Typically this page is produced either in anticipation of Church Meeting at the end of the month, or immediately in its wake. Which of the two it is determines how fresh is the news that it imparts.
During the month of December though there is no meeting either to report on or to anticipate. With all the buzz around the Advent season members take a well-deserved break from the dubious excitement of scrutinising minutes and pondering agendas – unless, that is, they also happen to be deacons.
For the deacon there is no December let-up when it comes to considering and discussing Church business. And for the newly-elected deacons (none of whom are actually “new” deacons – see last month’s newsletter for an explanation) much consideration was given at their meeting to such matters as the letting of the premises, cleaning issues, Church membership and, of course, the state of our finances.
Needless to say that whether one is a deacon, another member of the Church or indeed any other member of the congregation, there remains much uncertainty surrounding the way in which our worship and indeed any of our activities will be allowed to progress over the coming weeks and months. The mysterious Omicron version of the Covid-19 virus appears poised at the time of writing to be on the cusp of engulfing everything in its path, although much uncertainty remains as to how that is likely to play out in terms of symptoms and illness. We can but pray that with its increased infectiousness comes a trade-off in terms of how virulent it actually turns out to be.
Of course, the safest way to fend off any virus is not to catch it in the first place, and we urge you all to take sensible precautions to protect yourselves. In terms of coming to Church that means wearing a mask during services and other events (we were doing this anyway but it’s obligatory now), washing hands frequently, observing basic hygiene protocols and practicing sensible social distancing wherever possible.
There is little we can do to influence the course of the pandemic other than to pray earnestly for it to come to a conclusion, but it is entirely within our gift both to keep ourselves and each other as safe as possible, and also to continue with the smooth running of the Church in whichever ways are available to us. As anyone who endured the horrors of the last war would remind us, adversity begets innovation.
As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and look forward to a New Year, our prayers are for an active, fruitful and successful 2022 for our Church and for its congregation. Let us all do whatever we can to play our part.