17th september update
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It is now several weeks since we restarted Sunday services in the building, and it’s good to see more people turning up each Sunday; the services run from 11 am to 12 noon.
The recent Government announcements about the ‘Rule of 6’ do not apply to church meetings for worship and prayer; there is an exemption for places of worship. So we can continue to meet for the time being on Sunday mornings – and pray that the situation will not deteriorate such that more restrictions need to be introduced. There are lots of precautions in place to keep us safe; social distancing, sanitising door handles and other surfaces, cleaning with antiseptic spray machine, etc. And apart from the singers/preacher, we have to wear masks. Please look at the following list of things, some of which derive from Government advice, on how to say safe. If for any reason you don’t feel able to return to the church building till a bit later on, that’s fine, services will continue to be streamed. Please pray for all those making arrangements for the restart of church, for God’s protection upon us, and for other churches in Haringey as they face similar situations. Thanks to all of you for continuing financial support of the church at this time, and to the volunteers at the Food Bank who are seeking to meet the needs of others in the community. Paul Tomkins |
guidance for return to church building - 2nd august
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The following are the guidelines which we are using to stay safe and keep social distancing now that services have restarted.
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- Do not come to church if you have any of the well-documented symptoms of Covid-19, e.g. fever, loss of smell or tase, persistant cough.
- Face masks to be worn, unless in the worship group or preaching.
- Please bring your own face masks, bottle of water if you need a drink, and Bible.
- Keep at least 1m. apart in the foyer and 2m. in the church.
- No hugging, kissing, or shaking of hands.
- Entrance and exit is via foyer.
- No use of kitchen, - so no teas or coffees.
- In church we will use alternate rows of seating, and except for household/family groups, leave two vacant chairs between each person. This will probably limit numbers to around 50-60.
- The service will continue to be streamed.
- Surfaces such as door handles, switches and the metal backs of chairs, to be wiped with antiseptic cloth before the service.
- Service time from 11am - 12pm.
- The foodbank will operate from the church hall, at its usual time of 11.30am - 1 p.m.
- Use of toilets; not more than one person at a time in each of the three toilets; try and minimise use of toilets, in order not to conflict movements with people working in food bank.
- Prayer for individuals; not in church, but possible one to one in the creche and in rear car park. We have introduced Prayer Cards; if you need prayer, fill these in with your name, phone number, and your prayer request. A member of the Prayer Ministry Team will contact you and pray via a phone call.
- The Youth group will meet in the Upper Room during the morning service.
- No buckets passed around for offerings; a bucket placed at back of church to drop in offerings. Gloves to be used in counting.
The Gospel Centre Newsletter
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SUnday Morning Service
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The Gospel Centre Choir
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The choir practice will not be taking place but will now be in the form of a conference call every Wednesday from 7:30pm-8:30pm, mainly for prayer and support. The line will be open to all who would like to join for prayer. For future information about the choir, please contact via email: thegospelcentrechoir@gmail.com.
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care groups
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Care Groups have been set up, so that Pastoral workers, Elders and others in leadership have each been given around 7 to 10 people to ‘look out’ for, I.e. to keep in contact, usually by phone, e-mail or Facebook. It’s particularly to keep an eye out for those who are a bit more vulnerable, but also to keep in touch with each other as it looks like we shall be physically isolating for some weeks ahead.
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The food bank - Update 15th September
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The food bank continues to be busy, even though our numbers have fluctuated quite a bit at different sessions. Securing enough food for those who visit is a concern. Each week we are collecting food, each Wednesday from the Haringey Food Hub based at Hornsey Parish Church. However, this does not cover everything we need. We are currently in need of packets of rice, cereals, tinned fruit, coffee and sugar. Meanwhile, we are working with church leaders to obtain more accessible storage space so the amount of food in the hall can be reduced. For queries please contact Steve at: gospelcfoodbank@gmail.com
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