TAVISTOCK United Reformed Church is inviting people to tie a yellow ribbon round the railings outside the church on Russell Street as a gesture of prayer or remembrance while churches remain closed.

Minister Rob Weston said the idea was to offer a symbolic method of prayer, while people were unable to pray in the church itself due to Covid-19 restrictions. It had been welcomed enthusiastically by church members, many of whom have been isolated for many weeks, he reported.

‘We have been keeping in touch with everyone via regular phone contacts, email and letter,’ he said.

‘Rather than holding our Sunday services online, each week we have been sending out the order of service with all the hymns, prayers and sermon printed out or emailed. This has been much appreciated and some people have commented that they can return to the service and the prayers later in the week.’

The idea for the yellow ribbons came from one of the Tavistock church’s members who heard about a United Reformed Church in Glasgow where people had been adorning the railings of their church with yellow ribbons in a gesture of prayer, concern and love for someone they missed during the lockdown. In Tavistock, the yellow ribbons provided at Tavistock URC in Russell Street will be left on the railings for a couple of weeks.

Rev Weston said that community activities in the church might begin in July. However, Sunday worship might be restricted until August or September. ‘Like many other organisations and businesses, we are in a time of great uncertainty,’ he said.

‘We don’t want to put anyone at risk of illness but we are aware that the worshipping life of our faith community is of great importance.’