Christian Coffee House - Prayer/Chat thread. No rubbish church coffee allowed.

[Madhairday]

With the latest prayer thread coming to an end, we thought we would create a new thread for prayer and general chat too - we had chat threads running for years alongside prayer threads, and we thought it would be great to combine them. I try and collate some of the prayer requests from the last thread in the next few days. In the meantime, dive in! Lurkers/newbies - you are welcome to post. Feel free to start any chat subject about Christianity, church, worship etc, and do share any prayer needs.
Would love to hear from those who were on previous threads and haven't been around for a while, too. Come and let us know how you are.

Documentary sounds interesting MHD. Will you link when it airs please? So much to lament about the state of church. Lost funds. Hobbled charity efforts. Not being able to sing. People like my mum too scared to go any more. Other people getting out of the habit. Community fractured. There are good sides to online church too of course.

Felt the need to sing Thine be the glory after reading this. Forgot its quite high and I find the verse bit hard to sing. Hey ho, cheered me up.

I'm miffed that we can't even sing the hymn we sing after each station of the cross. It's depressing enough an experience and few enough people in a big church to not be a danger but, not allowed. Not sure they are doing stations at all this year. I only went to one last lent.

How is everyone's lent efforts going? Its early days so I am feeling good about early nights and no sweet stuff but not yet been truly tested into wanting to cheat.

Still reading 'the wrong messiah' which feels appropriate.

Am off to bed now so better stop posting, but wanted to check in and make sure no one struggling too much this week? It's getting harder and harder, but our situation is not without hope, so for that we can be thankful.

Yes no worries will link here when it's live. They're asking various people about online church from both sides of the debate and I'm fairly known as 'for', although what I want to bring across is a whole lot more nuance, that it's not black and white, that we've lost and we've found. Hopefully can pull it off. Only a short interview I think they said so won't have long to Witter on 🤣

Lost funds. Hobbled charity efforts. Not being able to sing. People like my mum too scared to go any more. Other people getting out of the habit. Community fractured

I think of that list, what is bothering me the most is "other people getting out of the habit". Not sure if you meant Christians or non-Christians @ZenNudist? But obviously, both is bad.

As I am getting older, I am getting more and more concerned[if that is the right word] about unsaved people. And of course, those who have faith, and then may be starting to lose it.

Our own church may be ok about people coming back when they can. But not sure if that is going to be the same everywhere.

Our Lent group is meeting through teams, and during it today we were talking about how to include people who find technology difficult when you can't actually show them what to do at the moment. It doesn't come naturally to me and I do find it stressful and I know a few people who just don't have the technology. We didn't really come to any conclusions but there was a feeling that when it's possible we must have some sort of church intervention to address this.

Good thought. It's the contemporary version of helping the needy in one sense, isn't it.

"I came to bring sight to the blind.... and internet-enabled devices to the unconnected"? - if that's not blasphemous! Apologies if it appears so to some. Hope you get my meaning though.

There was a tech company marketing a very simple tablet thingy just for zooming or whatever, with some kind of simple Startup Guide, in first lockdown. Don't know how they did. Think it was pricey though.

Thanks so much for any prayers offered already for my very difficult situation. It has moved onwards and there are some signs of good things coming out of it, but also still great scope for suffering and error too. So I'd still welcome prayer.

Thank you.

We had a big meeting tonight. But it had to be zoom, so only half the number that would normally be "there", were "there". Not right really at all.

On a happy note, our group of churches[I am not CofE] are planning to be open from Easter Day onwards! Halleluja! Wasnt sure it was going to happen, but it is!

Prayers for our difficult situation started to be answered today. Thank you for praying.

That’s good news Jan. Praise the Lord.

For he is good and his mercies endure the for ever.

Have just been amazed to read this

https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/church-leaders-now-eligible-to-get-covid-19-vaccine-regardless-of-health-and-age?utmsource=Premier%20Christian%20Media&utmmmedium=email&utmcampaign=121991377daily%20news%2027%20February%202021&dm_i=16DQ,79GWX,7I9OZD,TG0HI,1
Apparently it's aimed at vicars etc involved in eg food banks, visiting elderly (unlikely?!) etc, therefore considered to be involved in social care work and coming into contact with vulnerable people.

