I hope you’ve had a good week and that your family are all well.
This last week has been very hectic. After 34 years as a priest you would have thought that by now I would have learnt how spiritually, emotionally and physically draining Holy Week is. Not a bit of it!
Still, it’s all worthwhile because Easter Day is such a joyful occasion for us as Christians and as a Christian community. If you haven’t yet reserved in the car park for tomorrow’s Easter Communion, please do so as soon as you can. There are still a some places available so please go to this Eventbrite site:- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/easter-day-service-in-the-car-park-tickets-148431603923. If you can’t make it, then it will be streamed as usual on Facebook.
Thanks to all those who have helped with the planning and organising of the service. It will follow a similar pattern to Carols in the Car Park at Christmas. You will be socially distanced because we will be able to ‘broadcast’ the service through your car radio. You will be given the frequency when you arrive. Communion, if you want to receive, will be distributed to you in your cars. And what’s more you will be able to sing – in your cars, of course!
Perhaps I should record my thanks to those who helped organise last Sunday’s re-opening of the Church for worship on Palm Sunday. It all went very smoothly. Particular thanks should go to Myra (Fye), Doug (Johnson) and Steve (Lander) for their stewarding. There were about 39 present, more than before, and we didn’t need to change the seating plan from that which we had last year. Everyone said that they felt safe.
From next Sunday, we shall be meeting in Church at 10.30. Already some seats have been reserved, so please book in as soon as you can using the Eventbrite site:- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/all-saints-church-daresbury-15013411336 You can also use this site to book as far ahead as 3<sup>rd</sup> October, but hopefully things will have changed by then. I’m working on the basis that from 21<sup>st</sup> June there will be no restrictions affecting all forms of Church worship. We will then be able to start up baptisms again and there will be no limit on the numbers who can attend funerals and weddings. But more of this in the weeks ahead. I suspect that fairly soon we will be able to sing and not mumble behind our masks!
Tomorrow’s service is attached. I shall be presiding and preaching, and Gill will be acting as Deacon. If you want to make a special donation to Church funds for Easter in thanksgiving for all of God’s generosity to you over the last year, please go to our special CAF Donate page https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/16453
With God’s blessing,
David