Coronavirus

A letter from the bishops

As you know, the government lifted pandemic restrictions from 19 July. Whilst welcomed by many, this has also caused apprehension for many others. Emergence was always going to prove challenging as responsibility would shift from edict to local choice.

It is evident from communication I and my colleagues are getting that there is anxiety around about our current uncertainties and where responsibility lies for elements of responding to the relaxation of these pandemic restrictions. This focuses particularly where there is a dispute between those who wish to “go back to normal now” and those who are more cautious amid the ongoing risks and uncertainties ahead.

Responsibility for decisions about local arrangements will fall on the incumbent and PCC. We urge you to move slowly, step by step, being careful to love your neighbour and seek to protect the vulnerable. In particular, we urge that you continue to receive Communion as we have done for the last eighteen months while we monitor change and public health risk. It is not clear that we are on an ever-rising trajectory to ‘freedom’; people on all sides of the political divides are worried about further restrictions or lockdowns in the autumn and winter, and that will be harder to manage than taking it slowly now.

In his letter to the church in Philippi Paul urges his readers to “look not only to your own interests, but to the interests of others” (2:4). This means possibly sacrificing our own ‘rights’ on the altar of other people’s needs.

Please consider also the particular pressures upon clergy and lay leaders at this time as they seek to do what is right and (pastorally) best for all. Uncertainty is always difficult to navigate; we need to hold together as we do it.

Your bishops and their colleagues pray for you. Your archdeacons and area deans are ready to support you in your decision making. But, in all things be patient, kind and generous as we seek to be faithful to Christ and to one another in the months ahead.

In Christ who set our pattern.

The bishops of Leeds, Kirkstall, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Ripon and Bradford

An update on worship during the latest lockdown

Worshipping in-person

During this time of national lockdown we have temporarily suspended all acts of public worship at St Mary’s. We ask everyone to play their part in controlling this ongoing pandemic by following all official advice and remaining at home wherever possible.

This is not a choice we take lightly, and we will regularly review our decision and re-open to worship – with some restrictions – as soon as we believe it is safe to do so.

Join us for worship online

You can join us in worship online every Sunday from 10.00 am by visiting whitkirkchurch.org.uk/live, or catch up later at any time in the week. These services are streamed live from St Mary’s and include prayers, readings, hymns and a sermon.

If you can’t get online you can also call us on 0113 467 6777 to hear the services over the phone, or listen to our services by podcast, by searching for “St Mary’s Church, Whitkirk”. Services over the phone and podcast may be delayed by a few days.

Baptisms, weddings and funerals

We are able to hold services such as baptisms, weddings and funerals with limited attendance. If you want to speak to us about one of these services please email [email protected] or call 0113 264 5790.

Stay up to date

You can sign up for our weekly email newsletter at whitkirkchurch.org.uk/notices-email.

You can find us on social media – we’re /whitkirkchurch on Facebook, @stmaryschurch on Twitter, and @whitkirkchurch on Instagram.

For full details of what we’ve been doing during the Coronavirus outbreak you can see our website at whitkirkchurch.org.uk/coronavirus.

Get in touch

If you want to get in touch with us about anything we’re always here for you. You can email [email protected] or give us a ring on 0113 264 5790, or for more ways to get in touch see our website at whitkirkchurch.org.uk/contact.

To all parishes in the Diocese of Leeds

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are living through challenging and extraordinary times. The church, committed to the real world and the communities in which we are set, has continued to worship and serve despite the restrictions. Given the nature of the virus, it will be some time before we emerge into something resembling ‘normality’. We have to be clear and honest about that.

Thank you for both the remarkable ways you have continued to be the church … in the world … even if the buildings had to be closed for a long time. I want to say one or two things to encourage you, building on material you might have seen on the diocesan website or had passed to you from letters I have written to the clergy.

Inhabiting the Scriptures

Lockdown and our attempts to innovate ways of worshipping together have been experienced by many as a sort of ‘exile’. In the Old Testament prophets (such as Isaiah) we see people exiled to a strange land where nothing is familiar. All that shaped their life and worship had been stripped away. They lamented the loss of their familiar life (and what this said about God and them); they tried to come to terms with the present realities; and they then began to look forward to shaping a different future.

This time in our life enables us to re-read the biblical experience afresh – so much of the Bible was written by and for people whose normality was uncertainty and fragility. This also accords with the daily experience of most Christians around the world, including those in our link dioceses in Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania and Pakistan. Let’s not waste the opportunity to learn anew how to live with uncertainty, aware of our own limitations and fragility.

Being the church

The Church of England has a unique vocation in and for England: we are committed to particular places. We are called to pray for those in our parishes, to be the answer to our prayers when appropriate, to love and serve those in need, to care for the sick and to support those who mourn, and reach out with the good news of God’s grace. We have been doing all this – and will continue to do so into the future. We know we are not always strong, but God is and we trust in him … whatever comes our way.

Emergence

We don’t know what the future church might look like in every place, but we do have a role in shaping it. There will be things we need to let go of and new ways of being that are being discovered or yet to be discovered. We will emerge at different paces over the coming months and care needs to be taken over how and when we open our buildings and hold onto the new forms we have learned recently. Church House is providing detailed and digested guidance at every step, but your archdeacon and area bishop are there to be consulted for any support as we move forward.

