Dear friends

Following the government announcement last week that regular collective worship should cease from 00:01 on Thursday 5 November for 27 days, I am writing to clarify our plans as a parish to keep you connected as we all pray for an end to coronavirus.

First of all we must be mindful that, whatever our personal views, as a Christian community, the actions we take and the messages we put out  are in support of the government effort to keep safe and suppress the spread of the virus.  Some people have expressed the view that it  is unjust that our usual way of life has been changed for so long and I realise this is particularly true in the north where employment and businesses have been affected for months with an impact on metal health and well being.

In line with Cabinet Office and Church of England instructions, we have, with regret, cancelled a number of services during this month of November, the month of memorial and remembrance.  Our All Souls Requiem, held on 2 November each year, was cancelled as was the memorial service where families who have suffered a loss in the past three years are invited to church to remember and give thanks for a life.  As we cancelled this service, we received letters of thanks and support for this ministry over the years, which we hope will recommence in November 2021.

Sunday 8 November

The Civic Remembrance Service for the communities of Charnock Richard and Eccleston will be  available online only through the parish website and Facebook page from 10:50.  Please do not come to the war memorial at 11:00 in either village as the risk of breaching social distancing is not only illegal but jeopardises our integrity to support healthy living.  The service will remain available through the week, so there is no need to worry if you miss it on Sunday.  Please ensure as many people as possible know how to view the service.  We will also post an audio version on our dial up telephone service 01257 447380 for those with no internet access.  Please spread the message that this will be available from 10:55 on Sunday.

Regular worship throughout November.

The Sunday Eucharist and Midweek eucharist will be available online during November.  Church is closed so please do not come along but keep in touch with us online.  We will advise you when we can reopen church.  We have decided not to open church for private prayer due to ongoing damage and substance abuse in the porch.

Funeral Services are permitted to a maximum of 30 attendees.  There are three funerals in church this week, full details can be found on the calendar and events section of the parish website.  Whilst people may pay their respects outside, please take care of yourself and others by observing social distancing.

Support during Coronavirus isolation

There are three main sources of support at this time:

The Parish Website - www.ecclestonstmaryschurch.org - has a special landing page for the current health crisis

Personal Contact - Father Andrew and the parish team have kept in contact with many people during the past few months

Prayers - Please contact Liz Green if you would like to be included, or know of others who need to be on the prayer list regreen76@gmail.com  If you know of anybody who needs practical support, please contact a churchwarden.

The Bishop's Call to prayer and give

Between 12 and 29 November The Bishop of Blackburn is encouraging the everyone in the diocese to pray and give to help God's work and mission in this year when church funds have been severely affected by church closures and uncertainty amongst congregations who fear for their employment and livelihood.  Bishop Julian is inviting everyone to consider a one off sacrificial gift during this period.  The extra money collected will be used to support parish needs and not Diocesan activities.  As both our parishes are struggling to meet their agreed contribution in 2020 it is important that we support the Diocese in supporting our parishes.

You can read Bishop Julian's full letter here (by clicking the highlighted text).

Prayer resources during lockdown

We will issue more information about Bishop Julian's call to prayer and give over the course of the next few weeks along with resources for personal prayer.

Finally, please do have a look at the Parish website which has a wealth of resources for prayer and reflection for the period you can not get to church.  The relevant page and information is available using this link.

If there is anything else you require, please contact a Church Warden or Fr Andrew directly.

With very best wishes.  Keep safe and healthy

Fr Andrew