This is most of the content of an e-mail sent to the church family on 1 January 2021, posted here in the hope that you will find it helpful. If you don’t yet receive our e-mails you can sign up at the bottom-left of this page.
This Sunday
We had already taken the decision to go online on Sunday past, the 27th December, when we followed Susanna Curry’s inspirational service on the Seymour Street facebook page. This Sunday, a special TV Covenant Service will be broadcast on RTE One, led by the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Rev. Dr. Tom McKnight. We think it would be good to watch this together in our homes – you’ll find it on RTE One at 11.10am. If you don’t have access to RTE TV stations, it should also be available to stream online using this shortlink: http://bit.ly/3Jan21 as well as a radio version at 11am on RTE Radio 1 Extra http://bit.ly/3Jan21radio. We’ll have coffee together afterwards using the Zoom service, the details are sent to our WhatsApp group…
10th January and following
From Sunday 10 January, Dromore will have our own online service, streaming live at 11am with some pre-recorded elements from members of the congregation. We’re hopeful this will be for a short time, but also conscious that rising covid cases in the community might mean this arrangement needs to continue for some weeks more. Please make a point of joining in every week at 11am, both to be encouraged and as an encouragement to others.
Kathryn and I will recommence Living Room Worship (an hour or so of chat, singing and prayer from our living room) on 10 January at 9pm.
If you don’t have access to the internet for the streaming of video-based worship, you might like to use the service sheets prepared weekly by our sister denomination, the Methodist Church in Britain. You can find them here. If you, or anyone you know, would like a printed copy of these sheets, please let me know and I’ll happily post them out.
Dromore Coffee Time
Having coffee together after Sunday morning online services is a helpful way of staying in touch and a good opportunity to interact with other human beings! It’s really simple: click a link, chat and catch up, and leave when you’re ready. The Coffee Time will only include folks from Dromore, and runs on the Zoom platform: details are sent each week to the church WhatsApp group.
Chat and Prayer Groups
Three of these small groups for mutual support and helping us listen for God’s nudges into mission have started to meet, online only for the time being. Setting apart some time, roughly fortnightly, to have a focused conversation can be really helpful and healthy, and I encourage all of you to join or form one! Let me know if you’re interested.
Praying Together During Lockdown
Each night at 8pm during lockdown, let’s light a candle together at a window in our homes to remind us that we are not alone in these days and to pray for the light of Jesus in our lives and the lives of those around us. This is a small act in these weeks but we trust that through this, we and others might know the light and life of Jesus. If you’re feeling alone, perhaps lighting the candle at the same time as one another will help us know a unity of spirit; if you would like a chat at any time, we are always here for you.
A suggested format for your time of prayer, which we have tested in the Harte house with our boys, is included in the image above (thanks to Suzanne for her painting of a candle!)
“Waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness, that is who you are.”
Christmas Trees!
I’ve been sending out a Christmas Tree from December 2019’s Festival every day during December and Christmas on our WhatsApp group – a photo with a Bible verse and short thought. They’re all available on our facebook page too – https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=DromoreMethodistChurch&set=a.707713333212582
Hope!
Twenty Twenty has been tough on most if not all of us, but we’re still standing and God is still good. The verse on the noticeboard outside our church building through December and these first days of January is a blessing for you and us all: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Do get in touch if I can help or listen at any point though this lockdown.
Yours in Christ’s love,
Ross.
(on behalf of the Dromore Methodist Church Council)
