Message from the Minister – 14 March 2020
Dear Church family,
I do trust this finds you well. This world remains under God’s good and sovereign hand and full of the eternal hope we have in Christ! In these unsettling times, it’s good to remember His care as Father and His rule through His Son and His work in this world through His Spirit.
With the announcement by the government yesterday of new measures restricting gatherings over 500 people, the issue of Coronavirus in the Australian community has entered a new phase. The advice at the moment is that we do not at present need to suspend Sunday services. Nonetheless, in line with the World Health Organisation and Victorian Department of Health advice, and following such consultation with the parish council as has been possible in the short space of time afforded, we have decided to implement the following measures from tomorrow:
Sunday Services
- In the absence of government mandates to cease gatherings under 500 people our Sunday Services will continue;
- People should stay home on Sundays if they are unwell. Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, shortness of breath and a sore throat.
Food – St John’s 10:30am service BBQ cancelled and morning tea
At a time such as this it’s prudent to limit the public handling of food, therefore:
- We have cancelled the BBQ we were going to have after the 10:30 St John’s service tomorrow. This email goes to a good number of people within the parish, but if you know people unlikely to read their emails today and who are likely to bring a salad, it might be worth contacting them;
- Tea and coffee will be available after our services tomorrow, but we will not be serving food at morning tea.
Safety Measures at our worship services
In line with advice from the Archbishop, for our services tomorrow and following:
- If able to be sourced given the shortages, we will have hand sanitiser available at each entrance;
- We will not have communion this week. I will attempt to source disposable individual cups during the week so we can have the option of holding communion without using the common cup in weeks to come;
- As we have for the last couple of weeks, we will not shake hands during the passing of the peace, but will smile and wave!
- Rather than pass them around, collection plates will be available for you into which you can place your giving and tithes.
Tomorrow at church we will also be taking a break from our sermon series to focus on How to live for Christ in challenging times – A Christian Response to Covid 19.
Weekday Gatherings
At this point, we will continue to hold our weekday gatherings, including our Wednesday service, small groups and youth group. If you are unwell, however, please exercise your discretion and stay home.
Communication
- We’re keen to continue to bless and support you pastorally, and so we will be looking to communicate more by email and our website (www.cranbourneanglican.org.au) in the coming weeks – please keep checking your emails and check in on the website. In weeks to come, we may stream the service online and so you can participate from home;
- We will be asking people to give us their email addresses this Sunday and following and making sure our contact lists are up to date.
Giving
People are our primary concern, and we are committed to continue to both pastorally care for you and be a witness to Cranbourne and beyond for Christ. Nonetheless, this is likely to have financial implications for us as a church too. Can we encourage you to start giving to the church electronically if you do not do so already? We can only continue to support and bless you as a church and work to be a blessing and witness to our community through the generosity of the people of St Johns and Christ Church, and as attendance is likely to be affected over this time the implications for the church will be significant, while our costs will remain largely the same. So please do continue to be faithful in giving. You can set up your giving online using the details below. Just be sure to reference it as ‘Personal Giving’, and if you would like to, you are welcome to include your last name as well.
| Anglican Parish of Cranbourne |
| BSB: 083 214 |
| Account: 596 278 950 |
Closing Remarks
As a church leadership, we are considering creative ways in which we can continue to pastorally support and bless the people of St John’s and Christ Church.
As Christians, we need not respond to these times with fear. I’ve found these points from St Jude’s Carlton’s senior associate minister helpful:
3 Ways for Christians to Respond to the Coronavirus
It’s hard not to become preoccupied with the spread of the Coronavirus and its implications, particularly as those impacts become increasingly real in our lives. However, first and foremost, God calls us to respond as disciples of Christ. In light of this, here are three ways we may respond to the Coronavirus through the lens of the gospel:
- With prayer instead of panic. Psalm 46:1-2 says, ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way…’ Regardless of what happens, God is still sovereign and Jesus still reigns from his throne. Therefore, we can prayerfully entrust ourselves and the events of the world, including the spread of the Coronavirus, into his hands.
- As responsible citizens. The apostle Paul in Romans 13:1 urges, ‘Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities…’ As responsible citizens who respect the authorities God has established and seek the good of the city, we follow the best advice they give us, and obey the directives they issue. If, for example, that means not meeting on Sundays, we submit, and find other ways to worship, and encourage each other. We’ve already discussed plans about streaming our Sunday service online if need be.
- By loving our neighbour. In Luke 10:27 Jesus commands, ’Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Anxiety and panic can lead to self-protective behaviours, often to the detriment of others. Stockpiling and hoarding that deprives others is one example of this. As people who know the sovereign God who holds everything in his hand, we are freed to live out the love Jesus calls us to.
May God continue to bless us and keep us as a church, and enable us to shine as a light of His eternal hope to this area today and always. Be assured of my prayers and thoughts for you at this time.
With love in Christ,
Sam Bleby
Minister | Parish of Cranbourne
St John’s Cranbourne | Christ Church Tooradin
m: 0406 342 028
www.cranbourneanglican.org.au