A very warm welcome to you from all of us at St Paul's Church, Warwick.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
Due to the Coronavirus and guidelines issued by the government and Church of England, St Paul's has had to take the very difficult and sad decision to shut the building. There will be no further church services here in the building until further notice.
We realise it will be a very difficult time - lonely for many and isolating - and we have no idea how long this will go on for. To that end if anyone feels they need to speak to Jonathan please call him on 07919 145361.
Although the building will be closed you can stay connected via Twitter and Facebook as well as this website - we will endeavour to update as and when. The office phone is not working at the moment and there is no one in to monitor it so please call Jonathan on 07919 145361 if you need to speak to someone urgently.
Jonathan will be providing regular updates, thoughts and prayers. The latests one will be below but archive ones will be on the Newsletter section of the website. Please keep visiting!
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
Due to the Coronavirus and guidelines issued by the government and Church of England, St Paul's has had to take the very difficult and sad decision to shut the building. There will be no further church services here in the building until further notice.
We realise it will be a very difficult time - lonely for many and isolating - and we have no idea how long this will go on for. To that end if anyone feels they need to speak to Jonathan please call him on 07919 145361.
Although the building will be closed you can stay connected via Twitter and Facebook as well as this website - we will endeavour to update as and when. The office phone is not working at the moment and there is no one in to monitor it so please call Jonathan on 07919 145361 if you need to speak to someone urgently.
Jonathan will be providing regular updates, thoughts and prayers. The latests one will be below but archive ones will be on the Newsletter section of the website. Please keep visiting!
JOB VACANCY!
Helen Tebbatt is retiring from her role at the Diocese in September. It means the Diocese is looking for a new Training & Support Officer to join the team. Please see below a link to the job advert, if any of you are interested and wish to discuss this further please do not hesitate to give me a call.
http://www.dioceseofcoventry.org/vacancies/current_vacancies
Message from Jonathan
Sunday July 19, 2020
Dear Friends
I trust you are keeping well and perhaps are beginning to venture out and about a bit more. I’m conscious that although it’s good to be allowed to do more we still need to be sensible because the virus has not gone away and whilst progress is being made towards a vaccine we don’t have one yet.
To update you a bit from last time – we are required to get our bishop’s approval for what we are doing and hopefully this will be forthcoming. Legally he cannot give a blanket dispensation for not holding services so he is asking churches to ask him individually – and it makes sense so that he can see we have thought through our reasons.
I am taking some time off after this coming week and I’m pleased to say that Stig Graham will be leading the services on Zoom on the 26th July and 2nd August – (I’ll be back on the 9th).
Fortunately Stig has Zoom so will be able to host the service. He will however need to send the link – but I will ask him it send that to me so I can forward it to everyone.
I have been saying the morning office in church recently and it feels very strange to be there. It will be good when we can meet together but I am so aware that it will not be service as we know it.
In the early part of lockdown I would pray through the church directory remembering you all by name – I’ve not been so regular at doing that recently. I have instead started praying through the names of the families we are supplying food to. Audrey and her team are doing an amazing job in organising these food parcels which are delivered on Friday afternoons. We intend to continue with these for as long as is necessary and what is amazing is God’s continuing provision of the finances and help to make this happen. In praying for the families it is not just about their practical needs but asking Father God to help them perhaps understand that this practical help is an expression of His Love for them. If you are able to pray as well that would be wonderful – pray that if they do not already know the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, they may come to know Him and experience His Presence, Peace and Joy.
May that be true for us all too.
And to finish with the prayer of Paul to the Colossians believers from Eugene Peterson’s Message: “We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.”
Every blessing
Jonathan
Saturday 13th June
Dear Friends
Things can change rapidly at the moment – you think you have an idea of how time frames might work and then everything changes (or not really!!!)
At one stage it looked as though places of worship might be able to open up at the beginning of July, but then this week the government has announced that private prayer would be possible from Monday – this was then brought forward to today, Saturday. However, both the diocesan and the Church of England, is emphasising that “these changes give permission but are not prescriptive and if Incumbents with their PCCs feel that they cannot open buildings safely, there is no requirement to do so”.
It needs to be stressed that the lifting of restrictions is only for private prayer at this stage – no form of communal worship is being permitted. And as with everything else which is happening as we come out of lockdown, there are guidelines / instructions as to what needs to be done to make places “safe”.
Churches and other places of worship are not exempt from complying with these instructions. We had begun to think about looking at what we might need to be doing and already have a PCC meeting in the diary for later this week. This will give us an opportunity to think through some of these implications for St Paul’s.
There’s a risk assessment that must be completed, and then we will need to ensure that what ever we decide to do maintains the social distancing rules (if these don’t change in the meantime). We will need to ensure we have measures in place to so that any surfaces that might be touched are cleaned. We will need to decide whether the toilets are available because of additional requirements to clean after every use.
There are also issues of having someone present whilst the church is open so there’s the practical question over possible timing and who might be able or willing to make that possible. And would these people also have the responsibly for doing the necessary cleaning. Unfortunately it is not as simple as just going back to the way things were!
In discussion with other ministers there’s a sense that for what is being allowed at this stage it may not be the right thing to do at the moment – but that‘s not to say we don’t think about it or see if there is a way of engaging with our community. Even as I’m writing this I’ve the thought that I could go across the church to say the Morning Office, let people know that I will be there praying for our community and inviting requests for prayers by text or email. At this stage it’s just an idea but there may be others!
But as yet there is no clear idea as to when it will be possible to hold services back in church nor what form it will be possible to take when we do. So please keep on praying that God will guide both the government and the church in particular with His Wisdom. Our archdeacon closed her letter to clergy, readers and churchwardens with these thoughts: “No one is finding it easy and coming out of lockdown is far more complex than going in”.
