We are very pleased to be able to tell everyone that with the lifting of some of the COVID-19 restrictions by the government, and following the advice and guidelines from the Church of England (C of E) and our own Bishop, we plan to open both the churches in the Benefice for Sunday Services from 2 August 2020. This is excellent news!

However, there are limitations and guidelines that we must all comply with to minimise, as much as possible, risk of contamination and infection, in our concerted efforts to keep us all safe. Services will operate to the government guidance on ‘Social Distancing’ and everyone will be asked to use the hand sanitiser provided on entering and departing from church. Sadly we are not permitted to have any congregational hymn singing or refreshments.

Please see below the pattern of Services and how we are to deliver these.

• We will be opening both churches in the Benefice for Sunday Service worship from Sunday 2 August 2020.
• We will maintain the usual Service times, 9:30am at St Stephen’s and 11:00am at St Leodegar’s, and our usual pattern of Services for Holy Communion, etc.
• The Services at St Leodegar’s Church will be in the ‘said’ format only, though the organ will be played on arrival and departure.
• Information on where to sit, circulation routes, delivery of Holy Communion, etc. will be explained on booking attendance, in advance, and on arrival in church.
• Holy Communion to be taken under the Bishop’s and C of E guidelines (wafers only).
• The limitation on space, maintaining the 2 metre rule where possible, means you will need to book for each service you plan to attend, in advance, by phone.
• The phone contact for St Stephen’s is to be Lynn Mears (537190) and for St Leodegar’s Joan Duberley (787801) and in each church priority will be given to regular members of each church.
• Provision for members of the same household and families have been taken into consideration – please tell Lynn or Joan who and how many will be with you when you book.
• Please note you will be allocated a specific pew and will not be able to sit in your usual pew.
• Congregation members aged 70 and over, regardless of medical conditions, are reminded of the C of E advice to stay at home as much as possible and, if you go out, to take particular care to minimise contact with others outside of your household.

It should be noted that we will not be able to facilitate our usual joint service on the 5th Sunday of the month (when there is a fifth Sunday) and that we will have communion at both churches.

Please note that with the re-opening of the churches for Sunday Services we will cease to be opening the churches for Individual Prayer from August.

Please also note that we intend to maintain our ‘online’ presence by recording the St Stephen’s Sunday Service from 2 August onwards. If anyone has a digital camera that could be used for this purpose, please contact Robert Leeder (07760 580044).

Many thanks for your cooperation with the above and I look forward to seeing some of you, at least, in Church shortly.

God Bless

Peter Sanders,
Churchwarden St Leodegar’s Church
on behalf of the Leadership Team of the Benefice

The Leadership Team of our two churches would love you to share your experiences of lockdown, please. In particular along the lines of how your faith has been affected by / has affected those experiences. We might use it as a montage in a service if people do an audio/video recording or if you prefer to write something, then we publish it in the next ‘connect’ magazine.

Please send your stories to editor.churches@hotmail.co.uk.
 

Joint Benefice Leadership Team

St Stephen’s Church and St Leodegar’s Church, as a Benefice, is running a prayer support ministry in our churches, called the Prayer Hub. We believe in the power of prayer and want to be able to pray for one another.

If you have a prayer request and would like people to intercede for you, please contact me so that I can initiate the prayer hub. To ensure accuracy in passing on your prayer requests, it is preferable that concise requests are submitted in writing (email to editor.churches@hotmail.co.uk and text messages to 07886873690 will be acceptable). If you are submitting a request on behalf of someone else, please ensure that you have their permission to do so. First names or initials can be used for sensitive issues. If you have asked for prayer, when appropriate, please send updates so we can keep praying specifically or give thanks when prayers are answered.

Prayer requests will be treated confidentially. Only the intercessors on the prayer hub will know about needs and will never discuss it with anyone. The church leadership team is part of the group. You don’t have to be part of our churches to submit a prayer request.

We are also looking for more people to join our prayer chain as intercessors (people who pray). If you are interested in becoming an intercessor, please contact me,

Linda Fitzmaurice

The deadline for submission for the September 2020 issue of ‘connect’ magazine is this Sunday 9 August.

