These Important Updates are also sent by email… to receive them, please complete this form or contact the Church office.
Weekly Information is sent out by email to those who have given us permission to hold and use their contact details… recent editions can be seen here.
RECENT CHANGES TO GUIDANCE (Fri 10 Dec, 5pm)
As you may be aware, in the last couple of days, Government guidance has changed, and there is now a Government requirement for face coverings to be worn in places of worship, except for those who are exempt. If you are exempt, rest assured that you will not face any challenge or questions for not wearing a face covering.
For anyone who is concerned, we just want to reassure you of the safety of our venue. The auditorium is very large, very high and has an excellent ventilation system that is constantly replacing air in the room with fresh air from outside – it’s as close as you can get to being outside without actually being outside – and a lot warmer!
LEADERSHIP UPDATE (Sun 26 Sept, 7:30pm)
MEMBERS’ MEETING
It was great to gather as church members on Sunday, 26 September, to talk and to pray together. If you couldn’t make the meeting, you can watch the video here. In summary, these are the things we announced:
Eldership changes
At the end of 2021, Steve Wade will be stepping back as an Elder and Trustee. Steve and Tricia are moving to Cornwall, and we want to thank them for serving the church wonderfully over many years.
With Steve stepping back, we’re pleased to announce that Rich Wainman and Seyi Akinla have been proposed for Church Eldership. If you have any feedback about Rich or Seyi, please speak with one of our Elders.
Changes to our team of Trustees
On the evening, Rich Wainman spoke about the important role our Trustees play – they’re a gift to the church.
In a couple of key changes, with Rich proposed for Eldership, Paul Gibbins will take on the role of Chair of Trustees. And, after a remarkable 42 years on the team (!), Geoff Goodman is stepping back as a Trustee. Thank you Geoff for serving the church so faithfully.
Watch the video to find out who our Trustees are, and how they serve the church.
Update on our Hazlemere Site
We are continuing to seek the Lord’s direction and vision for our Hazlemere Site. Watch the video to see John share an important update on where things are right now.
REBUILD UPDATE (Sun 12 Sept, 12pm)
CHANGES TO SUNDAY LIVE (Sun 8 August, 12pm)
CHANGES TO SUNDAY LIVE (Sun 18 July, 12pm)
BOOKING OPENS ON MONDAY MORNING
CHANGES TO SUNDAY LIVE (Sun 20 June, 12pm)
BOOKING OPENS ON MONDAY MORNING
REBUILDING TOGETHER (Wed 26 May, 1pm)
“We have to rebuild together and all play our part in becoming a diverse church of thousands that surrounds and saturates High Wycombe with the love of Jesus.”
RESUMING SUNDAY LIVE (Fri 26 Feb, 6pm)
IMPORTANT UPDATE
Dear Church Family,
As you know, back in January we paused our Sunday Live in-person meetings. Although government guidelines allowed us to continue to gather physically, we felt it was appropriate to pause, mainly because of the pressure on hospitals at the time. However, it has always been our intention to resume meeting as soon as possible.
Thankfully, the situation is beginning to look more positive across the nation, we had the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday, and we received this welcome news from the leader of Bucks Council: “I’m pleased to be able to let you know that we’ve been able to stand down the ‘Major Incident’ that we declared back in December when our local health services were under severe strain. This week’s decision reflects that we are no longer in a crisis situation although I must stress that we still have COVID-19 patients in our local hospitals.”
In light of this, and given the fact that we will be entering into Step 1 of the easing of restrictions on 8 March, we are going to resume our Sunday Live meetings on Sunday 14 March at 9:30am and 11:30am. These in-person meetings will be run as they were before, following the same guidelines – those of you who have been to Sunday Live previously know what a safe environment it is. Booking for 14 March will go live on Monday 8 March at kchw.co.uk/live – please do read all the information before booking.
I’m so looking forward to gathering with you again, even in restricted circumstances. It is powerful when the people of God gather together to worship and break bread together.
