June 2020 Archived Updates
19th June Update Dear Friends 12th June Update Dear Friends, 8th June Update Dear Friends, Reopening of church buildings for individual prayer The
Government is due to publish guidance to ensure the limited re-opening
of places of worship can be done safely and in line with social
distancing guidelines. This will recommend the thorough cleaning of
shared spaces, hand cleansing at entry and exit and other measures to
reduce the risk of infection. Last week we shared preparatory Advice on Individual Prayer by Members of the public in Church Buildings which
has been drawn up by the House of Bishops Covid-19 Recovery Group in
anticipation of this announcement. The guidance recognises that it will
not be possible for every church to open at the same time, depending on
their individual circumstances, and encourages collaborative working
between local churches. Bishop
Sarah, who chairs the Recovery Group, has commented that the
Government’s announcement about individual prayer is the ‘start of the
journey for church buildings to open up safely in line with government
advice.’ We will continue to keep you updated on the latest guidance as
it arrives from Government and the National Church. If you have any
questions about the guidance or your responsibilities, please speak as
ever to your Archdeacon for advice. With our prayers for you all, And the Bishop’s Staff Team: Andrew Robinson, Diocesan Chief Executive Catherine Ogle, Dean of Winchester Peter Rouch, Archdeacon of Bournemouth Richard Brand, Archdeacon of Winchester Mat Phipps, Bishop’s Chaplain June 5th Update Dear Friends, Preparation for the reopening of church buildings The
House of Bishops COVID-19 recovery group has shared draft guidelines
for when funerals, weddings, baptisms and individual private prayer can
recommence in church buildings. June 3rd Update Dear Friends,
With our prayers for you all,
And the Bishop’s Staff Team:
Andrew Robinson, Diocesan Chief Executive
Catherine Ogle, Dean of Winchester
Peter Rouch, Archdeacon of Bournemouth
Richard Brand, Archdeacon of Winchester
Mat Phipps, Bishop’s Chaplain
Situation in Burundi
Following
the death of the Burundi President, Pierre Nkurunziza, Archbishop
Martin of the Anglican Church of Burundi has asked us to pray for the
President Elect, Evariste Ndayishimiye. He is to be sworn in very soon.
Please pray for peace and flourishing for the nation during these
uncertain times as they mourn the sudden death of their President.
Please
also pray for Archbishop Martin and his leadership of the Church in
Burundi and for the local church offering support and encouragement to
their communities during this time. As part of our companion links with
the Church in Burundi, Archbishop Martin recently sent us a video update
from the Diocese of Makamba, the Archbishop’s diocese. The video
highlights church growth and development taking place in Burundi, and is
available to view on the Diocesan website.
Black Lives Matter
The
whole world continues to react and respond to the appalling killing of
George Floyd in the United States, but also to the Black Lives Matter
movement which is driving wider debate – and demanding action – around
racial inequality.
Last week, Bishop David joined with faith
leaders from across Basingstoke at War Memorial Park to call for an end
to systemic racism. Hundreds of people joined in the peaceful protest
organised by Basingstoke Unites Against Racism. Further information
about the protest is available on the Diocesan website.
On
Thursday, Bishop Tim shared a further reflection on the Black Lives
Matter movement, drawing on the works of American theologian the Revd Dr
Willie Jennings. The reflection is available on the Winchester
Cathedral website.
Counting Attendance
The National
Church has produced guidance on counting attendance during this period.
While it is recognised that this will not be a priority for all
churches, resources have been produced to help keep a record of the
different things they may offer. It is noted that mission and policy
discussions are more concerned with what churches are doing, and who
they are engaging with, rather than any numbers. The resources and
guidance are available on the National Church website.
