Coronavirus
Church of England Guidance for COVID-19Marion de Quidt, Rector phone number: 01256 763211 (with answerphone)
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| Benefice Holy Communion at St John’s Hook Sundays @ 6pm |
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Phone Richard Morley on 01256 762948 or email richardj.morley1@outlook.com to let us know if you are coming to Communion at 6pm. If we were unable to seat everyone at 6pm, there will be a second service at 6.30pm with new chairs. All wooden furniture and books have been removed to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Plastic chairs are placed at safe intervals. There is a standing area and a space for wheelchairs. This has the PCC approval. If you would like to come, but are anxious, please feel free to phone Marion (01256 763211) or Richard Morley (01256 762948) to discuss. |
| Churches Open for Private Prayer |
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Mattingley – for Private Prayer, Tuesdays @ 2-4pm Rotherwick – for Private Prayer, Saturdays @ 2-4pm St John’s Hook – for Private Prayer, Sundays @ 5-6pm, Wednesday @ 5-7pm |
Please come to pray, and enjoy the peace and comfort of being in God’s house again. Please keep praying as we prepare wisely and carefully. Thank you for all the loving kindness shown during the season of coronavirus. The guidance is continually being updated, so please look out for any instructions when you arrive.
We are working with the Government and Church of England guidelines and will have social distancing and hand sanitiser.
The Church of England has updated its advice on face coverings in church: We strongly advise that face coverings should be worn by all those attending a place of worship, including ministers, worshippers, staff, volunteers, contractors and visitors, where there may be other people present; remembering that they are mainly intended to protect other people, not the wearer, from coronavirus COVID-19 and that they are not a replacement for physical distancing and regular hand washing.
Unless otherwise stated our church buildings are CLOSED. However, the church is the people - and the people are still working!
| 1 | Limited public meetings for worship - we are having the Churches open for private prayer, and on Sundays @6pm are having a Said Holy Communion– we will do our best to provide alternative ways of being a community of worshippers for example having at 10am Sunday Zoom. |
| 2 | Pastoral Visits:
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| 3 | Please use the contact number above to let us know your needs. OR please phone Marion on 01256 763211. |
| 4 | We encourage everyone to maintain good hygiene:
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| 5 | Where possible, #StayHomeSaveLives and a big thank you to any key workers, who are continuing to work to help keep us safe |
Useful resources
Each Sunday we are aiming to worship in a variety of ways, you may join our service using zoom from your computer, tablet or phone. We will also be providing an online services page for each Sunday which will include any zoom details. We also have a link which will enable you to test connecting to and using zoom. We are also holding a Said Communion service at St John's in Hook at 6pm on Sunday evenings.
We have a number of Whatsapp prayer groups which you may like to join, contact us for details.
Daily Hope offers music, prayers and reflections as well as full worship services from the Church of England at the end of a telephone line. The line – which is available 24 hours a day on 0800 804 8044 – has been set up particularly with those unable to join online church services during the period of restrictions in mind. When you dial in, Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury welcomes you. When you press 'star' there are a range of options.
The Church of England also has two useful booklets which are available here with some prayers you may wish to use at this time. I also have an excellent booklet from the Church of England that I would be delighted to post to you, called 'Everyday Faith'. Please do call me and ask for one (01256 763211).
You can sign up for our weekly notices to be emailed to you. If your neighbour is not using this service, you might like to encourage them or to print the notices sheet out for them? Small groups are meeting around the Benefice using 'virtual fellowship'. We have a list on the weekly notices sheet above. Please do feel free to try something new if you wish, and join in with one of the groups. The notices sheet has all contact details.
Bishop Tim and Sally are broadcasting services from Wolvesey in Winchester, https://www.youtube.com/user/CofEWinchester/. The services, along with other resources to help people remain connected despite social distancing measures, will be available on the Diocese of Winchester’s website: https://www.winchester.anglican.org/
We are following Church of England recommendations - please check here for latest guidance https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches and https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2020-07///COVID%2019%20advice%20on%20face%20coverings%20v1.0.pdf
Marion de Quidt, Rector of Whitewater Benefice, from Church of England guidance
24th July 2020
