Tag: COVID-19

Returning to the building – our story

This morning, we opened our church building for public worship for the first time since lockdown began. I thought you might like to hear about how we got on. My own church day started around about 8pm. I recorded a message of encouragement for the church family which you can watch back here. We then… Continue reading Returning to the building – our story

#SummerIsHere

I started lockdown with a twitter hashtag #SummerIsComing. It was my way of reminding myself and perhaps others that although we were entering a dark period like winter when we would be locked away, huddled at home, these dark times would eventually pass.  We could look forward to summer coming. I said at the time… Continue reading #SummerIsHere

Following the science – but which science?

From the start of Coronavirus the Government have repeated the mantra that in all their actions, they have been “following the science.”  However, the idea that there is this thing called “The Science” is rather misleading. It misses two points. The first is that there are various fields of science. This of course includes the… Continue reading Following the science – but which science?

Could come to church … should come to church – thoughts on leaving lockdown

UK churches are beginning to leave lockdown. We have finally been granted permission to re-open our buildings for public worship. Now, at this stage, we are going to face some collective challenges together.  In many respects, it won’t be easy for us. I am reminded of the incident in Ezra where the rebuilt temple is… Continue reading Could come to church … should come to church – thoughts on leaving lockdown

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

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?

Lessons in lockdown 4: It is easier to get into something than to get out

The Sunday before we had to shut down the chapel started to kick in was reasonably normal at the Chapel.  People had been advised to stay away if they had symptoms, so a few people were missing and additionally, some of our older members were already self-isolating. We were also requiring hand washing, had switched… Continue reading Lessons in lockdown 4: It is easier to get into something than to get out

Qualifications matter -why an appeal to authority isn’t always wrong

A follow on from the Douglas Carswell tweet which I mentioned in the previous post was, a twitter interaction with someone that went something as follows: Them: “The WHO have been dreadful during the virus. A lot of the measures including the 2 metre rule are nonsense.” Me: “Are you a doctor or epidemiologist? Do… Continue reading Qualifications matter -why an appeal to authority isn’t always wrong

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