1 May 2022

The Dean's Message

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

We have recently celebrated the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Jesus rose again bodily, showing that he really is the one whom God promised would bear the sins of God’s people and reign eternally as king. As God’s people, we not only rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus but also look forward to our own resurrection to glory that God has promised to those who trust in his Son.

Our hearts are also gladdened by the restoration we are experiencing in our nation, and in our church, as we move from the pandemic phase to the endemic one. It has been so good to see people come back to church and to share the joy of fellowship once again.

As you know, the Government’s Covid SOPs are being significantly relaxed from today onwards. This will have significant impact on our ministry at St Mary’s.

From next weekend, you won’t need to book to come to church for any of our weekend services. We plan to maintain our current seating arrangements until services become so full that we need to sit some people a little closer - in which case we will do that. We expect that this won’t need to happen at all in the 7am service so those who wish to retain social distancing are encouraged to attend that service.

The Government has also lifted all vaccination requirements for coming – so all can come regardless of your vaccination status. People who are not vaccinated, including children, won’t need to produce an RTK test before coming. They can just come. According to Government SOPs the only people who can’t come are those who are Covid positive or under a Home Surveillance Order. Please be prepared to allow this to be checked on your MySejahtera app if required.

If you think you’ve been exposed to Covid, can I advise you, in love and concern for others, to check your RTK or stay home. But we won’t check. Likewise, if you have symptoms can I advise you to stay home out of love and concern for others – and if your children have symptoms to keep them home as well. But we will not be checking, we will not be enforcing, it’s up to you to be responsible for yourself, your children, and your effect on your brothers and sisters.

We will need to keep wearing masks when indoors: that is a must. And I’d encourage you to do so outdoors when you are near other people.

The rules for social distancing are gone as well, but again, please be mindful of how comfortable other people may or may not be. And lovingly look out for others. Please especially look out for the older people, and the more vulnerable people: please don’t go and hold hands with them and give them a hug unless they make the first move. Let’s be careful to be thoughtful and loving to each other in that way.

The fact that we don’t need to book to come to church from next weekend will affect a couple of other things. Up to now, you’ve been getting a copy of the order of service emailed to you after you book to come to church.  Since there are no more bookings, we need to find another way of sending you the order of service. We will put a link to the order of service for all our English services in the email we send out to everyone each Friday. So, you can just click and download the one you plan to come to. So please make sure you are signed up for our regular emails by going to stmarys.my/subscribe.  Of course, if you forget to do that, you can still download the order of service when you arrive on Sunday by using the QR code at the Cathedral. And that’s how our visitors will download the order of service as well.

The next thing is parking. Parking is free and will be in the Dataran Merdeka Car Park (there are some services for which there is also an option to book parking at the Royal Selangor Club, for now). If you don’t need a car park, or you are parking in Dataran Merdeka, you just need to turn up.

Parking in the cathedral car park itself is only for those who need it. If you are elderly, ill or disabled, and would find it hard to walk in, or if you are a single woman travelling alone, or if you have young children and would struggle to bring them across the road – then the car park is for you, but you have to book it.

You can book a spot in the Cathedral car park in the same way as you used to book to come to church – at stmarys.my/booking (if you don’t have internet access you can call the office on 011-5760-3484 during office hours and we will help you.)  Bookings close at noon on Fridays. If you book a car park, the guard will be given your car number so when you come, he will check your number and let you in. If you plan to come each week, then you can book for up to 3 months at a time, so you don’t have to have the hassle of booking each week. But please only do that if you intend to come each week – otherwise your spot may be wasted.

For those who are able to park in the Dataran Car Park, let us do that so that there is room for people who really need to park in the Cathedral car park to do so. If you have any questions, please email office@stmaryscathedral.org.my or send us a connect card at stmarys.my/connect.

During the week, the Cathedral will also be opening its doors for private prayer and for visitors after the public holidays this week. It will generally be open from Tuesday to Friday (9am-4pm) except during public holidays. We are already hosting small group meetings. The Cathedral Office is also open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

As we move towards ‘normality’ let us remember that what we are experiencing is still abnormal. The whole world has been abnormal since the fall and continues to be abnormal – just in different ways at different time. ‘The whole of creation has been groaning together in pains of childbirth until now’ (Romans 8:22). The real return to normality will come when Jesus returns to raise the dead, judge the world, and restore creation to the way it was meant to be. On that glorious day, we will be truly free, not just from Covid-19, but from all the effects of sin. May the Lord grant us grace to keep trusting his Son, believing his Gospel and walking with him in faith until he brings us to that Day.

Your brother in Christ,

Andrew


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