Coronavirus Updates

3rd December 2021

Given that a new variant has been identified we are encouraging members and visitors to wear masks whilst in the building for the sake of others who are gathered. 
This silent killer is still with us and claiming the lives of many across our conference. Our sympathies are extended to the families of those who have recently been bereaved. We encourage you to remain vigilant and continue to adhere to the COVID protocols.

22nd July 2021

Following the announcement that Covid regulations have been relaxed from Monday 19th July, the West Croydon SDA Church Pastoral team has agreed that a stepped return approach will help people feel safe to resume attending in-person services.

From Sabbath 24th July you will no longer need to book a place at any of our services but we will still be taking the details of all who attend the service.

We will continue caring for one another and reducing risks by encouraging people to wear a face covering where they are able. We also ask everyone to keep sanitising their hands on entry and exit.

We are delighted to welcome back congregational singing.

Social distancing is reduced from 2 metres to 1 metre.

More chairs will made available to use in the sanctuary and the overflow hall will be in use in order to accommodate more people attending and keeping the 1 metre distancing. We ask that people leave one seat between households.

We will continue to encourage people to socialise and mingle, including having lunch together outside in the nearby park. Please note that the church building will not be open for the purpose of dining.

We also wish to remind members and visitors that to protect the church family we do not expect anyone to attend if they have any of the COVID-19 symptoms. If you subsequently test positive after attending a service, you should let a member of the Pastoral team know asap.

We will continue joyfully worshipping God together via livestream but encourage you to come and join us in-person when you feel ready and comfortable. If you are particularly anxious and have questions about coming back do not hesitate to contact any of the Pastoral Team.

These arrangements are likely to remain in place at least until the end of August when we will review them again. We hope that this helps you to know what is happening and feel safe.

Many thanks for your cooperation and understanding.

30th April 2021

We are excited to open our building for worship, for up to 30 worshipers starting on 22nd May.

Click here for more information.

5th November 2020

The UK Government have announced new lockdown rules for England from 5th November – 2nd December 2020. The impact this has at WCSDA is very minimal since the Church voted at the last business meeting in September to postpone all in-person worship services & activites for the rest of 2020. (See update 4)

We hope to reopen the church building for our in-person worship and activites in January 2021 (to be confirmed). We want to assure you the church board meet monthly to discuss the situation and the necessary risk assessments have been made to identify the areas that may be problematic and plans as to how to return to a worship service in the building are in progress.

The size of the physical congregation will have to be significantly lower than prior to the pandemic outbreak, and the musical aspects of the service will be minimal, as congregational singing has been highlighted as a serious risk to the spread of the virus.

20th September 2020

Due to the ongoing threat of Coronavirus COVID-19, the West Croydon SDA Church has taken the decison postpone ALL in-person worship services and activites for the remainder of 2020. The church building will continue to be open to allow the streaming of the weekly Sabbath Morning Worship service and the Food Bank & Hot Food distribution. Only those leading out in Worship or on rota for the Food Bank should attend the church building. All other services, activites, rehersals and meetings will take place on a digital platform.

We are a people of great faith who believe and trust in the providence of God to care and provide for us in every circumstance. However, we are also a people of practical responsibility and believe that the denial of responsible action in the name of faith is not truly faith but rather presumption. Thus, while we have full confidence in God’s protective power we also believe it is our responsibility to take appropriate precautions including self isolation if the circumstances call for such action.

We are so fortunate to have the technology to meet together for fellowship and Bible Study! We continue to encourage you to join our Zoom Sabbath School Classes, Bible Studies and Prayer Meeting.

To watch our weekly Sabbath Morning service, tune in to West Croydon SDA Church on YouTube or Facebook. The program begins at 10:50am. You can also use our website link at the top of the page for direct access.

Today more than ever, we should embrace the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: I will not leave you alone, my peace I give to you. Do not be afraid. The presence of the Lord will be with us until the end of time (John 14).

4th July 2020

In light of the latest announcements from the Prime Minister with regards to COVID 19 and easing of the lockdown and reopening places of worship. We will resume our church services very soon in accordance with the government guidelines. However, the exact date when services will resume in the sanctuary will be posted on our website as soon as it is established. It should be noted that our live stream program continues each Sabbath (Saturday) at 10 am on YouTube or our website. In this unprecedented time your continued cooperation and understanding is greatly appreciated.

21st May 2020

As Covid-19 cases continue to reduce in number, the government is planning to relax the lockdown restrictions further. This includes starting to open up schools for the youngest children.

Many have expressed concern about this.

Will the children and teachers be at risk?

Will the children bring home Covid-19 to their families from school?

Looking at the evidence can be quite confusing; but some points that stand out:
1) 0.7% of all Covid-19 cases have been inchildren below 10 years of age.
2) It is rare to find a child who is the primary carrier of infection into the family.
3) Of the nurseries which have stayed open for essential workers, very few cases of Covid-19 have been found.

Below is a link to a pretty good site where you can see the evidence for yourself:
Some other hopeful news is that studies are showing that those who have been exposed to Covid-19 do not get re-infected, so are immune to it (for how long we don’t know yet). This means that we may not have to wait for a vaccine to get the country going again, as some studies suggest that many of us (without any symptoms) may have been exposed already.

Hopefully, the antibody test will make this clear soon.

Until then:

Keep your distance

Wash your hands

Get out in the sun

Eat healthily

Take vitamin D3

And don’t worry

May God continue to bless you,

Dr Chidi
SEC Health Ministries Director