Church plans for more meetings in person

The Broken Bay Uniting Church is planning to hold more meetings in person as coronavirus restrictions are relaxed.

"We are now looking at meeting for worship on Christmas morning," said church minister, the Reverend Patty Lawrence.

"We will be asking people to register."

She said that, while initially hesitant about the logistics, the leadership team had been encouraged by feedback to proceed with the service.

"The leadership team will continue to look at ways of being church while following the requirements set by the Department of Health," she said.

"Now that we are meeting in person once a month for communion services, the Zoom communion services will no longer be offered.

"To allow us to meet in larger numbers we are moving the chairs being stored in the meeting room to the garage.

"This means we can have up to 50 people in a service.

"This will help particularly with Christmas morning."

Ms Lawrence said: "We are considering starting weekly worship sometime in January, if Covid numbers stay low.

"At present, I do not know what time Sunday morning worship will be.

"It is likely we will only be having one morning service.

"We are looking at offering an evening worship service in a different style to the morning service.

"We are taking the opportunity, that this break in meeting in person for worship has given us, to look at ways of being church that are appropriate for this community, both the faith community that already meets, and those who have not yet found a spiritual home.

"I sense a time for experimenting, trying out some possibilities and connecting with people searching for something deeper in their life.

"This does not mean everything will change.

"Sunday morning worship will remain in the present style, while following the Department of Health advice.

"This means no singing and no morning tea for the foreseeable future.

"Pastoral care will continue to be an important part of the life of the Parish." SOURCE: Newsletter, 15 Nov 2020 Patty Lawrence, Broken Bay Uniting Church