GLOBAL PANDEMIC,
GLOBAL CHURCH
21-23 August, 2020
Why come to the Virtual Holiday Forum?
Faith, fun and fellowship!
Grow as a disciple of Jesus as we explore the theme and worship and pray together. Have loads of fun. Enjoy spending time together.
Make new connections
Forum is a great place to meet new people that can quickly become friends for life! Come and bring your friends and family.
Be part of something new!
Virtual Forum is a first! We’ve been meeting at the Hayes every year for 70 years; this time, we’re meeting in cyberspace! Come and join us.
Come ... and pay what you can!
We’re serious about paying what you can. We’re asking people for a donation of £25 to help us cover costs. Pay more if you can, less if you can’t – just come!
Who’s Who
Cathryn O'Shea
Holiday Forum Chair
I’m excited to welcome you all to the first ever Virtual Holiday Forum. Please share this event as widely as you can with friends, family, on social media and with your church. I look forward to meeting you virtually. Hope to meet in person soon!
Lawrence Moore
Theme Leader
During each session on Saturday and Sunday, I’ll be interviewing someone from the global church. After group discussion, we’ll be able to ask them questions about our shared experience of lockdown and about being church in their context.
Revd Alistair Smeaton
Worship Leader
Our all age worship focuses on the church in the books of Acts and Ephesians. It will be delivered for us by the Forum puppets! On Saturday we will have a special Agape feast and eat our evening meal together, followed by a Wellbeing service.
Revd Lola Brown
Chaplain
I pray Forum will be a time of rejuvenisation, revitalisation and inspiration for you! I will be available at set times each day to talk, listen and pray with you. Come and find me any time, though! I shall be leading the Sunday Communion Service.
Programme
Friday
Welcome!
If this is your first experience of using Zoom for online meetings, don’t worry. Most people find they’re soon Zooming like old hands! We’ll spend time showing you around the software. Don’t forget a pen and paper for the quiz!
7:00 pm
Welcome event!
Cathryn O’Shea
Our first gathering together online! Make yourselves at home as we welcome you all to Holiday Forum with an opening prayer and a quick introduction to Zoom. We’ll introduce the Steering Group and conference personnel, give you a quick outline of the weekend and share any special news since we met last August.
7.30 pm
Opening worship
Alistair Smeaton
An introduction to the worship for the weekend: looking at the subject of the church in both Acts and Ephesians. It’s also a chance to meet the puppets, who will be enlivening our worship through the weekend, courtesy of the wider Smeaton family!
8:00 pm
Life & faith under lockdown
Lawrence Moore
In this introductory session, we’re going to engage with our experiences of lockdown over these past months – as individuals and churches. We’ll break into small groups to share experiences, talk together and reflect on how it’s affected both life and faith.
9.00 pm
Pub Quiz
Fi Heath & Cathryn O’Shea
The famous Holiday Forum Quiz comes to you via Zoom in 2020! Our renowned quiz masters, Fi and Cathryn, will be bringing you a monster mashup of online quizzes, making full use of the potential for music, film and other media-driven wonders! Is there any other way to start a Forum gathering?
Saturday
A full day ahead!
It’s a full day – full of faith, fun and fellowship! That’s what Forum’s all about. There’s a big emphasis on food – think about that when planning your supper.
8:00 am
Morning Prayers
Wendy Roe
Start the day with morning prayers.
9:30 am
Worship
Alistair Smeaton
All age worship with Alistair and the puppets!
10:00 am
Global Pandemic, Global Church: Germany
Lawrence Moore
We’re crossing to Germany to discover how they’re faring under lockdown. It’s a chance to find out what we have in common, and also about the particular issues they face in Germany.
10:30 am
Kids online
Cathy Heath
An hour for primary age children to catch up and join Cathy for a scavenger hunt and quiz!
11:30 am
Countdown/Scattergories
Colum O’Shea
Fun and games before lunch! Be prepared for large doses of uncontrolled hilarity!
2:00 pm
Bingo
Mathew Hall
This is specially for those of you who’ve been locked out of your local bingo hall during the pandemic! Mathew will be taking a break from supervising the tech to become your caller.
3:30 pm
Global Pandemic, Global Church: United States
Lawrence Moore
We’re visiting an old friend of the URC to find out what the pandemic has meant in the United States, particularly with all the furore over churches breaking the lockdown.
4:30 pm
Fusion Cookery with Garcia!
Garcia and Lola
Our Holiday Forum cooking adventure! An opportunity to discover exciting and easy-to-prepare new recipes.
6:30 pm
Agape meal & Wellbeing service
Alistair Smeaton
A celebration of eating together and discovering an ancient tradition of the church. Followed by a Wellbeing service.
8:00 pm
Holiday Forum Pub
Bring your favourite tipple in whatever quantity that suits!
Sunday
A day full of variety!
The final day has a little bit of everything. It includes a visit from the General Assembly Moderator and a variety show. What are you going to be doing on the Forum stage this evening?
8:00 am
Morning Prayers
Wendy Roe
Start the day with morning prayers.
9:30 am
Worship
Alistair Smeaton
All age worship with Alistair and the puppets!
10:00 am
Global Pandemic, Global Church: South Africa
Lawrence Moore
This morning we hear from South Africa. They are several weeks behind us in the pandemic and faced with huge issues of poverty and overcrowding.
11:30 am
Forum Open Meeting
Steering Group
The annual Forum governance meeting to give feedback, decide on strategy and elect Forum Steering Group members.
2:00 pm
Global Pandemic, Global Church: Palestine
Lawrence Moore
In this final session, we’re meeting a wood carver and his daughter from Bethlehem. We’ll hear about life under lockdown within the confines of the Separation Wall, and life in the church built on the very spot where Jesus was born (according to tradition).
3:30 pm
Meet the Moderator
Cathryn O’Shea
Your chance to meet the Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Refrmed Church and discuss the post-pandemic questions and issues facing the church.
4:30 pm
Forum Communion Service
Revd Lola Brown
Bring your own bread and wine (or equivalents) for our Communion Service, conducted by this year’s Chaplain.
7:30 pm
Forum Variety Show/Forum Evening
Cathryn O’Shea
Cathryn hosts this year’s Variety Show; you provide the talent!
8:30 pm
Holiday Forum Pub
Come and join us for fellowship over a drink at the end of the first ever Virtual Holiday Forum.
Time's running out!
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