It’s great to see how creative the church is being in this time of forced isolation. The staff team is now meeting regularly via Zoom calls (for more information on how Zoom works, see our earlier blogpost KEEP IN TOUCH). The wonderful Breathing Space team are moving their appointments online. We had our first virtual Men’s Prayer Breakfast using Zoom this morning (which means there’s more room around the table – come on guys, join us next Friday at 7am…). Our street has started a private Facebook group to keep in touch and support each other. The Couch to 5K group are continuing their WhatsApp communications to encourage each other with their runs, even thought they weren’t able to run together. And we heard of at least one other Small Group that held their group meeting this week via WhatsApp, sharing thoughts about the passage and prayer needs together in real time. So please drop us an email, text, Facebook message, etc. and add your comments below to let us know what you and your group are doing to stay in touch.  
Love,
Neal and Eluned.

This Sunday, 22nd of March, there is a call for the church to join together in a National Day of Prayer.

At 7pm on Sunday, Christians everywhere will be lighting candles in the windows of their homes as a visible symbol of Jesus, the light of the world.

In this rapidly evolving situation, there is, very understandably, a great deal of uncertainty, fear and anxiety. In a time of such uncertainty, we must remember what is certain: that God is on the throne, he is ultimately in control, and we can totally trust him through this valley.

In a time of such fear and anxiety, we are assured of the power of love over fear (1 John 4:18), and that the peace which transcends understanding can overcome every anxiety (Philippians 4:6-7).

Let us be a non-anxious presence as we step into the opportunity to be salt and light in fresh ways, bringing hope to those around us as we reach out with love. And let us humble ourselves and pray. That God’s kingdom would come, his will would be done, and that he would heal our land (1 Chronicles 7:14).

We are encouraging Vineyard churches across the UK and Ireland to join with this day of prayer and action on Sunday.

With our love and prayers at this challenging time.

John & Debby Wright

National Directors, Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland

This is a fantastic encouragement to pray together and witness to our faith in Christ – let's shine a light for him this Sunday evening!  – Neal and Eluned

For further information, please visit the Evangelical Alliance website.

During the Covid-19 outbreak, it's important that we do all we can to stay in touch while it's not possible for us to hold church meetings – our mental, emotional and spiritual health depend upon it. There are a number of online apps that can help us do that.

WhatsApp is a free, online messaging tool that enables people to send text and voice messages, make voice and video calls and share images, documents and even your current location. You can form groups and then have group chats together. WhatsApp works on laptops, tablets and mobile phones, but you need a mobile phone for it to work on your other devices. To find out more, check out the WHATSAPP website.

Zoom is a cloud-based video communications app that enables you to meet 'virtually' with others, either by video conferencing or just with audio only. You can meet with up to 100 people at a time, so it could be a great way for Small Groups and teams to continue meeting together. You don't need a Zoom account to join a Zoom meeting, but whoever sets up a meeting has to have an account in order to get the ball rolling. Accounts are free, with meeting times on free accounts limited to 40 minutes. Find out more on the ZOOM website.

Google Meets is another way of holding group meetings. Again it's free, but you need to sign up for a Google account to take part in a conversation and the group size is limited to 25 people. THIS LINK takes you to the Google Meets page.

You can find tutorials for all these apps on YouTube, so why not do a bit of exploring and find out more about how you could keep in touch with others? Post any comments or questions below and we'll do whatever we can to assist you.