Dear Friends,
Following the press conference on 5th July, the Prime Minister confirmed that all legal restrictions will be removed from 19th July. He and his advisors emphasised that it would sensible to maintain appropriate precautions. We are facing a huge increase in infections, which no doubt will continue to accelerate after the restrictions are lifted.
Within the Church we have responsibility to create as safe an environment for people as possible. So we will have to decide what will be appropriate for our context after 19th July. As Professor Chris Whitty described in his approach to mask wearing, he will wear masks in groups in indoor contexts, he will wear a mask if the place and organisation has a policy to do so, and he will wear a mask if others in the room would feel more comfortable if he did so.
This last point is really important as we live and mix together; being aware of each other’s needs and preferences. We try to do this within the church community, as we watch over one another in love. St Paul talks about this in 1Corinthians 10: 23 – 11:1. Just because we can does not mean that we should in all circumstances; so we choose to be aware of the needs of others and adapt our actions accordingly.
We will need to be aware that some will not be as confident as others about being close to people, some may choose to continue to wear masks, and of course many are still in vulnerable groups susceptible to infection risk.
So we will need to look at how we adapt our communal life together for later this month, just like most other organisations and businesses. The good thing is that we have a range of practices and tools which have served us well so far in the pandemic. So the social distancing, hand sanitising, mask wearing, keeping a flow of air, and contact tracing are all available to be used as needed as circumstances develop.
Learning to live with Covid 19, and re-learning to live together into the future in love and trust is our task and our calling as followers of Jesus.
Peace
Tim