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Week 6 or is it week 7? I’ve rather lost track, and that’s in part because, remarkably, my colleagues in the Connexional Safeguarding Team and I, have been kept really busy over the last few weeks. To some extent unexpectedly so, but of course it’s also enabled us to catch up on recording and plan for our post-lockdown world whatever that might look like. Compared to those on furlough we have perhaps been ‘fortunate’ – is that quite right? – to have this level of work which keeps us occupied. But a strange thought occurred to me yesterday. I suppose when the lockdown started twelve weeks was the mooted length and now here we are just over half way through. At the start, as well as aiming to keep well, I had good intentions about gardening, reading, resuming the oil painting that I did in my youth, and learning to finger style properly when playing my guitar. Well the garden is tidier than usual but all other activities have not really taken off, well not at all, and now I am beginning to focus on the new stress of when and how to make a judgement about how to make best use of any easing of the lockdown. So my strange thought was about whether I would have achieved anything in the lockdown. I guess surviving is key and that’s pretty fundamental in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but curiously I shall feel annoyed with myself if I have let the moment pass. It’s nothing like it of course but it reminds me, as we approach VE day celebrations, of the questions we used to ask our fathers; ‘what did you do in the war, daddy?’ ‘How did you spend the lockdown of 2020?’ Whatever we have done or still plan to do there is a plethora of advice and guidance around, especially about keeping yourself safe online, tackling domestic abuse and keeping emotionally well. There is much in my inbox about this as well as about fraud, social distancing and looking after yourself. At times it can become overwhelming but the key here is to try as far as you can, to slow down a bit, take time out and look for those opportunities when some small unfulfilled dreams and aspirations can become a tangible reality.

Lord, you work in exciting and unexpected ways, we give you thanks for new opportunities and challenges and commit ourselves anew to follow where you lead That all we do and say may be to your praise and glory alone. Amen PLEASE PRAY FOR: 1. For the circuit, in which new shoots of hope are beginning to spring up 2. For the building work beginning at Camden Town Church 3. For the new Church plant at the Wesley – ‘The Epworth @ Camden’

With the rate of deaths in hospital beginning to fall, we are rightly becoming equally or even more concerned about the number of deaths in care homes. Methodist Homes have featured strongly in media coverage so far. Some of the most vulnerable members of our churches and communities are therefore amongst those most at risk. Every local authority has a Safeguarding Adults Board which draws together a wide range health and social care agencies, as well as the police and fire services. Their aim is to ensure that there is a coherent, comprehensive and high quality adult safeguarding service in their areas. You would be right to assume that they are particularly concerned just now that adults who may be at risk because of age, disability, poor mental health or other circumstance are properly protected. One southwest London Safeguarding Adults Board met last week and provided some insight into what is happening locally during the lockdown. Here is what board members heard: In the first 4 weeks of lockdown: 15% increase in contacts made to the Domestic Abuse hub. 33% drop in referrals to children’s services so people engaging with families where there is primarily an adult focus are reminded to ‘Think Family’. An emerging concern about non Covid 19 late presentations to hospital or other services which may put vulnerable adults, children and young people at risk through fear of infection and not seeking appropriate and timely treatment. Self-neglect is an emerging concern linking with late presentation or failure to seek help or treatment. An inability by partner agencies to contact some people who require shielding, especially those with complex needs. District nursing service under pressure to help provide end of life care at home to Covid and non-Covid patients. Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs remain the best places to raise safeguarding concerns and they will generally have a Covid safeguarding-related reporting line. For churches the bullet points (in bold) about late presentation, self-neglect and failure to connect with the most vulnerable perhaps have some relevance as our online, telephone and other types of pastoral support services begin to take off. These concerns could be usefully turned into informal prompts and questions for people making inquiries about an individual’s welfare. So asking about general health and how people are coping with other conditions; or checking that people are looking after themselves if you sense they don’t to make a fuss or are finding it all too overwhelming; or asking someone who seems to meet the critical shielding criteria if they have heard from the government or council for example. Better to ask the right questions than wait to find out before it’s too late!

God, we give thanks for all the lay people, who work tirelessly throughout the Circuit, and for the deep commitment of the stewards in our Circuit Churches who care for their places of worship in practical and prayerful ways. We pray for the Circuit Leadership Team and for our Local Preachers. We pray for further development of the creative use of local people in owning their worship – either through worship leaders or the creation of groups willing to undertake locally arranged services. God of our past, present and future, fill us with your grace, guide us with your truth and send us by your spirit, with new courage and vision, that we may gladly respond. Amen. PLEASE PRAY FOR: 1. Pray for God to guide the various mission initiatives in our Circuit as we strive to make disciples and show the love of Christ in practical ways. 2. Bless the youth and children’s work in this Circuit as it continues to grow.

