Provision for worship, care and pastoral support to be offered at West Presbyterian Church, Ballymena during the Coronavirus crisis has been announced. Rev Daniel Kane, who ministers to the fellowship has sent us the following statement:
“It is so counter-intuitive that to be compassionate during these unprecedented times in the fight against coronavirus we have to STOP doing the one thing we really love to do and that is being together.
So with immediate effect all Church services and activities have been suspended for the foreseeable future.
Here are some of the ways we are going to stay connected –
1. Facebook Live Feed starts Sunday 22nd March at 11:00am
“May I encourage you to gather around your computer, tablet, phone, etc on Sunday mornings at 11:00am as usual and we will do virtual Church together (in order to do this people must “like” the West Church Ballymena facebook page on their own Facebook account.). Either Linda or myself will lead a short act of worship which we can all join with from the comfort of our own homes. We are also aware that not everyone is on Social Media so we want to make DVD/CD’s as widely available as possible so please contact the Church Office 02825 648 327 weekdays Tuesday to Friday 9:15 am to 2:15 pm.”
2. Pastoral Care.
“Since all hospital and other regular pastoral visits have been suspended for the time being the best way to keep in touch is by phone, WhatsApp and other electronic means. The first point of contact in this regard should be the elder to whose district you have been assigned and they will be in touch with you in the next few days. This will be a hugely important way of keeping in touch. In the sad event of there being a funeral by necessity it will have to be strictly private with no Church service.”
3. Help4you.
“Linda Keys will co-ordinate a group of volunteers who are willing to assist anyone who is self-isolating and requires shopping, medication and other messages to be dropped at your doorstep. Please contact Linda directly with regard to this on 07799 100 444.
4. Prayer. “The love we have for one another in Christ is expressed through prayer which is our best weapon to fight against this coronavirus and our individual anxieties and concerns going forward. Please use the prayer email at westprayer@hotmail.co.uk
5. On-line Support.
“We have our website which will give you all the latest up to date news and all the help you will need going forward. As well as providing you with the sermons already preached for the whole of this and last year 2019/2020, it can be used as a source of solace and learning in this time of stress an uncertainty. The church e-mail addess is westchurch.ballymena@btinternet.com if anyone has any queries.”