My Dear Friends,
Speaking with so many of
you individually, I would have to say that it is not simply the
WORSHIP that people have been missing over these long months of lock
down and restriction; we have all missed the FELLOWSHIP on a Sunday.
It is a joyful, healing and uplifting experience to come round to the
Hall after the Service and have a chat and a cup of tea.
Church halls are very much
a feature of the Victorian age. Before there was gas lighting in the
streets and in public buildings it simply wasn’t practical or safe
to come out at night. Churches didn’t have halls attached to them.
The time came, with new technology, that the Church saw a way of
providing facilities to enrich and enhance the life of local
Communities. Long before the varied and sophisticated attractions of
the leisure industry the church built halls in each parish and
community. People were at work or school during the day; but now for
the first time groups could meet up and socialise after dark. This
was revolutionary! Organisations and activities were provided for
girls and boys, men and women, the elderly, and so on. In many
communities travel was difficult and there was little else for folk
to do in their spare time. The Fellowship provided by the church was
an immense blessing.
Now, of course, the
entertainment and leisure industry has been hard hit by the recent
lockdown; and this has greatly affected – not only the economy –
but also the mental health and wellbeing of the population as a
whole. Fellowship and human interaction is vital.
Perhaps the church needs
to rethink its approach to Christian Fellowship in a digital age. I
have no brilliant ideas as to how we might go about this; but we have
to think about it creatively just as our Victorian predecessors did
in a different age with its new and changing challenges.
My former charge in
Edinburgh has attempted to do this in an interesting way. After the
on-line live-streaming morning Service there is a break of 15
minutes. During this time people go to their kitchens, make a cup of
coffee, and grab a biscuit. Then there is a Congregational Zoom
Meeting with everyone drinking coffee and seeing and greeting their
friends and neighbours. There is an opportunity to discuss the
sermon and to share news before the meeting comes to a close.
One or two folk have
suggested that it would be good to take part in a small discussion
group to share our thoughts and opinions on some of the topics
mentioned in these recent letters. Please let me hear YOUR views on
how the Church is to adapt to a modern digital age.
Liz joins me in sending
our love to you all,
Alex.
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