Rev Paul, saying goodbye, and the future…
Dear friends,
Many years ago our lovely Dad circulated detailed plans for how he wanted us to organise his funeral. He wanted a communion service at St Paul the Apostle, and for his ashes to be buried in Tottenham, with the people he had served and loved for so many years. We had hoped to say goodbye to him in the company of the congregation of St Paul the Apostle, his extended family, and his many friends, colleagues and supporters.
He could not have predicted the Coronavirus outbreak would mean we will be unable to realise his wishes, but we feel sure that he would want us to take precautions to protect the most vulnerable. So it is with heavy hearts that we have to scale back our plans to just a short service at Enfield crematorium with immediate family only on Monday, 30th March 2020.
Not all is doom and gloom, however…
Join us virtually on 30th March
Possibly the UK’s most social media-literate octogenarian, Dad was actively engaged with his supporters (and detractors) on social platforms, working with allies to improve the lives of those who are now most affected during this time of crisis. Therefore we feel it is fitting to give those not able to be with us at his funeral a voice via these channels.
And you can join us. Use your phone to write or record a short video message answering one or more of these questions:
- How should Rev Paul’s community respond to the current crisis?
- How will you follow in Rev Paul’s footsteps?
- How has Rev Paul touched your life?
On Monday 30th March post your text or video tagging Dad’s Facebook and Twitter handles (see below) with the hashtag #RevPaul. Dad requested that people give to Z2K and TAP rather than buy flowers or cards so please include the https://bitly.com/RevPaul link on all your posts.
Service of thanksgiving and celebration to be arranged later this year
Later this year we are looking forward to holding a service of thanksgiving and celebration to which everyone will be invited! We hope it will be a great gathering to celebrate his extraordinary life through which the lives of so many others were changed for the better.
And we can all help spread the word.
We look forward to meeting you at the memorial later this year, hugging without reservation, and celebrating the life of our extraordinary father.
With huge thanks for your love and support,
Krissie, Claire, Tom, Hugo and Rod
Dad’s handles to tag on March 30th:
Twitter: @taxpayers_a_p
Facebook: facebook.com/TaxpayersAgainstPovertyUK
Hashtag: #RevPaul