{"content":[{"text":"St Nicholas, Marston and St Thomas of Canterbury, Elsfield \n MARSTON & ELSFIELD MESSENGER \n May 2020 a church newsletter during lockdown \n ≈","bbox":{"left":0.075778,"top":0.088059,"width":0.808979,"height":0.108455}},{"text":"Dear Friends \n How are you? Life seems surreal at the moment: our \n usual patterns and rhythms have altered, causing us \n to change the way we live. We are getting used to \n standing in queues to shop two metres distant from \n one another, we are getting used to speaking to \n friends and family only online or via phone and we \n are getting used to feeling incredibly happy when a \n neighbour walks past our house. \n As we face our future, we do so with a sense of \n caution and worry because it still seems unknown. \n How long will we be in lockdown? How long do we \n need to wait? We ask where Christ is in the waiting: \n waiting seems to be something this season calls us to \n do. \n At that first Easter, followers of Christ watched and \n waited, first at the cross and then behind locked \n doors, as they struggled to understand what was \n happening. Jesus was alive! Could this be true? They met together when words failed them and the pain was too \n much. They met together as hope was rekindled, to pray together, to sing together and gradually out of the \n horror and destruction of Good Friday a new community was born that would transform the world. How do we \n gather together now? How do we draw strength from each other when we can’t physically leave our homes and \n worship together in our church buildings? How do we find the strength to get up each morning, to find the hope \n to lead that Christ-­‐like new life? \n We look to Jesus and remember that God connects us: we are still the church, dispersed but still together. \n Our hope is found in the empty tomb and the resurrection that is given to all Creation. We as a community are \n being transformed in our homes: yes even in our gardens, studies and front rooms we are still in the presence of \n the Risen Christ! We will recover from the waiting? Yes! Resurrection – the promise of new life is what the Easter \n Season is all about. After the waiting, through the pain and isolation, new life will come. We are Easter People and \n we will share this message of hope and new life to our friends and neighbours in whatever way we can: through \n phoning, through asking our neighbours if they need food, through prayer and online services and through the \n giving and receiving of love and care for each other. Love, Skye. \n ‘Risen Jesus, show us how to be an Easter people, even in this difficult time; give us the patience to wait, the \n compassion to care for our neighbours and grace to be a symbol of hope to the world. Amen.","bbox":{"left":0.072217,"top":0.234659,"width":0.856994,"height":0.553877}},{"text":"Coffee after Church Service \n We have set up a WhatsApp group that has been meeting for virtual coffee after virtual church. We get our \n beverage and then connect to Zoom at 11am for a chat. If you would like to join us, please contact Judith \n (764693) and she will explain how and add you to the group.","bbox":{"left":0.072217,"top":0.802524,"width":0.8569650000000001,"height":0.06355199999999994}},{"text":"Revd Skye (Vicar for Marston & Elsfield) 202988 -­‐ vicar@stnicholasmarston.org.uk \n Alison Edwards -­‐ 07783 024432 -­‐ administrator@stnicholasmarston.org.uk \n Judith Piggott (Churchwarden for Marston) 764693; James Plunket (Churchwarden for Elsfield) 358170 \n Website -­‐ stnicholasmarston.org.uk Facebook – marston@snicholasmarston","bbox":{"left":0.072217,"top":0.879494,"width":0.771497,"height":0.067828}}],"images_bbox":[],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[]}