St Luke’s Church, Holmes Chapel
COVID-19 pandemic restrictions (revised 5th September)

• Restricted services of Holy Communion and opening of the church for individual private prayer continue on Sunday and Wednesday mornings during September
• Small funerals now possible in church   

The relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions on opening church buildings for worship (see detailed Church of England guidance) now enables safe access to St Luke’s for limited services of corporate worship and individual private prayer, subject to careful conditions being met. These include everyone entering the church following the instructions inside the church porch and on the service Link sheet about wearing a face-mask, using hand sanitiser and where to sit to maintain the required social distancing.  Congregational singing is still not permitted in church.

We have carried out a full Risk Assessment and are ensuring that the surfaces and door fittings etc. likely to have been contacted by people are carefully cleaned after each morning opening period. However, necessarily, we cannot eliminate all risks involved in coming into the church during the pandemic and individuals are advised to take special care, particularly with regard to the risk to others entering or already present in the building.

Government guidance still strongly recommends that people deemed to be at particular risk of severe disease from COVID-19, including the over-70s as well as those with serious underlying health conditions, should minimise their risk of infection by continuing to follow the current stay at home and social distancing guidance.

After consulting many of our parishioners, the Church Council decided to trial restricted services of Holy Communion at St Luke’s on Wednesdays (at 10.30am) and Sundays (at 9am) meeting the official conditions during August.  However, as St Luke’s is a relatively small church, it is necessary to restrict numbers attending to about 30 in all.

Following the success of the August trial, we have decided to continue limited services in church during September.

The church will remain open for individual private prayer until around midday after each Communion service has ended on Wednesday and Sunday mornings during August.  Unfortunately the church has to remain closed at other times after cleaning to ensure it remains virus free.

 

Our regular 10am Sunday service using Zoom will continue for parishioners with internet access – please contact secy@stlukesholmeschapel.uk if you need access details or help in joining in. Please also check our website and FaceBook page for support in your individual worship and personal prayer.

Summary situation (5th September):

• Services in St Luke’s church – restricted short Holy Communion service at 9am on Sundays and 10.30am on Wednesdays.
• Funeral Services in church – these are now possible on a small-scale – contact our vicar, Canon Rob McLaren for more information.  
• Access to St Luke’s for individual private prayer – now only possible after the services on Sundays and Wednesdays until around 12 noon.
• Church Hall – regrettably this will remain closed for all meetings and any hiring but the Church Council is carefully reviewing whether limited opening may be possible. 
• Zoom Sunday morning service  – this continues to be well attended and will continue (but at the later time of 10.30am) for parishioners with internet access.
• Zoom Morning Prayer services continue each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 9am and a Prayer meeting on Thursdays at 9.30am.
  [Note: Joining details for our Zoom meetings have been emailed to most of our parishioners but if you don’t have these and are local to Holmes Chapel, please contact secy@stlukesholmeschapel.uk ]
• Daily Bible readings for each week and links to other devotional materials are posted on our website and Facebook page.
• Housegroups and other Teaching Groups will be continuing through Zoom meetings – contact our vicar, Canon Rob McLaren, if you’d like to join one of these groups.
• Updates and notices will continue to be available through emails, our website and Facebook page.
• Parish Magazine – an interim electronic version is available through the website whilst printed copies are no longer produced.
• Our Prayer Network partners are keeping in contact by phone and socially distanced conversation with those parishioners without internet access.
• We continue to support village initiatives to help those affected during the emergency whilst complying with government movement and social distancing restrictions.

The continuing COVID-19 pandemic remains a challenge for us all but helps us remember that the Church is the people of God, not a building or a particular meeting.  We encourage you to keep trusting the Lord, spending time in the Bible (through which our soul is refreshed) and in prayer (presenting our requests to the heavenly Father who cares for us like a good shepherd).

Canon Rob McLaren – Vicar (tel. 01477 668695 or 07591 730255) email: vicar@stlukesholmeschapel.uk )

Alastair Cragg, Jayne Weaver – Churchwardens (email:  warden@stlukesholmeschapel.uk )