Page 18 - Jigsaw August 2020

Community news..............................................................................
View from the pew St Paul’s Thrapston open for private prayer
With lockdown restrictions lifted a little, it was wonderful to be able to ‘go to church’ again (though not as we know it!) on 21st June when St Paul’s was open for the first time from 10.30am - 12 noon.
Strict guidelines have been put in place as you will expect. I found I was directed not to enter by the front door – exit only
– but to go round to the side entrance where a (younger!) face-masked, church member welcomed me and pointed out
the 2m distance markings on the ground. On entering the building another masked attendant indicated the hand sanitiser to
be used and the route to be followed with arrows on the floor. Pairs of pews had been actually roped off and stickers at each end of every third pew showed where to sit. Any non essential church furniture had been removed together with all prayer books,
hymn books and devotional pamphlets. There was an atmosphere of complete devotional silence while whose (few) present were engaged in private prayer; it was like
a mix of strict monasticism with the feel of a high security institution! This is not a criticism as it has to be this way. In fact, for me it provoked a truly uplifting experience where one felt the presence and power of God, with us being totally in his hands.
After about forty minutes of private prayer
I got up to leave with just a silent nod of the head to others still at prayer. At the front (exit) door I was again directed to sanitise my hands before I left, knowing too that where
I had been kneeling was being carefully cleaned after me. Many thanks to those who have volunteered to give up their time to look after the wellbeing of us all while in church. Vincent Davy
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