A letter from Bishop Keith and the Archdeacons

Limited Access to Church Buildings following the House of Bishops Statement of 5 May

You may have read in the press that this past week that the House of Bishops had agreed that there should be limited access back into our churches with a phased approach with an initial immediate stage. Following on from this, the acting Bishop of Chester, Bp Keith, along with the Archdeacons, have written to all clergy outlining what this means in this Diocese. I share this with you so as there is no misunderstanding as the general press may report something different and I want you to be properly informed.

Extracts from the letter which can be read in full here:
We are therefore now able to give permission for parishes in this diocese to move to the initial immediate phase of accessing church buildings, should they so wish.

This means that very limited access to church buildings is now possible for activities such as pre-recording or streaming of services or private prayer, by ministers in their own parishes, so long as the necessary hygiene and social distancing precautions are taken.

Please note that in each parish there should be only one person appointed for this purpose, although they may be accompanied by others from their own household. Multiple people are strongly discouraged from accessing the space, even if this is done one at a time.

It continues…
Please note that church buildings remain closed to the public. When a minister is in the church building to pray or pre-record or live-stream worship, the doors should remain locked. The guidance still excludes the possibility of church services, including occasional offices such as baptisms, weddings and funerals.

Ministers should not feel under pressure to go back into church for these purposes if it is not appropriate: for example if they are self-isolating, or shielding. If ministers are content with leading worship from home for the time being, having made arrangements to do that, they should not feel under any obligation to switch back to church at this stage. If you do decide to re-enter the church building, please do not feel under pressure to rush to do this. You should study the guidance carefully first.

Paul and I will discuss all this and our best way forward, and will keep you informed, please keep all this in your prayers.

In the meantime, I have been checking all the buildings twice a week and for insurance purposes, I have been taking photos of them, here is a selection of them – you can click on them to see the bigger image.
Revd Mike, Rector