COVID-19
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46.1
Update (31 March): The church building is closed, as all Anglican churches are at the moment. Daily prayer continues on the church Facebook page and more regular updates appear there too:
www.facebook.com/stpetersglenfield
You can download the latest news sheet and church magazine at the bottom of this page.
Update (23 March): All activities which involve meeting in person are now suspended until further notice. The church building remains open whenever possible, but may soon have to close to encourage us all to stay home as much as possible. Livestreaming and recorded worship and prayer resources are on our Facebook page, which is open to everyone to view, even if you don't use Facebook yourself:
www.facebook.com/stpetersglenfield
Update (17 March): following the Archbishops' advice issued today, all Sunday and midweek services are now suspended until further notice. Most other events and groups will also be put on hold for the time being. Unless you hear explicitly to the contrary, assume an event is cancelled. Further resources will be available through this website soon.
Letter (15 March): Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
With constantly changing news about the coronavirus pandemic, we’re in a situation none of us have ever been in before. The advice and guidance from the government is being updated almost daily and we know, being realistic, that we will face increasing restrictions to help slow and lessen the impact of this disease. As Christians, our confidence remains in Christ, first and foremost. We trust him and know that his love drives out all fear. With that in mind, let me ask you three things.
1. Please be careful
We are advise to wash our hands frequently for 20 seconds at a time. This is one of the most important things we can do at the moment, as well as using ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ when we cough or sneeze. Reminders of this advice will be in church and in the toilets.
We are also advised to self-isolate if we have a continuous cough or fever above 37.8⁰C. This will probably be broadened in the days ahead. Do please take care of yourself. If you need to self-isolate, or know of others who are doing so, please let us know – you can email or ring me, details above. We aim to keep in regular phone or email contact with those who are unable to leave their homes.
2. Please be prayerful
We know this is new territory for all of us. There are lots of reasons to be worried, for ourselves and for others. Please remember that God has not changed, nor is he ignoring us. We can all continue to trust him, just as Paul learned the hard way, and taught the Philippian church: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4.6-7
As a very practical point, it takes a little over 20 seconds to say the Lord’s Prayer. If you say it each time you wash your hands, it will help you get the timing right!
3. Please be kind
Do also keep an eye open for other people. If you know neighbours who might be in need, you might like to pop a note through their door to let them know they haven’t been forgotten. You may also be in a position to volunteer to help them in some practical way, but please remember point 1 in doing so!
Resources
It may be that at some point we temporarily suspend services or you may find yourself needing to self-isolate. Below are a couple of simple services of prayer which you can use at home, either alone or with others. If we have to suspend services entirely we will still try to ring the church bell at 10.15am on Sunday mornings to remind the community of our regular worship.
Radio
You may find the regular services on Radio 4 helpful.
The Sunday Service is broadcast at 8.10am.
The Daily Service is broadcast on long wave or DAB at 9.45am.
TV
Songs of Praise is usually broadcast on Sundays at 1.15pm
Internet
A number of churches broadcast their services online. You can find two of these at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI-G5IrRtm4g5h9yzVkogAw/videos
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHCks_VI4HD76X6iX4OAOWQ/live
The Church of England also has daily set services of prayer on their website which you can follow:
https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-service-daily-prayer