Coronavirus information
July 2023
Services are being held as normal. Wine and wafers are both being offered at communion, but only if communicants feel comfortable. Refreshments are being offered after services and Ministry of Welcome has resumed once a month on the last Wednesday between 10:00 and 12:00
January 2022
From March 2022, there will be services every Sunday at St Mary's.
Face masks are still encouraged to be worn. Hand sanitiser is available for all visitors and members of the congregation. Communion continues to be in one kind only - bread, not wine - and there are still no refreshments provided after services at the moment.
Autumn 2021
Services are being held as normal without social distancing but face masks are still encouraged to be worn. Hand sanitiser is available for all visitors and members of the congregation. Communion is in one kind only - bread, not wine - and there are no refreshments provided after services.
Sunday 7th March 2021
St Mary's will be open all day from Good Friday, 2nd April. There will also be a service at 10.30 on Palm Sunday, 28th March.
Monday 22 February 2021
The Prime Minister has announced his 'road map' for recovery. As soon as it is safe to do so, the church will be open for services with the restrictions that were previously in place - social distancing, hand sanitisation, no singing and spiritual communion or in one kind. In the meantime, services will continue to be posted online.
Tuesday 5th January 2021
Despite the lockdown announced last evening still allowing for public acts of worship, the decision has been taken to keep the services pre-recorded and only available on YouTube for the time being. This decision will be under review until such time as we think it is safe for our congregations to meet in church.
Tuesday 29 December 2020
For the next three weeks, church services will only be available online via our You Tube Channel - Constable Country Churches. The new strain of coronavirus is particularly contagious and the safety of our congregation is paramount.
Wednesday 23 December 2020
Suffolk enters Tier 4 on 26th December. Christmas Eve services continue as usual, but the 10:30 service on Sunday 27th December has been cancelled.
Thursday 26 November 2020
Suffolk is in Tier 2 when the national lockdown ends next week. This means we will be able to worship in our church again from next Sunday 6th December. The usual social distancing and hand sanitising will be back in place, but it will be wonderful to be able to worship together again.
Thursday 5 November 2020
Lockdown 2.0 starts today, and our churches will again be closed for private prayer and collective acts of worship. Our services will be filmed and posted on our YouTube channel - Constable Country Churches - as in the previous lockdown. There will be a shortened Act of Remembrance outside by the war memorial on Sunday, and our Toddler Group will continue their Friday morning sessions, on a weekly basis, as they serve new parents and carers. (Pre-booking is requisite). The porch will remain open.
Wednesday 24 June 2020
With government guidelines changing, we are delighted to announce that from 5th July 2020, there will be a short service in church on Sunday mornings at 10:30, alternating with our sister church St Michael's in Brantham. Because 5th July is our Patronal Festival, the first service will be at St Mary's and then the following week at St Michael's. Worshippers' safety will be paramount and we will be ensuring that there is social distancing and hand sanitisation.
Monday 15 June 2020
Following a meeting of the East Bergholt PCC Standing Committee, held on Sunday 14th June, it has been agreed that St Mary’s church will be opened for private prayer for an hour on Wednesdays, starting from 24th June. The times will be from 10:00 until 11:00 on the first week and from 17:00 until 18:00 the following week and then alternating these times. Practical guidelines will be issued nearer the time.
Saturday 13 June 2020
Places of worship will be permitted by the government to open for individual prayer, depending on the most up to date scientific advice of the risk posed by the virus. A decision has not yet been taken as to how this will work in practice at St Mary's. An announcement will be made in due course.
Tuesday 5 May 2020
Very limited access to church buildings is now allowed for activities such as streaming of services or private prayer but only by clergy in their own parishes, and so long as the necessary hygiene and social distancing precautions are taken.
Thursday 23 April 2020
With the church closed, photographs are being taken of the appropriate pages of the Book of Remembrance and posted on the church's Facebook page and a virtual candle is being lit on behalf of the family and friends who are not able to visit church themselves on the anniversary of their loved one's death.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/stmaryseastbergholt/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2569121623329493
Sunday 12 April 2020
Started live streaming Sunday services on You Tube
Holy Week 2020
Services, reflections and prayer aids are available to our parishioners via email, post or social media. Please see below and on our social media page.
Thursday 2 April 2020
The church started posting videos on YouTube on the Constable Country Churches channel https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCghKwq0JoGLeiLPfy_qk9gA
Wednesday 25th March 2020
All churches are now closed. However St Mary the Virgin is still partially open in order to access the foodbank, and the porch is open for people to leave donations.
Tuesday 17th March 2020
Following guidance from the Church of England, all services of worship are suspended until further notice.
Please contact Rev Steph if you need assistance. (01206) 392646
Prayers and services are being livestreamed on Facebook @stmaryseastbergholt and you can ask to join the Benefice Worship and Support Whatsapp group by sending a message to Rev Steph 0777 157 4702
For Church of England guidance https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches
For liturgy and prayer resources https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-liturgy-and-prayer-resources
Morning Prayer is being livestreamed from Bishop Martin's Oratory every morning at 8.30am, Monday to Saturday, on the Bishops’ Facebook page @BishopsCofEsuffolk. You may want to follow these daily offices in the Common Worship Daily Prayer book, or on the App “Daily Prayer
Evening Prayer is being livestreamed from the Cathedral Monday to Saturday at 5.30pm on the Cathedral Facebook page @Stedscathedral
Sunday morning eucharist will be celebrated just for the cathedral team every Sunday, under strict protocols, and will be livestreamed from 10.30am, again on the Cathedral Facebook page