Beyond Exile: A service to celebrate a return to public worship
As we look towards returning to public worship, we have produced this resource for you to consider as means of celebration. We are aware that churches will look to return to worship in many different and creative ways, as well as at different timescales and in different circumstances. This liturgy is intended for a time when people are able to celebrate a return to public worship together. It may be some time before the whole congregation is able to gather, and local churches are likely to make different decisions about when to mark this with a service of celebration. It can therefore be adapted to suit your local situation. This is particularly important as you try to balance this against any current restrictions and guidance. Congregations should not feel obliged to include something which concerns them or does not suit their current arrangements for reopening their church buildings.
These short acts of worship have been produced for you if you are unable to attend church. If you are well enough why not spend a few moments with God, knowing that other people are sharing this act of worship with you?
If you have members of your church or community who aren’t online, you might want to consider printing the services sheets and other resources from our website and posting them on. You can buy stamps online. Royal Mail has advice on its service during the pandemic if you have any questions or concerns: www.royalmail.com/coronavirus
If you are printing and distributing these Acts of Worship please add your church's CCLI number and add the songs to your annual report.
If you are willing to draft a similar act of worship please email Gabriella Mahadeva mahadevag@methodistchurch.org.uk who will send you guidelines and allocate you a particular Sunday.
Roots
During the pandemic ROOTS is offering free resources to use at home every week on the ROOTS website. See www.rootsontheweb.com/
Live-streamed services
Worship services
We hope the four options below will offer some breadth from our tradition.
To join in a very different worship experience, try Sthie ('At home') from the Isle of Man (see image of Peel Hill, right, by Andy Fishburne). Join in live on Sundays by joining a Facebook group. For details see www.andyfishburne.com/2020/03/15/sthie-at-home-online-worship/
An alternative option is to stream the speaking part of your service, and send the congregation the hymns/songs beforehand to listen to themselves using StF+ or Youtube links (see Copyright guidance for remote worship).
Prayers for the dying, the bereaved, and for when you can't get to a funeral
When someone is nearing the end of their life, usually a Methodist Minister would offer to pray with them and their families. Similarly the minister may offer prayers for the family after the death of a loved one. With current restrictions in place, this may not be possible. Therefore we are providing materials adapted from the Methodist Worship Book that you can use in your own location.
In these days of social distancing and self-isolation, many Methodists feel the lack of being able to share communion as normal. In this short act of worship, we pray that God’s purposes may be fulfilled in us, even though we cannot at this time gather at the Lord’s Table. See An Act of Spiritual Communion (Pdf)
A Methodist Love Feast
Here’s a way we can connect with each other by connecting with an old Methodist tradition. The Faith and Order Committee has produced a Methodist Love Feast resource, alongside guidance on how it can be adapted for online use at the time of coronavirus.
Additional worship resources
From Andrew Brown, a hymn for when we feel vulnerable - revised in light of the Coronavirus pandemic: When life is shaken to its core (StF+ website only)
We are also pleased to have published Tony Law's text, written in reponse to the pandemic: A prayer in time of crisis ("Lord God, creator, life of all we do").
Alternative hymns and songs for worship "that you probably haven't heard of") at resound worship.org
A beautiful hymn from the Iona Community that has touched a chord with many during these times is "We will meet" by Hans-Olav Moerk and John Bell. A video (to listen) and PDF of the music are available on the Iona Community home page (scroll down), together with Hans-Olav's account of the writing of the original words. Special copyright arrangements for the current circumstances are explained there too.
Prolific Methodist hymn writer Andrew Pratt has written a number of responses to the Coronavirus pandemic, including "This sudden Sabbath gives us pause", "The care of all we seek or see" and (most recently) "Where is the care for the silent care-giver?". You can find them on Andrew's blog at https://hymnsandbooks.blog/category/hymns/ Many of you also find the hymns of Carolyn Winfrey Gilette helpful. She, too, has written a hymn "for these strange times", expressing the desire that we "may we cherish those around us as we never have before". Available on Carolyn's website at: https://www.carolynshymns.com/when_we_face_an_unknown_future.html
Our friends at Family Friendly Churches are offering, free of charge, weekly prayers, address and a couple of hymns as videos (with words and music) for use within the home. These can be found at: www.ffctideas.org.uk/Corona.php
The National Methodist Choir want to provide all singers from all denominations, and all corners of the globe, an opportunity to come together and worship God with our voices.
These short acts of worship have been produced for you if you are unable to attend church. If you are well enough why not spend a few moments with God, knowing that other people are sharing this act of worship with you?
Sthie ('At home')
Live-streaming
Here’s a way we can connect with each other by connecting with an old Methodist tradition. The Faith and Order Committee has produced 
From Andrew Brown, a hymn for when we feel vulnerable - revised in light of the Coronavirus pandemic: