Tag: out of lockdown

Creating Space and Time

If the pandemic has taught us anything it is that we are busy people compressed into densely populated cities. Often our church gatherings have replicated that. We’ve squeezed people into our buildings, crammed a lot of content: songs, notices, mini-sermons, main sermons into them, rushed them through to back halls for cheap coffee and cheaper… Continue reading Creating Space and Time

Updated data and thoughts for church COVID risk assessments

As promised here’s an update on where I think we are in terms of COVID-19 and its impact on our return to in person church gatherings. First of all, here’s an update on the data. The first important graph is the one showing case growth. As you can see, we saw a return to positive… Continue reading Updated data and thoughts for church COVID risk assessments

Positive reasons for the cautious to return to in person church

Over the past few weeks I’ve been updating readers about what we are seeing in terms of the COVID pandemic (my reporting here is UK specific). My reason for doing this is to help church leaders and trustees plan carefully in order to move increasingly towards full re-opening whilst minimising risks associated with the virus.… Continue reading Positive reasons for the cautious to return to in person church

COVID trends update for church risk management

Over the past couple of days we’ve seen the first fall in the daily figures for new COVID cases by reported date for a long time. Now, we need to approach the data with some caution recognising that The reported date is not the same as the actual specimen date when the test was taken.… Continue reading COVID trends update for church risk management

COVID forecasting – Rear view mirrors and uncertainty

What kind of COVID numbers can we expect to be seeing over the next few weeks?  Knowing what we might expect to see is crucial for those involved in making the big decisions because  case numbers impact on hospital admissions and that in turn has an impact on mortality figures.  Those involved in leading churches… Continue reading COVID forecasting – Rear view mirrors and uncertainty

Keep the Nightclubs closed

Where is the biggest risk going to be over the next few weeks as we move out of the final stages of restrictions? I suspect it won’t be in churches as we move back to normal worship, it is clear that churches are seeking to do this responsibly. It won’t be in your local supermarket.… Continue reading Keep the Nightclubs closed

Updated information for church COVID risk assessments

Here’s my regular update on what the picture is looking like in terms of COVID-19 to help church leaders think through their risk assessments when planning for church services. The most important and encouraging information is that the growth in cases seems to have slowed a little as the Euros’ effect seems to be easing… Continue reading Updated information for church COVID risk assessments

The Government, COVID and a tricky call about reopening

So, how do you feel about the decision to end COVID-19 regulations on the 19th July? Some of you are no doubt excited and relieved to see those measures coming to an end, others perhaps frustrated that the end didn’t come sooner and many feeling extremely anxious, concerned that this has come too soon and… Continue reading The Government, COVID and a tricky call about reopening

Singing Lessons

In recent posts I’ve suggested we might need to be cautious about the assumption that the 19th July will immediately inaugurate the return of full churches, no masks and a return to congregational singing. I suggested that an interim step might be to encourage different parts of the congregation to sing either a whole song… Continue reading Singing Lessons