Remembrance Sunday

This year Remembrance Sunday is on November 8th. As a consequence of the pandemic and the ongoing restrictions we are not going to have a service in church at 10.00am. Instead we will meet outside by the War Memorial at 10.45am for a short service, the reading of names and the two minute silence. We will be thinking of the past generations and the struggles that they went through and how today we are facing unique challenges.

There is always a theme of thankfulness and this year seems a very good time to remember the work of the emergency services, both past and present. The list of the different organisations to pray for and thank is vast, but maybe what unites them is a willingness to put others first and at times putting themselves at risk.

Although places of worship are exempt from the Rule of Six and we have been holding services in church since early July.

There are a number of safety guidelines in place in the church. As Remembrance Sunday is usually a time when we welcome the uniform organisations alongside the local community, we do not feel that it would be safe to have the additional numbers within St Mary's.

It is a disappointment, but the well being of others is fundamental to how we respond.

It is highly likely by now that we have had direct experience with the virus or known someone who has, and as we face together the challenges of the Coronavirus we have to be guided by the actions that can keep everyone safe.