The government has allowed churches to be ‘open for private prayer’ during the second national lockdown. We don’t expect the government to understand what a church is. But for the record, it’s not a building - they are communities of men and women who follow Jesus Christ - and they can’t be ‘closed’!
However, GCW owns a building on Eastmoor designated a ‘place of worship.’ And so in this strange time we’re doing something that is very strange for us: we’re opening the building on Sunday evenings, 6pm-9pm, and inviting anyone to come along and take the opportunity to pray in silence.
It’s not really what GCW is about. But here’s why I liked it
The house is full of distractions that can stop us from praying. Going somewhere quiet is good.
Our Sunday morning service is online. Going out keeps the discipline of leaving the house on a Sunday.
Getting out of the house feels good in itself. This is motivation.
Knowing that others are going across the evening gives a sense of doing something in solidarity with others in the church
We make available some helpful articles to help us pray, and prayer letters from various organisations. Useful.
We get the main doors of the building open. I hope it shows someone passing by that the story isn’t finished with the old place.
So come along. www.gracechurchwakefield.org.uk/prayer
P.S. It’s Covid-Secure ;-)
To find out more about our ambition to re-plant a church on Eastmoor visit www.gracechurchwakefield.org.uk/eastmoor
Ian Goodson - GCW Pastor