Greetings all,

I pray that God is blessing you with good health and with a safe home. I know that these things are not in as good supply as they were previously, but I also know that for some us, these things were always hard to find! What I do know, is that the Love and Strength of God, and in Christ, is in as plentiful supply as ever!

I find myself leaning pretty heavily on the strength of God these days, but God has never let me down before, and I know God won’t let me down now.

We’re starting to settle into some kind of structure now, that works, but I’m putting out a survey so we can hear from you about what’s working for you and what isn’t.

Our attempts to livestream from Zoom onto Facebook have not gone well, so for the time being we are recording the service and then posting it up onto Facebook when it’s ready. Unfortunately, this takes rather a long time, especially the uploading time – most of us don’t have broadband – so we’ve decided that Monday evening at 7pm is the time for our Worship Service Watch Party. Please join if you haven’t been able to login on Zoom, or even if you have, and would just like to do church twice!

We are starting online Small Groups for prayer and Bible study. Please message us if you would like to join. At the moment we will have one group on a Wednesday evening at 7pm, but if enough people join, or if more people need a different day, we will look at doing more groups. We will be looking at the beautiful book by Richard Rohr: ‘The Universal Christ’, as our discussion starter. The book is available as a Kindle download for those who are able and want a copy of their own, but don’t worry, if you can’t (it’s quite pricey), it won’t matter.

And last but by no means least, we are also doing online Membership Classes. If you want to join these, please send me an email to: mccchurchnl@gmail.com, with your name, email address, and the date you started coming to MCC North London, and I can sign you up for the classes.

My beloved MCC Family:

I am thinking of you all today – as I think and pray for you every day, but today is particularly stressful and difficult for many of us.

Please know that you are not forgotten, and we are working hard to stay in touch in many different ways.

We are never alone, because God is always with us, and God’s Love and Spirit connect us all together.

God’s grace uphold you, God’s peace surround you.

Rev Peta

Sadly, the time has come even sooner than we thought,

We will not be holding physical church services until we are told we can resume.

But, we will be meeting, just in the online world. Online service will begin this Sunday, and look out for other things on our facebook group before then. (My apologies to those who don’t like facebook, but it’s our best option at the moment).

“Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go” (Gen 28:15)

We are planning to continue our Sunday evening 7pm worship service for the time being, and we will inform you at once if things change. Other events such as the Thursday Last Supper Meal and the Good Friday Stations of the Cross are being postponed, but we will have them later in the year – I don’t mind changing the date of Easter but I don’t intend to miss out on observing it in full, even if we have to wait a bit!

We are of course taking sensible precautions – please wash your hands as soon as you enter the building, and if you are feeling unwell, please be considerate of the more vulnerable members of our community and don’t come to church. And as much as we love to hug each other, that’s going to have to wait until this is past – we won’t be shaking hands or hugging, so please don’t take it personally – we still love you very much!

We are setting up to put worship services online as soon as possible, so please go to the MCC North London facebook page and click to join the MCCNL Fellowship and Worship Group, where we will be livestreaming and/or putting up recorded sermons and so on.

Above all, let this be a time of reaching out in love, not pulling back in fear. Phone each other, keep an eye out for those in most vulnerable situations, and do not let the panic of the world overcome the peace and grace of our community, grounded in the love of God. We are loved and held at all times, and in all circumstances, and no illness is greater than God, who calls us to be patient, kind and loving whatever may happen.

“Though I walk through the valley of deepest shadow, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, and Your rod and staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4)

 

We’ve got a lot going on, as usual, this Easter. Last Supper meal, Stations of the Cross, overnight vigil and people coming in to membership and being baptised on Easter Sunday! Check out our Events page for times and details. Everyone welcome!

For anyone who is interested in being involved with the Sunday services as a reader, acolyte, collection steward or prayer station, we have a training session this sunday 13th March at 4pm.

Well, it’s mid-February, and the Shelter is in full swing now. Thank you to everyone who turns up to give their time, love and energy on a Monday night or early on Tuesday morning – especially all those who have stepped in to cover shifts at the last minute. The need for our work is ever greater, as more people find themselves homeless and funding for support and shelters is reduced, so your help is extremely valuable and gratefully recieved. Keep up the good work!