With our prayers for you all,
Bishop Tim, Bishop David and Bishop Debbie
And the Bishop’s Staff Team:
Andrew Robinson, Diocesan Chief Executive
Catherine Ogle, Dean of Winchester
Peter Rouch, Archdeacon of Bournemouth
Richard Brand, Archdeacon of Winchester
Mat Phipps, Bishop’s Chaplain
Guidance on re-opening of church buildings
The
easing of restrictions on individual private prayer (from 13th June)
and the conduct of funerals (from 15th June) in places of worship has
emerged rapidly. We want to update you on the results from the recent
survey in our diocese that relate to re-opening, and also to remind you
of published guidance and other sources of assistance as you consider
your local response.
Survey results can be found on the Diocesan website.
Changes
to government restrictions do not mean that you must re-open, but
rather that you may, as long as the measures to restrict re-infection
can be properly implemented. It might be helpful to work with your
neighbouring benefices so that local displays can inform communities of
where and when different local churches will be open. The following may
then be helpful to you:
The latest national guidance regarding
covid-19, and in particular on the re-opening of churches, can be found
on the National Church website.
We would in particular draw your
attention to the template risk assessment which is necessary but also
has very helpful embedded links to other guidance. Some have already
noted that government guidance suggests that the opening of churches
will be supervised, but our National Church Guidance does not require
this. Until this can be resolved, our advice is that you follow your own
risk assessment, especially if it concludes that in your local
circumstances supervision is necessary. We hope that we will be able to
offer greater clarity soon on this matter.
Although current
regulations no longer restrict access to church buildings, they still
prohibit indoor gatherings of two or more people. There is an exception
for funerals, and also for reasonable excuses (which includes work and
the provision of voluntary and charitable services). This means, for
example, that an employed organist or worship leader may be present for
the purposes of streaming or recording a service in church, provided a
risk assessment is undertaken and social distancing observed. The
sharing of communion with those who are not from the same household (or
bubble) is not yet permitted.
Hygiene and cleaning supplies
You may have investigated local suppliers, but a range of materials are available through the Keeping church buildings clean.
Funerals in Church
Preparatory
Advice for Conducting Funerals is available and the House of Bishops
has advised that it is a local decision by those with authority over the
building as to whether a building can open. This decision depends on
individual circumstances, for example whether staff are ill or shielding
or the building could not be easily cleaned. The funeral may take place
at a local crematorium or cemetery if the decision is taken not to open
the church as is the case now.
Permission for Changes to our Churches
Modest
adjustments to church buildings may help at this point in order to
facilitate the necessary measures to prevent re-infections, or to help
with other aspects of your covid-19 response. It is anticipated that
existing routes for permission will be sufficient in most cases, and
especially Temporary Minor Reordering Licenses, and List B permissions.
The Chancellor of the Diocese and also the Dean of Arches have set out a
temporary easing of the faculty process where necessary for covid-19
response. The Chancellor’s directions about temporary measures are
available on the Diocesan website, and the national guidance is
available on the National Church website.
Those in Clinically
Extremely High Risk or Clinically High Risk categories, including those
over 70 years of age. A greater range of activity will raise for some,
both laity and clergy, the question of to what extent they should
participate. Diocesan guidance can be found on the Diocesan website.
Further
guidance is available on the National Church website. The House of
Bishops continues to plan for a wider phased reopening of places of
worship when it is safe and practical to do so, and we will continue to
keep you updated on the latest guidance. If you have any questions,
please speak to your Archdeacon for advice.
With our prayers for you all,
Bishop Tim, Bishop David and Bishop Debbie
And the Bishop’s Staff Team:
Andrew Robinson, Diocesan Chief Executive
Catherine Ogle, Dean of Winchester
Peter Rouch, Archdeacon of Bournemouth
Richard Brand, Archdeacon of Winchester
Mat Phipps, Bishop’s Chaplain
This
weekend the Government announced that churches across England will be
permitted to reopen for individual prayer from Monday 15 June.
Bishop Tim, Bishop David and Bishop Debbie
At this stage the documents are
only for planning purposes, so that we can be prepared when restrictions
are lifted by the Government, however, all guidance is subject to
change following any future Government updates.
