship under review and we hope that as we head into September we will be removing face masks and all social distancing completely.
September is when we will be doing some great things, starting at Busbridge on Sept 5th with a special Contemporary garden service (10.30am) and in Church classic (9.15am – note the time), and two great gatherings gatherings at Hambledon (9.30 and 10.30).
Thank you to everyone who thanked us for providing the survey and asking for feedback. The staff team and many others are doing their best in quite unique circumstances.