Private prayer at Eastmoor

The government has allowed churches to be ‘open for private prayer’ during the second national lockdown. We don’t expect the government to understand what a church is. But for the record, it’s not a building - they are communities of men and women who follow Jesus Christ - and they can’t be ‘closed’!

However, GCW owns a building on Eastmoor designated a ‘place of worship.’ And so in this strange time we’re doing something that is very strange for us: we’re opening the building on Sunday evenings, 6pm-9pm, and inviting anyone to come along and take the opportunity to pray in silence.

It’s not really what GCW is about. But here’s why I liked it

• The house is full of distractions that can stop us from praying. Going somewhere quiet is good.

• Our Sunday morning service is online. Going out keeps the discipline of leaving the house on a Sunday.

• Getting out of the house feels good in itself. This is motivation.

• Knowing that others are going across the evening gives a sense of doing something in solidarity with others in the church

• We make available some helpful articles to help us pray, and prayer letters from various organisations. Useful.

• We get the main doors of the building open. I hope it shows someone passing by that the story isn’t finished with the old place.

So come along. www.gracechurchwakefield.org.uk/prayer

P.S. It’s Covid-Secure ;-)

To find out more about our ambition to re-plant a church on Eastmoor visit www.gracechurchwakefield.org.uk/eastmoor

Ian Goodson - GCW Pastor