Please pray also for the nation, for peace and patience at this challenging time not just because of coronavirus but also because of the racial tensions that have been ignited by events in the USA.
But just remember, that whilst we might not understand all tha ‘s happening and might feel that governments are struggling with how to respond, Father God is well aware of all that is happening and is perhaps calling on His Church to be there for “such a time as this”. We just need to keep our eyes fixed on him – the author and perfecter of our faith.
The Lord bless you and keep you,
The Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious unto you
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
Jonathan
Sunday May 24, 2020
Dear Friends
It doesn’t seem possible that we are about to enter the 3rd month since the lockdown began at the end of March. And it doesn’t seem like we will be getting back to the “old normal” any time soon – if we ever will. We may well have to discover a “new normal” in due course. The 4th July is being put forward as a date when there may be further possible easing of restrictions affecting the churches but we will have to wait and see.
I recently went on a webinar seminar which offered a helpful way of identifying 3 stages of response to what we are going through – nothing particularly mind blowing – but sometimes the simple and straightforward is really helpful. The three stages are Short, Medium and Long Term. Currently we are moving from the Short Term response that was the initial Lock Down and reaction to the immediate need. This was very clear and most people, if not everyone, knew what was required. As we move into the Medium Term response things become less clear as we try to ease a way out of the lock down and find new ways of moving forward. This could take another month or more and is marked by what’s been termed “adaptive” change. This entails responding and adapting to the changes (which may themselves be constantly changing) taking place. Finally, as the situation begins to settle, it’s possible to look further ahead from 3 to 18 months to think what a “new normal” might look like.
Possibly too, along with these changes, we’re finding our emotions are fluctuating. This is only to be expected as we have no idea of how long it will take until we come through. It’s been reassuring to hear from various sources that I’ve not been alone in what I have been feeling – a few more low days than I’d like - so rest assured if you have found yourself experiencing more down days than up – you are not alone!
Over the last couple of weeks I also have found myself mulling over two particular scriptures. These are the “do not worry” passages in Matthew 6: 25-34 & Luke 12: 22-31 and the concluding chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians where he encourages them not to be anxious, or at least to respond to anxious thoughts in a positive way Philippians 4: 4-9.
In the Gospel passages Jesus concludes that part of his teachings by telling us not to worry about tomorrow and to take one day at a time. It is this that I have felt drawn to.
Eugene Petersen in the Message translation puts it like this “don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” It is so easy to get hung up on what might (or often doesn’t) happen tomorrow. The daily briefings with the accompanying statistics or the news headlines can so easily destroy peace of mind and heighten our fears and anxieties. Jesus says (my paraphrase) “try not to worry about tomorrow and take each day as it comes. You can’t change anything and anyway the things that might cause you concern may never happen! Don’t let tomorrow take away some peace from today.
This may be easy to say but perhaps some of us find that this doesn’t come naturally. Hence the passage from Philippians. In telling them not to be anxious about anything I think Paul is acknowledging that actually some of them were very anxious! So instead of letting anxious thoughts dominate he suggests a practical way of trying to overcome the problem. As the Message puts it “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.” Essentially, instead of focussing on your worries or anxious thoughts, turn them into prayer. Instead of trying to bear them in your own strength, hand them over to God. And God’s promise is that if you will let Him, He’ll replace your fears by faith with His Peace. Or to put it another way – perfect loves drives out fear.
We will never overcome our anxieties or concerns on our own – it just doesn’t happen. But whilst we may not be able to stop them coming, we can hand them over. So let’s allow Faith to overcome Fear by taking those things that might make us ‘fearful’ to the one who can truly handle them.
We might spend our days in wishful thinking, wishing that things were different and that we could get back to life as we knew it … but such wishes will probably end in frustration and disappointment. We can allow the concerns for tomorrow to loom large into fears and anxieties which steal our peace but actually these may never happen anyway. Or we can turn those concerns and wishes into prayers as we invite God to help us ride this storm of life in His Peace and allow Him to deepen our faith and trust in Him. So take each day as it comes and take everything else to God in prayer and allow faith to outweigh concerns, anxieties or fears.
This Sunday is the Sunday after Ascension when we remember Christ returning to His throne in heaven, and His promise to send the gift of the Holy Spirit to His disciples. Next Sunday is Pentecost, the day we remember that event. It’s good to have a date when we can remember that event but it is also good to remind ourselves that God’s Spirit is available to us now. May He continue to pour out His Spirit to enable us not only to persevere through this time but to continue to work for His Kingdom. If you looked at the passages from Matthew and Luke you will have notice that Jesus was also encouraging his followers to seek His Kingdom – it is in doing the Kingdom work that we experience the Kingdom’s Peace.
I am very grateful to Audrey and the team who are continuing to provide food parcels not just to those we have helped in the past through Make Lunch, but also others we have picked up during these recent weeks as they have been referred to us or come to our attention.
And thank you too for others who, through phone calls etc., are looking out both for church members and neighbours.
As we acknowledge in the Lord’s Prayer – regardless of what’s happening around us “May Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Let us keep on praying.
Every blessing
Jonathan
Sunday May 3, 2020
Dear friends
Another week goes by and if you’re like me, perhaps you’re beginning to find the days blur into one another and it seems to be harder to remember which day of the week it is. And maybe like me you feel the “difference / novelty” which made it bearable for a while in the early days and weeks is now beginning to wear thin and it would be so nice to be free from the constraints of lockdown.
