Church Notice: All church activities suspended immediately
Dear St Aidan’s Family,
In my 52 years, I have never been unable to attend my church on a Sunday. But we are now there!
Today, the Archbishop of Sydney issued a statement telling Anglican churches to no longer have public church gatherings until further notice. Starting immediately, St Aidan’s will hold no church services until further notice.
There are other ministries that also need to stop immediately. Let me summarise what has stopped and what can still happen (with appropriate measures taken).
Cancelled
Mike Raiter training (tonight)
Doorknocking training (this Sunday)
Sunday church services
Friday and Sunday youth and children’s groups
FunTime Playgroup
AGM
SCOPE
Monthly quilting group
Breast cancer sewing event
English classes
6pm Weekend Away
Still allowed
Parish Council
Bible study groups
Prayer groups
DivorceCare
Youth and children’s leaders meetings
Building works
We will be communicating with you extensively about many things in the coming days, including about what ministry and our church community might look like moving forward.
But can I also encourage you to share ideas that we might consider in this strange time! What might each of us be doing for the church body, as well as for the community? I’d love to hear your ideas.
This Sunday
Let me tell you about this Sunday, 22 March. It was to be our Vision Sunday and AGM day.
Our AGM will not be held and current elected office holders will remain in office until such time as it is possible to elect their successors.
I will video the sermon and you will receive a link to it by email later this week. You might want to watch it as a small group or family group.
Finally, the doors of the church will be open from 8am-12pm and from 5pm-7pm. While there will be no services, at least one staff member will be in the building during these times if you would like to chat. And if you would like to pop in and pray, either on your own or with others, please do so.
Brothers and sisters, how good is it to remember we serve a mighty God, who holds worlds in the palm of his hands. All things are in his control.
I will finish with the words of the Archbishop in his letter today (you can read his public statement here):
God’s love for all people has not diminished, nor his sovereignty over his world. Therefore, I urge all Christians to continue to trust in God’s goodness and mercy in this crisis, and to show Christ’s love to those affected.
Grace and peace to you all,
Mat Yeo | Senior Minister