Covid-19 lockdown has given us a fantastic opportunity to step back and ask “what is our mission?”
We are a rural church, in the centre of the village, but with a membership from a widespread geographical area of surrounding illages and into Ipswich. We all felt it was important to keep in contact with all our members, as well as to serve our local village community.
Lent and Easter were soon upon us, and as we were unable to meet in the church, we took our Lent
cross outside where it became a focus for people’s prayers and words of encouragement. It was great
to see that not only regular church members had used it, so had members of the village community.
On Easter Sunday the cross was adorned in flowers, the numbers increasing throughout the day.
Instead of taking the cross down, it remained outside a focus and became a “Thank you” cross, with messages for key workers as diverse as NHS, local supermarket, refuse collectors, the village
stores, and many more.
We carried on the theme of colour, by asking our housebound congregation to knit rainbows, and these were tied around trees in the village, so that, as people were able to take their daily exercise, they could see symbols of God’s promise – never to forsake us.
Our Messy Church and Girls Friendship Club families, and regular congregation, were set the “Loo roll challenge” as a bit of fun. It was amazing the variety and creativity of ideas – “Looella” and “D(l)oogal” as well
as various assorted animals, even “Poopeye the sailorman” and the “leaning tower of Pooza”.
Our Messy Church and Girls Friendship Club families, and regular congregation, were set the “Loo roll challenge” as a bit of fun. It was amazing the variety and creativity of ideas – “Looella” and “D(l)oogal” as well as various assorted animals, even “Poopeye the sailorman” and the “leaning tower of Pooza”.
Our older population and the more vulnerable have been served ready meals supplied by a local pub via the foodbank in the neighbouring town. Volunteers have gladly brought a delicious meal, friendly chatter and a smile to many people in the village.
This time of lockdown has given us all opportunity especially to explore different ways of doing worship. We missed being with each other in the church building, but church is not the four walls, bricks and mortar, rather it is the people. Even though we were apart, we could be together; we started our “Together@10” initiative where we have a video recording of the Lord’s Prayer, done by someone on their phone, and then a link to a favourite hymn chosen by one of our isolating members. We could then all share in the Lord’s Prayer at
10am on a Sunday and sing a hymn together! Take a look at the Elmsett Methodist Church Facebook page to share in these videos.
As we return to our churches, let us not forget this great time of opportunity to reach out in simple ways to those in our local communities
.