Update from the churches of the Glaven Valley Benefice

for August 2020

Dear All,

When we went into lockdown in March, most of us thought we’d be back to business as usual by now, with the pandemic just a minor blip with minimal damage.  Of course, we now know otherwise.  The crisis has not yet gone away, although there are some glimmers of light.  It will be a while yet, it seems, before we’re back to what we might reasonably call ‘normal’.  For some people, the lockdown has been a time of unexpected peace and relaxation; for most, though, it’s been a time of anxiety and deprivation, in one way or another.  For many it’s spelled economic difficulty, or financial disaster; for many it’s been a time of loneliness or fear.

But the response in our communities, as we know, has broadly been generous and gracious.  It’s brought out the best in people, as crises often do.  For me, it’s a reminder that we are all “created in God’s image”, that’s to say that we all carry the divine spark within us, even if that image or spark is sometimes suppressed so deep within us as to be almost invisible.  The Church has been one of many organisations, locally and globally, to try to offer help and support.

We’re very glad that that support now once again involves holding services in some of our church buildings.  Making arrangements so that this can be done safely is complex, and what we can offer at the moment is necessarily limited – and indeed the picture will no doubt continue to change over time.  But at the time of writing, our service provision within the benefice for August looks very much like that for July, as follows:

Blakeney – 11.00am every Sunday

“Benefice Communion Service” (which we will continue to stream live via Zoom for any not able to attend).  The invitation to join us online, with the relevant Zoom link for each week, can be found on the website (see below).

Wiveton – 6.00pm on the second Sunday of the month

“Service of Contemplation” (9^th August), following the pattern of the established monthly Service of Reflection – silence, prayer, candles, stillness.

Cley – 6.00pm on the fourth Sunday of the month

“Sacred Space” (23^rd August) – a service of themed music, reflections, poems, prayers.

A church will also continue to be open – for private prayer only for the time being – each weekday from 2.00-5.00pm.  The current pattern for this is:

Mon – Glandford

Tue – Wiveton

Wed – Blakeney

Thur – Cley

Fri – Glandford

Finally, a quick word again about giving.  Like most organisations, our income has fallen dramatically during this pandemic, when most events, including fund-raising events, have had to be shelved.  We’re tremendously grateful for all donations, and if you’d like to make a contribution to the churches, you’ll find a ‘Just Giving’ facility on our website home page.  Or please do phone me and I can refer you to the relevant church treasurer.  Thank you very much indeed.

Our benefice website address is:  www.glavenvalleychurches.org.uk where you’ll find more details and information about our churches, and what’s available both generally and at the moment.

If you’d prefer, please contact me on [email protected]  or by phone on 740686.

This comes with best wishes from all in our churches.  We look forward to welcoming you to a service whenever you’d like to join us.  And of course, please do get in touch if there’s

anything else at all we can help you with.

Happy August!

Richard.