Coronavirus (COVID-19) - St Mary's Response
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Thank you for coming to the website for your local parish Church St Mary Magdalene with St Martin We are in very unusual and disorienting times at the moment. Our communities are understandably anxious and many are fearful. At St Mary Magdalene with St Martin (StMMM) we are closely monitoring and following advice around precautions for Covid-19 (Coronavirus). Below is a list of key advice and current adjustments (including links to health advice from official health organisations) already in place at St MMM and information on how this affects us practically. The information below also includes suggestions of ways in which we can help support and care for one another. As the situation is ever-changing, we will endeavour to keep the information on this page as up to date as possible. So please do check back on a regular basis – updated March 30th 2020 at 9am. Key Advice & Adjustments Sunday services and other face to face gatherings at MMM are now suspended. This includes the Floating Night Shelter. Please pray for the wellbeing and future of the Floating Shelter guests. The Leaders and Preachers Team continue to work on what forms of ‘Sunday worship’ we could share on-line to keep us connected and uplifted in faith, hope and love. StMMM Church building cannot be open for public worship or Private Prayer Our worship of God and our care for each other continue but cannot be done in this building. Our website contains details of how to join others online for prayer, worship, study, and help with community life. See: www.stmmm.org.uk Our Preschool and all other valued Hall and Crypt users are now closed Our ministry as a church is directed in two ways : maintaining a community of worship and prayer, and witnessing to the love of God to our wider community . We will be supporting and resourcing church members where they are , and encouraging as much creative, practical care, support and fellowship amongst church members as we possibly can. To do this we have a group of worship leaders and preachers putting ideas together for worship, and others engaged in coordinating care. There will be links on website and sent out by email/mail for Sunday worship and daily readings and prayer : Sunday : Amanda will lead a service that includes Holy Communion, privately at church at 10 am in the presence of two assistants, and this will be live streamed so you may join in from home Weekdays : thoughts for each day are based on the readings set for that day from the lectionary, and are written and given by members of the church family . This week Peter Welby is be our writer and guide in prayer Monday to Saturday March 23-28th. And Brain Reed will be our guide from Monday March 29th to May 4th Children and Young People : We have a created a page of resources for children and young people. Community Help and Support: The Addiscombe Covid-19 Mutual Aid Group (ACMAG) has done a great job in enabling street-residents groups to be set up in order to help one another. This is happening through out our parish . You can find the group on face book. In addition there is a great need for donated food for the work of the CVA and other charities so the same ACMAG and our councillor Sean Fitzsimons have arranged a drop off point For your donations of necessary goods at St Mildred’s centre from March 31st . Please read the information I have been sent and respond as generously as you are able . With every blessing and thanks Amanda In addition we want to inspire and energise church members to join with others in our wider community to offer practical support and care for those who will feel most vulnerable in our society at this time. eg those who are older and those who have underlying health conditions or who have had to self-isolate. Be aware you are only allowed to be outside for reasonable exercise and to do essential shopping. As a church family we want to do our part to offer both prayerful and practical support for those who are being affected by these adjustments or any other effects around Covid-19. As such many of you have offered help in shopping and picking up prescriptions for those who are unable to leave their home. If you can offer help and haven’t already been contacted by Jen or Val would you please contact the church office if you can help. This help must be given with due consideration of the seriousness of our situation. In other words it must be incorporated into the ‘essential shopping’ trip that you will take for yourself. If you are not in the parish Check your local residents association to see if you can join in to help there.
Please let me know if you would like to suggest other ways of sharing in prayer and worship and learning and helping during this extraordinary time. The Vicar, that’s Amanda Johnson, and churchwardens of this church Ms Isabella Lisk can be contacted in an emergency by telephoning 0206 656 3457 or emailing stmmmoffice@btinternet.com or amanda@stmmm.org.uk 0208 654 3459 With love and grace Amanda “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. |