It is with sadness and after much prayer and discussion that Revd David, the wardens and the ministry team, with the support of the PCC, have decided to suspend public worship with immediate effect as we respond to the Coronavirus pandemic and national lockdown. We, along with many other churches in the deanery, the diocese and the country at large, have sought a special dispensation from our bishop to allow us to hold online services only. Churches in other parts of the UK have been told to remain closed and advice from the bishops encourages us not to meet in person where we can meet online. We will review the situation in the middle of February, and decide whether or not it is safe to resume worship, taking full notice of Government, medical and Church of England advice. Regular services will continue online – a 10am livestreamed service on Sunday mornings and a 10am BCP Spiritual Communion on Wednesdays (both available via our website - https://www.stbartholomews.co.uk/ - and on our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/StBartsOtford), plus a message for young people will continue to appear on our website on Sunday mornings. We are surely all aware that we are both in the most dangerous phase of the current pandemic with a dramatic rise in numbers diagnosed and yet at a hopeful time with the increasing availability of vaccines and testing. It is a very serious concern that hospitals in our area have more COVID patients than in the first wave. We know that those churches which have been open up to now (including ours) have taken strenuous precautions to ensure the safety of those attending but the new strain poses a much greater threat which can be avoided if people observe the ‘Stay at Home’ message from the Government. We appreciate that attendance at church for many is important for their well-being, and we hope that it won’t be too long before we can return more safely to face-to-face worship. May God grant us patience in this waiting period, and that we may know his peace and presence with us in the anxiety we may feel and use us to encourage and support one another. The church will be open for private prayer on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am–3pm and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11.30am.
This year, instead of holding a Crib Service on Christmas Eve, we decided to let the whole village experience the Christmas story whenever they walked past the church.Using our old church porch during Advent we set up a crib scene using specially cut wooden figures, which were individually decorated by church families. Each week on a Sunday we added figures to the scene, ending with the addition of baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. People walking through the churchyard enjoyed seeing the scene as it grew week by week. On Christmas Eve we set up a small crib trail, allowing people to follow the story of the first Christmas in words and pictures finishing up at the crib scene, where they were invited to take one of the Church of England Comfort and Joy booklets.
Father Christmas and Cosmo the Elf are helping to raise funds for St Bart's with an online seasonal show this weekend.By buying tickets for the brilliant SANTA'S CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN this Sunday afternoon using this link (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-santa-show-online-2020-santas-christmas-countdown-tickets-127606894657?aff=DavidG&afu=489568925355&fbclid=IwAR34GKIi98sDLsGyxauo-0Xp3i28UPNrmNsiNpxogezbZj5sZzXlvOQGCX8) you can help raise funds for our church, thanks to our friends at Honalee Media. Meet Father Christmas and Cosmo the Elf online as they tell seasonal stories, crack open some terrible jokes and share Christmas messages as well as presenting the joyous Christmas Countdown show. It's all happening on Sunday December 20th at 2pm. 90 minutes of quality festive fun. Click the link for more info and tickets - you'll be supporting performers at the end of a horrible year as well as helping to raise funds for St Bart's!
SILENT AUCTION - Time, Talents, Gifts!A Big Thank You! to everyone who has donated items for our Silent Auction Catalogue which is now live until 24th November for you to place your bids. A copy of the catalogue is attached to this news item and you can also find this on the church website (with photos of the items) at https://www.stbartholomews.co.uk/silent-auction/ If you would like to receive a further paper copy, please collect one from the Church lobby or the Otford Parish office.16th November – items without bids or those with lots of bids will be published again for any final bids to be placed.24th November – Deadline for all final Bids to be in.30th November - bids will be opened and the item awarded to the highest bidder.1-8th December - winners will be notified with details of how to pay via the church office and who to contact to claim their item. The giver of the item will also be advised how much their item went for and who will be in contact with them to claim it. You have 6 months to claim your item. We look forward to receiving your bids as an opportunity for fund-raising for church funds and would like to thank everyone for their support whether it has been donating items and/or bidding for items. If you would like further information or have any questions, please contact Jo Chandler on 07703 797 039 or jo.chandler@live.co.uk Thank you for your support.
