Dear sisters and brothers
As lockdown continues many of us may well be feeling defeated, some physically, some emotionally. And because we are a body-soul unity, anything that affects our minds and bodies can influence our spiritual walk with the Lord Jesus. How good it is therefore to be reminded of the compassion of our Lord and the promises of Scripture.
Jehoshaphat was king of Judah when they faced a great army, and he prayed ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether sword of judgement, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us’ (2 Chronicles 20:9). Wow, that is an awesome prayer that has given me great courage and comfort this week and I hope it does the same for you – why not read the whole passage when you have a moment? It expresses his absolute humble dependence on God, as he concludes ‘We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’
Let us keep fixing our eyes on the Lord Jesus!
Pastoral Conversation: Race, Racism & Justice
Firstly, may I thank those who attended Monday night’s Zoom event. I especially want to thank those who shared their stories and experiences, this took great courage. If you didn’t get a chance to speak, but would like to feed into the conversation, please do email me via the Pastoral Hub – we’d love to hear from you. It’s important that we keep listening to each other and praying that the Lord will lead us in the way of grace and truth. The leadership will be meeting in the coming weeks to reflect on the way forward, as I know that many will be wondering how we move forward together.
Greenwich FoodBank
I am really pleased to confirm, following discussions with the Foodbank, that we are setting up a temporary distribution point from the church lobby. Due to unprecedented generosity in the past year, GF have surplus supplies, which they have now gifted us for distribution. More information on distribution times will be emailed this week. Do please already be thinking of those who might benefit. This distribution will be on a ‘take what you need – no vouchers required’ basis. This is an important opportunity to show God’s love to those in our local community. Do please be praying for the final practicalities not least keeping everyone Covid-safe in line with government guidelines.
Sunday Service
We continue to have in-person morning service at 9.15 and 11.15 with the latter being live streamed via St John’s YouTube channel. Please can I remind you not to attend if you feel unwell or have underlying health problems. Face coverings are mandatory, and we would encourage you not to attend if you need to use public transport to get here. There will also be the usual chance to gather virtually at 10.30am using the following Zoom link – a great way to stay connected!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81424473923?pwd=ekkvMk5obDR3MXoxek96MXoxZVEyQT09
Meeting ID: 814 2447 3923
Passcode: 112358
The evening service continues at 6pm via Zoom. We will be looking at Enduring in Suffering from 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, follow the link to join:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87137623729?pwd=L08ybzRCdkluQzRiUUxJYnJKQm5idz09
Meeting ID: 871 3762 3729
Passcode: 079847
Finally, please remember the church is open during the week for private prayer and reflection Tuesday’s, Wednesdays and Thursdays 10am to 1pm.
Let us keep fixing our eyes on the Lord Jesus!
Your brother in Christ, Eddie