Maybe too for some of us it somehow feels more emotionally draining and tiring. I don’t think we are alone in feeling this but being in some form of “isolation” and removed from the contact of others we can perhaps believe we are the only ones feeling that way – you’re not alone in feeling / thinking that even if it feels you might be. However I hope we also appreciate the need to do what is required to ensure we get through this period and don’t face a second spike.
The reading last Sunday was the familiar story of Jesus joining the two disciples as they journeyed from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Whilst they didn’t recognise Him as they walked they persuaded Him to stay with them. Then, as they had sat down to have a meal together, their eyes were opened and they realised it was Jesus. Like with the readings of the previous 2 weeks – I’ve found the Resurrection stories meaningful in our current topsy turvey world.
What struck me with the Emmaus story were the two elements of Jesus joining Cleopas and his companion as they walked and then their invitation to Him to stay with them rather than journey on. Jesus initiated the first, they initiated the second.
As they were walking and talking and trying to make sense of all that had happened, Jesus came near and started to walk along with them, listening to what they had to say and gently probing them with questions to find out what they were thinking and feeling. What struck me as I read it was the simple fact Jesus came alongside and essentially listened, which led me to reflect that Jesus still does that and is doing that as we talk with others trying to make sense (or not!!) of what we’re experiencing at the moment. Jesus is alongside us (not in a physical sense as He was with those two disciples) but in a spiritual sense. And just as they failed to recognise Him maybe we also fail to recognise Him.
This changes as the story draws to its close. Jesus makes as if to continue His walk leaving the disciples to go in and no doubt continue their discussions, but now perhaps with a fresh perspective. However they take the initiative to invite Jesus to come and stay with them and share a meal. Jesus wasn’t going to presume upon them, they had to invite Him. I wondered whether that is true for us too in the current situation – may be Jesus is waiting for us to invite Him to come and be with us as we journey through this Coronavirus pandemic – He won’t impose Himself upon us but maybe He is waiting for us intentionally to ask Him to accompany us as we go through it all. And just maybe, as happened when the disciples had returned to Jerusalem and Jesus joined them again, Jesus will give us His Peace, the Peace we need to help us endure / persevere though these challenging times.
I’m conscious too from conversations I’ve had, as time progresses we may well become more directly caught up in this pandemic. Hopefully not because we ourselves or those close to us catch it, but through families or people we know or we stories we hear that bring it home to us in a very real way.
Also there is more talk about the fact there are other deaths beyond Coronavirus. It saddens me to have to share this has caught up with us as a church family – Sue Brown sadly died on Wednesday morning. This took me completely by surprise. I have been told it was a heart attack. I know we will all miss her dearly as she had become such a special member of our church. It has been so lovely to see her blossom and come out of herself, initially after Sue P moved away from the flats opposite and also since Sue P’s death last year. I will let you know when her funeral is but it will doubtless be under restriction even if these get slightly relaxed in the next few weeks. We will however hold a memorial service for her in due course. In the meantime I wondered if we could create a “memory booklet” with our stories of Sue. If you would like to contribute could you email me your story and I’ll see if we can get it “produced” into a booklet of some form or other. Our thoughts and prayers are very much with her family at this time.
I’m very grateful for the various phone calls that people make with each other but a reminder if anyone would like to talk with me you are most welcome to call me on 07919 145361.
And may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your heart and mind in the knowledge and love of God, and may His grace give you the strength to endure to the end.
Every blessing.
Jonathan
Sunday April 26
I hope you have managed another week and managing to keep up your spirits. Doubtless some good and bad days - you can read my story of one of those not so good days at the bottom of this note - hope this make you smile.
Just a reminder that we are meeting this morning - link and ID below. AS usual please feel free to come along from 9.30 and enjoy catching up.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85409898804
Meeting ID: 854 0989 8804
Now for my story from Friday.
With the coronavirus I have tried (am being encouraged) not to go shopping as frequently as I have before - I used to go Wednesdays and Saturdays - so with the new regime I didn’t go Wednesday and we tried to eek it out till yesterday. I had a zoom meeting at 12.30 and under normal circumstance thought I’d left plenty of time!
The queue wasn’t too bad but am still getting used to the "Lane Markings in Tesco” I don’t normally go down One Way Streets / aisles but found myself having to back up and do as I’m told. Then trying to be polite and not barge past whilst trying to maintain social distancing meant either trying to be patient or bobbing my head up and down saying "excuse me, can I get past please!”
That’s ok until folk are engrossed in seeing what’s left and checking the date - if like me they are trying to shop for longer - can’t imagine queuing up, getting your whatever and looking forward to a Sunday roast only to find the chicken went out of date two days ago.
I’m also doing shopping for Joy which is not problem - I’ve sussed where things are, but in shopping for longer and needing to get a bit extra meant stopping to rearrange the trolley as it wasn’t made for two - and finding that I’m now one of those inconsiderate shoppers taking up most of the aisle so others can’t get past, and something inevitable falls out of the trolly at the wrong time.
As some of you will have seen last week my dentures broke so I no longer have two front teeth - so my attempt at smiling to ease the tension and the awkwardness of holding others up gets a somewhat strange look when they encounter the toothless smiler.
Anyway all was progressing until I realised it was taking longer than I had anticipated so I tried the “supermarket dash” only to make it to the check out (Shop as you go) for the check out to take some dislike to me - so I had to move to another one which seemed to object to my card for while. I thought I was going to be cutting it fine so rang home to get my daughter to log on for me and be the good host to let people on to the meeting (I’m sure she will try and make the “you owe me one” last a long time!)
Then to cap it all when I’d got most things in the car I dropped a bottle meant as a special birthday present - nice smell but glass everywhere and even had I wanted to sneak away I couldn’t as a nice bit of glass was behind the wheel. I think I managed to stay polite and only exclaim “Oh no” but that was a bit louder than perhaps needed to be and together with the sound of breaking glass (any having got a parking lot near the entrance, meant the eyes of many of the people now queuing turned to see what had happened.
