Church Services Update – May 2021 (Updated)

From the Vicar header

As we had hoped, from the beginning of May, we have been able to reintroduced more of our regular pre-pandemic services. Sunday evening worship has resumed at 6pm in Little Gaddesden, except on the third Sunday of the month when it is in Nettleden.

Midweek services are also re-starting at 10am on Thursdays in Little Gaddesden and Tuesdays at 9am in Great Gaddesden.

Restrictions with which you will be familiar, remain:

  1. Social distancing must still be maintained.
  2. Face masks must be worn at all times in church.
  3. Please use the hand cleanser at the door.
  4. We will not be able to join in with the singing of the hymns, but the choir is now singing.
  5. Holy Communion will be distributed in a safe manner in one kind only.

From the 17th May, national restrictions will ease a little and whilst we can’t stay on in church after a service yet, it will be permissible to at least have conversations outside.

Podcasts have stopped for the time being but may be offered in the coming months to study a particular theme or issue.

We also intend to cease recording the morning service after 16th May, because the demand is now very low. If you feel there is a need for a video recording, or indeed an audio recording, of particular parts of the service such as the readings, sermon and prayers, please contact me. [UPDATE 19 May 2021: as we are still in a period of uncertainty I am going to attempt to live stream the Sunday service via the Little Gaddesden Church facebook page, for a few weeks. There will be a link on the Services page.]

Rest assured, all our decisions will be in compliance with current Church and Government guidelines.

I look forward to seeing you very soon.

Please keep an eye on our website for the most up to date information

The Revd. John Russell, Vicar
4 May 2021

Church Services Update – April 2021

From the Vicar header

With some congregational worship now resumed we will gradually introduce more services in each of the churches over the coming weeks as conditions allow.

Restrictions, with which you will be familiar, remain:

  1. Social distancing from those not in your household or care bubble, must be maintained.
  2. Face masks must be worn at all times in church.
  3. Please use the hand cleanser at the door.
  4. We will not be able to join in with the singing of the hymns.
  5. Holy Communion will be distributed in a safe manner in one kind only.
  6. After the service you must disperse and not stay in church to have a catch up.  (I’m sorry!)

During April, morning services in all three churches will continue and, from the beginning of May, the intention is to bring back our full programme of worship, including midweek services and evening worship on Sundays. Nettleden will have one Evening worship on the 18th April at 6pm as a first trial evening service.

Podcasts have stopped for the time being but may be offered in the coming months to study a particular theme or issue.

Rest assured, all our decisions will be in compliance with current Church and Government guidelines.

I look forward to seeing you very soon.

Please keep an eye on our website for the most up to date information

The Revd. John Russell, Vicar
1 April 2021

The Resumption of Public Worship

From the Vicar header

I am delighted to say that congregational worship for our three parishes will resume this coming Sunday (28th February). For the first two weeks, there will only be one service, but all being well, we will gradually introduce more services in each of the churches. The service will be live streamed to the Little Gaddesden Church Facebook page*.

This Sunday will be a Sung Eucharist in Little Gaddesden at 9.30am, with the restrictions that many of you will be familiar with from before Christmas. This means:

  1. Social distancing from those not in your household or care bubble must be maintained.
  2. Face masks must be worn at all times in church.
  3. Please use the hand cleanser at the door.
  4. We will not be able to join in with the singing of the hymns.
  5. Holy Communion will be distributed in a safe manner in one kind only.
  6. After the service you must disperse and not stay in church to have a catch up.

I am sorry this still seems draconian, but it’s the best news we have had in months, made possible by the introduction of effective vaccines and the rapid decline in Covid-19 infection.

I look forward to seeing you very soon.

A full list of services up to and including Easter will be published shortly.

The Revd. John Russell, Vicar
23 February 2021

*If you are comfortable using Facebook, the Little Gaddesden Church page can be accessed here. The Facebook page will open in a new tab. If you visit the page, Facebook will track you even if you are not signed up to Facebook. Existing Facebook users can also find the page by searching @stpeterstpaullittgadd in Facebook or in Messenger.

Worship in 2021

From the Vicar header

As you may know over Christmas I made the very difficult decision to suspend public worship in our churches, with the intention of reviewing the position post-Christmas.

Unfortunately, the number of people catching Covid-19 is rising at an even more alarming rate and I have no choice but to continue to offer our services online only.

Our main act of worship will continue to be made available every Sunday from 9.30am on both the Great and Little Gaddesden Church websites for the foreseeable future. I will of course continue to monitor the situation closely and respond accordingly.

My decision, which I assure you has not been taken lightly, is based on our not only being in Tier 4 of the current Government Regulations, but also to help protect us from this horrible virus. We have many vulnerable people in our parishes and it is important that the church does not exacerbate the situation.

Please see below, as well as the Services and Coming Up pages for our online activities, and keep checking back here for updates.

I know the church communities join me in wishing you all a Happy New Year, hoping and praying that things will soon improve.

John Russell, Vicar
1 January 2021

The Eucharist for St Alban

Services header

It was my intention to make the recording of the midweek Eucharist available this week in the usual way, on the Little Gaddesden Church website as well as our Facebook Pages. However due to a technical issue (i.e. operator error – me!) it won’t be shown, for which I apologise.

I can assure everyone that the Eucharist was offered for our Diocesan Patron saint whose day of commemoration is 22nd June. Therefore I have set out on the Services page of the website the Collect, readings, homily and prayers used in the service.

The Revd John Russell
Vicar

From the Vicar: Continuing to ‘Be Church’

From the Vicar header

24 March 2020

Dear Friends,

Whilst all public acts of worship have stopped and churches closed, we must continue to ‘be church’, functioning albeit in an unprecedented form.

At my Induction Service as Team Rector of the Berkhamsted Team, Bishop Michael, Bishop of Hertford, challenged us to find new ways to be the church in these extraordinary and unprecedented times; to find new ways and means to be ‘generous, joyful, imaginative and courageous’, in all our actions. The time has come when we must ask ourselves what our Christianity actually means to us.

Continue reading “From the Vicar: Continuing to ‘Be Church’”

From the Vicar: The Church Still Functions

From the Vicar header

Please see the updated version of this post dated 24 March 2020.

18 March 2020

Dear Friends,

Whilst all public acts of worship have been suspended until further notice, it doesn’t mean the church has stopped functioning. At my Induction Service as Team Rector of the Berkhamsted Team yesterday evening, Bishop Michael, Bishop of Hertford, challenged us to find new ways of “being church” in these extraordinary and unprecedented times. To be ‘generous, joyful, imaginative and courageous’, in all our actions.  These times challenge us as people and require us to ask fundamental questions of ourselves.

Continue reading “From the Vicar: The Church Still Functions”