Our Covid Response... Since March 2020 we’ve all been witness to a sea change in how we as people on planet earth live our lives. Yet as followers of Jesus who are on fire with his love, our great commission to share that love with each other and the world remains. Here are just a few examples of how we, as a parish have responded to the global pandemic.
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Worship, fellowship and evangelisation moves online
Sunday breakfasts for those who are homeless
Through the good and the bad, our worship of our Father continues and, from the start of the first lockdown, Mass has been live-streamed from Our Lady of Sorrows church. Before many of the other RC parishes across the diocese and wider UK were able to organise live-streaming, up to 4,000 people were viewing Sunday Mass from Our Lady of Sorrows. Now most have access to a live stream or in-person access to Mass at their local parish, online and numbers have reached a new normal. Many of the discipleship groups in the parish have moved online and are growing in size, from the Discussion Group which now reaches over 100 people each month, the Connect Groups, and the Knights of St Columba just to name a few. Alpha has continued, with the latest cohort preparing for their next steps in their journey from spring 2021.
Since 2019, parishioners have been taking it in turn to wake up early and open up the Parish Centre in Bognor to serve freshly cooked breakfasts to people who are homeless. The vast majority are supported by Stonepillow (the homelessness charity appointed by Arun District Council), who manage night shelters, supported accommodation and other interventions to help those who do not have a home get back to a more stable path. However, many parishioners who chat with those receiving support kept hearing that there was less support on Sundays, and practical things like access to food were not available. Sunday breakfasts have been consistently popular and, as well as a nice filling meal, these sessions provide an opportunity for those affected by homelessness to sit
