A couple of years ago, a friend suggested I read a book called Canoeing the Mountains  which was based on the premise that the church has travelled the length of the 'river' and is now faced with 'mountains'.  The key message, as I recall, is that if ministers/leaders want their congregations to follow them 'off piste', they need first to establish good relationships and practices in the 'known.'

Global events have brought us all to uncharted territory, whether its a mountain or other domain is not so important as whether we have the basics in place to journey together .  This isn't about being tech savvy, nor is it about slick online services, it's about the ground work we did over past years.

Way, way, back, I reckon about forty years ago, there was a commonly cited tale used by evangelists... an old man lay dying and his three sons came to say their farewells.  Finally, one of them, a 'born again Christian' asked his father if he was 'saved'.  'Aye, he replied, I thatched the roof when the weather was good.'

I think that we, as a church community have a pretty good thatched roof - decades of shared responsbility for pastoral care, a culture where it's OK to try something that doesn't work out, a commitment to collaborative working where possible.  We aren't perfect, but it's a pretty good roof to help us weather this storm.

No-one knows how long this journey will take, or what twists and turns it will involve, but we shoulder our canoes as we slog up the mountain paths, and the thatched umbrellas/parasols help keep us reasonably dry as we do so!

One day, we will turn around, and look back, awed at the journey we have travelled - but for now, it's one day at a time, one step at a time, trusting that God is with us.