Reflection

So here we are at last - gathered together to worship God.

It's been a long 20 months, hasn't it? And it's not over yet I'm afraid.

So how did you worship during the closure?

It's amazing how quickly you can get into a new routine isn't it? and how quickly you can forget the old!

For me my new Sunday morning routine started at eight o'clock when I listened to the morning service on Radio Tees. This is a national Christian service presented on all the local BBC stations in the country. It has been fascinating listening to the different types of worship from the various denominations or Christian groups.

This was followed by the highlight of the day, which was Zoe's Hymn Singing at 10:45. It was such a simple suggestion by Zoe to Harry Marshall and me - 'Would you mind if I played and sang some hymns at 10:45 every Sunday on Facebook?'

Of course we said "yes" and Harry M arranged to put it on YouTube as well. We also shared it with two national URC Facebook accounts and at its peak it had 500 viewers.

Not everybody watched it live, but those of us who did became a little worshipping community posting (writing) comments as we joined in the singing. And that community was not just from Northgate, but from all over the country and even Australia, where David Robinson joined us at midnight when he came off his shift as a paramedic.

I followed this by reading the service provided by the various Ministers/Worship Leaders and finally I watched Songs of Praise on the TV, which often touches me, but not always!

So how did you worship- did you create your own new routine? I know of one couple who do not have the internet but who have a printed version the service delivered to them every week and they read it out loud to each other.

And I am sure there are other members, like them, who gain benefit from the printed version of the service.

These last 20 months have been hard for us as a church but I believe that God has been there besides us all the time, even when we didn't realise it.

I believe that Zoe was literally a 'God Send' in lifting our spirits every week.

We have become more technologically savvy with a new website, Zoom bible study and meetings and videoed special services - like the excellent Remembrance Service last week.

For those without computers the distribution of the printed services and the magazine, together with phone calls and visits, have kept people in touch with the church.

People have maintained their giving to the church and many have switched from envelopes/cash on the plate to direct payments into the bank.

Even the problems with the building have an upside as it's made us realise how much we value it.

Elm Ridge Methodist Church saw the article in the Echo about our being unable to worship together and offered us the use of their hall for Sunday Worship and joint fellowship afterwards. God's guidance again

As well as raising money, our fundraising-campaign has lifted our profile in the town. As a result various contacts have been made and we can see that we are being guided to becoming a more community orientated church.

We sometimes don't appreciate what a gem of a building we have, but other people can see it. Everyone that we have shown the building to, from councillors, council officials and charity workers, have had a similar reaction, which is that they want to work with us to get the most benefit from of our building.

An example of this is Sajna Ali, the local councillor for the Northgate Ward.

This is part of what she wrote:

"We have all recognised during this pandemic the importance of reaching out to our community residents who have no socialising meeting place in Northgate and therefore can be left feeling isolated. We need to engage through offering socialising through cake and coffee mornings to learning or improving mental health and well-being through group activities."

Letting us use the lovely facilities that the church has to offer will help us to reach out to young and old from having fun arts and crafts and Adults and Children's reading groups to also fun nutritional food and wellbeing activities.

We recognise that the church is a very important historic building used as a peaceful place of worship. To be able to utilise the space to benefit our residents would further help build bridges to connect people together, especially those who are alone or digitally excluded.'

As I say, other people can also see the potential of the building and want to work with us, which will allow us to witness to our faith by our example.

Because we must remember that 'The church is not the building, it is the people.'

YOU are the Church.

We have just sung about that and let me remind you of the words.

Hymn 583, Verse 1:

The Church is wherever God's people are praising,
Singing their thanks for his goodness this day
The Church is wherever disciples of Jesus
Remember his story and walk in his way.

Wherever we are praising - be it Songs of Praise, Zoe's singing, in church, in a garden, or in a hall like we are now - wherever we are praising God - there is the church.
Wherever we walk in his way. We should be a living witness to the teachings of Jesus by the way we live our lives. Sobering thought, isn't it?
Do people look at the way you live your life and see that you are a follower of Jesus?
When we meet with the community to share our building will they feel that we have something that they haven't got and want to know more?

Verse 2:

The church is wherever God's people are helping,
caring for neighbours in sickness and need.
The church is wherever God's people are sharing
the words of the Bible in gift and in deed.

Wherever we help people in sickness and in need we are being Church in the world.
Whenever we share God's word with people either verbally or by the way we conduct ourselves we are being Church.