By now there was no chance of making it home on time - I just had to pretend I was managing to stay calm. It took a bit of time for someone to come and clear up my mess - but they kindly said the’d see if they could replace the bottle which was really nice. That was fine until they pointed out there were two different sizes to this particular tipple but I couldn't identify the right size … and I couldn’t find the receipt. So car got emptied, bags got searched but no receipt to be found.
Well it’s wonderful what they can do with your club card so they took it off to search their computers. Finally having checked again a number of times for the receipt I gave up and walked towards the entrance - to be greeted by a really smiley security guard who’s been watching all that had been going on! Actually it was a lovely moment as he said something along the lines “I think I know you - didn’t you used to come here with your lad and aren’t you a vicar?” It was a long time ago that Chris came with me so I was amazed he would recognise me (and mightily relieved that I had managed to curb my tongue when it all happen - I might not always be so good.
God does have a sense of humour because I then looked down and my foot was virtually on a till receipt that happened to be my missing receipt. As I picked it up the shop assistant was coming out with the right sized bottle and although they’d checked it against my card I could also point to the receipt and say “I thought it was the large one but I hadn’t wanted to assume it in case I was wrong!”
I’m sure there is a story of God in there somewhere - I haven’t quite worked it out but it did make me smile (and i hope it has brought a smile to you too) - but I have to confess it did take a bit of time to get my composure back!
There will be some more erudite thoughts to follow in due course.
It will be lovely to see those who can join us on zoom this morning, but to those who can’t we will be thinking of you.
Blessings
Jonathan
April 17, 2020
Dear Friends
Well we now know what we might have anticipated – that the lockdown is continuing for at least another three weeks. I think many of us knew that this was bound to happen, but that doesn’t necessarily make it any easier.
So how are you doing as you adjust to a very different lifestyle? For most of us the answer is possibly “OK for some of the time and not so OK for the rest of the time – some good days and some not so good days and possibly even some bad days”. The most important thing at the moment is to be honest with how we feel, day to day, and accept we are not in a position to alter all the external pressures.
Once we have done that maybe we are in a better position to reflect on what we can control – which is essentially how we respond to what is going on around us – the serenity prayer comes to mind. Probably we are more familiar with the first four lines than we are with the rest of it
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
But the theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, who wrote it, continued:
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.
As disciples of Christ we are not alone, even if we do not sense God’s presence with us all the time – He has promised neither to leave us nor forsake. What we sense or do not sense does not affect His promise. And perhaps that’s part of the new reality God is inviting us to embrace as it may be the means to deepen our faith and trust in Him without all that is familiar and which we can so easily take for granted.
This was part of the Easter story too, as all that was familiar to the disciples was stripped away with Jesus’ death. Their world as they knew it had come to an end and it would never be business as usual even after the resurrection. All had changed, well the physical presence of Christ would end at His Ascension … BUT His presence through His Holy Spirit would come upon them and be with each one wherever they were, even when they were apart. Had things stayed as perhaps they would have liked they would have missed out on so much. Maybe God is inviting us to discover the “so much more” that is being made available to us through the current situation if we are embrace it.
The “so much more” may be different for each of us as we “live one day at a time” and learn, or try, to “enjoy one moment at a time” accepting that God is with us and “trusting that He will make all things right as we surrender to His will”.
As the Resurrection appearances show us, Christ is in the business of transforming our understanding and how we see things!
Zoom instructions can be downloaded here
Dear Friends
I trust you are keeping well and perhaps are beginning to venture out and about a bit more. I’m conscious that although it’s good to be allowed to do more we still need to be sensible because the virus has not gone away and whilst progress is being made towards a vaccine we don’t have one yet.
To update you a bit from last time – we are required to get our bishop’s approval for what we are doing and hopefully this will be forthcoming. Legally he cannot give a blanket dispensation for not holding services so he is asking churches to ask him individually – and it makes sense so that he can see we have thought through our reasons.
I am taking some time off after this coming week and I’m pleased to say that Stig Graham will be leading the services on Zoom on the 26th July and 2nd August – (I’ll be back on the 9th).
Fortunately Stig has Zoom so will be able to host the service. He will however need to send the link – but I will ask him it send that to me so I can forward it to everyone.
I have been saying the morning office in church recently and it feels very strange to be there. It will be good when we can meet together but I am so aware that it will not be service as we know it.
In the early part of lockdown I would pray through the church directory remembering you all by name – I’ve not been so regular at doing that recently. I have instead started praying through the names of the families we are supplying food to. Audrey and her team are doing an amazing job in organising these food parcels which are delivered on Friday afternoons. We intend to continue with these for as long as is necessary and what is amazing is God’s continuing provision of the finances and help to make this happen. In praying for the families it is not just about their practical needs but asking Father God to help them perhaps understand that this practical help is an expression of His Love for them. If you are able to pray as well that would be wonderful – pray that if they do not already know the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, they may come to know Him and experience His Presence, Peace and Joy.
May that be true for us all too.
And to finish with the prayer of Paul to the Colossians believers from Eugene Peterson’s Message: “We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.”
Every blessing
Jonathan
Saturday 13th June
Dear Friends
Things can change rapidly at the moment – you think you have an idea of how time frames might work and then everything changes (or not really!!!)
At one stage it looked as though places of worship might be able to open up at the beginning of July, but then this week the government has announced that private prayer would be possible from Monday – this was then brought forward to today, Saturday. However, both the diocesan and the Church of England, is emphasising that “these changes give permission but are not prescriptive and if Incumbents with their PCCs feel that they cannot open buildings safely, there is no requirement to do so”.
