UPDATED: 27 July 2020 (Changes in Bold)
We will NOT be resuming physical gatherings at the Church at Carrs Lane at this time and will review this situation again by the start of September. We realise that some of you find this information a relief, while for others it is greatly disappointing. We want to reassure you that these decisions are taken with great care, attention to detail, discussion and prayer and with the best of interests of our whole community in mind.
As we listened to the guidance, considered practical realities and have discussed the best ways to care for our Inclusive Gathering Birmingham community (in as an inclusive way as we can) we’ve decided that we will continue to suspend physical meetings and meet for Online Worship Gatherings at LEAST until the end of September. Our Community Groups will also continue to meet via Zoom.
In addition to this, we’ve decided to help coordinate some geography-based social meet-ups in August in areas around the city where we have IGB folks clustered. These gatherings will be informal, socially-distanced, outside and/ or adhere to government guidelines.
We continue to listen and learn and see these meet-ups as a way of ‘testing the waters’ … we’re also really willing to think creatively about what ‘church’ looks like for us in the autumn.
Our Online Worship Gatherings will continue on Sundays at 4pm on Facebook Live and YouTube followed by Zoom discussions at 5:15 until 2 August. Then from 9-30 August, we will hold ‘relaxed’ online worship gatherings via Zoom (as our capacity is reduced during those holiday weeks). We will be making further decisions about in person social meet-ups and what our gatherings will look like in the autumn, but our intention is to continue our online presence regardless. We’ll return to our FB Live/ YouTube/ Zoom format on Sunday, 6th September.
As new information and guidance comes to light, we’ll continue to consider our next steps and keep you informed. We long to meet with one another in person of course, but we remain openhanded and prayerful about what that will look like and when that will happen. As we sit in this ‘waiting space’ we’re actively considering what we’ve learned through this time of ‘lockdown’ and what we can take forward with us into the next season.
Please join us in praying that this next post-lockdown phase of Inclusive Gathering Birmingham will see us grow in radical inclusion, connection with one another, faith, life, dynamism, service and creativity. If you have thoughts and dreams we’d love to hear them.
We don’t want to act out of fear but to create an environment of love and care for one another. We’ve set up a Pray & Connect group for those who are part of our community to share prayer requests and check in with one another. Let’s keep praying for the most vulnerable in our communities and look for ways, big and small, to express hope and generosity in our daily lives. Please keep connecting. Please keep checking in with one another.
If you’ve got any questions, feel free to email newchurchbirmingham@gmail.com.
-Inclusive Gathering Birmingham Core Leadership Team
(Danielle, Naomi, Eunice, Julia, Pete & Tom)
