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Dear Friends,
Sometimes it seems a week cannot possibly have passed since I last emailed you all, however, I am assured it has! I hope it has been a good week for you and all is as well as possible.
We now, just, have guidance on the wearing of masks for public worship, which taken directly from the C of E website is:
"This guidance is to help ministers and their congregations to understand the current advice on wearing face coverings, and how this applies in churches. This advice is reflected in the specific Government guidance for conducting various worship services within enclosed spaces such as church buildings.
1. Q. Should I wear a face covering in a church building?
A. ".................. People are also encouraged to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces where there are people they do not normally meet, such as a place of worship.
We strongly advise that face coverings should be worn by all those attending a place of worship, including ministers, worshippers, staff, volunteers, contractors and visitors, where there may be other people present; remembering that they are mainly intended to protect other people, not the wearer, from coronavirus COVID-
The italicized element is the C of E website, highlighted mine. As always up to date information can be found on the C of E website .
As hopefully all now know our churches may now be open for private prayer and public worship, subject of course to the measures which are now common place throughout society -
Likewise, the Occasional Offices of Funerals, Marriage and Baptism may now take place subject to guidance about safe protocols and precautions -
For us in our Benefice our current arrangements remain
LEE BROCKHURST.
Church open 08:00 to 16:00 Sundays for private prayer
We are waiting out for the optimum time for public worship to restart, significantly I will be meeting with the Church Wardens at the start of this coming week
WESTON.
Church remaining closed for the time being
Public worship will resume with Holy Eucharist at 09:30 on Sun 2 Aug, Communion will be in one kind and there will be no singing nor refreshments following the service -
WEM.
Church open 09:00 to 15:00 Mon and Fri (not Mon to Fri)
Sunday Worship:
08:00. Holy Eucharist
09:45. Holy Eucharist
In both cases Communion will be in one kind and at the 09:45 there will be no singing nor refreshments following the service – other precautions are safely in place
Quite rightly Bishop Michael has reminded us that: 'there may be nervousness due to the continued, and real, threat of coronavirus which has had such a devastating impact in our communities'. This applies to individuals as well as church communities and no one should feel under any pressure at the present time to restart church attending, it would be wonderful to see everyone again, but..............there will come a time to do this safely.
ON-
0800. The Eucharist (traditional language)
1030. Choral Eucharist for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity
OR
Access the C of E website to find details of this week's service which you can also watch during the week, it is available from 09:00.
These have provided a consistently prayerful, stimulating and devotional thread in such a wide variety of settings and with thoughtful themes taking us to the heart of the Gospel: please go to -
THIS SUNDAY on BBC
Radio Four: 08:10. 'Great is Thy Faithfulness'. A service preparing for a 'Virtually Keswick' Convention. The theme is hope -
BBC 1: 13:15. Songs of Praise. 'Crosby Beach.' The Rev Kate Bottley visits Crosby Beach celebrating the 15th anniversary of the iron men statues created by the artist Anthony Gormley; speaking to local Christians inspired by the statues to create their own artworks, meeting Crossbeats who helped bring contemporary Christian music to the Uk and visiting a prayer centre in the heart of a National Trust conservation area.
Please find attached the readings and a Homily for this Sunday (courtesy of Redemptorist publications). Your 🦖 Rector is very grateful to Mike F and Bob D for unravelling the now monthly mail-
Also find attached the Diocesan and our Local Prayer Diary.
PARISH MAGAZINE
We will be having an Aug edition (on-
Next Sat 1 Aug is LAMMAS DAY
Lammas or ‘Loaf-
The Blessing for Lammastide is:
May God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the source of all goodness and growth,
pour his blessing upon all things created,
and upon you his children,
that you may use his gifts to his glory and the welfare of
all peoples
May this blessing be our guide throughout the coming week and mold our actions so we may be a people of Hope and a blessing to others in our Benefice and wherever else the coming week takes us -
Keep safe and take care, have the best week you possibly can,
Nick
N P Heron
Rector of Wem, Lee Brockhurst and Weston-
01939 232550
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Dear Friends,
I'm very grateful to both Bob Dibben and Mike Farmer coming to my 'rescue'(!) apropos the Redemptorist Reading sheets. As I know many of you use these not only on the Sun but as a reference point at some time during the week please find attached the sheet for tomorrow.
