Dear all,
Whilst the world’s attention remains very much focused on managing the pandemic, we are also well aware of the developing situation in the U.S.A. following the death last week of George Floyd at the hands of the police in Minneapolis. The problems faced by a country several thousand miles away might seem distant, but issues of race are also disturbingly prevalent in our own country. As I said in my sermon on Sunday, those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Our own police are far more likely to stop and search black people than white people (for statistics, see here). At the same time as praying for a peaceful and constructive end to the wave of protests across American cities as well as justice and peace for those who have been victims of racism, we should also hold before God the race situation in our own country. To what extent are we each complicit? St Paul wrote in his Letter to the Galatians, ‘there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are wrong in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3.28).
As long as the current situation continues to improve, it seems likely that the government will give permission for churches to open to the public for private prayer from Monday 15th June. Whilst this is encouraging, public worship will remain suspended and we will not simply be able to fling our doors open. We will need to undertake extensive risk assessments to make sure that we are well prepared. We will only be able to open if we are able to meet stringent requirements about cleaning, hand-washing, social distancing, and many other areas. At first, we will aim to have limited opening at St Dunstan’s before exploring possibilities for St Oswald’s and St Alban’s. We await further advice from the government, the Church of England, and the Diocese of Southwark.
Many of you will have noticed the ‘yarn-bombing’ around the lychgate at St Dunstan’s. This has made a hugely bright and cheerful contribution to our community. A huge thank you to the knitting group at St Dunstan’s for such a wonderful effort!
A Prayer
Lord, Jesus Christ, who reached across the ethnic boundaries between Samaritan, Roman and Jew, who offered fresh sight to the blind and freedom to captives, help us to break down the barriers in our community, enable us to see the reality of racism and bigotry, and free us to challenge and uproot it from ourselves, our society and our world. Amen.
(John Bucki, SJ)
With love and prayers to you all,
The Reverend Dr Nicholas Peacock
Team Rector, Cheam Team Ministry
NOTICES
Worship Coming Up in June
The following services will be live-streamed on YouTube:
Wednesday 3rd June 11.00am Eucharist
Sunday 7th June 9.30am Parish Eucharist for Trinity Sunday
(Followed by Zoom Coffee at 10.30am)
Wednesday 10th June 11.00am Eucharist
Sunday 14th June 9.30am Parish Eucharist for Trinity 2
(Followed by Zoom Coffee at 10.30am)
10.30am Children’s Service (on Zoom)
Wednesday 17th June 11.00am Eucharist
Sunday 21st June 9.30am Festival Eucharist for St Alban
(Followed by Zoom Coffee at 10.30am)
Wednesday 24th June 11.00am Eucharist (BCP)
Sunday 28th June 9.30am Parish Eucharist for Trinity 4
(Followed by Zoom Coffee at 10.30am)
Zoom Coffee
Details for accessing Zoom coffee are below. Please contact the Office for the password.
Meeting ID: 884 0628 5452
There will be different login details for Sunday 14th June because of the children’s service.
Prayers
We know that there are many of you who would like us to pray for people and situations as part of our regular worship. At St Dunstan’s, we usually have a list for people to write down the names of particular people to pray for. I am sure that there are similar lists at St Oswald’s and St Alban’s. For obvious reasons, we have been unable to keep this going and we have not set up an alternative.
If you would like us to pray for someone or something, please email the office (office@cheamparish.org.uk) and Louise will compile a weekly prayer list. For reasons of privacy, we will use first names only and the person for whom you are asking us to pray should be happy for you to do this.
Children’s Services
We will be holding another service for children over Zoom at 10.30am on Sunday 14th June. These services will follow material from the Diddy Disciples programme and are aimed at children up to the age of 10 years old, although older children, parents and carers are welcome as well!
For safeguarding purposes, the Zoom login details for this service cannot be published. If you would like your child to join the service, please email the parish office and your details will be forwarded on to the Sunday School team. The login details can then be sent to you.
Please make sure that an adult is present during the service.
MU Collection for Women’s Refuge
The Mothers’ Union has had a longstanding connection with our local women’s refuge. The manager of the hostel has suggested that it would be good at this time for us to collect some treats for those in the refuge – in particular food and toiletries that they might not be able to afford. If you would like to contribute items or would like some more information, please contact Sally Steele (sally.steele@hotmail.com). Sally is happy to collect anything you may have.
‘Pray As You Go’
If you are interested in further resources for your prayer and spiritual life during the pandemic restrictions, do consider ‘Pray As You Go’ (click here). There is a short reflection for each day. The reflections can also be accessed through an app for smart phones.
Distributing this Newsletter
We are very aware that some people do not have access to electronic communication. If you know someone who would like a paper copy of the weekly newsletter, please do print a copy and deliver it to them. Without access to the Parish Office, we are not in a position to do a mass mail. Equally, deliveries around Cheam are very sporadic at the moment.
Telephone Conversations
If anyone would like to be contacted, please call or email the Parish Office. We are happy to offer practical advice (where possible) or simply have a friendly chat. PLEASE DO NOT FEEL ALONE.