Once again, we are entering stage three lockdown. The Government has announced that this will be in place for six weeks. There are no guarantees that it will end then, which means the future is still unclear. In addition to this, after the lockdown there will still be a slow transition period for the easing of restrictions. There is also the possibility of further lockdowns in the coming 12 months.

The impact of this is incredibly significant for many Victorians, and it is significant for our church. When Covid-19 first arrived, we did not envision that it would disrupt our church for such a long period. This means that we need to start thinking about some longer term options for managing our church meetings.

In the last few months, we have had our Zoom Sabbath School Class and we have enjoyed it. The numbers of attendees are growing and we have more attendees at our Zoom Sabbath School than we have had in recent times at the church. I am grateful for that and hope that it will continue to grow.

If you have not been logging in, I would encourage you to do so. Feel free to login anonymously if you wish. If you need technical help, some the young people are more than happy to assist. Or if you need a laptop to access the program, please let Bob or myself know. We have access to some second hand laptops that may be useful. You do not need to have a camera on your computer to join in. And, even if you do have one, you do not have to turn it on. I am certain that you will be blessed by the study of God’s word.

We have also had our Closing Sabbath Zoom gathering at sunset. However, as the restrictions had been easing, the numbers for this program have been decreasing. As the stage three lockdown has been introduced there may be more interest in the closing Sabbath gathering, but we will monitor the situation. 

There are several comments and thoughts that I have as I reflect on our uncertain future and what is happening. Firstly, I want to thank everyone who has joined into our Zoom meetings. Your individual presence has encouraged all of us. I want to thank Matt Durbin, who has now taken on the responsibility for organising the roster for the Sabbath School Lesson teacher each week.

Finally, we need to think about other people groups in our church that may need special attention. This may include the children, young people, elderly and interests who may want to join our groups. Martina and I are starting to work on a Sabbath School program for the children and would love your ideas on how this could be developed. We also welcome any ideas about other longer term options for managing our church meetings.