Dispersed Community Blog

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Update 17

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Afternoon Everyone,

In light of the restrictions announced yesterday evening and explained further this morning, I thought it would be helpful to let you know what’s happening at St. Michael’s.

The PCC Standing Committee have communicated via email this morning and agreed on our way forwards. Our understanding of the restrictions for Greater Manchester, which are echoed by the Diocese too, is that places of Worship can remain open, and this is because of all the work and changes that have been implemented to make our space and what we do ‘Covid Secure’.

The question that the Standing Committee have discussed has been ‘should we open even though we can open?’ We have decided that we will continue with reopening and resuming public worship this Sunday.

In my previous update I outlined the various steps we have taken to ensure our building and activity is as safe as possible which includes encouraging social distancing as much as possible. In my previous email I also mentioned that the Church of England strongly encourages worshippers and ministers to wear facemasks during worship. The Prime Minister in his press conference today has reinforced this view and has said that face masks will be compulsory from the 8th August.

When I finished university, Jess and I went on holiday with some friends to rural France and the book I took with me was Charles Dickens ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. I’m reminded of it now by the words:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Speaking personally, this seems to sum up quite well a lot of how I am feeling at the moment. I and others have and will continue to make St Michael's Church building as safe as possible for as many of you as possible to come and be present together to worship God. For those who feel its not quite safe, I completely understand, and for those who find the restrictions and requirements for face masks in the coming days difficult, I can understand your position too. I’m fed up of not being able to share community properly, but I am looking forwards to being able to get as close to that community feel as possible, by worshipping alongside many of you this Sunday, albeit from 2 metre distances.

For those that want to stay at home but still join in, I hope that our service will be streamed on our youtube channel at 10am. The link to our channel is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh8Ve25UiBfXwpdumWDod7Q?view_as=subscriber

Hebrews 6:19 states: ‘We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.’ The hope is Jesus Christ, and the love of God which binds us all together as brother and sisters in Christ. This love cannot be defeated by fear, or evil, or illness, and it is in this hope and love we move forwards together.

I look forwards to seeing some of you on Sunday,

With my prayers,

Calum

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Update 16 - Resuming Public Worship

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Good Evening!

I hope you are well and keeping safe. I promised to write again when I had more details about the resuming of public worship.

As I mentioned in my last email, from Sunday 2nd August 2020, public worship will resume within St. Michael’s Parish Church. Our pattern of services has been adjusted to allow for our reduced capacity. Services will take place at:

Sunday, 8am – Quiet Reflective Service (BCP on the 3rd Sunday of the Month)

Sunday, 10am – Traditional Service with recorded music

Sunday, 6.30pm – Contemporary Service with recorded music

Wednesday, 10.30am – Mixed Traditions with recorded music

To begin with, our capacity is at 36 people from 24 different households or bubbles. We are asking people to book to attend a service so that people don’t have to be turned away at the door. You can now book for services happening in the first 2 weeks of August. You will notice the number of tickets available is less than our capacity and this is to allow space for those not on the internet to be able to book in for a service. You can find the booking system on our website at https://www.bramhall.church/worship-1#

Following the first 2 Sundays, we will open the booking system for the following Sunday on the preceding Monday. So booking for Sunday 16th August will open on Monday 10th August. If you find all the tickets for the service you wish to attend have been taken by the time you get there, please email the office on office@bramhall.church or phone on 0161 439 3989 and your name will be added to a priority list to fill gaps and for the following week. You will be required to book each week, rather than making a block booking.

If you know of someone in our parish who is not on the internet, please can you forwards their name to Karen in the Parish Office, so that they can be contacted to see if they would like to attend a service.

To give you some reassurance about the safety of attending worship at St. Michaels the following things have been implemented or are being encouraged:

  • Hand Sanitizers have been installed near all doors and in the toilets and we are requesting people clean their hands on arrival and as they leave

  • Chairs have been spaced at the required social distance from each other

  • As part of the booking system we are asking for people’s contact details so that we adhere to the government Track and Trace Programme

  • The Church of England national guidance has been changed in the last couple of days to say face coverings are strongly encouraged for those attending worship.

  • Where possible the doors of the church will be left open throughout worship to help with air circulation

  • Large TV screens have been installed to project the liturgy so that prayer books are not having to be given out.

Holy Communion will be celebrated once on a Sunday and this will rotate around the different services, and it will be celebrated on alternate weeks at the midweek service. There will be a new system in place for the distribution of communion which will be explained during the relevant services. There will not be a communion service on Sunday 2nd August, because for many of you, there will be enough new things to process.

