Do you remember those early September days? The end of the summer holiday, putting on a new school uniform or finding your old one after a long break. It’s the season of new beginnings and I’m hoping that by the time you read this newsletter our schools will be reopening for the new school year. What will it be like for this generation of children who haven’t been to school for six months?

It’ll probably be a mix of excitement and anxiety as they step into a strange, and in some cases new, environment. Over the last six months I’ve seen my son trying to learn at a distance. It’s been hard because at the heart of school is the interaction with friends and teachers, and for him this has been mainly absent. While we’ve loved the connections that technology has enabled, there is nothing like meeting face to face and being close to people.

This experience of living in in-between times is talked about by St Paul. He describes this as ‘seeing through a glass dimly,’ and I think most of us can relate to this at some point over the last six months. Paul’s message is one of hope, that God is always with us and that there are always new beginnings waiting to happen. As this new school season starts, I hope that the barriers that have been put up due to the Covid virus begin to dissipate and that our
children can enjoy new opportunities to connect and learn.

This September is also a new start for our church, although we’ve been gradually getting back to worshipping in our buildings and I’m delighted that the 10am family communion service is starting again on the 6th September. This will be live streamed as well as recorded, so that you can still watch and take part from home. We look forward to seeing you face to face.

Caroline Halmshaw