The archbishops have issued new advice on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. As a result, we are making changes to our advice. The following applies with immediate effect until further notice.The use of the common chalice at Communion is suspended. The priest alone will consume the consecrated wine. All others will receive in one kind only, that is will take only the bread.At services of Morning Prayer on Sundays, along with all other non-Eucharistic services, the Peace is suspended completely and will not be included in the service. It serves no liturgical purpose in these services and can therefore legitimately be removed.The Peace does serve an important liturgical function in the Eucharist and will continue to be included in the service. However, we ask that you stay in your place and simply acknowledge those immediately around you in a way not involving physical contact. (Clearly we do not wish to dictate to partners and family members, who may continue to share the peace amongst themselves in whatever fashion they desire.)Please continue to pay attention to government advice on good hygiene and self-isolation as necessary. Above all, please avoid hysteria and panic and respond sensibly in line with the advice of experts.Phil and Sarah11 March 2020
It's "Fairtrade Fortnight" at the moment. We are a "Fairtrade Church", meaning we've committed to use Fairtrade products at church events whenever they're available. Why? Because Fairtrade helps make sure farmers in developing countries are paid fairly. There's lots of Fairtrade products in many supermarkets now, from bananas to chocolate. To learn more about how choosing Fairtrade can make a real difference see the video on YouTube or visit www.fairtrade.org.uk for more information
At St Michael’s Church caring for God’s creation is something we are really starting to take seriously. So, in the summer we decided to register for the exciting Eco Church scheme.Eco Church is run by charity “A Rocha UK” with the aim of helping churches to identify how they can go green by completing a survey on a variety of categories including Worship, Buildings and Land. Green ideas include things such as changing to LED lightbulbs, creating a pond in the church garden and only using Fairtrade products. By gaining points in different categories we hope to work our way up to achieve Bronze, then Silver and finally the Gold Eco Church award! It‘s early days at the moment and we have got some work to do before we reach Bronze but we are very excited to have begun our Eco Church journey at St Michael’s. We will keep you updated on progress as we work towards gaining the Bronze Award! If you would be interested in getting involved with our Eco Church journey, then we would love to hear from you!