This also gives me the chance to tell you about the on-
Suffering is not the final word
Students from Eastern Region Ministry Course (ERMC) and Ridley Hall in Cambridge and St Hild College in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, will explore what it means to minister through the Covid-
This may be helpful not only for those as yet unable to resume Sunday worship but also for others as it is accessible during the week and along with all the last month's C of E on-
The Diocesan Prayer Diary is still unavailable for this week, which is a great surprise, neither is there any news re face masks in church which is less of a surprise.
Trust you are still well and that this typically English Summer day with wonderfully gorgeous sun and prospect of a drought was not too much for you. :-
Take care, stay safe,
Nick
N P Heron
Rector of Wem, Lee Brockhurst and Weston-
01939 232550
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Dear Friends,
A happy Patronal Feast day to you all.
Please find attached the Parish Mag for Jul.
Hope this finds you well and adapting the vagaries in our 'Summer' weather!
Take care,
Nick
N P Heron
Rector of Wem, Lee Brockhurst and Weston-
01939 232550
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Dear Friends,
I trust this finds you well and in good heart. Some important news about the resuming of Public Worship and what this means across our Benefice, details of services available through various outlets for this coming Sun the Fourth Sunday after Trinity and some very sad news and details particularly for Wem Parish.
Firstly though a reiteration of church opening, at the moment, for our Benefice, which is:
Lee: Sundays 0800 to 1600
Weston: Remaining closed
Wem: Mondays and Fridays 0900 to 1500
This pattern has been chosen carefully to reflect the different parishes and more than anything ensures that we keep ourselves and others as safe as we can during this stage of things -
"You will need to take into account what is appropriate for you, your church and your local community as you consider the best way to respond. Above all, you will want to ensure that churches which re-
More detail has now been published regarding the further relaxation of government restrictions on places of worship, for ourselves this means:
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For each type of service we will follow the guidance we have been given and thus do all we can to minimise risk and ensure a safe environment to resume our worship, something we are (doubtless) all yearning for. However, quite understandably, there will be some who will prefer to wait for a while and others for whom a return to public worship is not yet wise -
Both Church and governmental guidance reiterate the need for caution for those 'vulnerable' and the current situation for those 'shielding'. From my perspective, as your Rector, I really wish to stress that whilst it would be lovely to see all return to worship if in your case this is not wise then you should not do so -
Last week Bishop Michael wrote to all ministers in his Diocese:
"This is a significant step on the journey out of lockdown for our churches which I welcome. For many it will bring a sense of relief – that they will again be able to worship together in the building they call ‘home’, or get married in church.
“For others, there may be nervousness due to the continued, and real, threat of coronavirus which has had such a devastating impact in our communities. That is why there will be no pressure for churches to open their buildings on 4 July or until they are ready. Each minister or church will want to take into account their local circumstances in deciding how and when to respond.
“When buildings do re-
What +Michael says for churches and their decisions applies equally to each of us personally and what he says specifically about churches and the resuming worship means for us:
St Luke's Weston will wait, for a short while before reopening, looking probably to the beginning of August for this.
SS Peter & Paul's Wem will resume worship on Sun 12 July with a Eucharist at the previous times of 08:00 and 09:45.
St Peter's Lee will, as Weston, wait for a short while, again looking to a resuming in August
Whether Wem on 12 Jul or Lee and Weston soon, for each church our Bishop is so correct in reminding us that it will not be 'church as normal' due to physical distancing and other covid related precautions. At present we are still following the 2m rule in churches (as indeed elsewhere without mitigating factors). As long as we have the situation where some are unable to attend due to prevailing risks I will keep sending out news and details of on-
THIS SUNDAY: as said, is the Fourth After Trinity .