I’ve just started on a MOOC. Know what it is? It stands for Massive Open Online Course and provided you don’t want a certificate at the end, it’s all free. Sponsored by universities and other institutions across the world, the various systems allow you to access hundreds of courses that seem to last on average about 4-5 weeks and take up around 2-3 hours a week. A great way to increase knowledge and skills in the lockdown. Google to see what you can find to do. My MOOC is about the life and times of Thomas Jefferson who was the author of the US Declaration of Independence in 1776. I’ve always had a love of American History and this course is delivered by the University of Virginia, close to where Jefferson lived. It examines his political and religious philosophy, what he brought to the post Boston revolutionary tea party, and the contradictions between his famous phrase ‘all men are created equal’ and the fact of his being a slaveholder. Now seen across the democratic world as a key liberal thinker, some of his contemporaries couldn’t bear him. In the Connexional Safeguarding Team we are beginning to think much more about harnessing technology to deliver safeguarding training. It was always on our agenda but Covid-19 has accelerated our ambition to deliver courses online. We are about to start delivering Foundation Module Train the Trainer training and more locally it’s good to see London District offering an online course on how to promote online safety! This style of training won’t necessarily suit all, but with a mixture of videos, short presentations and the equivalent of PowerPoint slides this is a good foundation. Throw in interactive exercises and discussion forums, you have the online equivalent of a break out group or university seminar. The only downside is that the format may limit the sustained consideration of case studies which safeguarding course learners tell us is one of the real benefits of face to face Foundation and Advanced level courses. The case studies inject a dose of reality to match the more theoretical learning. Our challenge will be to offer those ‘real’ opportunities in our new ‘virtual’ world. Wherever you’re reading this take a look at your District websites to see what online courses may be coming available. And if you are not a safeguarding person, but want to know more about how the church is aiming to protect children and vulnerable adults, the Connexional website is a great place to start. https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/coronavirus/safeguarding-considerations/ Happy purposeful mooc-hing!

God who sets us on a journey (StFplus) God who sets us on a journey to discover, dream and grow, lead us as you led your people in the desert long ago; journey inward, journey outward, stir the spirit, stretch the mind, love for God and self and neighbour marks the way that Christ defined. End our longing for the old days, grant the vision that we lack – once we’ve started on this journey there can be no turning back; let us travel light, discarding excess baggage from our past, cherish only what’s essential, choosing treasure that will last. When we set up camp and settle to avoid love’s risk and pain, you disturb complacent comfort, pull the tent pegs up again; keep us travelling in the knowledge you are always at our side; give us courage for the journey, Christ our goal and Christ our guide. Joy Dine (1937 – 2001) PLEASE PRAY FOR: 1. Help us Rebuild trust within and between churches through the healing work of the Holy Spirit; 2. Renew our vision of the Kingdom and our desire to work for it together; 3. Lead us to Risk being vulnerable, in the hope that others will use our vulnerability as an opportunity to support and not exploit.

I’m going to try not to write about it. Difficult as it’s all pervasive and impacts on every aspect of our lives. Easter Sunday was so strange but the online service from Westminster Central Hall was very good, and the chat sidebar told me a number of other friends across the country were also tuned in. So let me introduce you to Craig Finn, singer with the American indie-rock band the Hold Steady. He writes all the band’s songs and over the last 12-15 years much of his output has told stories about a collection of people whose life experiences are challenging to say the least. There’s a lot about teenage angst, rites of passage, drug misuse, relationship breakdown, leaving home, emotional wellbeing or lack of it)and domestic boredom. Underneath it all though is a lurking sense of spirituality, Finn looking for a deeper meaning in life and every now and again peppering the lyrics with Christian religious imagery. The cross retains a central place in some of these, but I get a feeling that he is a lapsed Catholic who is not quite sure of what he quite believes. But the push/pull of his faith is evident. His latest side project solo CD is entitled ‘I need a new war’ but the cover features a young man capturing on his phone the image of a bright shiny resurrection cross. There’s a lot of conflict and contradiction in this. There’s a couple of lines in one song on the CD that say ‘I found a bird in the back yard/it flew into a wall/brought it in the foyer. Prayed its sins are absolved. I finally felt useful/trying to save something small.’ I’ve spent a bit if time over the last few weeks wondering if I should try to do a bit more to support the efforts of our church or our local community. I’m edging towards (or probably in, if I’m honest) the risk category so don’t feel that volunteering to be out and about is really the right thing for me to do. So I am looking for small things that will make me feel a bit more useful. Maybe it’s just writing pieces like these so that people can say ‘what is he on about this time?’ I am not really a bird person, and the ultimate horror in our house was when a pigeon fell down the chimney. We had to pull it out by its tail through the unscrewed ventilation panel, stuff it, wings flapping, into a shopping bag before running to the front door and releasing it. So perhaps that was my effort to save something small last year. I guess I’ll keep looking around for chances to save or do something small that might make a big difference. If you need a change to your usual listening check out the Hold Steady – but they are an acquired taste!

Joy to the world! Jesus Christ is risen, halleluiah! We thank you loving God, that when all seemed lost, you poured your love, grace and life into the world again, bringing your Son back from death, so that all might live. Thank you for your love that gives us all the chance of a new beginning – time and time again. Thank you for your grace that is for all people, without prejudice, for in Christ all are one. Thank you for your life that flows through the world in your Spirit. Help us, like Mary, to share the story of Jesus’ resurrection with a world that longs for good news. In the name of the risen one. Amen.

