As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”
“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another, every one will be thrown down.”
Mark 13: 1-2
Responses to the crisis
Over the last few weeks there have been many reports of how churches are responding to the unprecedented situation where we can’t meet as normal. No church ever expected this and there was no plan ready to bring forward. But amazingly, tens of thousands of churches in the UK have unexpectedly jumped into action in some fascinating ways.
Three responses have been seen all across the nation.
Immediate action
Social media
Whether it is as simple as Facebook and WhatsApp or a more sophisticated use of Zoom, SKYPE, or TEAMS, many churches have proved to be hugely adaptive and responsive to the immediate need and have quickly got some kind of “on-line” expression of worship off the ground. Who would have thought we could have learnt so much, so fast?
Of course, there are some churches who struggle with technology but even these churches have been very inventive with their use of the good old-fashioned phone and postal service.
Serving the community
Christians have been wonderful at keeping a watch out for those who are struggling. From food banks to caring for the isolated, churches are finding ways to continue to serve the communities in which they are located.
Mission
Mission in many forms has emerged as a major theme. Whether it’s the impact of our worship on-line (I commented on this in a communication last week) or simply putting out cards to our neighbours offering to help and/ or to pray, the result has been amazing. Suddenly we are getting to know our immediate neighbours in new and creative ways. It’s amazing to see how many local WhatsApp groups are emerging and its often Christians that are taking the initiative.
I heard of one person who discovered that Tesco was giving away flowers so they filled their car with these simple gifts and took a bunch to everyone in the street together with a card offering to pray. There was a wonderful and warm response. These simple gestures are rarely forgotten.
What’s next?
We have written above about what is happening now. Some have begun to ask, what’s next? What will happen to churches when the emergency is over and we begin to meet again?
It’s too early to predict what will happen. Some have said that we won’t return to normal -whatever normal might mean. A few predict that the virus will close many churches permanently and that we will witness massive decline. Personally, I doubt that. It might be true for a few churches that were looking at closure anyway but on the whole, churches are far more resilient that many realise.
Others have suggested that our new experience of mission opportunities that we are discovering will result in massive church growth. Two very contrasting futures!
My feeling is that there is an opportunity for growth, but opportunities only become our actual future when we take action. So, we need to begin thinking about how we might follow up the opportunities that are being generated. More about that over the next few weeks.
I am certain that we will discover something of what the church really is as a result of this experience. The church is clearly not the building – useful as buildings are – we are obviously operating without them at the moment. The church is not just a priest or pastor, much though we value leadership. The priesthood of all believers, the ministry of the laity, is coming to the fore.
So, these are challenging times, frightening for some, distressing for others, and within all of this we look for God’s hand at work – not as judgement – but as the creator of new possibilities, the possible re-discovery of the value of relationships and community.
Resources
If your experience is the same as mine, you will have been inundated with resources and advice, especially in emails and on-line. The challenge is how to make sense of these many offers of resource and advice, especially when some of them conflict.
We don’t intend to flood you with yet more advice and resource but rather to point you to key resources and offer one piece of information.
First, the organisation Stewardship, which is an organisation that FCC is building a partnership with, has produced a concise summary of how to interpret the various government initiatives. Dr Leonary Lupiya from one of our congregations in Leicester has sent a copy of that summary and it can be accessed by clicking on this link https://www.stewardship.org.uk/information/covid-response
Second, some of you have wondered if your music licence still functions if your worship event is led from your home and not the church building. The answer is that if you have a licence, it is held by your church (not the building) and it is a licence for use in the worship of the church. Obviously, you can’t use it for other purposes, but you are covered if you are using it for worship.
Third, Tim Herbert has put out a valuable message regarding visas for all those who are currently on an FCC visa. Please be in touch if you have not received a copy of that communication and would like one.
News
Lastly, a short news item. The church in Wigston did have a badly leaking roof which was giving some cause for concern. We are glad to report that FCC through the property board has arranged for it to be repaired. Hopefully we can show you some pictures in future days of fully functioning church building – not quite yet!
Please don’t hesitate to contact the FCC office by email if you have any needs or questions that we might be able to address.