Dear Friends,

By now you’ve probably heard the joke about Education Secretary Gavin Williamson setting up an ABBA tribute band called BCCD, (so you can guess what this email will be about.)

First of all, I’d like to say congratulations to all who have managed to get exam grades over the last week or so. My oldest son James is among their number, and off to the University of Brighton in the Autumn to read Sports Science. We give thanks to God for how all of this has worked out for him and others, all the while remembering those who have had a more complex and frustrating or disappointing time. Do please be praying for them all.

Please also be praying for our Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, who I’m sure wouldn’t object to me saying hasn’t had the easiest of fortnights. But before we all pile in and tell him what he should have done, let’s remember that it’s very easy to be wise after the event. Philosopher Friedrich Von Schlegel said, “The historian is a prophet looking backwards” and I think that rather neatly defines the problem anyone taking policy decisions in these uniquely uncertain times faces.

Attempting to chart a course through the uncharted waters of Covid-19 is in a sense, a “prophetic task”. We’ve never faced a global pandemic before; there’s no historical road map to fall back on and so it’s down to our elected officials to build the road. And when you’re out breaking ground in new territory, it’s inevitable you are going to get some things horribly wrong. That’s why it’s always much easier to play the role of historian than prophet. Well all have the gift of hindsight, we all can say, “I would have done it better”. But few of us actually have the courage or the gifting to get up and do it.

I say all this with half an eye on one of this weekend’s bible readings, from the 12^th chapter of St Paul’s letter to the Romans (you can see it below), where Paul talks about what true worship is. You see, in the Bible, true worship isn’t you enjoying your favourite church music, nor is it Book of Common Prayer, instead it’s something far more radical. It’s everyone who knows Jesus offering themselves to God as living sacrifices, saying “not my will but yours be done”, and being ready to use whatever gifts God has given us as he would have us use them. That’s true worship.

Here’s how Paul concludes his thoughts on true worship, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

So what’s your gift? And how will you use it in worship?

Here’s an update on what’s going on this week

1) Services in church, this Sunday 23 August

• 9:30am          Holy Communion  @  Upton
• 11am             Holy Communion @   Hanley Castle
• 11am             Morning Worship @  The Hook
• 11am             Holy Communion @ Welland

2) Online Services

Click the links on the list below to take you direct to the event at the appropriate time.

w/c Sunday 23 August
Video (available through Facebook, YOutube, through our website, or on DVD/CD)

• Sunday Service (traditional hymn version) – watch anytime from midnight onwards (also available through our Youtube channel).
• Church Family (modern music version) – watch anytime from midnight onwards at www.hopechurchfamily.org/virtual or through our Youtube channel or join the live Facebook Premiere at 9:30am.
• Wednesday 26^th. Service of Spiritual Communion on Zoom @6:30pm. Click here to join in. You can download the liturgy from the calendar page.

3) Next Weekend (Sunday 30 August)

It’s the fifth Sunday of the month next weekend, so we’re carrying on our tradition of all coming together in one of our larger venues.
IN-PERSON:           

• 9:30am  Morning Service – all our churches together @ Hanley Swan.

VIDEO (online and CD/DVD)

• Service of the Word (traditional) –available from midnight
• Church Family (contemporary)– Facebook Premiere at 9:30am and PRERECORDED available from midnight.

4) New Pattern of services from September

Now that most of our buildings are open again for worship, the service leaders, church wardens and I have agreed a new pattern of services, which we think is sustainable for the foreseeable future.

We don’t have as many service leaders as we had before the Covid outbreak, and we also have concerns about over-working some of our team, so there is no way at the moment to return to the pattern and frequency of services prior to Covid. Instead we’ve taken the opportunity to try to fairly allocate services between our various congregations, and to provide service times that are complementary where churches have a history of worshipping together (for example Upton and the Hook, or Hanley Swan and Welland). Sadly this means some churches will lose services, and others will have long-established patterns disrupted. However given most of us have had no “in-person” church service for four months, this represents an ideal time for a new beginning!

The new pattern will begin in September. Inevitably there will be deviations from it due to festivals and special events, and we’ll need to cancel the occasional service so that buildings can be quarantined after a wedding. Please keep an eye on www.hopechurchfamily.org/calendar for the most up to date information.

5) Church finances – you can make a difference!

