Skip to main content

More lockdowns

Hi folks

Apparently the Oxford English Dictionary has made “lockdown” its word of the year - and with the circumstances this year, I think that any word connected to the “Coronavirus” “Covid-19” “pandemic” “restrictions” could make sense to use as the Word of the Year!  The reality is that any of the words above are difficult to live with.

The news that was announced on 19th November will result in our church (and all other places of worship) being closed for two weeks.  Much as this is disappointing news, it brings us into line with our brothers and sisters in the Republic of Ireland who haven’t met as congregations in many weeks.

I hope that we can understand the reasoning behind our obedience to the rules that were announced.  Our region in Northern Ireland is one of the most badly hit areas at the moment, and it makes sense that we should face the same restrictions as the rest of society.

The church building will be closed on 29th November and 6th December - the first two Sundays of Advent - however, the Church is still meeting, albeit online.  As Rector, I’ll share our normal service online via Facebook, and we will continue to worship and praise together.  Whilst we worship together, the message of Advent is to remind us that we are supposed to take the Christmas message out to the world - so we will continue to do so, no matter the conditions or circumstances!

In everything that happens between now and Christmas, let’s remember that WE ARE THE CHURCH - and NO ONE, neither governments, politicians, Satan or evil forces COULD EVER CLOSE THE CHURCH!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Summer Readers

 Hi folks As we enter our summer period, please find our readings and hymns for July 2025. Each Sunday there will be a selection of parishioners reading our lessons - as shown on our list. If you're not available for the given Sunday, please feel free to ask someone to cover - and our church wardens and clergy are always available as a backup on the day. Alternatively, if you would like to read a lesson in Church, drop me a message, comment on Facebook, or speak to us at the services. We would love to add new readers of all ages, Gid's Word is for us all.  Blessings Johnny  
Post a Comment
Read more

August Hymns and Readings

 Hi folks Here's the next list for the readings, readers and hymns for our services throughout August. There are five Sundays this month, and in our normal pattern, our fifth Sunday will be a Cafe Church service in the Parish Hall. As ever - this is just a guide, if you need to swap your date - just let someone know. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to read each month, and if you'd like to join the list, please let the church wardens or the Rector know. If we need to do so, both David and the Rector are more than happy to fill in for any given reading! 
Post a Comment
Read more

AccessNI Check process

 Hi folks Please see the following pages for the process of getting our AccessNI accreditation for our Sunday School and GFS leaders and helpers. You will need to print out the pages and keep a special note of the long number provided to you by email and let me know as soon as possible. We require an Enhanced check for everyone - and use the PIN number 918066 as detailed on the first page. The second page details the forms of identification you will need to provide - one from the first group, and two from the second group. The quicker we can all get the checks completed, the sooner we can get everything back to normal and put this whole process behind us for another three years! If you can photograph yourself (by smartphone or tablet) and email (revdjohnny@gmail.com) or WhatsApp (07488371680) them to me, that'd be great. I will also be available at the Parish Hall on Monday evening from 7pm to 8pm to help you with anything you would like assistance with! If you need any help at all...
Post a Comment
Read more