Pimperne: St Peter

Boris Johnson’s announcement on Monday 4th of another national lock down would not have come as a surprise to any of you. As a nation, we have been teetering on the edge of another lockdown since the middle of December. However, unlike the March and November lockdown, Churches are permitted to remain open for private prayer and communal services on Sunday’s. However, the Archbishop has made provision for churches to be closed if is deemed unsafe for them to be open. The responsibility for making the decision to remain open or suspend services has been left to the discretion of Vicar and PCC’s.

On Wednesday morning, I met with my ministerial colleagues, Vergers, Church Warden’s and PCC secretaries to discuss the position we would take.

Although we were confident that the procedures we have in place to keep people safe in church are secure, the increase in recorded COVID-19 cases in North Dorset and the increased transmissibility of the new variant means that we couldn’t now guarantee peoples safety. Safety in the current climate is paramount and with this in mind, it was decided to suspend the Sunday services in the Benefice of Pimperne, Stourpaine, Durweston with Bryanston from Sunday 10th January. This decision will be reviewed at the end of January.

This was not an easy decision to take, as I know that for many of you, being in Church and receiving communion has been a great source of comfort over the last few months.

The Churches will remain open for private prayer on Sunday’s 10.00am to 4.00pm and Thursdays 10.00am-12midday.

I am available if you would like to speak to me over the telephone or I am happy to meet with you in Church if you would like to see me.

In the meantime, our Zoom services will continue each Sunday at 9.30am. If you would like to join us, but are unsure how to use Zoom, please contact Revd Belinda Marflitt Beneficerevb@outlook.com The Church of England Website this week have posted some new resources to help with prayer in these difficult times. ‘Find time to pray each day’ is a particularly good resource.

Revd Belinda

Pimperne: St Peter

News and notices

Church Closure for Services

The Benefice Opens its churches for Services

St Peter's opens for Private Prayer