It needs to be stressed that the lifting of restrictions is only for private prayer at this stage – no form of communal worship is being permitted. And as with everything else which is happening as we come out of lockdown, there are guidelines / instructions as to what needs to be done to make places “safe”.
Churches and other places of worship are not exempt from complying with these instructions. We had begun to think about looking at what we might need to be doing and already have a PCC meeting in the diary for later this week. This will give us an opportunity to think through some of these implications for St Paul’s.
There’s a risk assessment that must be completed, and then we will need to ensure that what ever we decide to do maintains the social distancing rules (if these don’t change in the meantime). We will need to ensure we have measures in place to so that any surfaces that might be touched are cleaned. We will need to decide whether the toilets are available because of additional requirements to clean after every use.
There are also issues of having someone present whilst the church is open so there’s the practical question over possible timing and who might be able or willing to make that possible. And would these people also have the responsibly for doing the necessary cleaning. Unfortunately it is not as simple as just going back to the way things were!
In discussion with other ministers there’s a sense that for what is being allowed at this stage it may not be the right thing to do at the moment – but that‘s not to say we don’t think about it or see if there is a way of engaging with our community. Even as I’m writing this I’ve the thought that I could go across the church to say the Morning Office, let people know that I will be there praying for our community and inviting requests for prayers by text or email. At this stage it’s just an idea but there may be others!
But as yet there is no clear idea as to when it will be possible to hold services back in church nor what form it will be possible to take when we do. So please keep on praying that God will guide both the government and the church in particular with His Wisdom. Our archdeacon closed her letter to clergy, readers and churchwardens with these thoughts: “No one is finding it easy and coming out of lockdown is far more complex than going in”.
Please pray also for the nation, for peace and patience at this challenging time not just because of coronavirus but also because of the racial tensions that have been ignited by events in the USA.
But just remember, that whilst we might not understand all tha ‘s happening and might feel that governments are struggling with how to respond, Father God is well aware of all that is happening and is perhaps calling on His Church to be there for “such a time as this”. We just need to keep our eyes fixed on him – the author and perfecter of our faith.
The Lord bless you and keep you,
The Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious unto you
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
Jonathan
Sunday May 24, 2020
Dear Friends
It doesn’t seem possible that we are about to enter the 3rd month since the lockdown began at the end of March. And it doesn’t seem like we will be getting back to the “old normal” any time soon – if we ever will. We may well have to discover a “new normal” in due course. The 4th July is being put forward as a date when there may be further possible easing of restrictions affecting the churches but we will have to wait and see.
I recently went on a webinar seminar which offered a helpful way of identifying 3 stages of response to what we are going through – nothing particularly mind blowing – but sometimes the simple and straightforward is really helpful. The three stages are Short, Medium and Long Term. Currently we are moving from the Short Term response that was the initial Lock Down and reaction to the immediate need. This was very clear and most people, if not everyone, knew what was required. As we move into the Medium Term response things become less clear as we try to ease a way out of the lock down and find new ways of moving forward. This could take another month or more and is marked by what’s been termed “adaptive” change. This entails responding and adapting to the changes (which may themselves be constantly changing) taking place. Finally, as the situation begins to settle, it’s possible to look further ahead from 3 to 18 months to think what a “new normal” might look like.
Possibly too, along with these changes, we’re finding our emotions are fluctuating. This is only to be expected as we have no idea of how long it will take until we come through. It’s been reassuring to hear from various sources that I’ve not been alone in what I have been feeling – a few more low days than I’d like - so rest assured if you have found yourself experiencing more down days than up – you are not alone!
Over the last couple of weeks I also have found myself mulling over two particular scriptures. These are the “do not worry” passages in Matthew 6: 25-34 & Luke 12: 22-31 and the concluding chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians where he encourages them not to be anxious, or at least to respond to anxious thoughts in a positive way Philippians 4: 4-9.
In the Gospel passages Jesus concludes that part of his teachings by telling us not to worry about tomorrow and to take one day at a time. It is this that I have felt drawn to.
Eugene Petersen in the Message translation puts it like this “don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” It is so easy to get hung up on what might (or often doesn’t) happen tomorrow. The daily briefings with the accompanying statistics or the news headlines can so easily destroy peace of mind and heighten our fears and anxieties. Jesus says (my paraphrase) “try not to worry about tomorrow and take each day as it comes. You can’t change anything and anyway the things that might cause you concern may never happen! Don’t let tomorrow take away some peace from today.
This may be easy to say but perhaps some of us find that this doesn’t come naturally. Hence the passage from Philippians. In telling them not to be anxious about anything I think Paul is acknowledging that actually some of them were very anxious! So instead of letting anxious thoughts dominate he suggests a practical way of trying to overcome the problem. As the Message puts it “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.” Essentially, instead of focussing on your worries or anxious thoughts, turn them into prayer. Instead of trying to bear them in your own strength, hand them over to God. And God’s promise is that if you will let Him, He’ll replace your fears by faith with His Peace. Or to put it another way – perfect loves drives out fear.
We will never overcome our anxieties or concerns on our own – it just doesn’t happen. But whilst we may not be able to stop them coming, we can hand them over. So let’s allow Faith to overcome Fear by taking those things that might make us ‘fearful’ to the one who can truly handle them.
We might spend our days in wishful thinking, wishing that things were different and that we could get back to life as we knew it … but such wishes will probably end in frustration and disappointment. We can allow the concerns for tomorrow to loom large into fears and anxieties which steal our peace but actually these may never happen anyway. Or we can turn those concerns and wishes into prayers as we invite God to help us ride this storm of life in His Peace and allow Him to deepen our faith and trust in Him. So take each day as it comes and take everything else to God in prayer and allow faith to outweigh concerns, anxieties or fears.
