Coronavirus Announcement – Knockbracken Congregational Church
The Coronavirus pandemic has arrived in Northern Ireland, and it has been confirmed that this disease is now being transmitted from person to person within communities as opposed to simply through people returning from an infected region. Whilst the disease is very like a flu in many respects, the mortality rate is predicted to rise, making this an outbreak that we cannot ignore.
We want to be faithful to God in his command to us to meet and worship together, while at the same time we want to be responsible in our approach to protecting each other and those who come to visit with us here in Knockbracken.
With that in mind, we are going to do some things a little differently. We are going to avoid handshaking, and hugging as far as possible both at the door and in church. We are going to move the Wednesday evening bible study and prayer meetings, as well as the ladies’ meetings to the other hall to give ourselves a little extra space. Thursday’s Open House will go ahead as normal.
We would ask that you all be sensible in terms of hand-washing before coming to church, and to be particularly careful when handling food, tea and coffee here in church. For communion we already use individual cups, and we’ll implement measures to avoid unnecessary contamination for the portions of bread.
Then we also want to say that if you feel flu-like at all, please err on the side of caution and absent yourself from meetings.
We believe in a sovereign God who is over all things. For this reason, we say ‘do not be afraid,’ and want to assure you that our lack of hand shaking is merely precautionary, and that we love you in the Lord and want to care for our people in a responsible way. The Heidelberg Catechism that we looked at a few weeks ago is so pertinent here,
Q – ‘What is your only hope in life and death?’
A – That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.
