Dear Friends,

On Sunday 5th July, I will be celebrating the Eucharist at Saint Giles at 9.30 am. and the public are welcome to attend. This first service, which will be purposely low key, will simply be said with no music. I very much want this to be a happy and gentle occasion with as few rules as possible, while at the same time keeping everyone thoroughly safe.

The church has been well cleaned and there will be various measures in place. Hand sanitiser at the door, a one way system, alternate pews roped off. You will be asked to sign in. We will not  use the north aisle, so that can be kept for services in the week. And the Lady Chapel will be kept for private prayer during the week. The whole church will be thoroughly cleaned on Saturdays and I will clean the north aisle and Lady Chapel after they have been used each day during the week. Holy Communion will be in one kind only and will be received standing at the step between eagle lectern and the pulpit. The risk assessment will be posted online as soon as completed. Obviously, don’t come if you are feeling ill or if you are particularly at risk.

Then after that I will be celebrating the Eucharist on:

• Wednesday evening 8th July at 7 pm
• Thursday morning 9th July at 10 am
• Saturday morning 11th July at 8.30 am.
• Sunday 12th July at 9.30 am at Saint Giles with Evening Prayer at Christ Church, Holloway, at 6.30 pm (We will not use the choir, so that it can be used on Tuesdays for Holy Communion without extra cleaning)
• Tuesday 14th July at Christ Church at 9.30 am in the choir.
• Wednesday evening 15th July at 7 pm
• Thursday morning 16th July at 10 am
• Saturday morning 18th July at 8.30 am.
• Sunday 19th July 9.30 am at Saint Giles and Holy Communion at Christ Church at 11 am.
• I hope to take a service at Dethick Church on 2nd August at 11 am, depending on the necessary preparations being in place.

As time goes by, we will be able to increase provision depending on how things progress. (E.G. music,  singing when the rules allow, the 8 am)

There will be those who think we ought to be doing more. But this is as far as I am prepared to go at the moment.

I look forward to welcoming you back each to your spiritual home.

With every good wish from Mark Crowther-Alwyn

The draft risk assessment must be signed by the Archdeacon before being finalised, but you may be interested to read the document, especially if you are thinking of coming to church in the next couple of weeks. Church will not be quite what we are used to.

Every morning from 10am to 12 noon, Saint Giles Church is open to the public for private prayer. At 9.30am each morning there is a celebration of the Holy Eucharist but, for the moment, this sadly has to remain private. A volunteer will be in church to assist and to ensure that we follow necessary guidelines. Obviously, if you are unwell it is sensible not to come to church.

It is hoped that Christ Church Holloway will be open for private prayer in the near  future but this has not yet been fully organised.

You are free to use your own face covering if you wish, but the church does not provide them.

If during this time you are worried that something bad is happening to someone you know, such as a neighbour, a local child or a friend, please remember you can ring our Safeguarding Officer, Joan Link, who will take action if this is necessary. Joan’s number is 01629 593993. You can leave a message if she is out in the garden or walking.

Fr Mark will upload videos of Morning and Evening Prayer as well as Eucharists held in private on our behalf. In this video he invites you to join him in prayer from the safety of your own home. You can see the videos on Facebook or subscribe to the youtube channel (See below)

The YouTube Channel can be found by clicking here.

‘I have lived with the conviction that unearned suffering is redemptive. There are some who still find the cross a stumbling block, others consider it foolishness. But I am more convinced than ever that it is the power of God to social and individual salvation.’

Martin Luther King