Pat Lomax, Church Secretary at Broadway URC, Walsall, shares some of Broadway’s response to the current crisis:

We have been busy during lockdown, keeping in touch with everyone connected to the church. We have divided our fellowship between the elders so that they can contact everyone on a regular basis and provide help, with shopping, deliveries, etc. if needed.

Sunday services are held weekly via our church website and have been provided by a former minister of our congregation (we are in vacancy at the moment), various lay preachers from within our Joint Pastorate, and from one of our elders.

I, as secretary, also send out a weekly update to encourage everyone with news, information and reminders about what’s coming up. We were able to distribute palm crosses with the first one as a symbol of God, and the church’s, continuing care for the community.

We have held communion services through video link with everyone invited to join our Lord's table. We have also been fortunate that our organist has added the music to our hymns weekly, allowing us to continue singing in praise.

Our Junior Church continues to share activities through WhatsApp and the elders are able to continue their monthly meetings using Zoom. These have been very productive.

Last week, one of our members passed away. Despite necessary limits on attendance at funerals, the church was able to arrange for people who wanted to show their respects to line the route to the crematorium. People observed social distancing outside our church as the funeral procession passed by. The service was then shared on-line and posted to members and friends of the church afterwards to enable them to pay their respects.

Through its commitment and ingenuity, Broadway URC has continued to share the love of Jesus with the community during lockdown. What has your church been doing to participate in God’s mission during the crisis? Let us know so we can share good news more widely.