Welcome to St Laurence Church

The people who make up St Laurence's are a vibrant community who love celebrating life in God

and who try to be supportive to one another in good times and in bad.

We now have a weekly Benefice Newsletter which carries our latest announcements

and news.  Please click here to view the latest issue.  

CORONAVIRUS:

I thought I would write again regarding the pattern of worship across the benefice which started on

5th July. Before I provide some details of what to expect, I would like to express my thanks to all who

have made online worship possible over the last few months: Mark and Didier for leading worship, Derry

for the music and of course Emma for all of the over and above duty hours she has put in. Your support,

encouragement and challenge are deeply appreciated.

We are now entering into a new phase where we will be offering both online and physical worship. The

online service will be recorded Thursday evenings and issued, as a premiere, at 9.30 on Sunday

mornings. If you are still shielding or are nervous about attending church in person, this might remain

the best option for you. 

In order to view the service please click on the following link

 https://www.facebook.com/StLaurenceChurchWinslow/videos/

As you know, we are, broadly speaking, adopting the pre-lockdown pattern of

benefice worship, but sadly won't be able to provide services at Addington in the short term. The only

significant difference is that we will also be providing an additional service at 6pm in Winslow. Except

for the 8am Book of Common Prayer services at Winslow, there will be recorded music at every service;

thank you to Charlotte and Janthea in Great Horwood and Derry and the choir in Winslow. The 6pm

service will be a little shorter than the 9.30 and 11am services. I also need to thank the wardens, who

have been working incredibly hard to produce comprehensive risk assessments and have thought long

and hard about how we manage seating and flow. 

We are operating in a complex environment and inevitably we will all (clergy very much included) need

to make considerable compromises in our approach to worship. It would be pointless to try and explain

every aspect of how worship will work (we will on Sunday), but I thought I thought I would provide a

few pointers to manage expectations: 

- We do need to record the name and contact details of everyone who attends a service. Please do

consider arriving earlier than you normally would so this information can be collected.

- You will then be guided to a pew by a steward. It is important that you then remain in your pew.

- Please do not turn to speak to those in the pews in front or behind you. We will be using every

other pew to maintain 1 metre plus social distance. Please also try to keep touch to a minimum.

- We are asking that you remain seated for the entirety of the service (including for the Gospel, the

Creed and Eucharistic Prayer). The only time you stand should be when you come forward under

the guidance of a steward to receive communion, which will be made available in one kind only.

- Please do participate in the liturgy but at a normal speaking level of volume and from memory as

will not be distributing orders of service.

- We have placed a piece of marking tape on the floor, please do not move beyond this to receive

communion. 

- The priest will be wearing medical gloves and a protective visor for the distribution of the sacrament.

- No words will be exchanged. 

- The wafer will be gently dropped into your hand to avoid touch.

- There will be no collection during the service, but you will be able to give through a retiring

collection. If you don't currently give through a direct debit/standing order, can we encourage you to

consider doing so.

During the Eucharistic Prayer, including for the act of consecration, only the priest's wafer will be

uncovered. The ciborium, in which the consecrated bread is kept, will only be opened when the priest has

put on the medical gloves and visor.  At the end of the service, a steward will invite you to leave on a

pew-by-pew basis.

We have worked incredibly hard to make the worship, online and physical, as dignified and vibrant as we

can. We are all looking forward to a return to normal and we will get there in time. Please, in the

meantime, take heart that whenever and wherever we say, 'The Lord is here,' he genuinely, always, in all

times and in all places, is, by his 'Spirit is with us.' We look forward to continuing to hear from you and

see you on Sundays, either in person or online.

In Christ, Andrew

 ++++++

Here is a copy of the Risk Assessment for services at St Laurence during the present constraints

- click here.

In Winslow (St Laurence), we will open the church no later than 10am Monday through to

Saturday  and on Sunday afternoons, closing at 6pm each day. The church will be open from

12 noon on Sunday, the 14th June.

CHURCH GIVING 

Thank you to all those people who are continuing to support the church finances with their

standing orders - it is much appreciated. Those of you who use the envelope scheme can continue

to do so by returning them to myself at 21 Park Road, and again a big thank you.  

We still however have our substantial & growing financial commitments. At this difficult time,

we no longer have the financial support of our plate giving each week (av £175) & no income

raised from hiring the St Laurence Room. People have asked me how they can make a contribution

directly to our bank account & therefore below are the full details for you to quote when contacting

your branch if you feel able too. If you have already completed a form for the church to reclaim

the tax on your giving, your further donations will be covered. If you would like a form for this

purpose or to set up a new bank standing order I can post one to you. Again, many thanks

in anticipation of your help.

Terry Capstick (Honorary Treasurer, Winslow PCC)

ST LAURENCE: Branch: TSB WINSLOW Sort Code: 30-99-74.

Account name: PCC WINSLOW/ST LAURENCE CHURCH. Account number: 0008 9330