Dear Friends
Here is the latest news, but do please also check in with the facebook page www.facebook.com/ccpitsmoor/ and website www.pitsmoor.church/ during the week.
We have important news about our upcoming annual meeting.
A little word
The Lord heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147.3
We tend to think of ‘healing’ in a specific physical way. As we celebrate St Luke on Sunday, we do it in a wider holistic context. Christians were always at the forefront of caring. Monasteries were often places where you could go and many pre-NHS hospitals had a Christian foundation behind them. The Hospice movement was a Christian response to minister to the dying.
I wonder if the secularism that comes with a state-run health service has robbed us of something, although interestingly, we still have NHS funded chaplaincy in all major hospitals.
Ministering to Body, Mind & Spirit; a Holistic approach, is something to be encouraged.
We have valued our NHS and other care facilities and services in these last months more than ever. We are truly thankful for everyone who works there, enduring stress and the weight of responsibility. We give thanks to God for the wisdom that brings new advances in medicine, and the human touch that sees us all as individuals, valued by God.
New for this week
Services
9am in Christ Church, Holy Communion.
Aimed especially at those who can’t access the on-line services. Please bring a face covering and hand cleanser. Numbers are limited, and it will take longer than usual to take your seat, so please be prompt.
QR code check-in is now available if you have the NHS Covid-19 app.
10.30am on Zoom.
We are continuing our on-line services for the foreseeable future. The link is the same every week.
https://zoom.us/j/303159289?pwd=NXdpQkFJQWdLTlpIYTc2alZ6VUhqUT09
Meeting ID: 303 159 289 Password: 597076
Alternatively, for audio only, you can phone in to this number: 0131 460 1196, and follow the instructions.
Sunday is St Luke’s day when we are thinking about healing and those who help us heal.
We have a number of people in our congregation who are front line workers – either in the NHS or in Care homes. Why not make an extra effort this week to touch base with them and tell them we have been thinking and praying for them at Church?
This week’s readings are Isaiah 35.3-6 & Luke 10.1-9
Things to pray for
- Give thanks for all those working in our hospitals, care homes and in the community
- For our upcoming annual meeting – people called to serve on the PCC
- Areas of the country entering ‘very high’ restrictions
Annual Church Meeting
Please put this date in your diary. Thursday 29 Oct at 7pm.
This is an obligation under charity law. To keep people as safe as possible we will do it in a mixed format with a zoom link for online or socially distanced attendance in person.
We need to meet to elect 2x Church Wardens, 2x Deputy Wardens, 2x Deanery Synod reps & 4x PCC reps, (there are also 4x vacancies on the PCC unfilled). To find out more or nominate someone please contact Maureen (office@pitsmoor.church or 07765 232789). We will be able to accept nominations by phone and email as well as a form. Each vacancy needs consent of the candidate plus a proposer and seconder (all 3 must be on the Electoral Roll).
Use of Church
Just a gentle reminder to all our key holders… access to the building is still on a limited basis. You must ask permission from Pip if you wish to go in for anything. We need to keep everyone safe. QR code check-in is now available if you have the NHS Covid-19 app.
Earlier week’s news
Previous editions of this news update are on the website if you can’t find it in your in-box.