PCC met on Monday evening. Here are the decisions reached.
Trickling Tap or Big Bang?
Church has been officially “open” since September. At present it is a bit like visiting a stately home with all the furniture covered with sheets. We prefer a Grand Re-Opening in the summer.
Will it really happen?
Will we sit together without masks? Will singing be permitted? No one can say. We hope and we pray. The 9am will remain open for weekly communion. Drop in any time. It is good—even if we can’t sing.
By the end of June a big wave will have rolled over the church for a year and a quarter. David led us in our thinking about how best to respond. PCC agreed that we were not ready to press the re-start button right now. We need a Covid Recovery Team to help get us match fit and back to the point where we can begin to move forward again. MLT will meet to appoint the members of that Team and consider how we can re-start our mission. We need to know the following things:
- Where we are in St John’s now.
- Where the impact of Covid has been felt and what we have lost.
- Why a Covid Recovery Team is needed.
- What it will do.
- How it fits in with our sub-teams and our mission and vision.
Transforming Church Together: This is a major initiative led by Bishop Viv. Raymond will be holding zoom meetings immediately after Easter for all church members who would like to be part of this exercise. Bishop Viv is really keen to hear from us, so she can see what matters to us.
Living in Love and Faith: (LLF) When it comes to LGBTQ+ some might feel we should just say, “What have I to do with judging outsiders?” But LGBTQ people
are not outside but inside the church. How do we respond? And how is the gospel good news to those LGBTQ people who are not yet Christians?
In the first instance LLF will be all about listening to the Bible and to people’s lived experiences. General Synod will debate these issues and will be making important decisions by the end of 2022.