Dear Friends,

It is strange to think that this Sunday is the ‘longest day’ of the year. For many of us, our present predicament has made it feel as if every day is the ‘longest’ possible. I’m told that from Sunday onwards the hours of daylight shrink by 2 minutes a day until we get to December 21st – the nights will soon be drawing in, as my mother was fond of repeating – but whatever, we make the most of the time we have, and we make the best of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We still have to be patient. It pays to be cautious. And while restrictions concerning what we can and cannot do, about where we can and cannot go are changing, we need to continue to be prepared to take personal responsibility for how we manage our time…

…But, one change that has been implemented in the decision to allow church buildings in England to open for personal, private prayer. I am grateful to the Trustees and to the Church Officers for their input in deciding how best to respond to this initiative. It has been decided that the Free Church will be open for this purpose as follows, starting this coming Sunday, June 21nd

Sundays: 2.30pm – 4.30pm

Tuesdays & Thursdays: 10am – 12noon

I cannot stress too much that this is for the purpose of personal, private prayer only. What that means in practice is sitting quietly on a chair – praying, thinking, contemplating, whatever – but in silence. No conversation is allowed. The usual restrictions will be in place regarding social distancing – the 2-metre rule – and folk will be expected to sanitise their hands on entering and on leaving the building. There will be no toilet facilities available. If you are 70+, or have underlying health concerns you should think carefully about whether you should attend. If you have even the slightest hint of covid-19 symptoms you must stay away. Sorry to sound so draconian, but if we keep to the rules, this is a real opportunity for us to begin to bring our buildings back into use…

…But it is also worth emphasising that prayer is not to be confined to when we are in the church building. Our tradition emphasises the priority of daily prayer in our own homes. Indeed, when Paul speaks of ‘praying without ceasing’ he was encouraging us to think that life is only life if governed by prayer, that every aspect of life is to consecrated through prayer. So, do not forget to pray regardless. But I do know that for some people, at certain times, the church building can provide sanctuary. I am pleased we can make this possible once again…

Ian Tutton

Come for a private prayer