Be blessed!
John Harbour
Senior Pastor
Are we still meeting in person? (Thu 14 Jan, 6pm)
IMPORTANT UPDATE
Dear Church Family,
Let me give you the headline up front: as a team of elders, we have made the decision to pause our Sunday Live in-person meetings for at least the next 3 Sundays (17, 24 & 31 January), and we will review the situation at the end of January.
This has not been an easy decision to make, especially given that:
However, we must be mindful of the pressurised situation that currently exists in hospitals and avoid even the slightest risk of adding to that. In addition to that, we don’t want to put anyone in the church in the difficult position of feeling they should come to Sunday Live (either as an attendee or to serve on the team) while feeling a sense of nervousness about doing so, especially because of the intensity of the current situation.
I know that some of you will immediately agree with this decision, whilst others will be disappointed. I am disappointed not to be meeting with some of you in person on Sunday – it’s a loss that we should feel deeply. However, I’m sure we can all appreciate the complexities we are facing and, as an eldership team, we share a conviction that this is the most appropriate decision for us right now, despite our passion for the church to meet in person.
It is more important than ever before to stay connected, to take every opportunity we have to be together (Sunday Online, Small Groups, prayer gatherings, New Testament in a year, contacting one another…) and to remain united. As the apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 4:2-3: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
I am confident that God is at work in this time, stirring and provoking a greater hunger and thirst in His people. So let’s seek Him with everything we have, let’s love one another as well as we can and let’s shine as brightly as we can with the light of Jesus to those around us.
Be blessed!
John Harbour
Senior Pastor
What does this third Lockdown mean? (Tue 5 Jan, 9pm)
“Unlike the previous national Lockdowns, communal worship can continue to take place.”
Let’s ‘be the church’ this Christmas (Mon 21 Dec, 5pm)
“Unlike the November national restrictions, communal worship can continue to take place in tier 4 areas.”
Click here to reach out to our Hope Initiative, running through the Christmas and New Year holidays.
A pause from gathering in person (Tue 3 Nov, 5pm)
Gathering on Sunday Mornings (Sun 27 Sept, 6pm)
Click here to book for a Sunday Morning gathering to watch the meeting together.
When are we planning to meet in person again? (Tue 1 Sept, 6pm)
What’s happening with Small Groups? (Thu 9 July, 7pm)
A rhythm of fasting (Mon 29 June, 12pm)
We’re starting a new rhythm of fasting on the first Thursday of each month – beginning this coming Thursday. Here, John explains why:
For anyone who wants to read more about fasting:
Is God Calling Us to Fast – Part 1
Is God Calling Us to Fast – Part 2
Is God Calling Us to Fast – Part 3
Is God Calling Us to Fast – Part 4
What does the guidance mean for us? (COVID-19 Update)
Dear Church Family,
I’m sure the announcement we heard earlier this week from the Prime Minister, about the further easing of restrictions, has produced feelings of excitement and relief for many, but also concern for some. I know that there are many things that I took for granted before that I appreciate a lot more now – for example, being able to meet as a team of elders in person (outdoors and socially distanced) to pray and talk together. It really is so much better than Zoom!
So what does this latest announcement mean for us as a church? Well, as I said in the Church Update video earlier this week, before the Prime Minister’s announcement on Tuesday 23 June, it certainly does not mean gathering centrally on a Sunday morning (as appealing as the thought is of holding 25 gatherings of 30 people across a weekend with thorough sanitisation in between each one!).
However, what is an exciting development is the new guidance on two households being able to meet together indoors from 4 July. During the lockdown, we have been engaging with our online services in our own households – for some this is a family or a group of friends who live together, while for others it has meant being on your own. But, from Sunday 5 July, there will be the opportunity for two households to join together, if they wish, to enjoy our online service together. And we would absolutely encourage you to do this, if you feel comfortable and as long as you can adhere to the social distancing guidelines.
