REVISION OF OUR ELECTORAL ROLL
Our Church Electoral Roll has to be revised between 21st March and 31st March 2021. If you are already a member you need do nothing. If, however, you have moved in the last year or would like to be placed on the Roll, please apply to Margaret Nicholas below, before the end date, and you will receive a form to complete:
SERVICES UPDATE; FROM THE VICAR AND CHURCHWARDENS
As there are signs of optimism that the vaccine rollout combined with this third lockdown are having an impact on reducing the rate of spread of the Covid-19 virus, the PCC has considered how we may bring some services back to Church whilst recognising the need to continue to provide Zoom services. The PCC feel this will be best achieved by taking small steps.
So, at first, we will try a hybrid model whereby a service takes place in Church that is also broadcast live via Zoom, with a small number of people physically present in Church and others present on Zoom.
The plan for our 9.30am Sunday services is:
- 28 February, 7 March, 14 March and 21 March – Zoom only;
- 28 March (Palm Sunday) – Zoom only – consisting of a Sunday Club Easter drama followed by a short communion service streamed live from Church;
- 4 April (Easter Day) – All Age communion hybrid service in Church for a maximum of 24 attendees with the remainder participating on Zoom;
- 11 April onwards – hybrid services in Church and on Zoom.
The plan for our 8am Sunday services is to restart these in Church from 11 April. We are looking at whether we can restart these earlier than this date and will let you know if this is possible.
We are pleased to announce that we are hosting a hybrid Church/on Zoom Team Maundy Thursday service (1 April) at 7.30pm. This will be a communion service. There will places for 8 people from each Church and we will be asking people to register if they wish to attend in the building. Please do give priority to those who cannot access worship via Zoom if possible. If there is more interest than the 8 places available then we will put names on a waiting list.
Wednesday Compline services at 8pm will continue on Zoom.
We feel that the pattern of services outlined above will enable us to start moving back into the building whilst also allowing everyone to participate in the service. We will continue to follow Church of England and Government guidelines on Covid safety, as we did before. We thank you for your understanding and support as we strive to facilitate worship in a safe and inclusive manner.
Revd Andy, Rachel and Alison
OUR LATEST NEWSLETTER
Our latest Newsletter (7 Mar) can be downloaded here.
The Newsletter also contains our Team Rector's Notices which contain announcements and details of a very wide range of events taking place across our three Team Churches, including special Lenten ones, mostly on Zoom.
LENT REFLECTIONS 2021
This year for Lent, St Mary the Virgin, Riverhead with Dunton Green, will be looking at the theme from the Church of England: #LIVE LENT - God's Story Our Story. You can sign up to receive reflections from the Church of England which will be sent by email, or download an app with the reflections to your smartphone. For more information see www.churchofengland.org/livelent
Lent course:
Alongside this theme there is a Lent Book for 2021 entitled "Living His Story".
Using Zoom, the course will run for 6 weeks, starting on Wednesday 24th February. Revd. Andy is going to share reflections from this book to help us think about how our own stories and God's story connect. Once we realise this, we will be better equipped to tell the story to others.
There will be video clips, a reflection and questions to take away and reflect upon. We are going to meet on Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm for 30 minutes before Compline, which starts at 8:00pm.
Wednesday 24th Feb, March 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st at 7:30pm
Please let Revd. Andy know at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in joining the reflections.
TALK: "LIBERATION OR REVOLUTION THEOLOGY?"
Information received from St Luke's Church, Sevenoaks:
The fourth and final talk, in St Luke's 'Food for Thought 2020/21 Series', is as follows, via Zoom:
"Liberation or revolution theology?" – Garth Hewitt
7.45pm for 8:00pm on Friday, 5 March 2021
More details about the Talk can be found here.
Contact us
Revd Andy Finn, Team Vicar,
with special responsibility for St Mary the Virgin, Riverhead with Dunton Green:
Daphne Harrison, Licensed Lay Minister:
Alison Bull, Churchwarden:
Rachel Wigley, Churchwarden:
For contact details for Baptisms, Funerals, Weddings, Sunday Club and Bible Study group please follow this link.
Please don't forget donations of non-perishable food are urgently required every week, as part of our support for the Community Food Bank. Contributions can be left in the basket at the back of the Church, or via Margaret Holman.