10th January 2021
Dear friends
The announcement that we were to enter another lockdown on Monday evening may not have come as a shock to many given the sharp increase in rates we have seen over the past few weeks. The Prime Minister is right: this lockdown is different to the one we saw last March. Three vaccines have now been approved for use and two are being rolled out. So far over 1m people have had their first dose. There is so much to be thankful for.
As part of this latest lockdown, churches and places of worship are permitted to remain open for both private and communal prayer. St Andrew’s and St Lawrence’s are open daily, and our schedule of services across the benefice continues as currently advertised on the website here. St Michael’s, Millbrook, is currently closed for public worship. We will review this decision at the end of January.
Having now received guidance from the bishop, going forward, please note the following:
· Services will be shorter than usual and interaction/movement around the building will be kept to a minimum.
· A service from one of the churches each Sunday morning will be recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel here that afternoon for those who are staying at home.
· No one is under any obligation to come to church at the moment: please only attend in person if you feel it is safe for you to do so. You are very welcome as always.
· If you do decide to come to church in person, please continue to sanitise your hands, wear a face covering (unless exempt), and keep space. There should be no ‘mingling’ between households.
I do not enjoy muting our worship any more than you do. These changes to our liturgy are temporary and allow us to keep the pattern of prayer across our churches regular. Without these changes we would not be protecting the vulnerable in our communities as best we can.
With thanks for your continued patience and support
Dominic