The Tin Tabernacle Church in Bellingdon has grown over the last 120 years to become an important part of village life. But now in the strange times of 2020 the building stands unused (though not unloved) and we share worship on YouTube. 

We all know it’s not the same as meeting together, but it does allow us to continue to be a community and to be a Christian presence in the village. And we can share pictures of the church in times past (and occasionally present) to remind us of the past and the future.

Some of the pictures remind us that in June or July there would be a flower festival or exhibition in the church. Whilst it is not possible to hold such an event, we are planning a taster of what we hope will be allowed later in the year. 

To do this we’re asking those who would have arranged flowers in church to arrange flowers at home and take a picture of them. We’ll put these together as a video and upload it to YouTube for all to see alongside our service on 5th July 2020.

We’re very grateful to all who for contribute to our services, to those from the parish who help with talks, and for the links to them on the village website. But we do look forward to the time when we can give the mice notice to quit and set about getting back into the Tin Tabernacle.

Tim Yates, Minister for St John’s Bellingdon