If you have any problems with booking to worship, or concerns about joining us for worship, please be patient, but also do get in touch. I do intend that some of our services will be streamed live to the internet, so that those who cannot attend in person, can still participate in some way. I’m still working out the technology on this one, so will tell you where you can watch this when I know myself.

Next week I intend to share daily reflections on why I think worshipping together as a church is important, and I am very much looking forward to worshipping alongside you again very soon.

With anticipation and excitement!

Calum

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Update 14 - Reopening for Worship

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Dear Friends,

I am pleased to announce today that on Sunday 2nd August 2020 public worship will resume at St. Michael and All Angels Parish Church. I have put together a video which explains how this will work, you can watch this video on our website, youtube channel and facebook. The youtube link is https://youtu.be/0VOxGIAc2yc.

From the 2nd August we will hold 4 services a week, each with a maximum capacity of 36 people from 24 different households. The complication in number is because in church, we have socially distanced the chairs, and some chairs are in doubles and some are in singles. Our service pattern will be as follows:

  • 8am – Largely unchanged from before lockdown. A quiet service using the liturgy of the BCP on the 3rd Sunday of the month

  • 10am – This will follow the same format as our online services and remain largely traditional.

  • 6.30pm – A slightly more contemporary service.

  • Wednesday 10.30am – Largely unchanged from before lockdown.

Regarding the celebration of Holy Communion, the PCC have agreed that Holy Communion will be celebrated once a week and that will rotate around the different service times. Holy Communion will only be offered in one kind and if you choose not to receive, that is completely acceptable.

Currently we are not allowed to sing, due to the potential dangers in the spread of infection through singing. We will play recorded music at most of our services for people to listen to. Public Health England are currently undertaking studies to see how dangerous singing is, and the Church of England have produced guidance on how we will reintroduce singing when it is appropriate.

 We will be asking everyone to continue to observe social distancing, and will be putting up more hand sanitisers around our building to aid with the cleaning of hands. Currently the government guidance is not insisting on the wearing of face masks (although this may change in the next few days), but if you wish to wear a face mask in church, that’s fine. We will also be installing 2 digital screens at the front of church, for the prayers and readings to appear on during the service, which will mean we don’t need to hand out bits of paper as you arrive.

Due to the limited number of people we can safely fit in our building, people will be required to book in to attend services, and there will be an online booking system on our website, which will be launched in the next couple of weeks. We will also prioritise space for those not on the internet, who wish to worship with us. Karen will be coming back to work on the 20th July to facilitate this system. If you know of people who aren’t on the internet, but would like to join our worship, please can your forward their name and phone number to office@bramhall.church.

There are still a few details and practicalities to work through in the coming weeks, but I am really excited and looking forwards to worshipping alongside many of you in the near future. I have felt a real sense of grief at not being able to worship in person as part of a community – and part of that is because it is an important part of what it means to be a Christian and the Church. I, the Churchwardens and the PCC are committed to ensuring St. Michael’s is as safe a place as possible, so that as many of you as possible can join us in worship once more. I look forwards to welcoming you back soon.

If you have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me,

Regards,

Calum

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Update 13

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Good Afternoon!

I hope you are well. I promised a further update on Sunday and its now Tuesday and I still haven’t sent it – sorry about that. Here’s a few updates for you.

Prime Minsters Statement

The Prime Minister has announced today that weddings and public worship can resume from the 4th July. As with all the decisions so far, the official Church of England guidance may take a couple of days to filter through. Whilst I am keen to resume public worship in our church building, I wont make any final decisions, and therefore announcements on this, until the PCC have met to discuss this. There is a PCC meeting scheduled for Thursday 9th July, so please be praying for your PCC members, as we will have various decisions to make about how we return to public worship.

Jess’ Licensing as Associate Minister of Stockport and Brinnington

On Monday 29th June, at 7.30pm, Jess will be licensed to her new post as Associate Minister for Stockport & Brinnington. Due to churches still being shut, this will take place virtually, and she would like to invite you to join her as she marks the beginning of this new ministry. The service will be led by the Bishop of Birkenhead and will take place on Zoom, the details of how to access this are as follows:

 Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83371997256

Young People Quiz the Bishop-Elect of Chester

This evening at 7pm the new Bishop of Chester will hold two virtual gatherings with selected young people from the diocese. Young people will have the opportunity to ask the Bishop questions and play a few games with him. I’m delighted that a member of our youth group – Georgia Watson, will be involved. You can watch this session at 7pm by either using the following link and info, or by watching on facebook.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82113668873

Webinar ID: 821 1366 8873

Open Church

The church remains open for private prayer between 9am and 12pm and 3pm and 6pm every day. In my original email I stated the guidance that I had been issued. Since then, the government have relaxed things, so the only guidance I will offer is, if you choose to come down to church, please clean your hands and observe social distancing. The judgment about whether it is safe for you or not, is in your hands.

