We are pleased to announce that all three of our churches - St Giles' Whittington, St Mary's Weeford and St Bartholomew's Hints - will be reopening on Sundays, with effect from Sunday 4th April!Services will take place as follows on 4th: 9:30 St Giles' Whittington Said Eucharist led by The Revd Dr Stephen Barton. This service will be booking only by email lesleymknighton@gmail.com or telephone 01543 432050. Private prayer will be between the hours of 11:00 and 15:00.11:30 St Mary's Weeford Said Eucharist led by The Revd Canon Stephen Mayes.18:30 St Bartholomew's Hints Said Eucharist led by The Revd Val Hicks. Church will also be open on Sundays for private prayer during the day and to drop off donations for Lichfield Foodbank.We look forward to welcoming you all back for shared worship. We are of course still subject to adherence to Covid precautions including wearing masks, using hand sanitiser and social distancing in your own bubbles with restricted numbers. Going forwards, St Giles' will be open for worship at 9:30 on the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of the month. Every 2nd Sunday will be a virtual service of Morning Prayer via Zoom. St Mary's will be open for worship every Sunday at 11:30. St Bartholomew's will be open for worship on the 1st and 3rd Sundays at 18:30. We hope there is something to suit everyone there and look forward to seeing you very soon.
TEMPORARY CANCELLATION OF SERVICESIn light of the highly infectious Coronavirus variant and having consulted with the Parochial Church Council, the churchwardens have decided that all services at St Bartholomew's Church, Hints, are cancelled for the foreseeable future.There will be no services until at least 31st March 2021 when the position will be reviewed.Church will be open on Sundays for private worship and Foodbank donations between the hours of 8.30 am and 5.30 pm.There will be some online service provision. If you do not currently receive links to online services, please email our Lay Reader, Gill Hollis, gillhollis@cooptel.netWe do not make this decision lightly and hope that you will understand that we have done it in order to keep everyone safe and to avoid the risk of putting any additional burden on the NHS.Please be assured of our prayers for you all. We will keep you updated if the situation changes at all.You can follow regular prayers and services for our three parishes at:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoKnuUe7DF8KzQ1tYYZN_nQAt home you are encouraged to make use of the wide range of resources on our Church website especially under the spirituality and Bible sections.http://ourvillagechurch.org.uk/spirituality/A comprehensive service at home booklet on the what's on page of our website: https://tinyurl.com/y62e9sajLichfield Cathedral Worship Onlinehttps://www.lichfield.anglican.org/.../join-worship-onlineThe Archbishops and others have emphasised that we will be part of “a different sort of church in these coming months”, that “Our life is going to be less characterised by attendance at church on Sunday, and more characterised by the prayer and service we offer each day”. Alongside churches throughout the nation and world, let us be open to the Spirit’s leading in these unsettling and unknown times. This may be a time unlike any other when we can reconnect with God through patterns of prayer.
Our parishes are now in a ‘vacancy’ (sometimes known as an ‘interregnum’). Lichfield Diocese is just beginning a nine-month structural review called ‘Shaping for Mission’. This means that we should be prepared to wait a good number of months before we know whether we will have another Vicar or perhaps be linked with other parishes. At the moment we will continue with roughly the pattern of services to which we have become accustomed since churches reopened in July.We <span style="font-size: 1rem;">will have a service at 6.30 pm on the 1</span><sup>st</sup><span style="font-size: 1rem;"> & 3</span><sup>rd</sup><span style="font-size: 1rem;"> Sundays, which will either be Evening Worship or Said Eucharist.</span> You are encouraged to make full use of the wide range of resources on our Church website, especially the prayer and spirituality sections. Website: www.ourvillagechurch.org.uk
Anti-Coronavirus Government Safety Directive - this church is closed for public worship until December 5th 2020. It will be open for individual private prayer on Sundays between 10.30 am and 3.30 pm. Please check in with the Track and Trace App and follow all anti-Coronavirus guidelines. Worship at home booklets are available on the website, together with links to various worship, prayer and retreat opportunities. There will be an online service for Remembrance Sunday. Please be assured that the Christians of this village are praying for you and your loved ones during this difficult lockdown period.