Please find attached the readings and a Homily for this Sunday (courtesy of Redemptorist publications).
LICHFIELD CATHEDRAL -
08:00 -
10:30 -
OR
Access the C of E website to find details of this week's service which you can also watch during the week, it is available from 0900.
The past weeks have been truly memorable in different ways. This week it will certainly be the case. 09:00 'God welcomes us all': -
THIS SUNDAY on BBC
Radio Four: 08:10 -
BBC 1: 13:15 -
To reflect this Sun, 5 Jul, marking the 72nd anniversary of the foundation of our priceless NHS it would be right if we could all give of our time to pray with thanksgiving for its foundation and for all who today serve our communities and brothers and sisters so tirelessly. Might we all at least spare a few minutes to pray the following, separately yet as one, with heartfelt thanks and praise.
PRAYERS ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE NHS
God of healing and compassion,
we thank you for the establishment of the National Health Service,
and for the dedication of all who work in it:
give skill, sympathy and resilience
to all who care for the sick,
and your wisdom to those engaged in medical research.
Strengthen all in their vocation through your Spirit,
that through their work many will be restored to health and strength;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Everlasting God,
at this time we lift to you
those from all nations and backgrounds
who work on the front line in healthcare.
Give them skill and wisdom in their work.
Be their strength and their shield
as they give of themselves in the care of others.
Amen.
Please find attached some more prayers and a resume of the birth of the NHS from the Chair of the Liturgical Commission. Also the Diocesan Prayer Diary for the week alongside our local prayer diary.
The Eucharist will be celebrated for the whole Benefice at 09:30 on Sun in St Peter & St Paul's.
BETTE RICH
Very sadly Bette, for many, many years a stalwart of SS Peter & Paul's and dear friend passed away last Sun. 'Rest eternal grant unto her O Lord and let light perpetual shine upon her.'
Bette will be received into her church at 15:30 on Wed 8 July prior to leaving for Committal at Emstry the following day. The hearse is scheduled to leave church at 12:30, an occasion when you may wish to gather to pay your respects as the cortege leaves.
There will be a service of Celebration for the life of Bette at 10:45 on Tue 14 July in Wem Parish Church. All are most welcome to attend, however, may I gently request that if you are attending you let me know in advance (a brief 1 line email will suffice) this is simply so we may be confident we have contingencies in place apropos the numbers.
Please continue to stay safe and take care, every good wish,
Nick
N P Heron
Rector of Wem, Lee Brockhurst and Weston-
01939 232550
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Dear Friends,
An email to reiterate and remind you of the announcement in last week's bulk email. I am delighted to say that from this coming Sun (12 Jul) worship will resume in our Parish Church. The Blessed Sacrament will once again be shared on this site as it has been for well over 900 years.
On this coming Sun our services will be:
0800: Holy Eucharist (in the same format as always)
0945: Holy Eucharist (with sermon, at the moment for the very best of reasons we are unable to have hymns nor refreshments after the service)
When the announcement of the lifting of the government's restrictions on public worship was announced Bishop Michael wrote:
"This is a significant step on the journey out of lockdown for our churches which I welcome. For many it will bring a sense of relief – that they will again be able to worship together in the building they call ‘home’, or get married in church. “For others, there may be nervousness due to the continued, and real, threat of coronavirus which has had such a devastating impact in our communities. That is why there will be no pressure for churches to open their buildings on 4 July or until they are ready. Each minister or church will want to take into account their local circumstances in deciding how and when to respond. “When buildings do re-
For ourselves there will be adaptations to keep us safe, some of which can be announced in the services, for Bishop Michael is so right we cannot expect 'church as normal' -
It will be a joy to be able to Celebrate the Eucharist publicly for the first time since lockdown and a delight to see as many of you as possible. At the same time these feelings will be tinged by our missing those who are as yet not able to join with us. May I say that if you are shielding or in a 'vulnerable' category then whilst you will be missed all of us there will be both remembering you and fully affirmative of your wisdom in staying safe. The time will come........