Like all small charities, your local church is suffering a significant financial shortfall as a result of lost income from collections and special fundraising events we’d have run through the summer.

If you are in a position to give an additional gift at this time, it would make a huge difference. To make this simpler, we’ve set up a new GIVING page on our website (https://www.hopechurchfamily.org/giving), with all the information you’ll need to give a one-off, or regular gift to any of our churches.

6) Services on DVDs and CDs

Every week I produce the services on DVD and CD for a small number of folk across the area who don’t have internet access. It’s been a lovely way for them to stay in touch. If you know of anyone else who would be helped by this ministry, please let me know.

7) Think you can sort out our administration?

We have a vacancy in the parish office, from mid-September. If you (or someone you know) would be interested in a part-time administrative role, 14 hours a week, then you can download a job description from our website: www.hopechurchfamily.org/administrator. We’ll be interviewing in September.

8) What Covid-safe church will be like.

We’re mostly getting used to this by now, but just in case you need a refresher, here’s a reminder of the basic common-sense, ground rules for a Covid-safe church service.

• If you are experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms (high temperature, new continuous cough, loss/change to your sense of smell or taste) please seek medical advice and do not attend services. We are continuing to provide services online.
• We will need to take contact details from you when you arrive.
• Face coverings are now mandatory. Please wear one for the sake of the other people present. Note that service leaders, and anyone speaking in the service are exempt when speaking, as long as social-distancing is possible.
• When you enter and leave the building, please use the hand-sanitiser provided.
• Please take your service sheet away with you after the service.
• The social distancing rule is 2 metres.
• Please only sit in the seat(s) you are assigned. It helps us increase capacity if family groups/bubbles sit together.
• Come early to guarantee a seat!.
• Due to the risk of virus transmission posed by energetic singing, congregational singing is not yet allowed (either inside or out)!
• Family groups and bubbles are discouraged from interacting with each other in the building or in the church grounds.
• Children are the responsibility of their parents/guardian during the service.
• Please exit the building as soon as the service ends.
• We aren’t yet allowed to serve refreshments after the service
• Holy Communion will be served in “one-kind” only (bread) as the common cup is seen as a greater infection risk.
• Giving. To keep you safe we aren’t passing a collection plate. If you value what we do and would like to support it, please consider setting up a standing order or using the Parish Giving Scheme (where possible) to support our work. You can find out details relating your parish church here.
• Please observe all directions the stewards give you.

I’m grateful to you all for your continued patience as we work to keep everyone safe. Please continue praying for everyone involved in managing the Covid-safe regime in our buildings, and also for our service leaders as they try to think of innovative ways of being church within the rules!

9) Churches Open For Individual Prayer.

Thanks to the hard work of our volunteer cleaners and organisers we’re able to open three of our churches for a short period each week for individual prayer. You can visit to pray at the following times:

• Mondays                10am-noon         St James’ Welland
• Tuesdays               10am-noon         St Gabriel’s, Hanley Swan
• Wednesdays          10am-noon         St Mary’s, Hanley Castle
• Thursdays              10am-noon         St James’, Welland
• Fridays                   5pm-7pm            St Gabriel’s, Hanley Swan
• Saturdays              10am-noon         St Mary’s, Hanley Castle

To help keep you safe, the buildings are being cleaned before and after each opening period, and the three-day gap between each building opening will act as an additional “safety buffer” in which the scientists tell us any virus particles that the cleaners have missed will die.

It’s possible that we may need to close one of the buildings occasionally for a funeral, or other service, or because we haven’t been able to maintain cleaning safety. We’ll do our best to inform you of this.

10) Deanery Plan – Consultation

As part of its plan to restructure and streamline things, the Diocese of Worcester is planning to reorganise its deanery structures. Our parishes currently form part of the Deanery of Upton, which is among the smallest deaneries in the country, and not considered viable at this size. Two options have been considered – merging us with a larger rural deanery (Pershore and Evesham), or with the more local Malvern deanery. Personally I think Malvern makes a lot more sense, but you may feel differently about it. You can download the full details here, and if you have any comments please send them to the address in the consultation letter.

We long for the day when we can all gather together again, but in the meantime, stay safe, stay prayerful, and God bless!

Reverend Barry Unwin
Vicar, Hope Church Family