I am pleased to confirm that the Church is now open for Private Prayer every day from 9am to 5pm. There are some simple guidelines to follow to prevent coronavirus contamination, and to maintain as clean and safe an environment as possible.
- Entry will only be via the NE entrance (the glass door near to the War Memorial). If you are coming by car, you may wish to park on the street rather than the car park, but please take notice of parking restrictions.
- As you enter the building, please clean your hands with the sanitiser provided and use the paper towels if required, disposing of them in the bin.
- We suggest you also clean your hands on leaving.
- Please do not enter the areas of the Church which are taped off: these areas have not been cleaned and will not be regularly cleaned either. This includes all access to the Hall and Toilets.
- Notices saying, “I sat here” will be available. If you have sat down on a chair or a pew, please leave this flier/sign in your place. This will help people avoid sitting in the same place before cleaning takes place.
- There will be no facility for writing prayer requests. You can make prayer requests by contacting the Vicar vicar@stmarksreigate.co.uk or 01737 241161.
- You are welcome to light a candle on the stand in the Lady Chapel. There will be no matches available but a candle will be kept alight from which individual candles can be lit. Please feel free to sit and pray.
By following these guidelines as well as frequent cleansing of the open parts of the church, we can all use the building for prayer. At all times please keep a minimum of 2 metres from anyone not in your household. At times the Office will be open, but please keep the 2-metre distance from anyone working there.
You may have also heard that the Government announced yesterday that Public Worship can take place from Saturday 4 July. This is permissive and not an instruction that Worship must take place. Once the Government has published the detailed regulations, the churchwardens and I, in consultation with the Ministry Team and members of the PCC, will make a decision as to when and how we might open the Church safely for Public Worship. When we do, online services will continue as well, probably as a live stream of the worship in Church. We will make announcements in advance of the opening of the Church for Public Worship with the dates and times, etc.
I look forward to meeting you all safely in the coming weeks and months, and that you remain safe.
Fr. Martin Colton