The new
preparatory guidance documents include Advice for Conducting Funerals,
Advice for clergy conducting weddings, and Advice for clergy conducting
Baptisms. The Recovery Group has also published Advice on Individual
Prayer by Members of the public in Church Buildings in preparation for
when this is allowed in church buildings again, and further guidance
will be published on the Church of England website in due course.
World Environment Day
To
mark World Environment Day, I spoke with influential environmentalist,
theologian and author, Ruth Valerio, about how, as we move out of
lockdown, we do so in a way that cares for God’s creation. In the
interview, which is available on the Diocese website, we discussed what
opportunities this pandemic has given us to reconsider how we care for
the world around us, and the Church’s role within that.
Ruth
talks engagingly about how we have all enjoyed getting back in touch
with nature at this time, and that we now have a choice about how we
return to normal in a more sustainable way. Ruth is leading Tearfund’s
The World Rebooted campaign, and she speaks with such knowledge,
optimism and hope about what our communities will look like after this
pandemic has passed. The video of our discussion is available to view on
our Diocesan YouTube channel.
Memorial to George Floyd
Yesterday
a memorial service was held to pay tribute to the life of George Floyd.
His death in Minneapolis at the hands of a white policeman has sparked a
wave of protests in cities throughout America, and has caused outrage
across the globe.
Systemic racism is not just an American
problem, but continues to cause untold harm in our own country and
around the world. We are reminded that we must all play our part in
confronting racism and inequality wherever we encounter it, and as
leaders in our communities we bear a particular responsibility to tackle
this evil.
We join with the Archbishops in praying that God’s
abounding wisdom, compassion and love will guide leaders across the
world to forge a better society.
With our prayers for you all,
Bishop Tim, Bishop David and Bishop Debbie
And the Bishop’s Staff Team:
Andrew Robinson, Diocesan Chief Executive
Catherine Ogle, Dean of Winchester
Peter Rouch, Archdeacon of Bournemouth
Richard Brand, Archdeacon of Winchester
Mat Phipps, Bishop’s Chaplain
Preparation for the reopening of church buildings
Thank
you to those who have responded to our survey as we continue to prepare
for the reopening of church buildings. We will also of course continue
to keep you updated on the latest guidance as it arrives from Government
and the National Church. If, as part of the preparation process, you
are considering reordering or making other changes within your church
building that will require permissions, please speak as ever to your
Archdeacon for advice.
Burial of ashes
We
had previously advised that the burial of ashes should be postponed.
Given the process of relaxing lockdown measures that has been started by
the Government, we would now advise clergy that they can make
arrangements for the burial of ashes, so long as the necessary
precautions are taken. Please refer to the Church of England FAQ.
Congo
We
have been continuing to stay updated with our Companion Link provinces
and receiving regular information from the Archbishops about the
situation in their countries. Archbishop Masimango of the Province of
the Anglican Church of the Congo has provided an update from Bishop
William Bahemuka Diocese of Boga located in the Province of Uturi in the
north east of the country. Over the past few months the Uturi province
has experienced increased widespread violence from armed groups, often
targeted at specific groups, which has resulted in the overall large
displacement of around 1.4 million residents from the region. This is a
concerning situation and reports suggest the problems have been
exacerbated by an inability of the Government to effectively control the
conflict, as well as the illegal trafficking of weapons and minerals.
You may wish to read this article for further detail on the context of the situation.
Please
pray for peace from this unrest and for all those affected by this
violence in the region. Pray that there will be opportunities for the
local Church in the Congo to offer help and continue to spread the
Gospel to people in need.
Rhythms and Wellbeing
The
St Luke’s Clergy Wellbeing Programme has offered a helpful reminder on
the need to be willing to develop new rhythms and patterns or to adapt
old ones so they are fit for our current circumstances. Michele Hampson,
honorary adult psychiatrist and priest in the Diocese of Southwell and
Nottingham, provides a valuable reflection on the importance of Rhythms and Wellbeing.
Bishop Tim, Bishop David and Bishop Debbie
