Saturday 6 June 2020

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Firstly, I want to thank all those who have been helping with preparations for re-opening church. I'm sure you would all like an update as to what is happening! The upholstery chairs have now been removed and they will be replaced with easy to clean plastic chairs this week and the floor will be marked to ensure the 2 metre distancing. We are developing a booking system and putting together the team of sidespeople. We will hold a 'test' service on Sunday 14th June with members of the council and others involved in various roles to make sure everything runs smoothly before opening to all on Sunday 21st. I will send out more details next week of how the booking system will work and will send you a copy of our strategy document. Please do pray for all those involved in planning the re-opening of church and putting those plans into practice.

Our online services will continue after church has been re-opened. The service for Trinity Sunday tomorrow can be found at: www.stursula.ch/Services/20200607.html Thank you, as always, to all those who have contributed to this service and to Hector for putting it together.

After the service the Men's Bible Study Group will meet as usual, via Zoom, at 10.45am. The Sunday Coffee Discussion will also take place at 11.30am. If anyone does not have the details for these groups and would like to participate, please let us know.

Let us keep in our prayers all those in our world who are suffering from the Covid-19 virus without proper medical facilities, and for the many people who face desperate situations through war, poverty, persecution and natural disasters, even without the added threat of the virus. Our thoughts and prayers are also with all those affected by the racial tensions, discrimination and violence in the United States. Let us pray for God's mercy on our world; for peace, justice, healing and hope.

As we approach Trinity Sunday tomorrow, I leave you with a poem and prayer to ponder:

Trinity Sunday

In the Beginning, not in time or space,
but in the quick before both space and time,
in Life, in Love, in co-inherent Grace,
in three in one and one in three, in rhyme,
in music, in the whole creation story,
in his own image, his imagination,
the Triune Poet makes us for his glory,
and makes us each the other's inspiration.
He calls us out of darkness, chaos, chance,
to improvise a music of our own,
to sing the chord that calls us to the dance,
three notes resounding from a single tone,
to sing the End in whom we all begin;
Our God, beyond, beside us, and within.

A Prayer

Holy God,
faithful and unchanging:
enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,
and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,
that we may truly worship you,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen

With love in Christ,
Helen