Covid-19 

Hello everyone,
We continue to live through challenging times. Just as we issue a preaching plan - albeit a two month one and sent by email to your Senior or Contact Steward as we are not issuing paper copies at the moment - and as some of our churches plan to re-open, there is a local cluster of positive Covid-19 tests.  It should remind us, if we needed it, that this virus has not gone away and further, that we must be incredibly diligent in following the relevant safety guidelines when we do return. It is a huge temptation to hug people we have not seen for a while or to dismiss necessary measures such as socially distancing or hand washing. Here is the reality check; the outbreak in Normacot is traceable to a single source so something similar could easily arise in any church, yours for instance. The difference would be that our congregations and fellowships have a smaller age demographic or put more simply, there are lots of people who fit into "at risk" categories.  This isn't a scaremongering epistle or advice to stay away but rather an appeal to common sense, that if we follow advice we can open safely.
Meanwhile, no one should feel obligated to return at once. We will be running a Circuit Whypay service early each Sunday morning and the Zoom service will continue, moving later on to midweek.  All of us should encourage those who have not joined one of these yet to at least give it a try. If you take a burning coal from a fire it soon starts to cool and then dies out; that is a metaphor for Christians who are taken out from the church's fellowship. More positively, we should also consider how we retain the interest of those who "listen in" who would not normally join in with the building based services. They too will cool off if not encouraged, but the old normal did not attract them before so why would it now? But here are the big questions and the huge challenges. Do we provide services that are designed for those who attend or those who we wish to attend? They are almost certainly not the same. How far can we change the format and content of worship without alienating those who are keeping the church open? What if we lose some but no one new starts to come? Are you willing to forego your preference in order that some might be won, the church might grow and the Kingdom come? And by the way, it is not about contemporary worship or coffee and doughnuts, since neither are part of the worship we are sharing. Let me remind you what the Gospel is all about. Jesus told us that as we go, we should make disciples.

Until the end of August, we will continue with our WhyPay and Zoom Services at our familiar times.  
WhyPay Conference Telephone Calls:
09.30am: Sandford Hill Conference Phone Call – contact Jeff Short or Glenn Parkes for details
10.00am: Longton Central Hall – contact Jeff Short or Glenn Parkes for details
10.00am: West End and Trentham – contact Linda Catlow or Maureen Prophet for details
10.00am: Blythe Bridge & Forsbrook and Lightwood – contact Katrina Rogers for details
10.30 am: Broadway – contact Gill Rawlinson for details
10.30 am: Temple St/Fenton Park – contact Jeff Short or Glenn Parkes
Zoom Video Conference Call:
11.00am: Circuit Service, ALL INVITED – a link will be circulated or contact Linda Catlow or Glenn Parkes for details.
For September, there are some alterations as church buildings begin to re-open
WhyPay Conference Telephone Calls:
10.00am: Circuit Service, ALL INVITED – contact Linda Catlow for details
10.30 am: Broadway – contact Gill Rawlinson for details
Zoom Video Conference Call:
11.30 am: Circuit Service, ALL INVITED – a link will be circulated or contact Linda Catlow or Glenn Parkes for details.
If anyone has any questions or just needs to talk please contact your Minister or one of the Church or Circuit Leadership Team. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Stay safe and stay close to God
Jeff Short on beha;f of the CLT (Circuit Leadership Team)