From the beginning of the lockdown, the church has responded so well in making sure no one stands alone. So, do think of people, perhaps those in your small group, who might not have others in the church to meet with. Is there anything you could do to help them to connect?
The other exciting thing about this is that, in these small gatherings, we can break bread together (it will feel very ‘early church’ in the book of Acts)! And, again, we would absolutely encourage you to do this (safely) either before or after the service. Please click here for further information about meeting together and breaking bread together in a safe way, in line with Government Guidance as it stands at the moment.
So – small but significant steps! And we’re obviously praying for the infection rate to stay low so that further easing can come in the future that may enable us to consider how Small Groups can gather together – but we’re not there yet.
In all of this, I would ask us to continue to be mindful of those who may not be able to, or not feel comfortable to join with another household in this way – let’s keep doing all we can to keep everyone connected, no-one standing alone. But let’s also give thanks to God for the simple joy of being able to meet with others to worship Him together and break bread together.
Be blessed!
John
Senior Pastor
When will we meet again? (Mon 22 June, 6pm)
Here’s an important update from John letting us know about our new ‘Hope Initiative’, launching on Sunday.
Here are the links to the articles John mentioned in the video update:
Does Corona mean communion on your owna?
Is Online Church Really Church?
On Virtual Church, Football Matches and Marriage
Dear Church Family,
I hope you are all well and continuing to adjust to these unusual circumstances. Here are my latest thoughts and encouragements for you:
RHYTHMS
At a time when our sense of connectedness has been disrupted, and normal structures and routines have gone, it is easy to feel disorientated, stressed, out of control, powerless… It is so important to find ways to be connected with others and to put new structures and routines in place that help you feel safe and allow for a sense of achievement every day. My friend, Simon Benham, who leads Kerith Community Church in Bracknell, wrote an excellent blog post for his church on this – I would very much recommend that you read it.
One important rhythm to have in your life is the rhythm of scripture. So let me once again recommend to you our ‘Bible in One Year’ group – it’s been a source of great encouragement for me and for others to share thoughts on what we are reading each day. Don’t worry about not having done the first 3 months – you can just hop in from today’s date. See here how you can connect with this.
SUNDAY MORNINGS
Thank you for all your feedback on our online Sunday services – again, amazing job from our tech team piecing it together from different locations. We even threw in some ‘deliberate’ errors with the display of the scriptures to give it that authentic feel! For anyone who experienced any problems connecting to the online service, hopefully we now have ironed out those issues.
We have 2 important Sundays coming up – PALM SUNDAY and EASTER SUNDAY (and there will also be a Good Friday service). These are great opportunities to preach the gospel and call people to respond to Jesus, so let me encourage you to KEEP INVITING people to join us online – those on your BLESS lists, through your social media networks, etc… Just direct people to our Church Online home page (www.kchw.co.uk/online) just before 10:30am on Sunday (or, for those watching on Smart TVs, you can go directly to our YouTube channel).
ENCOURAGEMENTS
I just want to thank you, church, for how you are responding to this challenge. I’m so encouraged by what is happening in the church at the moment in those 4 areas I outlined last week – CONNECT, PRAY, SUPPORT, SHARE:
• CONNECT – People are connecting in amazing ways through Small Groups, with more sign-ups coming in all the time. Your Small Group is the primary place for connection, pastoral care and prayer. We now have around 500 people in a Small Group, which is great, but we have capacity for more – we have Small Group leaders waiting in the wings to start a new group when there is a need for it. If you’re not in a Small Group, GET CONNECTED! Sign up in the ‘Small Groups’ section of our Church Online home page.
• PRAY – Again, your Small Group is the primary place for prayer, but the ‘attendance’ at our Thursday online prayer meetings was so encouraging, with over 200 people/households accessing it, of which around 150 attended the whole meeting. We will be praying again on Thursday – three different times to choose from: 7:30am, 12:30pm or 8pm. You will be able to access this through our Church Online home page, where you can also find some help on what you can be praying for at this time.
