Is Church closed? No – far from it…
Dear Friends,
In response to the government’s advice in response to the spread of COVID-19, The Church of England has changed how it goes about its business. We are not shutting shop – far from it. But our public worship has been suspended until further notice. This means that our churches will not hold public services. At the time of writing there is still a lot of detail to sort out, but Morning Prayer will continue to be said daily by our clergy and there will be an act of worship available every Sunday online via the church website and Facebook page, and through orders of service which can be printed off at home (or phone the parish office to ask for one if you can’t do this).
Here is a short video Rev’d Nick made to explain what is going on:
In time for this Sunday (Lent 4 – 22nd March), a video of significant portions of a Sunday service (made at rather short notice by myself and Rev’d Trish) will be available on the home page of the church website and on our Facebook page. We hope this enables us to continue to come together in worship on Sundays, even if we cannot do this physically.
St Mary’s, Boston Spa and All Saints’, Bramham will continue to be open during the day. If you are self-isolating, remember that a walk outside on your own is a good thing, so do pop into church – the chances of there being a crowd there are slim, and you are most welcome. If you do have any needs, or worries, or simply want to hear a friendly voice, do call the Parish Office and someone from our pastoral team will be in touch.
Above all, I encourage you to live as people of hope. Lent is a penitential season, though little did we realise quite how much we might be asked to give up during this season when it started! However, we live as Easter people, with a living hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. As we ponder how to do that in challenging times, we do so knowing that Jesus is with us wherever we are, and the Holy Spirit is here to comfort, encourage and equip us for the work of God.
Be strong and of good courage.
Bless you all,
Rev’d Nick Morgan
A prayer from the Church of England for the COVID-19 situation