Category: Church life

Body ministry is best (lessons in lockdown)

As lockdown started, we sat down to a zoom call with a big spreadsheet in front of us. A plan kicked into place to ensure that someone was in contact with each and every attendee throughout lockdown to ensure that people will practically cared for, connected and spiritually okay. As I’m sure was said at… Continue reading Body ministry is best (lessons in lockdown)

Talking behind closed doors – Genevan Commons and Aimee Byrd

Part three of this engagement is less about the specific theology and practice up for debate in Byrd’s book. Here instead I want to tackle one of the spin off issues. The other week, Aimee Byrd posted a link to a new website on her blog. The website provides screenshots from a Facebook group called… Continue reading Talking behind closed doors – Genevan Commons and Aimee Byrd

Return to the church building -some ideas for the future

Yesterday, I shared an update on our plans to re-open the Chapel building for public worship. We are starting very cautiously and are determined to be meticulous in following the guidelines. There are also some things that the guidelines currently provide for but we have current held back from doing because we want to approach… Continue reading Return to the church building -some ideas for the future

Church planting in a time of coronavirus -an idea

We have links with a church in the US who have live-streamed services for some time. Recently, they did some analysis of where people were tuning in from and found that they had people joining in from all around the world, including the UK. They then asked one of our elders if (with our permission),… Continue reading Church planting in a time of coronavirus -an idea

Why we are going back to the building

From the 4th of July, we will be allowed to re-open the Chapel for worship services and prayer.  As things stand, it looks like we will be fairly constrained in what we do. Current guidelines suggest that singing will not be possible and we will have to observe strict social distancing.  We will not be… Continue reading Why we are going back to the building

Re-opening Bearwood Chapel for public worship

We now have permission from the Government to re-open our building for public worship.  So, we are really encouraged to be opening this Sunday, 5th July.  I want to take the opportunity here to explain what we are doing. Ina follow up article I will explain why we are taking this approach. I also hope… Continue reading Re-opening Bearwood Chapel for public worship

Returning to church buildings – what does the Government guidance say?

From the 4th July, church buildings will be able to re-open for public worship. It is our intention   at Bearwood Chapel to re-open in some format as soon as possible. We will also continue to use social media to provide online connections and services over the coming weeks and months. In two further articles this… Continue reading Returning to church buildings – what does the Government guidance say?

When is a church not a church?

As we return from lockdown, there are still some significant restrictions expected about how we will be able to go about meeting together. The one that has provoked the most reaction has been the likely ban on singing and yet, maybe more importantly (and still with minimal discussion) we can expect restrictions on baptism and… Continue reading When is a church not a church?

Lessons in lockdown 1. Reach and Engagement are not the same

In the early days of lockdown, people were quickly talking about a possible revival. Surveys suggested that a high percentage of people had accessed online church content, the number of views of our Facebook and Youtube streams were double, if not quadruple our normal Sunday morning attendance. The problem is that there is a huge… Continue reading Lessons in lockdown 1. Reach and Engagement are not the same