<div>It is with a heavy heart that I announce that Christ Church<font color="#0910ff"> </font>will not be open for public worship tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future until such time as the numbers of covid cases reduce.  </div>

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<div>On Friday, we received a letter from Lancashire's Public Health Authority, asking all places of worship to consider closing due to the growing infection rates in the area. Today, the news has been even more stark, as the government has asked each us to 'act as if we have covid’. </div>

PCC met this morning for an extraordinary meeting to discuss this, and of all those present, this was the unanimous decision. 

<div>This has not been an easy decision to take, and many of<font color="#4236ff"> t</font>he churches in the area have made the same choice to close, except for funerals. As a community, and as people who share responsibility for each other, we felt it was safest not to mix in person at this time, and not to ask people to volunteer when in other circumstances they would otherwise keep safe at home. </div>

<div>Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have queries or concerns about all this - I'm happy to discuss it further, and to continue to offer prayer and pastoral support as this situation evolves. If you'd like paper copies of the notice sheet, or orders of service - these can easily be arranged.</div>

<span style="font-size: 1rem;">We will return to our online gatherings, as follows:</span>

<div>Sunday 1030am Eucharist for the Baptism of Christ, via Youtube, followed by Zoom coffee at 1130am</div><div>Sunday 6pm Zoom Evening Prayer, in the Celtic tradition</div><div>Wednesday 6pm Evening Prayer via Youtube</div><div>Friday 9.30am Morning Prayer via our Facebook page</div><div>Saturday 9pm Compline via Youtube. </div>

Further details of the above, and relevant links will be found in the E-Newsletter that will be sent out this afternoon, together with the order of service for tomorrow's Eucharist. 

<div>My grateful thanks to all who have helped to support the worship and mission of Christ Church through these challenging months, and my prayers continue for all who are caring for those with covid, and those who are charged with containing the pandemic and keeping our community safe. </div>

<div>With prayers and blessings, </div><div>Rev Carol 
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