Otley Parish Church

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Update 24/03/20:-

Following the statements from the Government and the Church of England the church building will remain closed until further notice. Please visit the Contacts page for details of how to get in touch regarding pastoral matters.

OTLEY PARISH CHURCH CORONAVIRUS NOTES (14/03/2020)

Acting on the Advice from the Archbishops and York, until further notice:

            ALL SERVICES

  • We will continue to run Church Services at the usual times, according to the usual pattern.
  • People are encouraged to wash their hands when they come into Church – using alcohol based gel or with soap and water in the toilets.
  • The Peace will no longer involve shaking hands or physical contact.
  • The Collection plate will not be passed around, but will be available at the back of Church.
  • Refreshments (both drinks and cakes/biscuits) will not be served after Church.
  • Services at 10am on Sundays will be videoed and available to watch on youtube from 12 noon on the same day. The services will not be available to the general public. You can get the link each week in an email. Ask Graham or Ken to include you.

COMMUNION SERVICES

  • Communion will be given in one kind only (the bread). Communion wine will be consecrated as part of the communion, but the congregation will not be offered the cup.
  • Receiving a blessing at the Communion table, for a child or an adult, will not involve physical contact.

CHURCH BUILDING

  • The Church building will continue to be open during the day.

WIDER MINISTRY

  • We will not be able to run Little or Baby Rascals.
  • Catering in Church is suspended
  • Friday and Saturday Cafés will not be running.
  • Nor Open House.
  • Nor Church Tea.
  • Future events/concerts will be assessed in the light of the developing context, but no refreshments/bar/catering will be allowed in the Church building.

PASTORAL CARE

  • Pastoral visits will be limited by the potential to pass on the virus to vulnerable people.
  • We all need to be vigilant in caring for vulnerable people, some of whom may become vulnerable due to fear of the coronavirus, or events being cancelled – in addition to those who self-isolate.
  • Telephone calls, cards, emails etc will be increasingly valuable.
  • Please let Graham or Linda know if someone is unwell, or struggling to cope with their current situation.

HYGIENE ADVICE

  • Be aware that viruses can be transferred on surfaces and in the air. We will do our best to clean surfaces regularly but every door handle, push-button, service sheet, bible etc is a potential source of virus infection.
  • Don’t touch your face unless you have washed your hands.
  • Catch it! (Sneeze into a tissue) Bin it! (Bin the tissue) Kill it! (Wash your hands)

COMMON SENSE

  • Please don’t come to Church if you are feeling unwell, particularly with fever, cough or other possible symptoms of the coronavirus.

We hope and pray that these radical measures will be relatively short-term and will help protect the most vulnerable of our congregation in these difficult times.