How do we stay connected to each other, to the world around us, and even to God during a pandemic?

After almost a year of experimenting, we’ve still not got it all worked out, but we’ve found a few things that seem to be helping. But do get in touch with your thoughts -  we’d love you to help us continue to shape it.

Most importantly, we know that we are all different: so we’ve always had lots of different strands without any expectations that everyone will do everything!   But sometimes it’s good to try to all get together. So if you do only one thing this month… why not make it breakfast?

Nothing like chatting over food…

Pre-pandemic, we got together for a Monthly Community Breakfast on the 1^st Sunday of each month, where people could come and go, perhaps bringing family members who might not otherwise connect with anything else we did, to join in with a range of optional activities, all centred around a simple theme which we hoped would resonate whether people describe themselves as having a faith, or not. There were always faith-based activities as part of the mix for those who wanted it, as well as more general practical, thoughtful, or interactive resources. And plenty of space just for food and chat!

We ate with contemplatives whose main engagement with us was through our monthly ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ reflective evenings; energetic people we’d met playing Just Dance at The Wing Thing after school drop in; community-minded people who took part in our community Litter Picks, sustainability events, or our monthly dog walks; as well as those who, on the other Sundays of the month, joined our more focused faith-based Sunday Afternoon Gatherings. And it was an easy place to invite new neighbours along to as they moved in.

… even if it has to be online

We miss the freedom of such casual conversation and time together! But we’re trying to capture the essence, albeit in a different context, as we continue to run Monthly Community Breakfasts on Zoom. We’ve learnt Zooms work best with a little more structure, but you are still welcome to choose when and how to join in with any part of the session – screen on or off, etc.

This month, we’re encouraging each other to focus on the importance of both the PAUSE and the PARTICIAPTION, thinking about how we start something well. We’ll talk about the first 100 Days of the new American president… the start of Jesus’ mission and ministry… and how we can prepare and plan for (re) starting some key community partnerships when lockdown eventually starts to ease.
 

Resources to support this week's activities

To get us thinking...

"This week we received sad news that Captain Sir Tom Moore died in hospital, surrounded by his family. In preparation for his 100th Birthday last April, Captain Tom walked 100 laps of his garden with his walking frame, aiming to raise money for NHS charities. He had received marvellous care by the NHS for a broken hip and skin cancer. Tom was also deeply inspired by the selfless service of the NHS workers in the pandemic. His gentle humility and good cheer, combined with great resilience to complete his charity mission, inspired people all over the world. Tom raised a staggering £33 million! What is it about Captain Tom that you find inspiring?

"In Mark 1.29-39 we see Jesus living by clear priorities. He knows what he must do – telling people about God and forgiveness, healing and praying. Jesus’ actions and words continue to impact millions across the world across all generations.

"Captain Tom knew what he wanted to do for others and became a people’s hero bringing hope and courage – he made a difference. He knew his priorities and moved from a good intention to completing his feat on tired feet every day! To encourage others to battle loneliness, he reminded us to walk and talk more. What actions can you take in these coming weeks, which can safely bring hope to someone feeling lonely? In this last year, have you developed any new priorities? The focus this week is demonstrating priorities through action. Perhaps Jesus wants you to live out a priority with more impact – how can you do that?"

By Dr. Angela Mak, a Licensed Lay Minister in the Ecumenical Partnership of West Swindon and Lydiard Tregoze. She is also an enthusiastic youth worker, and retired biology teacher at Holy Trinity Shaw.

Why not bring-your-own pancakes (or any other breakfast/snack) to our Monthly Community Breakfast, this Sunday, starting at 10.30am.

But we know no-one can do everything: so connect with what you need right now; take the time out when you need it; and be assured that #YouAreNotAlone and are held in our prayers.

If you can’t join us, you might like to explore some of the Faith-at-home ideas  from the pack (which we'll also be using as part of the off-screen “participate” slot); and keep an eye on our social media channels to hear more about what we get up to. Our packs often contain material we only have licenses to distribute directly: we can't relist these things online. If you need more copies, simply drop us an email and we'll do what we can to help out.
 

Additional video resources which we'll link to in the Zoom: