Dear Church Family,
As we prepare to begin holding services in our churches over the coming weeks, the teachings of St Peter’s day early this week have resonated strongly. Put simply, we the church are the dwelling place of God. Filled with the Holy Spirit, we are the Living Stones formed into the new temple. Just as Peter was declared to be “The Rock” on which Christ would build his church, we also are formed into his dwelling place, a holy people.
If you know your Old Testament history, the temple in Jerusalem was the place God resided with his people – residing in the “Holy of Holies”, separated from us by a curtain. This separation between God and his people was undone by Christ’s sacrifice of himself on the cross, causing the curtain to be torn in two. The temple was only a picture of how things were. Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension does away with the metaphor of the temple and brings it to life in the lives of his people.
Photo by Deniz Altindas on Unsplash
No longer are we required to go to a place for forgiveness for sins, we turn to Christ who has already paid the price for us. No longer is the Good News held in one place, by one people, it is universal – sent to the corners of the Earth by those who know Jesus. Wherever you go, you take the light and love of Christ with you – you are part of the new temple, one that is more than just a picture of God’s Kingdom.
Hopefully, this will encourage each of us as we continue to wait in order to gather for worship in our buildings. Remember, the buildings were never the point of the church in the first place! Please continue to be patient as we try and get the hygiene and cleaning procedures right. If you can, do join us on Facebook for Sunday worship at 9.30 am.
The service book can be downloaded here:https://www.dropbox.com/s/pmd52p6umfzxt02/Holy%20Communion%20-%20Ordinary%20Time%20.pdf?dl=0
The pew sheet is here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2hvl0i984u1r48m/newsletter%205%20July%202020.pdf?dl=0
Questionnaire
Thanks to those of you who have completed last week’s questionnaire already. If you haven’t managed to do so, you have another week to do so!
ACTION: Please complete the questionnaire by clicking here:
Your Parish Needs You! Please consider these two particular issues at this time:
1. Cleaning: my thanks to the 2 people who have been in touch to volunteer to help clean at St Peter’s. As I said last week, of we cannot arrange to clean the churches, we won’t be able to open the churches safely! We don’t want to have to commit extra finances to pay a cleaner at this difficult time. All that is needed, is for someone to hoover the “church end” of St Peter’s whilst someone else wipes down surfaces and door handles. It would take less than an hour, and if enough people volunteer, then you will only be needed once a month, or even less!
ACTION: Please be in touch with Dawn Shaxon in the Church Office if you can help with this crucial task. office@huttonparish.com
2. I now have two people willing to help with the laptop and camera on Sunday mornings at St Peter’s. We’d love more people to join the team – full training will be provided. If you are a parent of teenagers, this might be a great opportunity for them to get involved in serving on a Sunday morning. As I said last week, you don’t need to be Bill Gates to do this!
ACTION: Please be in contact with me directly on andy@huttonparish.com or 01277 514896 and we will take it from there.
My continued thanks for your support during this time. Do be in touch if I, or anyone from the leadership team, can help you with anything.
With every blessing,
