Parish Church of St Luke Holmes Chapel
Come to Christ, Love to Learn, Learn to Love!
News about opening of St Luke’s
The church is open for individual private prayer from 9am to 12 noon Monday-Wednesday.
We are weighing up how and when we can resume some services of communal worship.
Official relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions on opening churches, has enabled us to allow limited safe access to St Luke’s for individual private prayer, subject to careful conditions being met. These conditions 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.
Recent further relaxation of restrictions by the authorities 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 two metre social distancing requirement will severely limit the maximum number who can attend. We are looking at how small services such as midweek communion meeting the official conditions might be safely conducted in St Luke’s and consulting about the likely attendance before deciding how and when to proceed further.
Our regular 10am Sunday service using Zoom continues 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 July 12th: 5th after Trinity
Today’s Bible readings are:
- Philippians 1.19-30
- Matthew 13.1-9, 18-23
This Sunday whilst St Luke’s remains closed for corporate worship, we are still able to join in worship together in our virtual service of Morning Prayer starting at 10am through an internet Zoom meeting.
Before the service why not watch the short video recorded by our vicar Rob McLaren. This week he introduces the third of the series of addresses for July and August when we are studying St Paul’s letter to the Philippians.
The service will start at 10am in a Zoom meeting and last about 30 minutes. It will be followed at 10.45am 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.
If you plan to join the service, please start your Zoom login five minutes or so before 10am so that we can begin on time.
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
- The Bible readings for Monday 13th – Sunday 19th July are shown below.
- On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday starting at 9am we will hold our regular shortened Morning Prayer service through Zoom.
- Also on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday between 9am and 12 noon, St Luke’s Church building will be open for individual private prayer – see Noticeboard for further information about conditions of access.
- On Thursday at 9.30am why not join us for half an hour in our Special Prayer service, again through Zoom.
Note: the Zoom joining details are the same as for the Sunday service – again let us know if you do not have them and would like to join in.
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: 13th - 19th July
Monday 13th July: Psalm 98, 1 Samuel 1.1-20, Luke 19.28-40
Tuesday 14th: Psalm 106, 1 Samuel 1.21–2.11, Luke 19.41-end
Wednesday 15th: Psalm 111, 1 Samuel 2.12-26, Luke 20.1-8
Thursday 16th: Psalm 115, 1 Samuel 2.27-end, Luke 20.9-19
Friday 17th: Psalm 139, 1 Samuel 3.1–4.1a, Luke 20.20-26
Sunday 19th, Trinity 6: Psalm 139 1-11,23-24, Philippians 2.1-11, Matthew 13.24-30,36-43
Praying Together
Praying Together at Ascension & Pentecost @St Luke’s, Holmes Chapel – to help you in your personal worship.
You can download it for printing through the link in read more.
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.
The Rt Revd Mark Tanner to be confirmed as the 41st Bishop of Chester on Wed 15th July
The Rt Revd Mark Tanner, currently Suffragan Bishop of Berwick in Northumberland, will be confirmed as Bishop of Chester at 11am on Wed 15th July. At that point Bishop Mark legally becomes the Bishop of Chester, although he is not expected to take up his public duties until September.
Everyone is welcome to watch the service, which will be broadcast entirely online due to Covid-19 restrictions – https://www.chester.anglican.org/news/confirmation-of-election-service.php .
The service will include music from Chester Cathedral’s Nave Choir, a reading and prayers from young people in the diocese, and the new Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell will give the address. Prayers will be offered for Bishop Mark, the Diocese of Chester, the Northern Province of the Church of England, and for our country, as well as for the wider world.
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.
The virus and Easter
A poem by By Kristi Bothur
Twas late in ‘19 when the virus began, Bringing chaos and fear to all people, each land.
People were sick, hospitals full, Doctors overwhelmed, no one in school.
As winter gave way to the promise of spring, The virus raged on, touching peasant and king.
People hid in their homes from the enemy unseen, They YouTubed and Zoomed, social-distanced, and cleaned.
April approached and churches were closed, “There won’t be an Easter,” the world supposed.
“There won’t be church services, and egg hunts are out, No reason for new dresses when we can’t go about.”
Announcements
June 2020 letter
Dear Friends,
‘When we are up, we are up. When we are down, we are down. When we are only half-way up, we are neither up nor down.’
It’s about the Grand Old Duke of York’s men, but it could be about our mental wellbeing.
For lots of us, life is a series of ups and downs. And presently quite a lot of us are feeling down. It’s not surprising, given our circumstances, but it is concerning. We want to keep going and keep praying. Where can we look for help?
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MU Evening Meeting Tuesday 11th February
The speaker was Pat Riches – an old friend and member of the branch – she came to talk about the Sycamore Tree Course. Pat is a volunteer on the Sycamore Tree Course at Thorn Cross Prison. The Course is faith led and all the sessions are based on the story of Zaccheus,
Genesis update: 4th April 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. Further updates about the restrictions and how the Church plans to adapt during the virus pandemic can be accessed via the church website.