The United Benefice of St Lawrence’s Church Seal Chart and St Margaret’s Church Underriver
Doing Church Differently – March 17th 2020
Dear St Lawrence and St Margaret’s,
Today the senior Bishops of the Church of England have taken the decision under current guidelines to suspend worship in Church buildings for the next few weeks. We are unsure of when services will resume but will keep you updated.
Gretel, the Churchwardens and I have been communicating regularly about all of this as each day brings some news and changes to procedure.
Consequently, we must suspend our Church Services at St Lawrence and St Margaret’s and will be learning together how to do Church differently for the time being. Whilst the churches are closed for services, myself, Gretel and the churchwardens are all contactable in any eventuality.
We do feel it is important as well to set a time each Sunday where we can join together from our own homes across fields and boundaries by praying the service, listening and worshipping in a different way. Watch this space for news on what form that will take and how we will do it. This is to keep the Church open and available in a different way.
In the meantime, the C of E has posted these ideas on it’s website:
#LiveLent: #LiveLent at https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/living-out-our-faith/lent-holy-week-and-easter/livelent-care-gods-creation
Care for God’s Creation – the Church of England’s Lent campaign for 2020. With weekly themes shaped around the first Genesis account of creation, it explores the urgent need for humans to value and protect the abundance God has created. This daily audio content is available via the app and daily emails. Sign up for free.
The BBC’s Daily Service and Sunday Worship – BBC’s Daily Service on BBC radio 4 Long Wave and at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes
Prayer for the day – each day the Church of England publishes audio and text of the Prayer for the Day on its website.
Smart speakers – daily prayer and #LiveLent audio content can be accessed via our smart speaker apps.
Please can I continue to encourage you to support community initiatives. We’ve already had a lovely response from our cards through the door and are working to find the most effective way to help people. Please do keep supporting the Food Banks as there is real and urgent need.
We can Do and BE church by keeping in touch with each other via a phone call or message, making sure we look out for those who may feel isolated and lonely. We really are a great Church family.
St Lawrence Church will be open as usual during daytime hours for people to go and sit and pray and enjoy the quiet away from everything. We are making a plan for this to be possible for St Margaret’s too.
Please know my love, care, concern and prayers are with you all. And above all know God’s love and sustaining presence with you.
Much love, Serena x
- Serena has kindly prepared a Reflective Service for Worship in Isolation that any of us can use to worship if required so self-isolate.
- Do you give to St Lawrence by Standing Order? If not, could you consider it? You can find more information here.
- Please don’t forget to bring items for the Loaves and Fishes Food Bank.
- St Lawrence is on Twitter! You can follow us here.
- Please like our Facebook page!
Please always check our events page for an up-to-date listing of what’s going on in and around our church.
