Church services are now being held at Hawton Chuch at 9.30am on Sundays. Those attending should wear face masks, use the hand sanitisers near the entrance and sit in the designated areas to maintain physical distancing. Until the end of September we
have only had morning services but from 4th October communion services will resume.
The latest report from Hawton (20th August) is that nobody in the village has knowingly been infected with COVID-19, but there are cases in Balderton close
by. The village has not exactly cut itself off from the rest on the world, as the village of Eyam in Derbyshire did at the time of the Great Plague in 1665-6, but it has done the same job of social distancing, or more accurately, physical distancing, so that
nobody is infected. And of course, Hawton, unlike Eyam, is keeping the plague out rather than preventing it from escaping.
Once there are clearer indications of the progress of COVID-19 there may be further changes.
REFLECTIONS
ON PRAYER
'Prayer goes far beyond merely asking for benefits for oneself or for others. Prayer can be a public act of worship but the person who prays in private feels himself to be alone in the presence of God. This is another way of putting
the individual in touch with his deepest feelings. In some religions, no response to prayer from any supernatural being is even expected. Prayer is undertaken, not with the intention of influencing a deity, nor with any hope of prayer is been directly answered,
but in order to produce a harmonious state of mind. Prayer and meditation facilitate integration by allowing time for previously unrelated thoughts and feelings to interact. Being able to get in touch with one's deepest thoughts and feelings, providing time
for them to regroup theslves into new formations. and combinations, are important aspects of the creative process, as well as a way of relieving tension and promoting mental health.' Antony Storr, from Solitude, 1988.
Safeguarding
The parish of Hawton w Cotham is committed
to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO).
The Church of England is preparing to take the church into people’s homes – through TV screens, laptops, computers and mobile phones – ahead of the first Sunday without
public worship.
Hundreds of churches and cathedrals across the country are to live stream services without congregations, marking Mothering Sunday and a National Day of Prayer and Action tomorrow, which is being observed by all major Christian
denominations.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will lead the Church of England’s first national virtual service tomorrow morning. It will be broadcast simultaneously at 8am on the 39 BBC local radio stations in England and as BBC
Radio 4’s Sunday Worship. It will then premier on Facebook through the Church of England’s page at
9am.
Meanwhile the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu will be live streaming a short prayer time on his Facebook page at 10am, 12 noon, 4pm and 6pm on Sunday. The
time of prayer will include the Lord’s Prayer and two Taizé Chants and will be around 10 minutes long.
The Church of England has also issued a special prayer for the National Day of Prayer and Action. The text is below.
Across the country cathedrals, parish churches and non-traditional church gatherings are adapting to the challenges posed by the restrictions on public gatherings to help limit the spread of infection in different ways.
The Bishop of Chelmsford,
Stephen Cottrell, said: “The Church has never been a building, it has always been a people.
“We are about to discover what that means.
“From this Sunday onward the Church will meet as usual,
but it won’t be happening in our buildings.
“It will be happening in our hearts and in our homes.”