Covid 19 Update

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Many of you will have heard that the Church of England has announced that the ‘usual pattern of Sunday Services and midweek gatherings must be put on hold` – we have followed this guidance and cancelled all services, events and midweek meetings. They went onto say that ‘this does not mean that the church has shut up shop’. I want to echo this sentiment, and to let you know that we hope to livestream services on Sunday – we will be in touch on Friday to tell you more about how this will happen. In addition, Liam and Sophie will be giving parents further information with regards to children and young people.

Furthermore, the church building remains open during the day as a space for people to come in and pray.  We have also sent a letter to the whole parish offering help, encouragement and hope as we live through this challenging time together.  Being church is going to look very different in the coming weeks but does present us with an opportunity to pray and witness to our community.

Paul in his second letter to the church in Corinth said, ‘Praise be to our God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.‘ (2 Cor. 1.5-6)  My prayer is that we would know the compassion and comfort of God so we can bring this to others – to his praise and glory!

Please do get in touch if you need anything or just want to talk to someone, pastoralhub@stjohnsblackheath.org.uk  You may also find this prayer helpful in your daily devotional times:

Heavenly Father, our ever-present help in trouble, our fortress and our God: calm the anxious fears of all who turn to you; give strength and healing to those who are sick, and courage and skill to those who care for them; grant wisdom and clarity to those in authority; and humble us all to call upon you that we may be saved not only in this life, but also for that which is to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen

Grace to you, Eddie