This Sunday is the Sunday after Ascension when we remember Christ returning to His throne in heaven, and His promise to send the gift of the Holy Spirit to His disciples. Next Sunday is Pentecost, the day we remember that event. It’s good to have a date when we can remember that event but it is also good to remind ourselves that God’s Spirit is available to us now. May He continue to pour out His Spirit to enable us not only to persevere through this time but to continue to work for His Kingdom. If you looked at the passages from Matthew and Luke you will have notice that Jesus was also encouraging his followers to seek His Kingdom – it is in doing the Kingdom work that we experience the Kingdom’s Peace.
I am very grateful to Audrey and the team who are continuing to provide food parcels not just to those we have helped in the past through Make Lunch, but also others we have picked up during these recent weeks as they have been referred to us or come to our attention.
And thank you too for others who, through phone calls etc., are looking out both for church members and neighbours.
As we acknowledge in the Lord’s Prayer – regardless of what’s happening around us “May Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Let us keep on praying.
Every blessing
Jonathan
Sunday May 3, 2020
Dear friends
Another week goes by and if you’re like me, perhaps you’re beginning to find the days blur into one another and it seems to be harder to remember which day of the week it is. And maybe like me you feel the “difference / novelty” which made it bearable for a while in the early days and weeks is now beginning to wear thin and it would be so nice to be free from the constraints of lockdown.
Maybe too for some of us it somehow feels more emotionally draining and tiring. I don’t think we are alone in feeling this but being in some form of “isolation” and removed from the contact of others we can perhaps believe we are the only ones feeling that way – you’re not alone in feeling / thinking that even if it feels you might be. However I hope we also appreciate the need to do what is required to ensure we get through this period and don’t face a second spike.
The reading last Sunday was the familiar story of Jesus joining the two disciples as they journeyed from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Whilst they didn’t recognise Him as they walked they persuaded Him to stay with them. Then, as they had sat down to have a meal together, their eyes were opened and they realised it was Jesus. Like with the readings of the previous 2 weeks – I’ve found the Resurrection stories meaningful in our current topsy turvey world.
What struck me with the Emmaus story were the two elements of Jesus joining Cleopas and his companion as they walked and then their invitation to Him to stay with them rather than journey on. Jesus initiated the first, they initiated the second.
As they were walking and talking and trying to make sense of all that had happened, Jesus came near and started to walk along with them, listening to what they had to say and gently probing them with questions to find out what they were thinking and feeling. What struck me as I read it was the simple fact Jesus came alongside and essentially listened, which led me to reflect that Jesus still does that and is doing that as we talk with others trying to make sense (or not!!) of what we’re experiencing at the moment. Jesus is alongside us (not in a physical sense as He was with those two disciples) but in a spiritual sense. And just as they failed to recognise Him maybe we also fail to recognise Him.
This changes as the story draws to its close. Jesus makes as if to continue His walk leaving the disciples to go in and no doubt continue their discussions, but now perhaps with a fresh perspective. However they take the initiative to invite Jesus to come and stay with them and share a meal. Jesus wasn’t going to presume upon them, they had to invite Him. I wondered whether that is true for us too in the current situation – may be Jesus is waiting for us to invite Him to come and be with us as we journey through this Coronavirus pandemic – He won’t impose Himself upon us but maybe He is waiting for us intentionally to ask Him to accompany us as we go through it all. And just maybe, as happened when the disciples had returned to Jerusalem and Jesus joined them again, Jesus will give us His Peace, the Peace we need to help us endure / persevere though these challenging times.
I’m conscious too from conversations I’ve had, as time progresses we may well become more directly caught up in this pandemic. Hopefully not because we ourselves or those close to us catch it, but through families or people we know or we stories we hear that bring it home to us in a very real way.
Also there is more talk about the fact there are other deaths beyond Coronavirus. It saddens me to have to share this has caught up with us as a church family – Sue Brown sadly died on Wednesday morning. This took me completely by surprise. I have been told it was a heart attack. I know we will all miss her dearly as she had become such a special member of our church. It has been so lovely to see her blossom and come out of herself, initially after Sue P moved away from the flats opposite and also since Sue P’s death last year. I will let you know when her funeral is but it will doubtless be under restriction even if these get slightly relaxed in the next few weeks. We will however hold a memorial service for her in due course. In the meantime I wondered if we could create a “memory booklet” with our stories of Sue. If you would like to contribute could you email me your story and I’ll see if we can get it “produced” into a booklet of some form or other. Our thoughts and prayers are very much with her family at this time.
I’m very grateful for the various phone calls that people make with each other but a reminder if anyone would like to talk with me you are most welcome to call me on 07919 145361.
And may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your heart and mind in the knowledge and love of God, and may His grace give you the strength to endure to the end.
Every blessing.
Jonathan
Sunday April 26
I hope you have managed another week and managing to keep up your spirits. Doubtless some good and bad days - you can read my story of one of those not so good days at the bottom of this note - hope this make you smile.
Just a reminder that we are meeting this morning - link and ID below. AS usual please feel free to come along from 9.30 and enjoy catching up.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85409898804
Meeting ID: 854 0989 8804
Now for my story from Friday.
With the coronavirus I have tried (am being encouraged) not to go shopping as frequently as I have before - I used to go Wednesdays and Saturdays - so with the new regime I didn’t go Wednesday and we tried to eek it out till yesterday. I had a zoom meeting at 12.30 and under normal circumstance thought I’d left plenty of time!
