Dear Friends,

A year ago we were preparing for the first reopening of our building and gathering together for worship after around 4 months apart. We have come a long way since July last year, and whilst there is still a long way to go, things are starting to feel a lot more normal. With that in mind I wanted to take the opportunity to share some updates and reminders.

Booking for Worship

Following an increase in our seating capacity, it has been agreed that booking is no longer required for services. So you don’t need to remember to go online tomorrow and book your seat, just turn up.

On your way in, you may be asked your name by a Sidesperson as we are still required to keep a list of attendees for Track and Trace. Do be patient with the sidespeople, some of them may not know your name even though you have been coming since the day you were born, they also might not recognise you with your face mask on. One of my flaws is I do struggle to remember names, so if you are asked your name, do be generous and forgiving to the person that asks, they aren’t being rude. To help with this, could I encourage you to try and arrive slightly earlier than 5 minutes before the service, this will take the stress off sidespeople slightly.

Over the next couple of weeks we will continue to monitor attendance numbers and seating and if there are issues the Churchwardens and I will look for solutions.

Roadmap to Normality

A few more changes that are in the pipeline are these:

This Sunday we will be trialling refreshments being served after the 10am service. If you choose to stay for refreshments you can collect these from the hatch and then you will need to go and sit down at a table before taking your mask off. The rule of 6 applies inside, if you choose to go outside the rules aren’t quite so strict.
Providing the government relax the rules in July, the PCC have approved my suggestion that we move the blue chairs back into church at the start of August. When we know more from the government about this, I will let you know when this will happen, and will be asking for help with furniture moving.
From September we hope to relaunch Active Angels, I am meeting with someone from our congregation in a couple of weeks’ time to begin planning this.

Appointment of Children and Families Worker

You may be aware that the PCC approved a few months ago for St Michaels to appoint a Children and Families Worker. Following a number of interviews, today we have appointed someone to the post, and following all the legal necessities its hoped that they will start in post at the beginning of August. As soon as its possible I will look to introduce you to our new staff member. I’m really excited about this appointment and cannot wait to see our ministry to children and families grow as we are all led to join in with this ministry.

Alongside this we have submitted a bid to a charity for funds to support a Youthworker and Community Worker post. We will hear back in October whether this bid has been successful, so I would value your prayers that our application might be received favourably.

Moving Forwards

There are a few of our church family that haven’t felt it safe to return to church yet. Over July I hope to make contact with as many of these people as possible, but if you are reading this and you haven’t returned to worship yet, please know you haven’t been forgotten and the whole church family looks forward to welcoming you back. If you have concerns or fears, please do come and share them with me. We are called to carry one another’s burdens. If you know someone that hasn’t returned to worship yet, please do pray for them, and talk with them about your experiences of worship at St Michaels recently.

I am really encouraged at the moment with all the seeds of hope that are appearing, some even blossoming already at St Michaels. There have been times over the last 18 months where I may have been smiling on the outside but that wasn’t necessarily how I was feeling on the inside. There is lots more I hope to share with you over the next few months which are encouraging me and I believe are answers to prayer, so I hope that can encourage you in your walk with Jesus and in your fellowship at St Michaels.

With my prayers,

Calum