Encouragement and challenge

I mainly want to thank and encourage you. We will face big questions – nationally as well as in our diocese – about finance and buildings, threats and opportunities. But, as a diocese we are confident and well set up to face these. Indeed, we have been doing just this since our creation in April 2014; so, this isn’t a new challenge. You can be confident that we will deal with the challenges of the months ahead with confidence in God, confidence in the Gospel, confidence in our clergy and lay leaders, confidence in our unique vocation as a church to worship and serve God together.

So, be encouraged. Use the resources available to you in the diocese and parish. Pray simply and hopefully, knowing that God is never surprised.

And please be assured of the prayers of your bishops and archdeacons, the deans and area deans, our lay staff at Church House and all who are committed to you. May God bless you in all you are and do. I look forward to the time when we can be together again, physically and in person.

In Christ.

Rt Revd Nick Baines
Bishop of Leeds

An update on reopening our buildings

As businesses up and down the country begin to reopen, many churches are working towards doing the same. Here at St Mary’s we’re eager to open for worship, services and prayer once again, but our first concern is the safety of everyone who enters our buildings. For this reason taking things slower to make sure we’re doing them properly and at the right time.

At the moment we remain closed for all services – including weddings and funerals – as well as for private prayer. We are working hard to find ways to gradually reopen both our church building and Community Centre to as many people as possible, and we’ll be sharing our plans in due course.

We have no plans at the moment to stop providing our online and telephone services, meaning even after we begin to reopen you won’t need to attend in-person to join our worship. If you are currently shielding or self-isolating we continue to recommend you follow all official advice, and encourage you to get in touch if there are ways we can help.

Please continue to share your thoughts and comments with us, as well as join us online each Sunday and through the week.

— The Coronavirus Management Team

The Church continues to be alive and active, but our buildings must close

We are seeing a huge increase in the number of people falling sick with COVID-19. We must distance ourselves from one another and prevent the spread of infection in order to save lives.

Therefore, as well as public worship being suspended, St Mary’s Church, Whitkirk and all church buildings in the Church of England are now closed for all services and prayer.

Our worship of God and our care for each other continue but cannot be done in the church building.

Our website contains details of how to join others online for prayer, worship, study, and community life.

The vicar can be contacted in an emergency by telephoning 0113 264 5790 or emailing [email protected]. Churchwardens may be contacted in an emergency on 07929 127190 or 07554 442788, or by emailing [email protected].

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength… Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

To protect the vulnerable amongst us, please do not leave your home except for essential trips.

What we’re doing during the coronavirus outbreak

Download this latest update as a PDF

This week has been both turbulent and challenging, with many fast-changing pieces of advice and with many people suddenly finding themselves doing new things outside of their comfort zone.

The team here at St Mary’s have been busy putting together a clear explanation of what we’re doing over the coming weeks and months, which you can find below.

We hope that this answers most of your questions regarding what is happening at Whitkirk. If you have others then please don’t hesitate to ask us. We can’t promise to have the answer, but we can promise you that we are doing everything we can to continue our work and to support everyone in our congregation and beyond.

With our love and prayers,

— The Coronavirus Management Team

Continue reading “What we’re doing during the coronavirus outbreak”

Update on our response to the coronavirus pandemic

In light of the recent advice from Public Health England around social meetings, we have taken the decision to cancel our planned Wednesday morning Eucharist service this week, on the 18 March.

We are working closely with the Diocese of Leeds and constantly reviewing official advice, and will be posting a further update on all our services and meetings as soon as the immediate situation has been clarified. In the meantime we continue to recommend people follow the advice around avoiding unnecessary travel or contact with others, and to self-isolate if they or others in their household are suffering from the symptoms of coronavirus.

We know that this may be a difficult or worrying time for many, and we want to reassure you that everyone at St Mary’s is dedicated to supporting the whole community in any way that we can. If you or anyone else you know would like to talk to us about anything – even if it’s just to say hello – please get in touch.

You can always find the latest information on our response to coronavirus on our website at whitkirkchurch.org.uk/coronavirus.

Managing Coronavirus (COVID-19) at St. Mary’s Church, Whitkirk

Dear friends,

As you all know the last few days have seen a significant increase in England of those being diagnosed with Coronavirus.

Our Bishop, Nick, wrote to all the clergy of the diocese on Monday both to advise us of the seriousness of the situation and what we might do as churches to limit its impact.

Therefore, having discussed the matter with the Standing Committee of our PCC we have agreed to take the following steps based on the current advice being issued.

  • Place (when available) alcohol hand wash at the entrance to the church, on the credence table and in the sacristy
  • Refrain from sharing ‘a sign of peace’ with a handshake
  • Refrain from intinction (or dipping) the wafer into the wine

At present the common cup has not been suspended therefore it is possible to receive the sacrament in both kinds. However, those who prefer may just receive communion in one kind.

Whilst this may seem an overly cautious response, we need to take seriously the advice we have been given and act accordingly.

I hope that you will understand the need to take this course of action.

With love and prayers,

— Matthew Peat, Vicar