I hope you and all your family are well.Thank you all very much for your very positive feedback after last week’s Sunday Morning Service. You all commented upon how much better the sound was, as well as the quality of the picture. You also appreciated the camera work. Let me thank once again Mark Longstaff and Phil Geddes for all the time they put in to make it work so well not just for the present, but also for the future. By improving our existing infrastructure, which needed doing in any event, we now have the tools to set us up well into the future.We held our first wedding this week, not just the first since lockdown but also the first since July of last year. It was a great pleasure and privilege to do. The number of weddings we do each year has dropped considerably. This is a pattern which is repeated in churches across the country. We have one more booked for later in the year and already a number for next year. Wedding venues have created a whole new industry, so much so that the personal touch gets lost. At Daresbury long may we continue to put the two people getting married in the presence of their family and friends at the centre of the celebrations and not look upon it as a fund-raising exercise. The basic cost of a wedding in church is £550. In recent years the Church of England has worked really hard at promoting church weddings as a way of breaking down many of the myths surrounding Church life and what it means to be a Christian. Why not have a look for yourself and go to https://www.yourchurchwedding.org/. If you want any more information do not hesitate to contact myself or Gill.We also had the funeral and burial in the Churchyard of Graham Johnson, who lived in Moore all his life. There is something very natural about having the whole service in the Churchyard. The peace and quiet there reminds us of the rhythms of life; the completion of a circle. May Graham, and all those from our community and your family who have recently died, rest in peace and rise in glory.This week’s service is being led by Gavin. You’ll find it attached. Don’t forget you can watch it either live, or at any time later, on the web at the Church’s Facebook site or through the Facebook App. It is also available from 2.00pm on Sunday afternoons through our dedicated telephone number 01925 568220 as well as on our Daresbury Church YouTube channel.With God’s blessing,David
I hope you are all well and are managing to cope with the heat and the thunderstorms. Our dog, Cadi, has struggled with both.We have now been able to lead our Sunday morning services from the Church over the last 2 weeks. Thanks to all those who have supported us by either coming to Church or watching online through Facebook or the web. Thanks also to those who have helped in the background and especially to Mark Longstaff who has spent a lot of the last week trying to sort out the technical problems we have experienced with the quality of the sound. Hopefully these are well on the way to being sorted out but please let us know if you have any problems. Designing and creating an IT network for as complicated a building as the Church is very different from that in our homes. We hope that we will end up by having a system that will meet our present needs, but will allow us to stream future events such as baptisms, weddings and funerals. We confidently expect that even when the pandemic is over, we will receive requests to stream such services to friends and family members who are not able to come (as we have already occasionally done). Of course, we shall continue to stream our Sunday services as at present. One of the local events that won’t be happening this year is the Hatton Show. But don’t despair! Zoe Mienie, on behalf of the Show Committee tells me that:-“Hatton Show is going virtual this year. If you photograph your entries and email them through by 29th August. Winners announced on 12th September. There are different emails to submit entries depending upon class type and it's free to enter, though donations would be welcome. More details are on the Hatton Show Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/Hatton-Show-774328819346207 , or on the website: https://hattonshow.wordpress.com”Please give them your support.Finally, you’ll find this Sunday’s service attached. If you’re joining us in Church please print off your own copy or use your mobile, tablet etc. There will be a few printed copies available.Don't forget that you have to reserve a seat through Eventbrite by 4.00pm each Saturday and social distancing only allows us to have 25 seats available.With God’s blessing,David
Hope you and yours are keeping well in this rapidly changing time. I am finding the list of things to do and not to do, quite disorientating and confusing at times. I want to get things right for other people as well as for myself, but understanding the latest government guidelines is sometimes difficult, and just when I think I have grasped what is required, it has again changed! But we know that the guidelines are about protection for self and others and we are all doing our best to keep up and comply.I am sure this resonates with all of us....which leads me to our Morning Prayer service tomorrow, at 10 30, which I am looking forward to leading. There are a few instructions to help us all remain as safe as possible.Firstly, it is now mandatory, by law, to wear a mask or face covering to attend church, unless you have an exemption on health grounds. Secondly, there will be no singing during the service. As at last week's service, hymns will be played for us to listen to, as government guidelines, endorsed by the Church of England prohibit singing to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.Thirdly, the responses we would usually join in to say out loud, I will ask everyone to remain silent and respond in our heads, again, to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.We are dealing with the connectivity and sound problems experienced last week, but this remains a work in progress, so I would ask for your patience, as we continually work to improve.I have attached tomorrow's service sheet for you to either print off or use on your electronic device which you can bring to the service.I hope you understand that we are having to adapt how we meet together to worship as safely as possible. Nonetheless, it is a real joy to share with you in worship, whether you are able to attend church or whether you will be joining us remotely on our Facebook live-stream or later on Facebook, Youtube or our dedicated phone line.In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your weekend in this wonderful Summer weather and may God's blessing be upon you and your household,GillRevd Gill Younger<span style="font-size: 1rem;">07517623680 </span>
I hope you are all well and have enjoyed the last few days of good(ish) weather. I am looking forward to being able to be leading our first Sunday service in Church tomorrow. It’s been a long time coming and involved a considerable degree of organising so that it can go as smoothly as possible. As I said last week, all our thanks should go to those who have helped plan and prepare for tomorrow. At time it seemed that not only were we in unchartered waters, but that the tide was forever ebbing and flowing against us. We had a dry run on Tuesday morning at Morning Prayer. There were a number of glitches, not least trying to get the right balance between the music and my voice when it came to the prayers. You can find it here:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvSYLdqaC6sLast night the Church issued the following statement:-“The Prime Minister has outlined plans to make face coverings mandatory in Places of Worship from 8th August and has withdrawn guidance to permit indoor professional performances with immediate effect. We will study detailed government regulations and guidance once they are available and will update our guidance accordingly.In the meantime, we continue to strongly advise that face coverings should be worn by all those attending a place of worship, including ministers, worshippers, staff, volunteers, contractors and visitors, where there may be other people present; remembering that they are mainly intended to protect other people, not the wearer, from coronavirus (COVID-19) and that they are not a replacement for physical distancing and regular hand washing.”Can I ask that those of you who are coming to Church tomorrow bring and wear face masks, and also a tablet/mobile device with service on it or your own printed version. Attached is the service for all to use.Anyway, that’s enough for this week. I’m going to watch the Cup Final!With God’s blessing,David
