Thomas Helwys Baptist Church is in Lenton, where around 50% of the population are students. However, there are not many students who worship with us. Because of the location, we were approached by the University of Nottingham, to ask if we would consider letting them use our building as a student covid testing centre.
The original request was for 7 days a week throughout January, which meant we would not be able to use the church for worship on Sundays. We considered the request, which was before the current lockdown, and agreed to open discussions with the University.
Things rapidly changed - students were discouraged from returning, and the lockdown happened, with the guidance from the BU that churches should consider not meeting in person. Therefore, when the request came to use the church in February, we were in a position to agree to this.
Currently the church is being used 4 days a week for asymptomatic student testing, whilst demand is gauged. It may move to 7 days a week if this is needed, as students need a negative test to be able to attend face to face teaching. We are pleased to be able to be of service to the community in this way.
Alison
Thomas Helwys Baptist Church