Following the updated rules from the Government and guidelines from the Church of England the Vicar and PCC have agreed new guidance for coming to church services with effect from 25th July as follows:
We will follow the 'hands, face, space' message and encourage the use of hand sanitiser which will be provided at the door and within the church. We will recommend that the congregation wear masks and also keep a reasonable distance from other church goers. To assist with this we will position the packs of books for the service on the pews in our preferred seating plan. We ask all the congregation to respect the opinions of others with regard to these guidelines. Some congregants may feel less sure about 'mixing' so please bear this in mind.
We will start going forward for Holy Communion. The Priest will sanitise their hands. The wafer will be offered after being dipped in the wine by the Priest. Communicants may ask to receive a plain wafer only or a blessing, or choose not to take Communion and people will be asked to come forwards two pews at a time at the request of the Priest.
Due to the high levels of Covid, singing is still seen as a higher risk and so we will continue to listen to recorded hymns - this will be reviewed regularly and hopefully introduced at some services soon.
We will continue to keep a voluntary list of the congregants to help if there were to be a Covid case and the QR card will remain available to those with the NHS Covid-19 App on their phones.
It is most important not to come into the church if you are experiencing any symptoms that might be Covid and if possible to do a Lateral Flow Test before attending.
These guidelines are for your safety, the safety of other congregants, the clergy and those assisting at services. If you would like any further information please contact any member of the PCC. Separate rules are in place for weddings and funerals based on a risk assessment of the size of the church and the numbers that can be accommodated safely.
We look forward to welcoming you back into church to enjoy our services and the special place that is St James Pulloxhill.
