St Luke’s Church, Holmes Chapel
COVID-19 pandemic restrictions (updated 4th July)

• Limited reopening of the church for individual private prayer – Monday-Wednesday mornings
• Small funerals now possible in church   
• Resumption of other small services in church under consideration

Following recent relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions on opening churches (see detailed Church of England guidance here), it is now possible to allow limited safe access to St Luke’s Church for individual private prayer, subject to careful conditions being met. These include everyone entering the church following the written instructions inside the church porch as to the use of hand sanitiser, where to sit, and maintaining the Government guidance on Social Distancing.  St Luke’s church will now be open for individual private prayer between 9 am and 12 noon each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

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.

The relaxation in restrictions also means that small funerals can now take place in church, subject to restrictions on numbers attending – please contact our vicar, Canon Rob McLaren, for more information.

The latest relaxation of restrictions by the authorities also permits certain other services to resume in church buildings, but only subject to strict conditions including social distancing being met and after a comprehensive risk assessment.   However, St Luke’s is a relatively small church and keeping to the current two metre social distancing requirement will severely limit the maximum number who can attend.  We are actively looking at how small services such as midweek communion meeting the official conditions might safely be resumed in St Luke’s and consulting about the likely support from parishioners before deciding how and when to proceed further.

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.

Current situation – until further notice:

• St Luke’s Church remains closed except for individual private prayer and small funerals – please contact our vicar, Canon Rob McLaren, for further information on restrictions.
• All other services and use of St Luke’s church remain suspended, including Sunday and Wednesday services, weddings and baptisms, and face to face meetings and discipleship groups, but relaxation of this suspension is under active consideration subject to meeting official guidance and our own local risk assessment.
• The Church Hall continues to be closed for all meetings and any hiring.
• Our regular 10am Sunday service using Zoom continues for parishioners with internet access
• Morning Prayer Zoom meetings 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 are continuing through Zoom meetings – contact our vicar, Canon Rob McLaren, if you’d like to join one of these groups.
• Updates and notices continue to be available through emails, our website and Facebook page.
• An interim electronic version of the Parish Magazine 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.

This remains a continuing 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 )