2 mins
From The Editor
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BY the time this magazine reaches you, summer will be in full swing. It will likely be a very diff erent summer to those we have experienced since the end of the Second World War.
All the national social gatherings of summer have been cancelled and overseas trips or visits are unlikely to take place. It is likely that there will still be restrictions on what we can and cannot do during the warmer months of the year. A garden or park or green space will likely be a small haven for many people during these difficult times.
At the time of writing, we are still firmly within the grip of the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
For this reason, this month’s magazine has been temporarily slimmed down to reflect the pressures of this time.
A small number of regular features have been paused as the magazine, website and business is operating with a reduced team. We are also facing a dearth of news as churches are closed and unable to host events in the same way, although many have harnessed technology and have created new online churches – some with much greater attendance and engagement than traditional Sunday services (and we are looking at that in this issue).
In response to the lockdown, temporary distribution measures had to be created. Editorial plans have also had to be shelved as it simply has not been possible to do what was possible even just a few months ago. Advertising has also declined steeply although there is hope it will revive when life returns to a new normality. We cannot, for now, off er what we previously off ered.
Life and Work has published through two world wars, the Great Depression and the Spanish flu pandemic of the post-war years.
However, we take heart from the proud near-unbroken record of publication of the magazine of our Church. Life and Work has published through two world wars, the Great Depression and the Spanish flu pandemic of the post-war years. Queen Victoria was on the throne when the first issue of this magazine was published in January 1879.
Only once – in the 1950s – did Life and Work fail to appear. This was due to a printworkers’ strike across Scotland which resulted in the suspension of the magazine for a month. Through all of this, Life and Work continued to publish and resource the people of our Church and beyond.
As we give thanks for the sunshine of summer and small hopeful signals of a return to a little (but new) normality in our lives and remember those who have paid the ultimate price in this pandemic, please remember to support the magazine and our Church through what has been one of the most challenging times in our recent history.
Lynne McNeil Editor
This article appears in the July 2020 Issue of Life and Work
If you would like to view other issues of Life and Work, you can see the full archive
here.
This article appears in the July 2020 Issue of Life and Work