For the above and other reasons I will continue with a 'mixed economy' of producing a weekly bulk email with connections to services available, readings, homily, news etc to go alongside our resumed collective worship.
Stay safe and take care,
Nick
N P Heron
Rector of Wem, Lee Brockhurst and Weston-
01939 232550
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Dear Friends,
May this find you well, in good heart and having had a good week since my last email to all. For the first time in a little while there is no significant change to the current guidelines for public worship or the opening of our churches, as always up to date information can be found on the C of E website at: www.churchofengland.org
To briefly recap: our churches may now be open for private prayer and public worship, subject of course to the measures which are now common place throughout society -
Church funerals are now permitted but the size of the church will be a factor and numbers limited, similarly ‘small’ weddings may take place with parallel limits on numbers attending (for us this also means alternative legal preliminaries until banns can be fully read) and baptisms/christenings are again possible with adherence to protocols (for instance holding the baby if an infant baptism). In each case make no assumptions about any of these services without checking with myself please -
There is no assumption that churches have to open yet, each case is to be decided locally and fit with the needs, constraints and wishes of each parish; the requote Michael our Bishop: "You will need to take into account what is appropriate for you, your church and your local community as you consider the best way to respond. Above all, you will want to ensure that churches which re-
For us in our Benefice this currently means:
LEE BROCKHURST.
Church open 08:00 to 16:00 Sundays for private prayer
We are waiting out for the optimum time for public worship to restart
WESTON.
Church remaining closed for the time being
Public worship, as Lee, waiting for the interim for the best time to resume
WEM.
Church open 09:00 to 15:00 Mon and Fri (not Mon to Fri)
Sunday Worship:
08:00 Holy Eucharist
09:45 Holy Eucharist
In both cases Communion will be in one kind and at the 09:45 there will be no singing nor refreshments following the service – other precautions will also be safely in place
Quite rightly Bishop Michael has reminded us that: there may be nervousness due to the continued, and real, threat of coronavirus which has had such a devastating impact in our communities.
This applies to individuals as well as church communities and no one should feel under any pressure at the present time to restart church attending and certainly not if 'shielding'; for those in the category described as 'vulnerable' please think very carefully. It would be wonderful to see everyone again, but..............there will come a time to do this safely.
ON-
LICHFIELD CATHEDRAL -
08:00. The Eucharist (traditional language)
10:30. Choral Eucharist for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity
OR
Access the C of E website to find details of this week's service which you can also watch this during the week, it is available from 09:00.
The past weeks have been truly memorable in different ways and we can anticipate exactly that this week . 09:00 'The Power of Prayer': -
THIS SUNDAY on the BBC
Radio Four: 08:10 'Sowing in a time of uncertainty.' A service from S Wales Baptist College with Dr Rosa Hunt and The Revd Dr Craig Gardiner
BBC 1: 13:15 Songs of Praise. 'The UK's favourite hymn.' Aled Jones counts down the 'top ten' to the nations favourite hymn with various celebrity inputs and impressive locations
Please find attached the readings and a Homily for this Sunday (courtesy of Redemptorist publications) along with both the Diocesan and our Local Prayer Diaries
This Tue (14 Jul) is the Lesser Festival of John Keble -
Father of the eternal Word,
in whose all encompassing love
all things in peace and order move:
grant that, as your servant John Keble
adored you in all creation,
so we may have a humble heart of love
for all the mysteries of your Church
and know your love to be new every morning,
in Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
PARISH MAGAZINE
We will be having an Aug edition (on-
Stay safe, take care and enjoy the coming week as much as possible, every good wish,
Nick
N P Heron
Rector of Wem, Lee Brockhurst and Weston-
01939 232550
-
Dear Friends,
I hope you have been able to have the best week possible and this finds you well and adjusting to the changes in society's restrictions. How these apply to our churches has yet again changed although only modestly and not in any ways that impact upon our Sun worship, or any thoughts about resuming this. As always up to date information can be found on the C of E website at: www.churchofengland.org
As hopefully all now know our churches may now be open for private prayer and public worship, subject of course to the measures which are now common place throughout society -
One frequently asked new question concerns masks and worship and will this alter in accordance with the requirement to wear these whilst in shops? At present the C of E website reads: "We are considering our advice in light of the Government's emerging guidance on face coverings." Apropos what this will be -
For us in our Benefice our current arrangements remain
LEE BROCKHURST.