The queue wasn’t too bad but am still getting used to the "Lane Markings in Tesco” I don’t normally go down One Way Streets / aisles but found myself having to back up and do as I’m told. Then trying to be polite and not barge past whilst trying to maintain social distancing meant either trying to be patient or bobbing my head up and down saying "excuse me, can I get past please!”
That’s ok until folk are engrossed in seeing what’s left and checking the date - if like me they are trying to shop for longer - can’t imagine queuing up, getting your whatever and looking forward to a Sunday roast only to find the chicken went out of date two days ago.
I’m also doing shopping for Joy which is not problem - I’ve sussed where things are, but in shopping for longer and needing to get a bit extra meant stopping to rearrange the trolley as it wasn’t made for two - and finding that I’m now one of those inconsiderate shoppers taking up most of the aisle so others can’t get past, and something inevitable falls out of the trolly at the wrong time.
As some of you will have seen last week my dentures broke so I no longer have two front teeth - so my attempt at smiling to ease the tension and the awkwardness of holding others up gets a somewhat strange look when they encounter the toothless smiler.
Anyway all was progressing until I realised it was taking longer than I had anticipated so I tried the “supermarket dash” only to make it to the check out (Shop as you go) for the check out to take some dislike to me - so I had to move to another one which seemed to object to my card for while. I thought I was going to be cutting it fine so rang home to get my daughter to log on for me and be the good host to let people on to the meeting (I’m sure she will try and make the “you owe me one” last a long time!)
Then to cap it all when I’d got most things in the car I dropped a bottle meant as a special birthday present - nice smell but glass everywhere and even had I wanted to sneak away I couldn’t as a nice bit of glass was behind the wheel. I think I managed to stay polite and only exclaim “Oh no” but that was a bit louder than perhaps needed to be and together with the sound of breaking glass (any having got a parking lot near the entrance, meant the eyes of many of the people now queuing turned to see what had happened.
By now there was no chance of making it home on time - I just had to pretend I was managing to stay calm. It took a bit of time for someone to come and clear up my mess - but they kindly said the’d see if they could replace the bottle which was really nice. That was fine until they pointed out there were two different sizes to this particular tipple but I couldn't identify the right size … and I couldn’t find the receipt. So car got emptied, bags got searched but no receipt to be found.
Well it’s wonderful what they can do with your club card so they took it off to search their computers. Finally having checked again a number of times for the receipt I gave up and walked towards the entrance - to be greeted by a really smiley security guard who’s been watching all that had been going on! Actually it was a lovely moment as he said something along the lines “I think I know you - didn’t you used to come here with your lad and aren’t you a vicar?” It was a long time ago that Chris came with me so I was amazed he would recognise me (and mightily relieved that I had managed to curb my tongue when it all happen - I might not always be so good.
God does have a sense of humour because I then looked down and my foot was virtually on a till receipt that happened to be my missing receipt. As I picked it up the shop assistant was coming out with the right sized bottle and although they’d checked it against my card I could also point to the receipt and say “I thought it was the large one but I hadn’t wanted to assume it in case I was wrong!”
I’m sure there is a story of God in there somewhere - I haven’t quite worked it out but it did make me smile (and i hope it has brought a smile to you too) - but I have to confess it did take a bit of time to get my composure back!
There will be some more erudite thoughts to follow in due course.
It will be lovely to see those who can join us on zoom this morning, but to those who can’t we will be thinking of you.
Blessings
Jonathan
April 17, 2020
Dear Friends
Well we now know what we might have anticipated – that the lockdown is continuing for at least another three weeks. I think many of us knew that this was bound to happen, but that doesn’t necessarily make it any easier.
So how are you doing as you adjust to a very different lifestyle? For most of us the answer is possibly “OK for some of the time and not so OK for the rest of the time – some good days and some not so good days and possibly even some bad days”. The most important thing at the moment is to be honest with how we feel, day to day, and accept we are not in a position to alter all the external pressures.
Once we have done that maybe we are in a better position to reflect on what we can control – which is essentially how we respond to what is going on around us – the serenity prayer comes to mind. Probably we are more familiar with the first four lines than we are with the rest of it
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
But the theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, who wrote it, continued:
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.
As disciples of Christ we are not alone, even if we do not sense God’s presence with us all the time – He has promised neither to leave us nor forsake. What we sense or do not sense does not affect His promise. And perhaps that’s part of the new reality God is inviting us to embrace as it may be the means to deepen our faith and trust in Him without all that is familiar and which we can so easily take for granted.
This was part of the Easter story too, as all that was familiar to the disciples was stripped away with Jesus’ death. Their world as they knew it had come to an end and it would never be business as usual even after the resurrection. All had changed, well the physical presence of Christ would end at His Ascension … BUT His presence through His Holy Spirit would come upon them and be with each one wherever they were, even when they were apart. Had things stayed as perhaps they would have liked they would have missed out on so much. Maybe God is inviting us to discover the “so much more” that is being made available to us through the current situation if we are embrace it.
The “so much more” may be different for each of us as we “live one day at a time” and learn, or try, to “enjoy one moment at a time” accepting that God is with us and “trusting that He will make all things right as we surrender to His will”.
As the Resurrection appearances show us, Christ is in the business of transforming our understanding and how we see things!
Zoom instructions can be downloaded here
SAFEGUARDING:
The Parish Church of St Paul's is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and that anyone who enters our doors feels valued, welcome and safe.
St Paul's Church's Safeguarding policy can be viewed via the page in the link above or by clicking on the link below.
If you wish to report a safeguarding concern or allegation please contact the Parish Safeguarding Officer - Pat Kibbler on: 01926 496552
or the Team Vicar - Jonathan Hearn on 01926 419814
or the Diocesan Safeguarding Team on 024 7652 1345 (this is a 24-hour phone number)
or the Police on 999
Our safeguarding policy can be viewed here: safeguarding_policy.pdf
The Parish Church of St Paul's is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and that anyone who enters our doors feels valued, welcome and safe.
