Hello church, One of the items at last weeks church meeting was finding safe and practical ways of praying for MBC as we try to navigate our way through the situation we find ourselves in.
We have had one or two suggestions. For example, we are looking into the possibility of holding a Zoom prayer time in the not too distant future. We are also hoping to install a couple of benches in the church car park so that anyone wishing to pray for MBC can pray around the outside of the building and have somewhere to sit and listen and reflect. We invite your ideas and input so please contact us with any thoughts.
First of all, while we try to put the above ideas into practice, we are planning to open the building on Saturday 20th March for between 11am and 3pm and invite people to come to pray in the Sanctuary for 15 minutes at a time. If this is something you would like to do please contact me with a few time slots that are convenient for you and we will aim put together a timetable and email people back with their allotted slot. There will be a one way system, masks will need to be worn at all times unless you are exempt and there will be hand sanitizing stations available. Once a chair has been vacated that chair will be replaced by a new chair to avoid the risk of contamination. We will only be able to accommodate six people at any one time and social distancing must be adhered to at all times.
There will be paper and pens available for people to write down their thoughts and reflections which can be anonymous if preferred and we encourage anyone who wants to, to take a selfie of themselves either inside or outside the church and to send it to
mbcnewspics@gmail.com, you can add your thoughts and reflections to the picture if so desired.
Unfortunately, unlike previous prayer days we won’t be able to offer prayer stations or refreshments due to restrictions. We are simply providing a space in which to pray and an opportunity to come back into the church building even for such a small amount of time.
We hope to be able to post something on the website with photos and prayers gathered on the day so that others can share in what people feel God has said/is saying to them in order to encourage and inspire us as we endeavour to move forward.
I would be grateful to hear from anyone who would be willing to help facilitate the prayer day on 20th, either to help put together a prayer timetable, to be there on the day (for perhaps 30 minutes or an hour depending on how many offers of help we get) to be in the sanctuary while people pray to make sure that COVID guidelines are followed and to sanitise once a person has left the building or to help to clean up afterwards (please note you would only need to volunteer for one thing, and won’t be expected to do everything!)
If this ‘event’ proves popular then we will have further prayer days in the coming weeks and will also try to incorporate any further ideas we receive where possible.
Take care and God bless
Kate
Kate Slater
Administrator
Moortown Baptist Church
204 King Lane, Leeds, LS17 6AA
0113 2693750
Last Saturday, under strict Covid-19 guidelines MBC opened it’s doors for private prayer, and throughout the day more than 30 people who had all pre-booked a slot visited the building. Huge thanks to Kate and to her team of volunteer stewards who between them ensured the day ran both safely and smoothly. 
