In light of the Covid 19 pandemic, the Managing Trustees at Bible Christian, St Ives at a recent virtual Zoom meeting discussed the opening of the church for worship. After checking the Covid-19 guidance and regulations, and doing a risk assessment of the building; we plan to have our first service on the 20th September at the normal time of 10:15. Due to the guidance, it is requested that folk arrive at 10:05 at the earliest. Upon arrival you will be asked to sanitise your hands, to have a mask on (unless due to health reasons you cannot wear a mask) and observe the one-way system in and out of the church. The seating has
been re-arranged to accommodate couples, single folk and family units. We can seat between 15-20 people downstairs. Upstairs will only be used as a reserve for “overflow”. The service will be different because we will not be able to sing and the service is requested to be no longer than 45 min (as per current regulations). At this stage we are only going to have the morning service. To have an evening service would require the building to be deep cleaned, and this is impractical for us to do. We realise that this is not to everyone’s satisfaction, but I trust you can appreciate that we are in unprecedented times. If you have any concerns or would like more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
The circuit offers a service on Zoom on Sunday evenings, for more information please contact us.
The Chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly District, Revd. Steve Wild, is offering daily reflections via YouTube.
The Methodist Church of Great Britain is updating its information pages regularly, with useful guidance for church leaders as we get back into our churches, as well as links to government and NHS advice. You can read it here. They are also offering resources and ideas for worship in a time of pandemic, or you can dial-a-prayer on 0808 281 2514 or listen to news from the Methodist Church on 0808 281 2478.
Our superintendent minister, Revd Alastair Bolt, ended his letter to the churches on 14th March with these words: As responsible communities we seek to follow the guidance of the authorities. However, we are also the People of God. In this time of national anxiety and loss of confidence, let us give a lead in all our conversations; that we are confident in God to get us through. Let us spread calm and be positive, witnessing to the living hope we have in Jesus. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
