As you will have no doubt seen, the government have announced that churches can re-open their doors for public worship from 4th July. This is great news and I am really excited about being able to meet again in church and to begin to use our new and improved building! I can’t wait to see you all again! We still have a bit to do to ensure that when we do open the doors we can be confident that we have done all we can to ensure your safety. We also have some work to complete with regards to the re-ordering i.e. fixtures and fittings and working out how to make best use of the building.
It is with this in mind that we are proposing to hold our first services back in church on Sunday 19th July.
There will be 3 Sunday morning services on this day.
- 9am Common Worship Morning Prayer (traditional service)
- 10.30am Contemporary Service
- 12pm Contemporary Service
Attendance at these services will be carefully managed. People will be asked to inform us which service they wish to attend by booking through the website, or by phoning the vicarage (More details on this are below). Unfortunately, we are not able to offer creche facilities or Sunday School at this stage. Our wardens will be on hand to welcome you to church and a queuing system will be in operation. Once inside church, you will be ushered to your seats. At the end of the service, you will be asked to follow a sequenced exit strategy meaning there are no accidental ‘gatherings’ breaking the social distancing guidelines.
Sadly, we will not be sharing in refreshments after the services and we would ask that you respectfully leave the church without stopping to chat to others, therefore allowing us to prepare the church for the next service. Inside church there will be hand sanitizer stations should you wish to avail yourselves of these. We would ask that the toilets are only used in an emergency situation and after each use, you will be asked to follow the cleaning directions displayed. (all resources for this will be provided).
In between each service, we will have a team of people to sanitize door handles etc. and we will swap the used chairs for fresh ones.
At this stage, the singing of hymns/songs is still not permitted– but we will have live music played. All liturgy/words will be displayed on the big screen, meaning no papers/books or leaflets will be handed out.
We are unable to partake in Holy Communion or sharing of the peace. We will also not be able to hold Baptism services until such time as we are allowed. If you wish to wear face coverings, gloves etc you will need to provide your own.
How to ‘book’ your place:
There are two ways to book your place at any of the three services.
1. Visit the church website; https://stann.es/tickets
Firstly, click on ‘Select a date’, then choose which of the 3 services you would like to attend on that date. Click on “Tickets”, then using the drop-down arrow select the number required and click ‘Register’. (note: this page shows you how many spaces are left for the selected service). We are using a piece of software called Eventbrite to run this booking system. The software uses the word ‘ticket’ and has ‘£’ signs in place. PLEASE NOTE TICKETS ARE COMPLETELY FREE – THERE IS NO PAYMENT.
After booking, you will receive an email notification with a print out ticket. You will need to bring this to church with you (or on your phone) to show to the wardens.
2. Phone the Vicarage on 0151 727 1101, informing which service you require, on which date and how many seats.
I realise this all sounds very direct and I feel very awkward writing this letter! However, for the time being this is the best solution we can come up with! Please bear with us as we adapt and find our feet.
I know many people are excited and itching to get back to church, but I am very aware many people feel very cautious and anxious about this return which I completely understand. There are those who need to shield and those who are looking after others who need to shield. Please do not feel under any pressure, we completely respect everybody’s individual decision and look forward to welcoming you back to church when you are good and ready!
With love and prayers
Ian