• SUPPORT – Again, your Small Group is the primary place for being supported and supporting others. But our pastoral team have been doing an outstanding job at supporting those who need urgent support that the Small Group cannot provide. If you are in need of support, or can offer support, please go to the ‘Support’ section of our Church Online home page.
• SHARE – There are some encouraging stories that have been shared on our Message Board. ‘Where is the Message Board?’ I hear you ask. You guessed it – on our Church Online home page! But I know there are so many more stories out there to be shared. You may not think they are worth sharing, but please let me encourage you to do so for the encouragement of the whole church at this time. Please share your stories of what God is doing, big things and small things.
And, in all these things, let us continue to shine with the light of Christ in our communities through how we live our lives – as it says in Philippians 2:14-16:
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.”
Keep connected, keep shining, and be blessed!
John Harbour
Senior Pastor
Dear Church Family,
Well, following last night’s announcement from the Prime Minister, things have changed again… BUT WE ARE STILL HERE!
I thought our first online service on Sunday was a huge success – and, from the feedback, so did all of you. Thank you for all your enthusiasm, participation and inviting others in – the video of the service had nearly 1,400 views by the end of Sunday – incredible! I do want to acknowledge and thank our amazing worship team, who pulled things together very quickly, and also our heroic tech team (Matt Rootham, Ethan Clark, Paul Carr and Chris Stemp) who put in many hours to make sure everything was produced to such a high standard.
The tighter restrictions announced yesterday clearly mean we can’t do it in quite the same way as we did on Sunday – but we do have a cunning plan for this Sunday – SO WE WILL BE MEETING AGAIN ONLINE AT 10:30! It will be great, so let’s all be there and keep inviting others.
We have also added a NEW EVENT! Our Thursday morning prayer meetings have become a very important part of what we do, so on Thursday there will be the opportunity to take part together in an online prayer and worship time. The same event will run at three different times on Thursday: 7:30am, 12.30pm and 8pm. So get one of those times in your diary and join with others to worship and pray – you will be able to link to the prayer meeting from www.kchw.co.uk/online
As we continue to adjust to this new situation, there are four things we would like everyone to do (and these are all on our online church portal at www.kchw.co.uk/online ):
If you haven’t already done so, sign up to join a virtual Small Group. This is THE most important thing you can do to be connected to others – we don’t want anyone in the church to stand alone at this time. If you know of someone who needs help with this, please help them! And if you need help with this, click on the ‘Ask for help’ button in the ‘Support’ section.
We want to be a church that is devoted to prayer, and that seems all the more important at times like these. Pray for one another in your Small Groups, pray regularly into this situation (prayer points on the prayer page), and join in one of the online gatherings on Thursday.
Look out for one another – both inside and outside the church – and support those who have particular needs. Again, the best environment for this to happen is in a virtual Small Group. However, we have also been assembling pastoral, practical and intercessory teams for those who need urgent or vital support which the small group is unable to provide (you can both offer and ask for help in the ‘Support’ section).
We want to hear the stories of what’s going on – to encourage and inspire others. Stories of support, stories of encouragement, stories of what God is doing, big things and small things… stories of ‘ordinary people changed by Jesus to change the world’! There is a section on our online portal where you can share stories and read others’ stories – so let’s use it!
I’ll ‘see’ you at one of the prayer meetings on Thursday, and at 10:30am on Sunday. We’re praying for you all (we had a great staff prayer and worship time this morning, connecting together on ‘Zoom’ – amazing technology!)
Remember – we are people of faith, not fear, called to shine with the light of Jesus in the darkness around us.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…” (Psalm 46:1-2)
Be blessed!
John Harbour
Senior Pastor
Dear Church Family,
I wanted to take the opportunity to update you with how the current situation with the Coronavirus is affecting our activities as a church (and just to give you a clue up front – it’s affecting them a lot!)