St Stephen’s Church urgently require the following:

North Mundham PCC Treasurer
Job description
1. Maintain the records of all receipts and payments (in Xero)
2. Maintain the bank accounts and online banking facility
3. Make payments
4. Ensure all receipts are banked correctly
5. Calculate the monthly wages for the organist and report to HMRC
6. Prepare reports, payments and fund balances for the PCC
7. Prepare the annual financial statements for the PCC
8. Arrange for the independent examination of the annual financial statements
9. Arrange annual insurance and utility contracts

North Mundham PCC Stewardship Officer
Job description
1. Maintain the Parish Giving Scheme
2. Consider the needs of the church activities financially and encourage all members of the congregation to give
3. Maintain the gift aid registers and submit gift aid claims
4. Raise funds from other sources by applying for grants from trusts, foundations and other sources where required.

Please contact the church wardens if you are interested in this position. Lynn Mears and Robert Leeder

The church opened for our first Holy Communion Service after lockdown on 2 August 2020! The service can be viewed on youtu.be/VO7ZaJpks1o

Dear Friends, Parents and Carers, 
This link is for the latest All Age Service playlist. 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR30UrpUWzn7ciRY4dKOtVQaIPJoxJww6

I do hope you’re keeping well.I’ve attached a list of many helpful articles that I’ve shared in previous weeks.Do get in touch if you’d like any re-sent.
Blessings

Alistair

We are very pleased to be able to tell everyone that with the lifting of some of the COVID-19 restrictions by the government, and following the advice and guidelines from the Church of England (C of E) and our own Bishop, we plan to open both the churches in the Benefice for Sunday Services from 2 August 2020. This is excellent news!

However, there are limitations and guidelines that we must all comply with to minimise, as much as possible, risk of contamination and infection, in our concerted efforts to keep us all safe. Services will operate to the government guidance on ‘Social Distancing’ and everyone will be asked to use the hand sanitiser provided on entering and departing from church. Sadly we are not permitted to have any congregational hymn singing or refreshments.

Please see below the pattern of Services and how we are to deliver these.

· We will be opening both churches in the Benefice for Sunday Service worship from Sunday 2 August 2020.

· We will maintain the usual Service times, 9:30am at St Stephen’s and 11:00am at St Leodegar’s, and our usual pattern of Services for Holy Communion, etc.

· The Services at St Leodegar’s Church will be in the ‘said’ format only, though the organ will be played on arrival and departure.

· Information on where to sit, circulation routes, delivery of Holy Communion, etc. will be explained on booking attendance, in advance, and on arrival in church.

· Holy Communion to be taken under the Bishop’s and C of E guidelines (wafers only).

· The limitation on space, maintaining the 2 metre rule where possible, means you will need to book for each service you plan to attend, in advance, by phone.

· The phone contact for St Stephen’s is to be Lynn Mears (537190) and for St Leodegar’s Joan Duberley (787801) and in each church priority will be given to regular members of each church.

· Provision for members of the same household and families have been taken into consideration – please tell Lynn or Joan who and how many will be with you when you book.

· Please note you will be allocated a specific pew and will not be able to sit in your usual pew.

· Congregation members aged 70 and over, regardless of medical conditions, are reminded of the C of E advice to stay at home as much as possible and, if you go out, to take particular care to minimise contact with others outside of your household.

It should be noted that we will not be able to facilitate our usual joint service on the 5^th Sunday of the month (when there is a fifth Sunday) and that we will have communion at both churches.

Please note that with the re-opening of the churches for Sunday Services we will cease to be opening the churches for Individual Prayer from August.

Please also note that we intend to maintain our ‘online’ presence by recording the St Stephen’s Sunday Service from 2 August onwards. If anyone has a digital camera that could be used for this purpose, please contact Robert Leeder (07760 580044).

Our churches leadership team, with the help of members of the congregations, have put together a virtual Sunday Service.

You can access the YouTube playlist on this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLISQfaOG4ju9HuA9eyuL1NYldCpsXKemn

A reminder that our churches are open for private prayer (St Leodegar’s on Saturdays from 1pm – 4pm and St Stephen’s on Sundays and Wednesdays also from 1pm-4pm).

Thank you to those who are making this possible.