In the New Year, we finally saw some signs of activity, as the fire safety requirements were resolved in our building. It is good to report that the fire curtain is at last working properly. The new fire doors on the top floor and to the office have been well-received, and are a definite improvement on the old doors.

However, the lack of signs of activity prior to that hides the fact that a group of people have been working hard to bring about the Regeneration Project.

In 2019, for the first time, FMC marked the six Sundays of Lent with a Lent Cross Liturgy. On each Sunday, a short reading and prayer were accompanied by singing a couple of songs, and a new item was added to the cross. Over the season, the following items were added to the bare cross:

Bowl and towel (representing Jesus washing his disciples’ feet)

Money bag (representing the money Judas received)

Whip (representing the cruelty of the torture of Jesus)

Bread and wine (representing Last Supper)

Early in the new year, FMC was contacted by the locally-based charity Shelterbox to ask if we would be one of a group of churches piloting their new initiative ‘Give a Tent for Lent’. The Leadership Team considered it and thought it would be worthwhile. The challenge of raising enough money to provide for a tent (£317) seemed within reach. The slogan ‘a tent for Lent’ seemed to have a good ring to it, and it made a change from giving something up (like chocolate!) for the 40 days before Easter.