I have agreed with the Church Wardens that our services on Sunday 10th and Sunday 17th January should be live-streamed only, with the church building closed to the public. Arrangements for future Sundays will be confirmed after that but it’s probably best to assume that our services will be live-streamed only until further notice.
This decision is made with great reluctance since many church members have told me how much they have valued the opportunity to attend live services in recent months, especially over the Christmas period when so many other aspects of life had to be put on hold.
The Wardens and I met on Saturday 9th January to review our risk assessment in response to the huge recent rise in COVID cases. Our view is that our risk management remains secure and that we are taking all possible measures to prevent the spread of the virus within our building. However we also recognise the need to support the NHS during this current emergency and to be sensitive to those who are most vulnerable in our community.
For now there will be no Sunday 8.30am services, and live attendance at the 10am service will be limited to just the clergy (Daniel and me), a duty warden and any musicians who wish to help lead the service. We will be taking particular care to ensure the safety of the very small number of people who are in the building.
The Bishop of Rochester has expressed his support for all churches who are taking a cautious approach at this time. He has urged us all to pray for the well-being of people across London and for our civic and community leaders as they seek to make good decisions, and to pray for our doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers and all others who, whether personally or professionally, are the most affected by this continuing pandemic.
Andrew the Vicar