Pastoral Care Network

As lockdown began we launched, rather quickly, a pastoral care network to keep in touch with people and support those in need. I am very thankful for the members of the church who have helped on this. The wardens and I conducted a review of this yesterday and will be making some changes in the next couple of weeks. In the short term we asked for help from members of the PCC. Going forwards we want this network to be part of how we offer pastoral care at St. Michaels. There will be a need to change some of the groups, and some  of the group leaders may not want to continue. As a result, if you would like to be involved with the Pastoral Care Network, whether you are a PCC member or not, please would you let me know. We reckon we will need around 25-30 group leaders to make the network effective.

Produce Table

Every year, Robert Cryer and others do a sterling job growing vegetables and selling them in aid of our Newala link. Unfortunately we have had to cancel all fundraising activities for the foreseeable future – but we weren’t able to stop the onions growing in the allotment. So from tomorrow there will be a produce table available in the foyer of the parish centre. If you would like some fresh veg, do pop down to see what’s there and make a donation in return for what you take. There will be some gloves available – please put on gloves before handling any veg – and do remember to wash it (both the veg and your hands) when you get home.

Grant from the Diocese

The diocese have recently cashed in an investment dating back to World War 2 and have made a grant to every parish in the diocese of £2000. This is very kind of the diocese and one of the things on the agenda for PCC next month is looking at how we spend this.

Congratulations

Finally, congratulations to Sally and Phil Harwood who celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and Fred and Doreen Donnan who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, both last week. None of them look old enough to have been married that long.

Thanks for taking time to read this email – Jess, Samuel and I hope you are well, and look forward to worshipping with you again, hopefully in the not too distant future.

God Bless,

Calum

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Update 12 - Your Parish Church is Open for Private Prayer

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Good Morning,

I’m pleased to confirm this morning that St Michaels Parish Church will reopen for private prayer today following government guidance and various changes to our building to make it as safe as possible. Whilst I hope many of you will find this helpful, I am required by the government guidance to encourage those who are considered vulnerable to continue to stay at home. This includes those who have a health condition and those over 70.

The church will be open for private prayer each day during the following times:

9am to 12pm

3pm to 6pm

you do choose to make use of St Michaels, unfortunately there is a list of do’s and don’ts that we have had to put in place.

  • If you have a continuous cough, a temperature, or loss of smell or taste please stay at home.

  • Please use the hand sanitizer to clean your hands on the way in and the way out.

  • Please observe social distancing of 2 metres.

  • In church, please only sit with someone from your household.

  • If you wish to light a candle in the prayer corner, please light the tealight from the main candle and replace it back into the sand.

  • If you wish to use a bible or prayer book, you will need to bring your own, and take it home with you.

The government and the Church of England have also said that small funerals can also now take place within the church. Before this happens though, further risk assessments will need to take place, which I hope will happen this week.

Attached are a number of resources you might find helpful in prayer. There is also the prayer labyrinth outside on the back field.

If you have any questions, concerns, or want to chat, please feel free to call.

Regards,

Calum

Daily Reflection - 1st May

Every day this week Calum is going to be highlighting a charity as part of the 2.6 campaign to support charities through the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Today in his daily reflection Calum spoke about 3 charities.

1- Age UK. They are working to supporting many elderly and housebound folk around the country. They are delivering food packages, providing advice over the phone and contacting those in isolation to make sure they are ok.

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/

2- Christian Against Poverty. This national charity supports those stuck in the cycle of debt and provides them with a means to get out of debt and get their lives back on a good footing.

https://capuk.org/

3- Wellspring Stockport. This is a local charity supporting the homeless in and around Stockport who might more vulnerable than ever before. They also support those who are at risk of being made homeless, especially during this crisis.

https://thewellspring.co.uk/

Daily Reflection - 23rd May - Thy Kingdom Come Novena - Day 2

Every day this week Calum is going to be highlighting a charity as part of the 2.6 campaign to support charities through the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Today in his daily reflection Calum spoke about Tearfund and in particular their Tap Twinning Project. We have the privileged of access to clean water, in many places around the world this isn’t the case. A major part of the strategy for fighting Covid-19 has been through good hygiene. There are places in the world where this isn’t possible, and if it is, there might not be the education in place to support it. Tearfund is working to change this through their Tap Twinning Project.

https://www.toilettwinning.org/tap-twinning/

Daily Reflection - 27th April

Every day this week Calum is going to be highlighting a charity as part of the 2.6 campaign to support charities through the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Today in his daily reflection Calum spoke about The Children's Society. They work with vulnerable children right across the UK supporting them for as long as you need. You can find out more about them on their website!

https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/