Explore Christianity at home
By THE REV NEIL SMART, associate vicar of St Jude’s Church, Southsea
I WONDER how the experience of lockdown during the current pandemic has affected you?
We’ve all had massive alterations to our daily or weekly routines – no longer able to see extended family or friends, having to work from home, trying to teach our own children, and being careful every time we set foot outside.
It has changed what and who we think is important. We’ve realised what a difference it makes to have daily exercise and some kind of social interaction. The person delivering our groceries or looking after our elderly relative in a care home suddenly seems more important to our society than he millionaire businessman, pop star or premier league football player.
Perhaps our values have also changed? We’ve realised just how vital it is for the whole population to pull together to protect those who are most vulnerable, or for neighbours to look out for one another.
All of this might be making you wonder about the meaning of your life. There’s been plenty of time and space to think more deeply about things. Perhaps it has confirmed that authentic relationships are more important than the daily grind of work? Or that helping others does give you a real sense of purpose? Where is God in all this?
These are the kind of issues that we’d love to explore alongside you as we launch an Online Alpha Course. You can explore what life and the Christian faith means from the comfort of your own home.
No question is off limits and all opinions will be heard. St Jude’s, St Simon’s and St Margaret’s Churches in Southsea are running this course jointly, every Thursday night from 7.30pm-9.30pm, starting next Thursday. We’ll watch a short film together and then discuss the issues raised.
If you’d like to join us, just drop us a line at office@sjs.church for the details. We’d love to meet you and to understand your thoughts about life. Hopefully we can also explain a little about how the Christian faith gives us hope and peace at these times of crisis, and how the love we experience from God prompts us to help others who are struggling.