It seems hard to believe but we appointed Jonas as our Worship Team Leader in July 2018. Since then, we have been working hard to get him the visa he needs to be able to come and join us. We have been further hampered by coronavirus which means that the visa offices in Brazil are all closed and Jonas cannot make the appointment he needs to progress his visa application. As you may know from the news, Brazil is suffering badly from the virus and is a month or so behind the UK. It therefore seems unlikely that Jonas will be able to get a visa soon.

We had no idea when we appointed Jonas that the process would be so long or so complicated. We are extremely grateful to Mike, Antony, Josh, Patrick and Giles who have enabled us to continue worshipping God in song over the past couple of years. However, the on-going vacancy and the uncertainty it brings is increasingly difficult. Therefore I am delighted to announce that we have appointed Patrick Craig as our Interim Worship Team Leader. We are grateful for all that Patrick has done to serve us in worship, in particular his technical know-how which has been invaluable since our services have gone online. Patrick’s passion for worship, desire to encourage others in their gifts and servant-heart are huge blessings to us at Sunnyside; I am really looking forward to working with him in his new role. Patrick is going part-time at school from September when he will officially take up his position with us.

We remain completely committed to Jonas’ appointment and continuing with his visa application. We are grateful to Jonas for his commitment and the sacrifices he has made to fulfil the requirements of UK Immigration. We have been blessed by his ministry amongst us, especially via the men’s WhatsApp group. Please do continue to pray for Jonas, for his visa process and for Brazil in these difficult days. Pray also for Patrick as he prepares to join the staff team at Sunnyside.

Do contact me if you have any questions about this.

with love and prayers

Rebecca