The Opening Door Dear friends, I’m pleased to let you know that St Mary’s Whitchurch on Thames is now open for visitors and personal prayer on Wednesday afternoons and Sunday mornings. St Peter and St Paul Checkendon will be opened for visitors and private prayer on Wednesdays and Sundays starting in September. Please remember when you visit a church that now you…
Follow the Tortoise Dear friends, The Church of England has often been derided for being the “great Tortoise of the nation”, but in these days of uncertainty and unknowing the wisdom of going rather more slowly than the crowd is easily discerned. Across the Team ministry discussions are taking place at a local level about a limited reopening of our buildings, and…
Happy Holiday Dear Friends, I hope that you are making the most of any chances to rest a little over the coming weeks. All the pointers are that it is going to be a “difficult” autumn as businesses and service providers try to juggle client and staff safety with grim looking balance sheets and a virus that really has not “gone away”.…
Episcopal Extract Dear friends, The clergy of the Diocese all received a letter from the Bishop of Oxford last week, from which I quote: …..I know, from my inspiring visits to deanery chapters in recent weeks, of the quite astounding efforts and commitment that you have invested in adapting and flexing the ministry and mission of our churches in every locality, and…
Zoom Survey Dear friends, Those of you who were at the zoom service hosted by Kevin last Sunday were asked a number of questions about your worship preferences and our use of zoom, and your opinions about returning to church. The popularity of our zoom offerings was underscored by 80% certainly supporting a continuation of zoom services, even after our churches have…
The Can(on) of Worms Dear friends, Now that we’ve been told we can open our buildings for worship once again, we are in the region of “the small print”. What does “open” mean? What does “worship” look like now? Every church council has to conduct a “risk assessment” and consider whether it is possible to “stay safe”. In other words, we have…
Back to the Future (part V) Dear friends, You may well be wondering, given the various media and government announcements over the past week, what is going to happen regarding opening up our church buildings for Sunday worship, weddings and funerals. As I write, we are still awaiting the National Church’s “take” on the government guidance for all places of worship issued…
A time for everything Dear friends, As the national lockdown begins to ease we move once again into a season of uncertainty. The Covid-19 virus remains in general circulation and it remains highly infectious. Progress has been made on a treatment, and several vaccine candidates are undergoing trials. We know however that it is possible for someone to pass on the virus…
New Faces Dear friends, One of the exciting things about our zoom worship has been how easy it is to involve friends and family who are far away, and welcome new faces into our wider church family. There is a sense of solidarity and hope in the face of the unknowns and uncertainties that we find in the new world emerging around…
New Appointment to the Team Dear Friends, Great News ! I am delighted to announce that The Revd James Leach has been offered and has accepted the post of House for Duty associate priest in the Langtree Team serving the parish of St Mary’s Whitchurch and St John’s Whitchurch Hill. James is currently associate priest in the parish of St James, Gerrard’s…