And yet teachers not? Even though they will have vulnerable children in their class and possibly have contact with vulernalbe parents. Rafals what do you think? It's just too inflammatory to post this on the Teachers' Republic thread, I fear!

I mean I'm delighted to hear that church leaders (other faiths presumably as well?) are able to be vaccinated, but doesn't it go against the government's current mantra of 'by age not by profession'?

Sorry, this is not entirely a prayer point....

And yes I can see that "church leaders" may be more likely to come into contact with clinically vulnerable people than teachers. But it's surely a fine distinction?

Our parish priests had theirs done a while ago. Mostly because they are in the hospital visiting the sick and dying a lot I think. Whether that was part of them being hospital chaplains or part of them being parish priests I don’t know.
I do think it makes sense. But I’d also like to see at least teachers over 40 being prioritised. I don’t think teacher being vaccinated will make a huge difference to vulnerable children. They are going to be in classes full of other non-vaccinated children.

I’m not sure why teachers couldn’t be classed under health and social care tbh. If nothing else it would stop the situation where schools were being closed to entire year groups because they didn’t have enough staff.

I thought clergy weren't allowed into hospital to visit people actually, they certainly weren't last spring!

Sorry for my non-thread appropriate rants.

Yes you're right.

I’m sure ours has been this time. Possibly it’s part of the chaplain role and they’re visiting the staff rather than sick patients.

My dh is a vicar and hasn't been invited yet. It's a bit of a hot potato amongst clergy as some have and some have booked and then been turned away at the centre for not qualifying. Different dioceses are giving different guidance so it's a bit frustrating. Dh doesn't want to queue jump so will wait a while. He does funerals and a few visits with vulnerable people though not many, he can't visit people on covid wards, if they want clergy only the hospital chaplain is allowed at the moment. I do agree teachers should be prioritised.

Here's that documentary some of you asked for the link for. I was a bit frustrated he cut out some of the really crucial stuff I said, but it is what it is...

www.twr.org.uk/podcast/covid-the-church-documentary/

That was a really interesting documentary Madhair.

I think you and I are probably on similar pages when it comes to this. I can see some of the other arguments, but it does feel like not having groups of people inside if there is an alternative is the right thing to do for now.

I'm trying to decide about Easter masses. It's ticketed and I'm vaccinated now (I know you aren't supposed to act differently, but I'll be masked and socially distanced) so it feels a bit safer. OTOH it's a week before my 2nd jab and I don't really want to risk catching something and missing that. Need to decide before all the tickets sell out. if they haven't already.

We are going for outdoor services for Easter and Good Friday. If the weather is bad, 40 peoplecan go inside the building. We are hoping to be out of the quarantine arrangments by the time our patronal festival comes round at the end of June.

I think the size of our congregation might rule out even outside. And I don't think we have the space anyway.

I'm thinking maybe the Thursday evening service if I do go. So many nice services to miss though.

We're going to have some form of communion for the first time in a year on the afternoon of Easter Sunday!

Plus a dramatised "Easter trail" in the morning, following the format of our very successful Nativity trail in December. People go round in households or groups of 6. Each station tells a part of the story and some are interactive. People loved it and we had over 100 come.

We had sheep at Christmas so I don't know if we're aiming for a donkey this time?!

It still isn't clear what will be allowed in Scotland. If we have a zoom service I'll just have to belt out Thine be the Glory from our sofa. Poor neighours!

It’s not clear vin England either. We had a choir Zoom meeting yesterday and Tim, our choirmaster said that he kept checking the RSCM website to see what the position about singing was and there is nothing at the moment. We are recording for Easter, although we are hoping to have an outdoor service.

I'm thinking singing will still be off. I don't see much changing in England before Easter from that point of view.

The only reason we're changing anything is because the stay at home part of the road map is going to be loosened slightly on Mar 29th.

Just thinking about Easter and then randomly about the common cup, how will churches adapt going forward after covid. Will there be a return to business as normal or more long term changes?

I’d imagine the common cup won’t be back for a while. It did come back after swine flu but I don’t know if covid will be different.

Offering communion under both species is relatively modern in Catholic Churches. Lots of people will still only take the body and not the blood anyway.