St Paul's Church's Safeguarding policy can be viewed via the page in the link above or by clicking on the link below.
If you wish to report a safeguarding concern or allegation please contact the Parish Safeguarding Officer - Pat Kibbler on: 01926 496552
or the Team Vicar - Jonathan Hearn on 01926 419814
or the Diocesan Safeguarding Team on 024 7652 1345 (this is a 24-hour phone number)
or the Police on 999
Our safeguarding policy can be viewed here: safeguarding_policy.pdf
St Paul's Church is part of www.dioceseofcoventry.org/ within the www.churchofengland.org
St Paul's is also part of Churches Together in Warwick (CTW) of which there are 10 member churches. CTW meets at 7.30am on the first Saturday in the month for a Prayer Breakfast. It is held at a different member church each time. Please see our latest newsletter for details on where the next event is. Or visit the CTW website www.ctwarwick.org.uk/ for details.
Our charity number is 1127224
St Paul's is also part of Churches Together in Warwick (CTW) of which there are 10 member churches. CTW meets at 7.30am on the first Saturday in the month for a Prayer Breakfast. It is held at a different member church each time. Please see our latest newsletter for details on where the next event is. Or visit the CTW website www.ctwarwick.org.uk/ for details.
Our charity number is 1127224
Worship
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1st Sunday
10am - Holy Communion (Common Worship) |
2nd Sunday
10am - Cafe Church
6pm - Holy Communion 7.30pm - In His Presence |
3rd Sunday
10am - Holy Communion
(Common Worship) 7.30pm - In His Presence |
4th Sunday
10am - Whole Life Worship
(No Communion) 6pm - Evensong 7.30pm - In His Presence |
Cafe Church
The church is transformed as we begin with refreshments around tables on the second Sunday of each month.
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There’s often a theme around encounters with Jesus and the opportunity to share our own reflections and experiences as well as listening to others. So it doesn't matter if you're not used to church. There are always activities for families and children to take part in.
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Community
We are proud to serve the people of Warwick, working in schools and holding clubs in our hall. Here are a few of the activities and events we host.
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Seniors' Club
If you are over 50 why not join us for a social evening between 7.30 - 9.00pm on the last Saturday of the month for food and fellowship. We have a varied programme of entertainers – speakers – activities – quizzes and more. Lifts can be arranged, for more information contact Pat Kibbler 01926 496552 or email kibblere@aol.com.
Open Church
Our church is open on Thursday mornings each week from 10am to 12 noon. Drop in for a complimentary drink, a chat, a look around our beautiful building or just to enjoy a quiet moment.
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Sunday Club & Creche
Children of all ages are welcome at St Paul’s. There’s a Sunday Club for Primary age children and Creche facilities for babies and toddlers. However they’re welcome to stay with parents in church if they wish.
TANGO
TANGO, which stands for Together As Neighbours Giving Out, is our community shop. We open in church on the second Monday of the month (except Bank Holidays) from 10.30am – 12.00pm. We sell clothes, toys, books, household items and much more and everything is just 50p! Free tea and coffee available. We hope to see you there.
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Charities
St Paul's has long standing relationships with a range of local and international charities.
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Operation Christmas Child
St Paul's has been involved with Operation Christmas Child for several years now and every year in September we start collecting boxes. We organise different events culminating in a service in November with Churches together in Warwick. Our biggest total so far has been over 1000 boxes!
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Warwick Foodbank
We support our local Foodbank which is at Saltisford Church in Albert Street, Warwick. We have a collection box by the office for items to go towards our local Foodbank. Please put any toiletries and/or dry, non-perishable food in the box.
If you need a voucher please collect one from the office between 9am and 12noon on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Warwick’s Foodbank is open each Friday between 1pm and 3pm at Saltisford Church in Albert Street, Warwick.
We support our local Foodbank which is at Saltisford Church in Albert Street, Warwick. We have a collection box by the office for items to go towards our local Foodbank. Please put any toiletries and/or dry, non-perishable food in the box.
If you need a voucher please collect one from the office between 9am and 12noon on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Warwick’s Foodbank is open each Friday between 1pm and 3pm at Saltisford Church in Albert Street, Warwick.
Church Team
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Reverand Jonathan Hearn
Although I grew up in a Christian home it was only in my 20s that I really encountered Jesus through the presence of His Holy Spirit and that faith became alive. My desire is to see people encounter the living Lord and grow as a disciple of Christ, going on a journey from perhaps only knowing about Him to knowing Him personally and experience His transformative power in their lives.
- Jonathan |
PCC Members
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A Brief History
A part of Warwick life from 1824
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The population of Warwick grew rapidly in the early 1800s when the opening of the canal enabled many new industries to develop in the local area.
The work-force was housed in the newly-erected streets in the western parts of the town, such as Crompton Street, Woodhouse Street, and Queen's Square. As the population grew, the churchyards of St Mary and St Nicholas became full and in 1823 both churches petitioned the Bishop of Worcester for extra burial space. The Coventry diocese was only created in 1918. |
As a result, on 23rd July 1824 ground was consecrated in Friars Street and later in the same year a cemetery chapel was built. This was known as St Mary's Episcopal Chapel, being served by St Mary's, and was used exclusively for burials. Then in 1842 it was proposed that a new Free Church should be built.
In 1844 the Parish of St Paul's was formed out of the western part of St Mary's Parish. The church was completed in the same year and consecrated on 26th July 1844 by the Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Revd Henry Pepys. |
