Parish Church of St Luke Holmes Chapel
Come to Christ, Love to Learn, Learn to Love!
Trial opening of St Luke’s for limited services during August
After consulting many parishioners, we are trialling in August limited resumption of short services of Holy Communion on Sundays at 9am and Wednesdays at 10.30am with strict safeguarding in place meeting the official guidance.
The further relaxation of official restrictions now permits certain services to resume in church buildings, but subject to strict conditions including social distancing being met and comprehensive risk assessment. St Luke’s is a relatively small church and keeping to the recommended social distancing requirement severely limits the maximum number who can safely attend to about 30 people.
The recent questionnaire consultation in the parish indicated that there would be a good take-up for such services and so the Church Council has decided to trial the services during August.
We don’t want to make things difficult for anybody. If you wish to continue shielding at home, please do that, and join in our Zoom services (note the later time of 10.25 for 10.30am from Sunday 2nd August) and use the Church website/Facebook/ phone calls to keep in touch.To safeguard everyone, churchgoers will be expected to wear a facemask (as we have to in shops), and social distancing will be required. There will be a Link guidance sheet available in church. It has a list of the ways in which we are helping one another keep safe, while at the same time finding encouragement and Christian fellowship in church.
In the meantime:
Our regular Sunday morning service using Zoom continues (new time of 10.30am from 2nd August) for parishioners with internet access, as do our short services of Morning Prayer on Monday – Wednesday at 9am and our Prayer Meeting on Thursday at 9.30am – please contact secy@stlukesholmeschapel.uk if you need access details.
Please also check our website and FaceBook page for support in your individual worship and prayer.
Read more information on the Noticeboard
Useful Links:
Sunday August 9th: 9th after Trinity – Wilberforce Sunday
Today’s Bible readings are:
- Galatians 3.26-end
- Luke 4.16-21
This morning and on Sundays throughout August, our vicar Rob will celebrate a limited service of Holy Communion in St Luke’s at the new later time of 9am. The church will be open from 8.30am and will remain open after the service for private individual worship until midday.
Our virtual service of Morning Prayer through Zoom continues to be available as usual to those who are unable to attend in church but starting at the new later time of 10.30am. [Please login at 10.25pm so that we can begin on time.] It will be followed at 11.15am with a chance to catch up informally in small groups with other Church members over a cup of coffee/tea also using a Zoom meeting.
Before either service why not watch the short video address (below) recorded for us by Rob – today using a text from Galatians 3.26ff, Rob focuses on William Wilberforce and others prominent in the campaign to abolish slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The joining details for the Zoom meetings have been sent to all our parishioners with email addresses. We’re sorry we can’t open these Zoom meetings up to everyone but if you are local to Holmes Chapel and would like to join in, please let us know by email secy@stlukesholmeschapel.uk.
This week
Resumption of limited corporate worship in church:
10.30am WEDNESDAY 5th August – limited short service of Holy Communion
the church will be open from 10am – please follow the safeguarding instructions on the notices as you enter church and on the pew Link sheet – face-masks should be worn inside church – we are limited to a maximum of about 30 people in church so that everyone can remain safely distanced.
- Bible readings for Monday 10th – Sunday 16th August are shown below.
- Morning Prayer service through Zoom continues on Monday and, Tuesday and Wednesday starting at 9am
- Special Prayer service through Zoom on Thursday starting at 9.30am
- Opening of church for individual private prayer: please note that during August this will only be available on Wednesday and Sunday after the Communion services until midday .
- Our Prayersheet to help in our personal worship in the weeks after Trinity Sunday can be viewed below – we are using it in our Morning Prayer services. You can also download a copy here suitable for printing.
Bible Readings: 10th -16th August
Monday 10th August: Psalm 44, 1 Samuel 19.1-18, Acts 1.1-14
Tuesday 11th: Psalm 48, 1 Samuel 20.1-17, Acts 1.15-end
Wednesday 12th: Psalm 119.57-80, 1 Samuel 20.18-end, Acts 2.1-21
Thursday 13th: Psalm 57, 1 Samuel 21.1-22.5, Acts 2.22-36
Friday 14th: Psalm 51, 1 Samuel 22.6-end, Acts 2.37-end
Sunday 16th, Trinity 10: Psalm 133, Philippians 3.1-11, Matthew 15.21-28
Praying Together after Trinity Sunday
Praying Together @St Luke's, Holmes Chapel in the weeks of Trinity - to help you in your personal worship see a printable version of this prayer sheet here The Lord be with you And also with you. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in...
