Dear Prime Time member,
You may well not have been anticipating an email from me this week but I just wanted to pop a brief “hello” into your inbox and to let you know that I’m thinking about you. The time between Christmas and New Year can be a strange time even in more usual years, but this year there is a risk that this week can feel very flat indeed (and very long…)
With this in mind, I’ve saved up a final treat for you to help while away a little bit more time as the clock creeps round towards the end of 2020 and towards the start of what we all hope will be the year that we can say farewell to the pandemic and all associated restrictions on daily life. The Comfort & Joy exhibition has been drawing people to Busbridge Church for the past 3 weeks and the hand-crafted exhibits have delighted visitors and have been an inspirational backdrop for those using the church for private prayer.
At the project’s inception, we promised that we would make the exhibition available to all, not just those who were able to come to the church to see it. A member of our church family is a professional camera man and film maker and he kindly donated his time to film the exhibition and produce a short video so that from the comfort and safety of their own homes, people have the opportunity to view the exhibition. The link to enable you to view this video is as follows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNx1UT4lmE0 Please see this as being given permission to sit back and put your feet up for a while!
There is still time to pop along to the church and see the exhibition at first hand. The exhibition will close its doors for the final time on the afternoon of Sunday 3rd January, so you still have 2 or 3 days left to view it if the video leaves you wanting more…
I return to work on Wednesday 6th January so you can expect to be hearing from me as usual next Friday with the first Prime Time email of 2021. In the meantime, If you should find yourself in need of assistance, then our volunteers remain on standby to help with shopping, prescription collecting or a friendly phone call; so please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Over the holiday period it would be best to use my mobile number to access such help ( 07766 572934 ) as the Church Office will be closed from until January 4th. I will continue to answer my phone throughout this period – so please do use it if you find you need to.
New Year’s Eve celebrations are likely to be somewhat muted this evening in comparison to previous years. I debated whether or not to employ the phrase ‘Happy New Year’ as I feared possibly it may be greeted with some snorts of derision given the restrictions we currently find limiting our lives and our enjoyment of them. However, I do wish you happiness in the year ahead. I add my prayer to the millions of others that have been offered up across the world during the past year; a prayer that a way forward is found that will enable us all to join together in person once again with our families and our friends. To allow us to give and receive a hug when only a hug will do and to start creating some really happy, positive memories once again. Hopefully, with the rolling out of the vaccines, we now have that way forward – although we are going to have to be patient for a while longer before we really can experience the benefits. So yes, I do wish you a New Year that is happy and filled with hope.
Take care and stay safe and Happy New Year (There – I’ve said it!)
Penny x