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During this lockdown period the church across the world has had to adapt, and will have to continue to do so in the months and years ahead. The good news is the church has always been changing and adapting from its beginning right up to the present day. This has included many periods of difficulty when communities had to meet in different ways. For example, the early church in Rome met in the catacomb caves in secret, the church in China from the 1950’s has thrived in underground house churches despite persecution. How can we forget about John Wesley days where the church met in a field, or in third world villages today where people gather in mud brick huts and various other places?

The Daily Mail ran a big article about a vicar in London who at the start of lockdown  bought a tricycle,  a portable PA and travelled about his parish inviting people to join him listening to a rendition of amazing grace, say the Lord’s prayer, and gave them a 60 second message The headline the mail used, was very amusing and did  make me smile , “God's gift to the women of Notting Hill! The Old Etonian vicar-on-wheels whose mobile services (and film-star looks) have made him a social media hit” His name is Reverend Pat Allerton do have a look for the article or look for him on YouTube.

Someone else was telling me this week about something in India called Worship on Wheels or WOW for short what amused me about this was there was services for people with 2 wheels at 7am before it was too hot and another service for people with 4 wheels  and then later in the day a service for pedestrians!

The church will continue to flourish and grow as it has always adapted to changing culture and environments, war, other pandemics and a host of other reasons of why is should have ceased to exist years ago. But why has it survived? Firstly because Jesus said it would, Jesus said I will build my church and the gates of hade s will not prevail against it and secondly because people were obedient to the word of God and the call to carry on applying the simple principles from the bible of what the church should be and what we should be doing because we are God’s plan A there is no plan B.

Over the next few weeks we are going to look at those principles and invite you to re imagine church life and mission as we move forward together with all of using the diversity of gifts God has given to each one and to “Seize the day “ and adapt and continue to be part of what God is doing in world.