Rev John's September Jottings

29 Sep 20

Firstly, the Virtual Flower Festival at St Laurence can now be accessed from a link on the church website.  I would like to thank all of you who contributed in any way – and those who have ‘visited’ via the internet and given a donation.  Do have a look if you can during the month of September.  The link can be found on the church website: www.ansleychurch.org

How has the lockdown been affecting you?’ I imagine most of your answers have been around health, food supplies, maybe feeling lonely, being stuck indoors and missing family and friends. As the lockdown begins to ease, as it has been, we are told that things will never get back to what they were and we will have to consider doing things a different way. So, what will we have learned from it?  Will people just pick up from where they left off and carry on with life, eventually to have a memory of 2020 as being the year of Covid-19? Or will it be a wakeup call to consider more pressing questions about life and death, meaning and purpose, chance or providence?

It was Winston Churchill who once said:

‘Men occasionally stumble over the truth but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.’

Prior to the Lockdown, our churches were open and there was a place to come and hear about eternal things, life after death, living a fulfilling life with God, finding peace and contentment and much more.  The churches closed for 18 weeks and have now opened on a very limited and strict basis following government and the Coventry diocese guidelines – which mainly means: social distancing, wearing masks, not singing and taking a record of those attending for tracing reasons.   At present the churches in Ansley and Arley are having joint Sunday services around the parishes and this has been of great encouragement and help to those who have been attending.  Also, as usual, every week services and mid-week updates are sent out via emails and printed copies are being sent through the post from time to time to those without internet access.  The church websites are also regularly updated with news, service times and venues plus other items.

It has been so easy to take so much for granted before the lockdown.  However, now is the time to take stock, consider the things in life that really matter and do something about them – and that could even mean coming back to church!

Do take care, keep safe, be alert and may God richly bless you. 

Rev John