St Andrew's Church, Oxford, on the role of churches in a pandemic

THIS week, churches in Oxford and across the nation have begun to open their doors again for private prayer.

This is the first step of a gradual process – and it will be gradual indeed – of reopening places of worship that have been closed as the nation has locked down during the coronavirus pandemic.

While our buildings have been closed, the church itself has been very much alive these past few weeks, with churches across Oxford helping to run foodbanks offering supplies to the vulnerable in our communities, opening new community food larders, working alongside those seeking asylum refuge in our city, and supporting our incredible key workers.

Read also: College board votes to remove controversial statue

Many churches have also moved their services online, making it easier than ever to drop in on Sunday worship.

There have also been countless small, untold acts of love and kindness.

Church members have organised food and medicine deliveries for those shielding, looked after neighbours, made phone calls to those who are isolated, and prayed for our city during these difficult few weeks.

It has been a time of remarkable creativity and innovation for the church, as it has for so many others in the city.

In many ways, we have seen the very best of our human nature during lockdown.

The reopening of our buildings does, however, mark a significant moment, not just for the church but for the whole community.

Read also: Age UK shop in Oxford set to close and leave staff redundant

It’s always been our belief that the church exists not just for those who already call it home, but for all those in the community, whether they consider themselves Christian or not.

The Church of England parish structure ensures that everyone in Oxford lives within a parish, and therefore has a local church and church family that is there for them and ready to support, pray, and love everyone in that parish.

Churches from other denominations seek to offer a similar level of community support within their locality.

It will take some time for churches to open, and different churches will open in different ways and at different times.

Many are reliant on volunteers to ensure those who come are safe and feel comfortable, and all the usual rules and regulations around hygiene and social distancing will apply in churches.

But there is already much to celebrate as our doors start to open once again.

Our churches offer a place of stillness and calm in the midst of a turbulent time.

All are welcome to come and to sit – to pray, perhaps, to take advantage of the silence which is such a precious commodity in our noisy culture, or simply to pause and reflect on the past few months.

Many of us have come face to face with grief during lockdown, and many find ourselves tired and uncertain as to what the future holds. We are all wrestling with these questions and anxieties.

Read also: Coronavirus death map reveals stark health inequalities across our city

To bring those hurts and exhaustions into a church can in itself be an act of prayer, and throughout history many have found that doing so gives them with a comfort, strength, and hope that they cannot find elsewhere.

That is truly a gift from God.

After so many weeks of fear and anxiety, and, sadly, with many more ahead, we need all the support, encouragement, and strength we can get.

We could do much worse than to spend a little bit of time in our local churches over the coming weeks where, I and countless others believe, we will find just those things.

And perhaps a little more as well.