Page 2 - Moravian Messenger July 2020

Editorial
The horrific death of George Floyd at police hands has had two immediate consequences; firstly, and rightly the utter condemnation of that dreadful deed and of the racism that underlies it. I commend to you the statement issued by the British Province of the Moravian Church that has already been widely circulated and is in this edition of the Messenger.
The second consequence of George Floyd's murder is a questioning of our history and how we understand it. We have been forced by the anti-racism protesters who toppled Edward Colston's statue in Bristol to learn uncomfortable truths about some of our heroes and examine the back story of our imperial past and religious heritage. The opening line of LP Hartley's novel 'The Go-Between' is 'The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there' and this has much truth in it. The established attitudes of many of the leaders and influencers of the time are wholly unacceptable now.
We can't now go back and change things but neither should we gloss over what happened then or, what was believed then. Most of what we know of as history is what was on our school curriculums and in the mainstream media. It has been said that history is often written by the 'winners' which can become the general narrative, and little is heard of those
who have been marginalised. The 'facts' can be interpreted through the perspective of political and social power, as well as personal experience. But history is not static and as other facts emerge a voice needs to be given to those whose stories have not been told. What we all need now is more awareness of the new studies that have emerged in recent years. It is time to learn about the flip side of our commonly perceived history and the generational consequences of it.
We have to come to terms with all aspects of our history, good and bad. It may be difficult to face but in the end it will be a more honest understanding of our culture, our heroes and demons and our own denominational history.
To see the full truth of a situation is to align ourselves with an attribute of God. Three times Jesus calls the Holy Spirit 'The Spirit of Truth' in his teaching after the Last Supper. He says the Spirit of Truth will guide us into all truth - let us be guided by Him into an honest examination of our past and our shared guilt in the suffering of others.
Sr Sarah Groves
Editorial Team
From the front line
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The next man was of similar age but had no underlying health problems. We lobbied hard for him to go to the intensive care unit and he eventually did but died of the disease about ten days later. All he was worried about was a medallion on the chain around his neck that he had been given when helping with a natural disaster several years before and we had managed to misplace as the chain was removed for his chest x-ray. Small things do matter.
The other three patients all had cancer. One lady was obviously very ill from her cancer and whether she had Covid-19 or not was immaterial: she died later that night with no family around her. Another patient, a man, was also very ill and again the virus did not matter as he also died within a few days. The third patient was a lady with a slow growing tumour. She probably had the virus but survived to leave hospital.
A grim evening as four out of the five patients did not survive to leave hospital. A few weeks later I went to review a patient with a junior colleague. She possibly had bowel obstruction. We did a scan and indeed this was the diagnosis and the cause was almost certainly cancer. It was very difficult explaining this through a mask. I gripped her hand
tightly with my gloved hand as she held back the tears. She was a couple of years younger than me and related to one of our staff (West Cumbria is a small area and so often patients are related to staff). The tears did eventually flow and when her son brought up a case for her hospital stay it was again difficult as we could not let him see his mother: both myself and the sister found this testing in a deserted waiting room.
People have been overwhelmingly kind. We have had many gifts, some even left on my doorstep. They have been varied, from all manner of food and cold drinks to hand cream and hair products, useful after repeated showering. At home on a Thursday I go outside to clap and think of those working in care homes and the relatives of residents who cannot visit, and those working in shops and doing home deliveries: they too are 'heroes'. If at work we try to go out to clap and are often greeted by various members of the emergency services - ambulances if present, police, fire, coastguard and blood bikes all with flashing lights on their vehicles.
Team work has been particularly important and also personally a great help as if I did not go to work I would not see many people as I live alone. The
team members are not only the obvious ones of doctors and nurses, but our receptionists who need to decide if the patient needs the hot area, ambulance staff, police, porters and cleaners and many more. The cleaners are very important as they often need to clean a room quickly for another waiting patient.
No-one knows how long this situation will go on. Will it be a grandma's step with one step forwards and two steps back if easing of lockdown leads to a surge of cases? It is difficult not to be able to attend church worship in person but the radio and television help as does streamed worship for those who can access it. Please stay safe and follow the guidance. If you have a serious illness or injury please attend your local emergency department, calling 999 if needed, and you will be welcomed and treated for your problem. Enjoy your exercise and take time to notice
the wildlife; the wild flowers seem all the more vibrant this year.
Yours in Christ,
Sr Claire Summers (Diaspora)
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© Sr Sarah Groves