Our Doors are Open!!!

Reopening of St Matt's Buildings

                                                                 

26 July 2020

Reopening of St Matt's Buildings

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Since March our church family has been gathering online, over the phone and at a safe distance in people’s homes and gardens.  Now we can begin to worship together in the church building. Supporting each other, loving each other and, most importantly of all, deepening our relationship with our almighty Lord and Heavenly Father.

The PCC have met several times to create the Risk Assessment, required by the diocese, to re-open the church building. Every part of the Risk Assessment is based upon prayer with the goal for our church to continue “To know Christ and make him known!”

Welcoming you, and your family, back into the church building is a pleasure and a joy. To ensure everyone is safe we need to make a few changes to the services we will be offering:

A weekly service will be held on a Sunday at 10.30am for 40 people, including children. This allows for the recommended social distancing between households.

The service will last for 30 minutes. We will join together for a spoken service of prayer and reflection. At the moment we are unable to offer refreshments. Please bring a Bible and cushion, if you require one, for your personal use as the communal bibles and soft furnishings are removed.

If you would like to attend, either on your own or with your family, we are asking everyone to

1. Email Eileen on admin@stmattstipton.com 
2. Text Rob on the church prayer chain
3. Pop a note to Eileen through the ‘Church letter box’ on the front door

Whichever way you choose to ‘book in’ by please ensure you give your name, the number of people who will be attending the service and a contact email address or phone number if you do not have internet access. Please ensure you have ‘booked in’ by the Monday BEFORE the service you wish to attend.

You will be contacted to say that you have successfully ‘booked in’. Unfortunately, if large numbers of the congregation wish to attend specific services, we may have to turn some people away. Please be assured if all the spaces available for a service have been allocated then you will have priority ‘booking’ for the following week. At present we are unable to provide seating for people who have not ‘booked in’. 

When you arrive at church you will notice a few changes. 

• For instance, you will be welcomed by a team who show you which door to use to enter the church, a one-way system will be operating inside the church building, everyone arriving will be asked to use hand gel and sign in, you will be shown where to sit. The Government has released new advice saying everyone over the age of 11 (unless exempt for medical reasons) should wear a face mask in places of worship.

• At the end of the service a team of volunteers will guide you when to exit the building. Please remain seated until this happens to ensure we are mindful of social distancing. We will have a retiring collection after each service at the exit doors.

• Children are welcome back into church to develop their relationship with God. We ask that parents ensure children stay in their allocated pew and do not walk around the church building. Parents are encouraged to bring resources with them to support their children during the service. We can’t provide any toys, colouring crayons or busy bags.

• Individuals who are classed as extremely vulnerable, are shielding or are over the age of 70 are encouraged to read the guidance provided by the Government regarding worshipping at home where possible. (“COVID-19: Guidance for the safe use of places of worship during the pandemic” published 04/07/2020, updated 17/07/2020 can be found at www.gov.uk) Sandwell Council has informed the PCC that individuals within these groups should, “seriously consider not attending communal prayers and worship at this time.” If you, or a member of your family, would like further advice on this matter then please contact Nigel, Sue or a member of the PCC.

• The toilets have been redecorated and are open for use during the service. If you require the facilities we ask that you follow the one way system to exit the church, ensure only one person accesses the toilets at a time and use the soap and hand towels provided.

If you feel now is the time for you to return to worshipping in the church building, then we really look forward to seeing you soon. If, for now, you feel safer at home then we will continue to worship with you through our online services and resources. Whatever you choose, we hope you will continue to join us each week.

Our first service in St Matt’s will be on Sunday 9th August. If you would like to attend, please ‘book in’  by Monday 3rd August 2020 by following one of the three possible ways mentioned above.

Yours in Christ,

Nigel Watson & Sue Whitehouse (Church Wardens) 

A Letter from the Vicar 18 March 2020

                                                                    

A Letter from the Vicar 18 March 2020

  

Dear friends, we are pausing all our services and activities for the foreseeable future. 

We are following the advice from the Archbishops to keep everyone in our community as safe as possible, but we are not stopping being church.

As Archbishops Justin and John write in their guidance:

“Being a part of the Church of England is going to look very different in the days ahead. Our life is going to be less characterised by attendance at church on Sunday, and more characterised by the prayer and service we offer each day. We may not be able to pray with people in the ways that we are used to, but we can certainly pray for people. And we can certainly offer practical care and support.”

Our vision at St Matt’s is ‘to know Christ and to make Him known’ and that will continue throughout this season. 

This is such an opportunity for each of us to go deeper with God in our own lives, and to make the hope of the christian faith known to others through our prayers and generosity. It also reminds us that worship isn’t something that only happens on Sundays, but something that should permeate every part of our lives throughout the week.

What happens now?

We have produced a simple prayer resource which will be available from the church office for you to use each day if you wish.

For those who go online we would love for you to listen to our Sunday podcasts, you can find the link here https://soundcloud.com/user-923497054 or under the ‘resources’ section on our website. We will also be posting links to online services by other churches.

For those on social media we will be posting short reflections on instagram and Facebook during the week so do keep checking our media feeds.

If you are feeling isolated at this time we would love to pray for you. Please get in touch with your Connect Group leader who would be more than happy to pray. If you are not part of a Connect Group then please contact the church office on 0121 531 7778, leave your name and number and we will get in contact with you.

Revd Kate and myself will be praying for you every day during our prayers and we will be celebrating communion on your behalf on Sundays and during the week.

So to conclude, could we ask you to do three things at this time.

KEEP PRAYING

Could you keep praying:

• Pray that Coronavirus (Covid-19) will miraculously disappear.
• Pray that the predicted death toll will not be a reality.
• Pray for those who are sick or who are anxious.
• Pray for those in our world who don’t have access to free healthcare.
• Pray for our Health Service and our government.
• Pray for businesses, charities and the economic impact of the virus.
• Pray for the lonely and isolated in our community.
• Pray that God will show you how at this time you can see people’s lives in Tipton and the wider community transformed by the love of Jesus.
• If you are willing to be part of the prayer team then please get in contact.

KEEP CONTACT

Could I ask you to keep in contact:

• Please still actively participate in the life of St Matt’s as far as is possible through the various resources we are providing.
• We would actively encourage all of our Groups to stay in contact with each other whether virtually or over the phone.
• Keep in contact with those you are aware of who are self-isolating or who live on their own
• If you are requested to self-isolate, don’t isolate yourself. Please let us know if you are in one of the ‘at risk’ groups so we can support you. Please ring/message family and friends regularly.

KEEP REMEMBERING 

Could I ask you to keep Remembering God’s faithfulness and goodness and that the Lord reigns through this season.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

These are uncertain times, however, we have the greatest certainty that God is able to turn this and any situation for our good and for His glory.

If you have any questions please do get in touch. We are united not by gathering on Sunday but by our love for Jesus, and this has not changed at all.

Keep Praying, Keep Contact, Keep Remembering.

Thank you for all you do,

Lots of love,