0590 Loddon Reach June 20 64pp Interactive) - Flipbook - Page 26
SHINFIELD BAPTIST CHURCH
T
rust in the Lord with all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding, in all your
ways acknowledge him and he will direct
your paths. Proverbs 3 v5-6
Just four months ago, if anyone had suggested
that you would be in lockdown at home and that
this would be a worldwide situation, we would
not have thought it possible. We have all had to
change the way we live our lives, from a personal
safety position and as a way of protecting others.
The virus has given an opportunity for us to
look at ways in which we can help others. It has
also affected individuals and families by the
loss of loved ones and the need to support the
vulnerable.
At Shinfield Baptist that has meant looking at how
we can help in local and social situations, meet
together as a group of people without physically
meeting and also help and encourage people as
they deal with what the virus has changed.
Our church service has moved online, leading to
a fast-paced change in our delivery of church. It
has been a good opportunity for some technically
gifted people to shine and for some of us to
play catch up. We have had the opportunity to
partner with Shinfield View for a ‘Songs of Praise’
special which also allowed residents to share their
favourite hymns and stories.
Church services with titles like ‘Don’t Worry’
and ‘Bloom where you’re Planted’ gave a
chance to think about how we feel and how
we can grow through situations we were not
expecting to be in.
In these unusual times, one in four people have
tried an online church service. At Shinfield Baptist
Church, almost the entire church has been
involved in a service in some way or other. This
has meant a move into new technology – we are
all learning something new and have been joined
by new friends watching online.
If you would like to join us for our services, they
are posted on YouTube and, if you need further
information to help you access the service, check
out our Facebook page or email us.
We have also got involved in
a local charity ‘Helping Hand,’
meeting the needs of people in
the community.
As a church, we believe that prayer changes
things. We pray at 8pm on a Monday evening.
If you have any prayer requests, please email
us at the address below or pop a note through
the letterbox at the church. We also have small
groups that meet virtually at this time. For further
information, don’t hesitate to contact us.
The local churches are meeting together virtually
to pray for the current situation and the needs
of individuals and the community and to ask for
God’s blessing and wisdom for the village and the
local area.
Email: admin@shinfieldbaptist.org.uk Tel: 0118
327 3180 or contact us on Facebook
We have also created a collection point for
donated food which is passed on to foodbanks
and individuals in need. We have been blessed by
the generosity of the local community and this has
enabled us to pass this on to people in Reading
and Wokingham. Thank you so much.
As a church, we are looking at ways that we
can serve the Shinfield area and help people
to explore where God is in all this. There is also
an opportunity for you to explore who God is
and what having a relationship with him means
through a virtual course ‘Alpha’. This can be
accessed at https://alpha.org.uk/.
Kevin Woods
SHINFIELD BAPTIST CHURCH JOINS TOGETHER WITH HELPING HAND TO HELP THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
I
don’t know about you, but it felt as if, on March
23rd, we were suddenly catapulted into another
world. Lockdown started and, for many, this
involved a significant change in how we do life.
The schools were shut, businesses closed down
and the streets were quiet. For many people, they
were told they could not go out at all.
Very sadly, for some, it has also meant they have
lost their jobs, been unable to get work or needed
to stay home to look after their children. So, for an
increasing number of people, financial struggles
have really started to kick in.
Rather coincidentally (or maybe not), just a
couple of weeks before 23rd March, Sarah
O’Neill, who runs the community project Helping
Hand – Shinfield and South Reading, came to
talk to our church about this local initiative. Also,
rather coincidentally (or maybe not), George
Joyce and Wendy Fruen, members of our church,
were encouraging us in early March to put a
box at the back of our Church to collect for the
foodbanks.
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So, when full lockdown was announced on that
strange day, we very quickly, with the help of David
Churchyard from the community, set up a Popup Foodbank on the Church doorstep. We also
joined forces with Helping Hand – Shinfield and
South Reading, which has a Facebook page
(www.facebook.com/helpinghandsouthreading)
which says this – “this page is designed to love
and support our local community, by connecting
those needing a “helping hand” with those in the
community who are able to provide for their needs.”
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