I also want to reassure anyone who is feeling anxious, fearful and isolated that we are doing everything that we can to ensure that no-one in our church family stands alone during this difficult time.
We have been doing a lot of planning to be able to adapt quickly to very changeable circumstances – a lot of that planning is still ongoing, and so this email may not contain all the answers you are looking for, but I will try to bring as much clarity as I can. I will do this in 3 parts:
1. What we have to STOP
2. What we have the opportunity to START
3. How I would like us to RESPOND
1. What we have to STOP
The government guidance in the last couple of days is that everyone – regardless of age or health – should stop all non-essential contact with others (and it was clarified in the House of Commons that this includes religious gatherings). This means that, until further notice, we will not be gathering (physically) to meet:
• On Sunday mornings
• In Small Groups
• Any other church event that had been planned
One activity that will be continuing, albeit in a modified format, is King’s Table. But, rather than gathering together, we will be taking ‘packed teas’ out to those who are homeless and offering to pray for them. We’re also looking at ways of continuing the OneCan food bank and how we can support that work.
2. What we have the opportunity to START
Someone once said that ‘every problem is an opportunity in disguise’, and we have the opportunity to use technology to our advantage. So here is what we are proposing to do:
Sunday Mornings
We are intending to have an online church service on Sunday mornings that we can all access in our homes and join together as one family, worshiping and praising God. We are also looking at how we cater for our children and youth in this as well. We are still working out the details of this and deciding on the most straightforward way of doing it – we will update you later in the week, and will try to make it as easy as possible so even the least technologically-savvy among us will be able to access it!
Small Groups
While Small Groups can’t meet physically, they will still be our most important way of supporting one another and staying connected – again, technology will play a big part here in helping groups stay connected remotely (details to follow). Many of our existing groups will continue, and we will also be putting in place a number of new groups – and we will be encouraging EVERYONE in the church to sign in to be part of a Small Group (again, details to follow).
Prayer
We are looking at ways of continuing the momentum we have in prayer in the church – and it is essential that we pray at a time like this. Being online and on social media provides some great opportunities for both corporate and individual prayer. Again, we will update you with details of this once plans are finalised.
3. How I would like us to RESPOND
First of all, we are to be people of faith who are not ruled by fear. This blog post by J. John puts it well: https://canonjjohn.com/2020/03/13/living-under-the-shadow/
By the way, I know that many ARE feeling fearful and anxious for all sorts of reasons, and that these are not emotions that you can just turn off like a tap. And that’s OK. You don’t have to get too far into the psalms to realise that the psalmist often felt fearful, anxious and overwhelmed. So do what the psalmist does – pour out your heart with complete honesty to God and let Him be the change in you. Also, get others around you (remotely) who are praying for you.
Here are some other things we can do:
• Sign up for a Small Group (when the information comes out). Everyone. Seriously – EVERYONE! This is the most important thing you can do to be connected into the church at this time.
• Look out for, and join in with the online Sunday morning and prayer times that we will be providing.
• Look out for people you know in the church who are in need or in isolation – find out how you can best support them.
• If you are isolated and in need of support (or know someone who is), please let us know – you can email pastors@kchw.co.uk or call 01494 459901.
• Be the light of Jesus in your neighbourhood – think of ways you can serve your neighbours, particularly those who are vulnerable and at risk.
I’m sure there’s lots more to say, but I think that will do for now! People of King’s – you are magnificent, and I know that we will together step up to the plate and meet this challenge head on. Why? Because we don’t do it in our own strength, but in the strength of our amazing and almighty God. As it says in Psalm 46:
God is our refuge and strength,
An ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
And the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
Though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
He lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
The God of Jacob is our fortress.
Let’s be praying for this to be our reality and our confidence as we face the challenges ahead. What a joy to be part of this amazing community! I am continuing to pray for all of you.
With love and blessings,
John, on behalf of the King’s Church leadership team.
We will update this section of our website regularly and will communicate any changes to our normal church activities here so please do check back regularly.
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