Church open 08:00 to 16:00 Sundays for private prayer. We are waiting out for the optimum time for public worship to restart.
WESTON.
Church remaining closed for the time being. Public worship, as Lee, waiting for the interim for the best time to resume.
WEM.
Church open 0900 to 1500 Mon and Fri (not Mon to Fri)
Sunday Worship:
08:00 -
09:45 -
In both cases Communion will be in one kind and at the 09:45 there will be no singing nor refreshments following the service – other precautions are safely in place
Quite rightly Bishop Michael has reminded us that: there may be nervousness due to the continued, and real, threat of coronavirus which has had such a devastating impact in our communities.
This applies to individuals as well as church communities and no one should feel under any pressure at the present time to restart church attending and certainly not if 'shielding'; for those in the category described as 'vulnerable' please think very carefully. It would be wonderful to see everyone again, but..............there will come a time to do this safely.
ON-
08:00 -
10:30 -
There has been consistently positive feedback about how helpful these services are for church members across the Benefice.
OR
Access the C of E website to find details of this week's service which you can also watch during the week, it is available from 09:00.
The past weeks services have been truly memorable and quite wonderful in a wide variety of complimentary ways. As I type details for this week are not yet available however I am sure they can soon be accessed at. www.churchofengland.org Did you know that the services from the previous weeks are also available to watch/catch-
THIS SUNDAY on the BBC
Radio Four: 08:10. 'A Word for All Seasons.' A service celebrating the Roman Catholic Church's 'Year of the Word' and the importance of Scripture: from the Diocese of Leeds.
BBC 1: 13:15. Songs of Praise. The Rev Kate Bottley visits the village of Eyam in Derbyshire whose residents took the extraordinary step of courageously going into 'lockdown' 355 years ago thus stopping the spread of bubonic plague and saving countless lives across the north of England. Also, in the city of Derby, Sean Fletcher meets Julio Abraham, whose charity, Derby City Mission, is at the forefront of helping the city’s homeless people in the aftermath of the Covid-
Please find attached the readings and a Homily for this Sunday (courtesy of Redemptorist publications). My apologies, I knew Redemptorist had very sensibly moved to providing these in a monthly mail-
Also find attached our Local Prayer Diary, the Diocesan version is yet to be published so I will forward separately.
This Wed (22 Jul) is the Festival of Mary Magdalene -
Almighty God,
whose risen Son first entrusted to Mary Magdalene
the good news of his resurrection:
grant that we may serve you in the power of him
who has ascended to you,
his God and Father,
Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit
be all honour and glory,
now and for ever.
PARISH MAGAZINE
We will be having an Aug edition (on-
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
I was recently reading an address from the Dean of Lichfield, it ended with the following line -
"Tough times are ahead but we live by hope. Bishop David Jenkins of Durham used to say, “you can’t keep a good God down”. I agree. It’s time for renewed confidence in his love and purpose."
Take care, stay safe and enjoy the coming week as much as you possibly can,
Nick
N P Heron
Rector of Wem, Lee Brockhurst and Weston-
01939 232550
-
Dear Friends,
Please find attached the August edition of the Parish magazine, the first Aug magazine for a long, long time, or maybe even the first such. Certainly a bumper edition so many thanks indeed to all the contributors. Enjoy!
Hope this finds you well.
Stay safe, take care,
Nick
N P Heron
Rector of Wem, Lee Brockhurst and Weston-
01939 232550