COVID-19 The Church continues to be alive and active, but our buildings must close We are seeing a huge increase in the number of people falling sick with COVID-19. We must distance ourselves from one another and prevent the spread of infection in order to save lives. Therefore, as well as public worship being suspended, this and all church buildings in the Church of England are now closed. Our worship of God and our care for each other continue but cannot be done in this building. Our website contains details of how to join others online for prayer, worship, study, and community life. See: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/ Our weekly Pew Sheet and sermon can also be obtained by contacting Revd ChrisThe rector of this church, Revd Christopher Childs can be contacted by telephoning 01449 673280 or emailing revcchilds@aol.com or Revd Canon Pauline Higham: 01449 771791 paulinehigham@googlemail.com“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength . . . Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” To protect the vulnerable amongst us, please do not leave your home except for essential trips.
With regret we inform you that services here are suspended for the time being as a result of the coronavirus. The following is an extract from our Diocesan WebsiteReducing the risk of infection from the coronavirus (COVID-19) The Church of England’s team for Health and Social Policy is responsible for updates on the coronavirus. They are working collaboratively with the Government and Public Health officials and both the diocesan office and the Bishops' office are being kept informed. The Church of England is regularly updating guidance available on the dedicated website page here and as this changes rapidly please check it regularly. Bishop Martin says "The Church is called to bear the good news of Jesus in every circumstance. As we face the coronavirus pandemic bearing good news means our care for others and especially those who are most vulnerable, and sustaining our life of prayer and worship. We will need to be doing this in different ways following the national guidance and the decision to suspend public worship which is conveyed in the letter found here from the Archbishops issued earlier today and which I ask you to read".We continue to pray for all those people caught up in the coronavirus epidemic, for those who are sick, for those who care for them, and for those responsible for planning for our care.Live streaming Services We have been live-streaming services from across the diocese:• Morning prayer from the Bishops’ Oratory (8.30am).• Evening prayer/evensong from St Edmundsbury Cathedral at 5.30pm.We invite everyone to join us to pray daily and you can view these services live on Facebook:St Edmundsbury Cathedral FacebookBishop Martin and Bishop Mike FacebookFor those without Facebook, please visit our website where we have added a page with downloads of the most recent services where possible. If you are also planning live streaming of services on social media please do let us know and we can add your details to this page. To learn more about how to stream services on line please visit the Church of England guide here. There is a short set of prayers in church you may wish to usePlease be assured of the prayers of us all and be in contact if you have any issues or concernsRev Chris 01449 673280 and Canon Pauline 01449 771791
