Burnham-On-Sea’s St Andrew’s Church has issued a statement on Coronavirus following new guidance from the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby who has suspended Church of England services.
The church says: “In line with the Archbishop’s guidance issues on 17th March, public worship at St Andrew’s will be suspended for the time being with immediate effect. This decision will be reviewed in the light of any future guidance from NHS England.”
“In practice, this means that the two public Sunday services at 8.00a.m. and 10.00a.m., and the midweek Thursday morning Holy Communion service at 10.0a.m. are suspended until further notice.”
“The church will, however, remain open for private prayer and any visitors are asked to observe the information about public hygiene. Resources for people to pray at home are being created and more information about this facility will be issued in due course.”
The church says clergy are available to speak to, but this may well involve phone calls rather than face-to-face conversation in line with the duty of care.
Vicar of Burnham, Rev Graham Witts, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We are in uncharted waters with the advent of COVID-19 and the fabric of our country and world is affected.”
“As part of that world, the church is seeking to act responsibly and adhere to the guidelines for the safety and well-being of all parishioners.”
“We are all having to discover a new ‘normal’, assured that God is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
