Sunday 5 July saw a trickle of churches reopen for worship services in England whilst the rest of the UK’s Christians remained unable to gather in person.
In England, different church families came to different conclusions about what the guidance* – not law – allowed. Some decided, after speaking with church members, to select an Autumn start date. Older members of the church family, those who had been formally shielding, and others who have been identified as being more at risk, decided to stay home even if their church has opened. Many families used to having crèche or Sunday School available may not have attended as managing children who had been heavily cooped up for three months, might have proved one challenge too many.
Some churches opted for a physical gathering + online streaming combination to allow people to make their own choices about their health. Other churches continued with a ‘dial-in’ service, which has been a gift to many elderly folk and those who otherwise would have been disconnected from consistent Bible teaching.
Ten questions with Chris Sugden
Chris Sugden has been married for 52 years to Elaine, a retired consultant cancer doctor, with three married children and …