Our sister church is SS Simon & Jude, Castlethorpe. The parishes have been joined together for a thousand years.

Corona virus risk Assessments

Castlethorpe Church Risk Assessment for Opening Church Buildings to the Public 15th July 2020

Dear friends,

I am really delighted to tell you that we are ready to reopen Ss Simon & Jude for Public Worship from next Sunday,  Sunday 19^th July which will also be Fr Adam’s first Sunday with us.

This has been a long haul, seventeen weeks in fact, and as fasting goes, the inability to be together, pray together, sing together, receive Communion together and simply laugh together has been very far from easy. Even now we are not out of the woods and we won’t be able to do everything just as we did before, nor will everyone feel able to return straightaway. We will continue to offer worship and other activities online to ensure that no one is left behind, I am acutely aware that for some (many) these have been a real lifeline.

As with every organisation currently re-opening a huge amount of work has been done in advance and I am very grateful to PCC members and others who have given their time to this. You will need to bear with us in that a number of things cannot simply be as normal.

• The capacity of the church is very limited as we have introduced 2 metre social distancing for your safety (as Castlethorpe Church 2 metres is very limiting!!
• You will need to book your place in advance by 5.00pm on Saturdays (see the poster for details) having your details means we can offer track and trace if needs be.
• You will need to choose between services at 9.00am or 10.00am
• If we are oversubscribed at those two services we will either offer you a place at one of Hanslope’s services or possibly even add an extra service at Castlethorpe to ensure everyone can attend and make their Communion
• Please use the hand sanitiser on arrival
• The collection plate will be at the door
• You will be guided to a seat by a steward. Please do not expect to sit in or near your ‘normal’ seat, if you have one!  Please wait to be admitted no earlier than 10 minutes before the service if you are arriving for the 10.00am service.
• Seats are designated in advance – only sit where the Steward asks you to sit, each seat will have a service sheet on it in advance
• Communion will be administered standing from a single point at the front of the Altar platform – a steward will be on hand to guide you
• We may at some services have an organist to provide music before, during and after Mass, but we are not yet permitted to sing as a congregation
• There will be no Tea and Coffee afterwards, you are welcome to socialise, socially distanced, outside after Mass if you wish, after the 9.00am service be mindful of the 10.00am service starting soon after your service has finished and our need to clean the seats before the second sitting!

 

Online

 After July 19^th we will continue to offer daily acts of worship wherever possible, albeit at some stage you will understand that Maria and I will need to take some annual leave as it is seven months since my last break.

From Sunday 19^th July, Sunday’s online Mass will come, initially, live from Walsingham at 9.00am and will be available via our Livestream page as normal, and on demand after live transmission. We will need to update the equipment we have and look at issues around internet access before we can broadcast live from St James at Hanslope (as we did at the start of Lockdown) in a way that won’t distract those who are worshipping in church. Hanslope PCC hopes to resolve these issues by the autumn and no doubt Castlethorpe PCC will look at this too.

Weekday worship will continue to come live from The Vicarage initially. Fr Gary and Fr Adam will be looking at these issues as a priority once Fr Adam is in post and each Friday evening we will continue to let you know what is scheduled for the Sunday and the following week.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who has helped keep the worshipping community praying, either online or privately at home. Thank you to all who have delivered information and collated and stapled around a 1000 booklets. And thank you to all those who have prayed for me, your prayers have made a huge difference and have helped sustain me through it all. And thank you to Maria (and Libby, and now Ben too home from university) who have borne the brunt of our home becoming in effect the Parish Church for the duration, not just the Dining Room becoming a Domestic Chapel but most of the Sitting Room becoming a sacristy and a vestry too.

Fr Adam

And in the midst of the organised chaos strides Fr Adam. The brief Licensing Ceremony which will happen via Zoom and be simulcast live via our Facebook Livestream here: www.facebook.com/StJamesHanslopeLiveStream/

This short ceremony will be conducted by the Bishop of Buckingham, Bishop Alan Wilson, assisted by Bishop Jonathan. It will be streamed live from The Vicarage at 3.30pm on Thursday 16^th July, do put the date and time in your diary.

There will be a Zoom Drinks Party to celebrate his arrival on Thursday evening at 8.00pm

Join us via Zoom here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9334874337?pwd=WWVub2h3dGZuVEJ2N2JWem1aNnlPUT09

Meeting ID: 933 487 4337   Password: Rosary

Whilst not everyone will be able to join us in person just yet nevertheless I hope to see many of you next Sunday morning – don’t forget – book yourself in!!

 Kind regards,

Fr Gary

 

 

 

 

Sunday Worship

9.30am    Sung Eucharist (weekly)

6.00pm    Evening Prayer (said on 2nd and 4th Sundays only)

Weekday Worship

There is a simple celebration of the Eucharist on Tuesdays at 7.00pm and on Fridays at 9.15am

Many events are held jointly between the two churches and a warm welcome awaits.

Churchwardens   

PCC (Church Council) Secretary  Jan Smith   07541 413970 is the person to contact if you have any questions about church events

Sunday School runs during the Sunday morning service most Sundays in term time, at the village school, for further information contact Angela on 01908 510034

Little Lambs meets in Church from 2.30-4.30pm each Friday afternoon in term time. Parents and their under fives are welcome in the first hour and school aged children can join us in the second hour.

Social Media Castlethorpe Parish Church also has a Facebook page for friends and regular worshippers.