This is UPDATE #3
(26/03/2020) regarding our response across the Parish of St
Peter-in-the-Forest, Walthamstow, to the COVID-19 virus pandemic.
Our aim in issuing these updates is to
reassure parishioners that we are taking every step to ensure the safety and
wellbeing of all our parishioners and neighbours.
We continue to follow the advice given
by the Church of England nationally, and also locally from the Diocese of
Chelmsford, and also from HM Government and the NHS/Public Health England.
These updates will be issued as
necessary.
Worship
In light of the Government guidance
around non-essential contact, the Bishop of Chelmsford, in partnership with
Bishops in other Dioceses, has directed that as of 6pm on Sunday 22 March 2020
ALL CHURCHES
(BUILDINGS) ARE NOW CLOSED
in Chelmsford Diocese until further notice.
Following the Prime Minister’s
directing of a national LOCKDOWN, Marriages and Baptisms are suspended; Funerals
may continue but with different arrangements being put in place. Please contact
the Parish Office via email (spitfE17@gmail.com) or the Vicar on 07871584997 for more
information.
Morning Prayer is being livestreamed
by the Vicar, on our Facebook Page, each day (Monday through Saturday),
9.30am.
Evening Prayer and Night Prayer are
also being offered most evenings, courtesy of Bernard Eaton (LLM) and Sally
Holman (LLM-in-formation)
Sunday Parish Eucharist is being
livestreamed at 10.00am, each Sunday whilst these social restrictions obtain.
Please visit us on https://www.facebook.com/pg/StPeterE17/
If you cannot join the prayers live,
they can be viewed from the archive.
All are welcome. All the time…
Prayer
All parishioners are encouraged to use
the prayer resources of the Church of England each day:
Or
Information about Spiritual Communion
may be found here:
Or
Ministries and
Activities
All of our different ministries,
activities, and classes are also suspended with immediate effect, until further
notice.
The Parish Office
The Parish Office is now closed but email
messages will continue to be picked up until further notice. There may be a
delay in responding to telephone messages. The Parish office email address is spitfE17@gmail.com
The Vicar can be reached more directly
at vicar@stpeterintheforest.org
Pastoral Care
Various folk are making themselves available
to help support those who are ill or self -isolating in appropriate ways.
Please do contact the Parish Office or the Vicar if you would like support or
help.
Please also contact the Parish Office
if you would like to be put in touch with a member of our congregations and do
not have their contact details. We may be able to contact them on your behalf
and gain their consent to share their contact details.
For Last Rites, ministry around the
time of death, and any guidance on drawing up funeral plans, please contact the
Vicar in the first instance on 07871584997 or vicar@stpeterintheforest.org. The Vicar
is also able to keep any funeral plans securely on file in the Parish Office.
Death is a natural part of life and it
is good for all of us to think about this and to plan for it. Surviving relatives can also be enormously
grateful for any plans that their lost loved ones have already kindly put in
place.
Governance
The Ministry team have put together a
Contingency Plan for the Parish which has now been approved by the PCC Standing
Committee, so that we know who is responsible for each part of parish life and
who takes over in the event of illness. This plan is made up of a detailed
document that covers the areas of infrastructure, communication, worship,
pastoral care, community activity and finance. The Standing Committee and PCC
is continuing to operate effectively with decisions being taken electronically
and meetings taking place online.
Peterhouse Centre
The Centre is now wholly closed, except
in exceptional circumstances (as it may obtain to the care of key workers and
their families, or in matters concerning major emergency contingency).
Community
Information
Please remember to check on the
wellbeing of your neighbours, and any people who are particularly vulnerable at
this time and please help us to do the same.
Financial
Information
The Parish has recently taken steps to
minimise all but necessary expenditure while our services and regular
activities are not running. However, we do have significant fixed expenses to
cover and if you would like to support the Parish at this time, we are grateful
to accept donations to help us meet our financial obligations.
Donations can be made by one-off bank
transfers, or by setting up a standing order.
The parish’s current account details
are as follows:
Name of Bank: The Co-operative Bank
Address of Bank: PO Box 250, Delf
House, Southway, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT
Account Name: PCC of St Peter in the
Forest Walthamstow
Sort Code: 08-92-99
Account Number: 65621822
APCM and
Electoral Roll Revision
More information will be shared as
soon as it has been received from the Diocese.
Communications
We will communicate to parishioners
via these bulletins, through social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and Facebook),
through the Vicar’s Blog (http://e17churchintheforest.blogspot.com/) and through paper notices on our church
doors and noticeboards.
We are also working, at speed, to
create and launch a new parish website.
We will inform you when this is live and operational…
More information
The Standing Committee and the PCC of
St Peter-in-the-Forest will respond quickly and decisively to this rapidly
changing situation.
We are very blessed in having such
strong support from our dedicated Staff Team, Volunteers, Church Wardens, PCC
and Congregations.
Fr Paul Trathen,
Vicar, St Peter-in-the-Forest, Walthamstow
26th March
2020
Prayer
A prayer about the Coronavirus outbreak:
Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy
in this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may rejoice in your comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your
love
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
For those in isolation:
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.
For those who are ill:
Merciful God,
we entrust to your unfailing and tender care,
those who are ill or in pain,
knowing that whenever danger threatens
your everlasting arms are there to hold us
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.
A Prayer for when you can’t get to church:
Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your disciples,
‘I am with you always’.
Be with me today, as I offer myself to you.
Hear my prayers for others and for myself,
and keep me in your care.
Amen.
A prayer for the World:
God of love and hope,
You made the world and care for all creation.
But the world feels strange right now.
The news is full of stories about Coronavirus.
Many people are anxious because of it.
Many people are anxious that they might get
ill.
Many people are anxious about their family and
friends.
Be with them in their worries and help them to
find some peace.
We pray for the doctors and nurses and
scientists who are working to discover the right medicines to give hope to
those who are ill.
Thank you that even in these strange and
worrying times, you are with us.
Help us to look for the signs of your goodness
and love towards us. Amen.
