The best of times, the worst of times
The rector of St Finnian’s, Canon Jono Pierce, reflects on the last year in the life of his Belfast parish.
‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’ This is the opening line of Charles Dickens’s Famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities.
It sums up in many ways how I look back on 2020 in terms of the life of our parish here in St.Finnian’s, Cregagh.
Back in March we set up a system where every parishioner in the vulnerable category was paired with someone else who undertook to phone them regularly to check in and see if they were okay. There has been a really positive response to this and many parishioners comment on getting phone calls from someone they never knew before but who has now become a great friend and support to them.
A very key moment came when we had to shelve our plans to do a major accessibility project within the church building.
When the pandemic struck the Select Vestry undertook a different kind of accessibility project. They invested a significant sum of money in audio visual equipment which enables services to be live–streamed even through lockdown.
We have been very encouraged to hear people are accessing services from all over the globe and while the investment was significant it has proved to be a real lifeline to many who are shielding or unable to attend in–person worship when restrictions allow.
The unsung heroes of the pandemic in our parish, and I would imagine in most parishes, have been the technology teams who operate the equipment and record and stream services and who help to keep the parish informed through the website and the Facebook page.
One of the surprising developments for me has been the start of a blog on our website called The Church Without Walls. I’ve loved writing it and it has been a weekly focus in a time of great uncertainty and quite a number of people seem to be engaging with it. It has been a good way to share devotional thoughts or theological reflection on many of the things we are all bewildered by and trying to figure out as we go along.
I’ve been really inspired by the willingness of our Sunday school teachers to teach our children over Zoom, and the way in which our Messy Church team went online and made really accessible and fabulous events available to parents and grandparents and children throughout the year.
Our Mothers’ Union, Ladies Friendship Group, Bowling Club, Men’s Society and Boys Brigade leaders have all endeavoured to stay in touch with their members and keep them informed as we make our way through. The choir have operated at a socially distanced level when we are permitted to do so and the technology team have extracted the recordings so that services have an authentic St Finnian’s feel to them.
There is a real sense of unity and team as people have been working well together to do these things.
I’ve also been tremendously encouraged by the way churches have been helping each other
During the first lockdown I participated in my first online Alpha course run by a small independent Belfast church called Foundation Church. I received a very warm welcome and their pastor helped me to set up our first online Alpha in the Autumn. We have just begun our second online Alpha and its great to see people emerging as leaders and helping others to discover and explore faith.
I’ve also been extremely inspired by the work of our volunteers who steward and sanitise and clean the church between services. They do so with a real servant heart and a smile and a willingness to work under constantly changing guidelines and restrictions.
It has without doubt also been the worst of times with so many families in our church being bereaved and unable to have the funeral services they would want for their loved ones. As a pastor it seems so cold to be unable to shake hands or give people a hug at the worst moments in their lives or even to go and see people in hospitals and nursing homes as their earthly journey draws to a close. There are also people struggling with the uncertainties of furlough and continuing in business whenever the pandemic ends and all the financial stresses and worries that accompany this.
One final thing that has proved very significant in our parish’s journey is the development of a weekly prayer meeting over Zoom. I am very aware and very grateful of just how many people in the parish are praying for me and for my family.
There has been a blessing in being a church family going through all these things together and we look forward as the vaccine is rolled out to emerging together out of the darkness and into the light.