Praying Together – when sickness is near
you can view or download this whole prayersheet here
God of compassion,
be close to those who are ill, afraid or in isolation.
In their loneliness, be their consolation;
in their anxiety, be their hope;
in their darkness, be their light;
through him who suffered alone on the cross, but reigns with you in glory,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Merciful God,
we entrust to your tender care those who are ill or in pain,
knowing that whenever danger threatens your everlasting arms are there to hold them safe.
Comfort and heal them, and restore them to health and strength; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
For hospital staff and medical researchers
Gracious God,
give skill, sympathy and resilience to all who are caring for the sick,
and your wisdom to those searching for a cure. Strengthen them with your Spirit,
that through their work many will be restored to health;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
From one who is ill or isolated
O God, help me to trust you,
help me to know that you are with me, help me to believe that nothing can separate me from your love
revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Rt Revd Mark Tanner confirmed as 41st Bishop of Chester on Wed 15th July
The Rt Revd Mark Tanner, formerly Suffragan Bishop of Berwick in Northumberland, was confirmed as Bishop of Chester on Wed 15th July. Although now legally the Bishop of Chester, he is not expected to take up his public duties until September.
You can view some of his first reactions (and those of his wife, Lindsay) to his new appointment in this short video and also in his video conversation with Bishop Christine, the Bishop of Newcastle. You can also see his response to some searching questions about his faith from several young people from around the diocese who chatted online with the Bishop-elect recently, giving an idea of what may be in store when he starts his ministry with us in the autumn.
Towards normality? Your views on worship again in church
The recent relaxation of the official virus restrictions to allow some limited services to start in churches under carefully controlled conditions is very welcome but poses real problems in small churches like St Luke’s. To guide discussion at the July meeting of the Church Council about how and when to resume the limited church services now permitted, we consulted our congregations through a short questionnaire. Read more for some of the statistics and findings which led to the PCC deciding to resume limited services in St Luke’s on a trial basis in August.
Daily Hope Line 0800 804 8044
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Churchyard spruced up again
Many thanks to the team of volunteers who quickly spruced up the memorials area of St Luke's Knutsford Road churchyard on Saturday morning, 11th July, enjoying some fellowship at the same time whilst taking care to maintain social distancing. No prizes for guessing...
Well-being and the COVID-19 pandemic
The coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis means life has changed for all of us. It may cause us to feel anxious, stressed, worried, sad, bored, lonely, or frustrated.
If you’re finding things hard emotionally right now, you’re not alone.
Beatitudes for a global pandemic
We are sharing this video to help us remain hopeful and focus on what matters and those affected during the global pandemic.
Sailing the South Pacific during lock-down
Sailing the South Pacific - with Carole and Martin Elliott - a holiday cruise of a life-time blown off-course by the corona virus emergency We were so overwhelmed by people being concerned for our safe return from holiday this March that we decided we ought to let you...
Announcements
August 2020 letter
Dear Friends, It is hard to take decisions in these strange times, but the PCC has gathered good information from a questionnaire and has made new plans for August. From early July the government authorities have permitted church services of limited numbers and under...
Christian Communicare – help needed!
HOLMES CHAPEL CHRISTIAN COMMUNICARE - urgent need for volunteers 'Communicare' (full name Holmes Chapel & Area Christian Communicare), is our local voluntary transport service, taking patients to medical appointments when they can’t get there any other way. This...
2020 Revision of Church Electoral Roll – period extended
Because of the pandemic restrictions, our annual Church meetings need to be delayed until 25th October. However, the required annual revision of the Church Electoral Roll by the Parochial Church Council will still begin as already notified from Sunday 22nd March but the revision period will be extended until 10th October (15 days before the date of the delayed annual Church meetings).
Mothers’ Union – April 2020 Report
MU report - April 2020 Well, what a strange year! Our AGM meeting usually is in March to coincide with the financial year, but this year both Dorothy and I were going to be away for that meeting so we planned it for April. Little did we know that April wasn't going...
Genesis Update – 2nd May 2020
As you know, because of the public health restrictions, Church services and Genesis are now suspended and the church and hall buildings are now closed until further notice. We thought you would like to know what is going on using Zoom to keep our CHurch fellowship together and also to have some links to prayers and resources you can use in your families.