Every church is different; every community has its own, particular needs. What one parish finds easy, another may struggle with - there is no right or wrong way to do things (except God’s way, of course!). That said, there’s no harm in borrowing a few ideas from our Christian friends around the diocese – especially if that means revealing God’s love at a time we all need it the most…
Like many churches right now, St Peter’s in the Market Bosworth Benefice has responded with lightning speed to the ever changing and challenging news of the past few weeks.
The first thing its church family did was to organise support for the town’s elderly and vulnerable parishioners. They have paired up a younger person with an older person, and every day they contact each other, to chat, to ask for prayer, to check they have supplies and to ease the loneliness.
Sue Poskitt, who is married to Reverend Mark and also helps as part of the team that leads ‘fun church’ at St Peter’s, is playing a big part in making things happen. She said: “We had so many volunteers, we didn’t have enough older people to go round!”
All the volunteers (and anyone else who can use WhatsApp) have been added to the Bosworth Benefice ‘Angels’ WhatsApp group. This is a group that was in existence before the crisis and is there for anyone to ask for and offer help.
“It has now become our main communication method, with all sorts of encouraging and motivating texts being put on; all of which help everyone to feel connected,” said Sue.
Reverend Mark and Reverend Ann have been recording prayers and sharing them via the church’s social media pages and website, which is helping many people focus on God and feel peace during these uncertain times.
Members of the church family have decorated pebbles with words of encouragement.
Last week, several of the church community took part in a 12 hour fast and prayer, individually in their own homes. They fasted from 6.30am to 6.30pm and prayed every hour, on the hour. They were joined by people in Pakistan and Uganda. (One member of the church is the founder of Aim for Change, a charity that works with underprivileged and vulnerable children in Uganda and Pakistan). They had so much positive feedback, they will be repeating it every few weeks – the next one to be held on Monday, April 6th.
They’ll also be holding virtual coffee mornings on the next few Tuesdays for anyone in the community to join in on, via an online video conferencing facility, while Sue and Reverend Mark will be hosting a virtual ‘open house’ on Easter Saturday. Sue said: “We felt this would be a wonderful way to keep in touch, socially. In fact, before lockdown, one of our volunteers drove to her assigned elderly person, taking her own coffee in a travel mug and had a chat from the garden, whilst her older friend stayed inside and spoke through an open window.”
Finally, on the street where Sue’s son lives, everyone is opening their front door at 6pm each day to chat to one another. They all remain at their own front doors to maintain social distancing, but it’s really helping them to connect and get to know each other. Though Sue attributes this great idea to her son, she thinks it’s such a good one she’s telling everyone!
What is your church family doing to serve its community during this time, and what stories of encouragement can you share? Drop us an email to communications@leccofe.org.