Dear friends,
I just wanted to update you on a couple of things:

Firstly, in terms of my future: Those of you not in Church yesterday may not be aware that I will be moving on in September to become the new Vicar of Christ Church, Upper Armley. This hasn't been an easy decision at all.
After 7 years at St Wilfrid’s, a lot has happened and I’m so grateful for the support that we’re received as a family. Details are still being finalised, but I’ll let you know as soon as I can. There's still 6 months until then, and much to do.
The timing is difficult at a time where many people are feeling anxious.
Change is not what people really want at this sort of time. But we remind ourselves that God is the constant, and we give thanks for that.
I’d be grateful for your prayers over the coming months for all of us as we prepare for the move.

Secondly in terms of the Coronavirus, following the announcement earlier this evening by the PM, Home Groups are to be seen as ‘non-essential’ for now, and won’t meet until further notice. That’s a real shame, but the right thing to do.

Sunday morning services are continuing as normal, with the restrictions on communion and physical contact that are already in place.

We have cut back on some of our ministries for now:
Barn Babies will not be happening, sadly, until Easter and then we’ll review.
We are also taking a break from the Saturday services (5:30pm).
Baptisms are to continue, with some modifications: the parent will hold the child during the baptism, for example.
Funerals are also continuing, and in fact we have two next week in Church.
In terms of our focus on young people, we will continue to have children’s groups for now on a Sunday morning. However, the Youth Group on a Tuesday will not be meeting for now. We’ll review that in a fortnight. 

The key message is to follow the guidelines that are being put out by the government: regular hand washing for 20 seconds, and self-isolating if you have symptoms of the illness (particularly a persistent cough or high temperature).
People may want to come to Church a little earlier to wash hands on arrival. This is not mandatory but might be an idea.

There's a much broader issue about how people are reacting to the pandemic, which challenges our thinking. It's striking that shops are being emptied, in fear of a shutdown. The nature of this situation with its global dimension, and its serious health implications, particularly for the vulnerable, has led to a parallel pandemic of fear. This is understandable. It is unfamiliar territory, and it's also real - not simply a case of mind or matter. We need to not allow fear to fuel attitudes towards any one nation that are prejudiced. This is not the way of the Christian gospel. 

How do we respond as Christians?
Firstly, we are called to be prayerful about it. That seems pretty obvious, but often we forget to pray when faced with stress. We pray for our leaders, we pray for those who are sick, we pray for health professionals, and we pray for those how are particularly vulnerable. I will be providing prayer letters to encourage people to pray for what is going on in an informed way.

In terms of practicalities: I can’t stress enough how staying in contact with people who are on their own is vital. Church is a community, and so we need to look out for others. I suggest that everyone think of a few people in your networks who are potentially lonely and call them at least once a week.
Visiting may be an option too, but would need to be assessed.

Secondly, food banks are beginning to struggle. Could you make a donation to a food bank through Church? We have a long-term relationship with Bradford North Foodbank. They would appreciate gifts of things they need.
This is a good way of challenging the idea we need to store up a lot for ourselves, as has been happening around the UK recently.

Finally, one premise of the ministry of Jesus is that we are to lean on Jesus: ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’
The whole notion here is one of allowing God to minister to us, and particularly to see that God is not standing back and leaving us to it, but is in our midst.
God works most effectively not in the absence of stress, but when we take our stresses to Him. In terms of self-care, that seems pretty important.

God bless,
Phil