I’d hesitate to declare that this column has been syndicated but it’s now going to be part of our weekly local church communication. So for new readers, this blog aims to alert churches, and local safeguarding officers in particular, to safeguarding news and developments, as well as commenting on national stories. Safeguarding is a serious subject, but the odd bit of humour is often injected alongside advice and guidance. It’s not meant to scare but to support and make the safeguarding task a little easier. Having just returned from my permitted daily exercise – walking the streets looking for a road I’ve not walked down before – I was suddenly struck by the paradox in the current circumstances of those famous words from the parable of the Good Samaritan. The two who ‘walked past on the other side’. That’s exactly what I was doing of course when someone approached. Don’t get me started on turning blind corners and almost bumping into someone, but the etiquette seems to be to move out of the way, into the road as necessary, and look resolutely forward. I consciously tried to smile at people and say ‘thank you’ but eye contact was avoided as if the act of my looking in their direction might infect them. Very unlike on country walks where you generally greet each other. Maybe it’s an urban phenomena. So passing by on the other side in these strange days of social distancing should probably not be just about avoiding each other completely as if we existed in parallel universes, but more about noticing the other person and acknowledging them, albeit at two metres away at least. Dionne Warwick sang ‘If you see me walking down the street and I start to cry, walk on by’. Although her context was a broken heart, even if we have to walk apart, having a mind about safeguarding suggests in fact we do just the opposite. We need to get alongside figuratively speaking if we can. We may spot the frustration of a family who are at breaking point, a vulnerable older person who is unclear what is happening or a relationship that is going sour and possibly turning a bit ugly. If you do see or hear something that does concern you tell someone in your church - the minister, safeguarding officer, a pastoral visitor. There is a wealth of advice and guidance out there on the internet that they can tap into, refreshed to take into account our uncertain times. So if you step out, keep smiling. A chalk message in our road says ‘keep dancing’. Stay well and stay alert!

Prayer for Maundy Thursday Loving God As we remember Jesus sharing bread and wine with his disciples may we live as people of generous hospitality, sharing what we have with a hungry and broken world. As we remember Jesus’ time of struggle and prayer in the garden may we live as people of prayer and obedience, ready to answer God’s call in our own lives. As we remember Jesus’ arrest and unjust trial may we live as people who demand justice and mercy for all, working for peace and advocating for those with no power. Bless us as we prepare to travel the road to Calvary, with Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Prayer for Good Friday God of love as we look in horror and awe upon the cross today, remind us that you share in the suffering of the world, that you, too, look in horror as lives are destroyed by conflict, hunger and poverty. Help us to live as your people, not rooted to the spot in our grief but ready to move from this place into a world waiting for good news of new life, healing and restoration. Bless us as we do the work of Christ in your world today. Amen

For the last two and a quarter years this column has aimed to bring the safeguarding agenda to a wider audience in our Church, especially in London District. I’ve tried to offer a variety of contexts in which to reflect on and underpin key messages, draw attention to new policy and practice developments and comment on national news stories. Some readers may have found a few of the topics covered a little obscure or left field and at times I’ve tried to inject a note of humour into what is clearly a serious issue. For example, some readers may be currently delighted not having to read, yet again, about the travails of Premier League football in London SE25. The rich tapestry of experiences that pass through our lives each day that stimulate our thinking, and which for me give me ideas about what to write, are sadly rather truncated for the present. No more (actual) art galleries, museums, concerts, church, long country walks, meetings with friends and family, and yes football matches, may leave our horizons looking a little bleak. But the proliferation of creative on line resources are beginning to provide welcome distraction and engagement and so the virtual world will have to be the fresh source of inspiration. However we know that the online world can provide unwelcome opportunities for those whose intention is to harm and abuse. So this column will remind you from time to time of the availability on the Church’s website of advice and guidance about keeping safe online, and in any more direct dealings we have with vulnerable members of our community as part of volunteer teams. I will endeavour to reflect on stories and developments that may or may not have a Coronavirus dimension. This last week, for example, we have learnt of the acquittal of Alec Salmond and last night on TV there was a film about Michael Jackson. Both stories spoke to varying extents of power, fame, celebrity, and behaviour in plain sight. All outward facing words. It’s perhaps difficult to draw more definitive conclusions from either of these specific cases that would apply to church life. But in these times characterised by words such as isolation, distance and lockdown, we do well to make sure our inward gaze does not prevent us seeing what is going on out there.

“God is good! God is truth! God is beauty! Praise God!” (Percy Dearmer, Singing the Faith 403) Good God, show us your ways and teach us your paths. God of truth, grant us humility and sensitivity that, in all we say, we may speak truth with compassion. Beautiful God, open our eyes that we may glimpse your beauty, and be moved to worship, love and praise. Amen. PLEASE PRAY FOR: 1. Please pray for those churches in Sutton Circuit who, because of property problems or falling congregations, are prayerfully considering the shape of their future 2. Please pray for the circuit’s capacity to develop new forms of ministry as we respond to a changing world 3. Please join us in giving thanks to God for those churches in Sutton Circuit experiencing growth.