Hallaton Benefice ON-LINE With our churches closed for services we have moved on-line. So how can you HEXAD join in: FEBRUARY 2021 Hallaton and Whatborough Benefice Service by Zoom: Every Sunday morning at 11.00am there is a short Zoom On-Line service, made “I don’t know if we can stop hugs.” up of readings, prayers, a reflection, and a couple of hymns. Pep Guardiola, when interviewed, said he didn’t know if players could stop hugging These services are proving very popular; do join us if you are able. Please contact after his Manchester City players ignored the strong advice of England’s deputy Linda Jones [email protected] for the link to the Zoom service. chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam as they celebrated Phil Foden’s goal in familiar close-knit fashion. “In the real moment of joy…it is instinct and reaction,” A feature of the zoom services is the participation of many in reading prayers and the City manager said of the hugging celebration. “It is difficult. I don’t know if the lessons; volunteers to join the rota will be welcomed. Please contact Mary we will be able to do it.” Twidell [email protected] Many of us can understand this instinctive response to the feeling of joy. The The Hallaton Benefice are working with others in the Launde Deanery to bring the Telegraph newspaper cartoonist ‘Matt’ on 16th January sketched a cartoon showing services together each week. The Gaullby Group prepare the service and we share ‘Covid-Compliant Goal Celebrations’: the footballers he had sketched are not the zoom service with the Whatborough Benefice. hugging, instead they are kneeling down with a notebook and pen writing ‘Dear Colleague, Just a quick note to say what an excellent goal that was.’ I laughed Zoom Instructions: Joining a Zoom On-Line Service is straight forward. If you when I saw this, it is clearly not going to happen that way! are new to Zoom here are some instructions on how to get involved: iPad / tablet: Go to ZOOM App in App store and follow instructions. Apple Mac / PC: Over recent months many of you will have noticed the 2 metres distance between Open browser and go to www.zoom.us and sign up. friends and neighbours reduce as we move closer to greet each other and chat - a totally instinctive and understandable reaction to the delight in seeing each other. The software is free. Linda will send you a link which will let you join the meeting. Click the link and this will take you straght to the meeting. The process is simple With the most recent English national lockdown (Jan 2021) came the Government and should be easy to use. advice that applies to anyone choosing to attend in-person church services: You can attend places of worship for a service. However, you must not mingle with Safeguarding - children, young people and vulnerable adults. anyone outside of your household or support bubble. The Benefice co-ordinator is Jane Anne Gore Brown who may be contacted on You should maintain strict social distancing at all times. [email protected] or on 01162598382. Each Parochial Church Council was asked to review their risk assessment for opening and has decided that in this time, when the new variant of coronovirus Interim arrangements: Contact details for clergy (For pastoral support, baptisms, weddings and funerals): (Covid-19) is spreading out of control, the risk of being infected by coronavirus Area Dean: The Reverend Canon Alison Booker through instinctive ‘mingling’ is greater now than it has ever been. This increased email: [email protected] risk, the fact that our Government, their advising scientists, and our front-line Telephone : 0116 2596321 worker are urging us to stay at home, to protect the NHS and save lives has led to the difficult decision to cease communal worship in the churches of the The Reverend Jayne Lewis : Hallaton Benefice for the time being. Priest in Charge of the Whatborough Parishes Cold Overton, Knossington, Lowesby, Owston, Tilton-on-the-Hill Please note, however, that the churches in Hallaton and Tugby will email : [email protected] continue to open for individual prayer. Telephone : 0116 2597244 We will recommence communal worship when there is a significant decrease in the A Prayer in Lockdown: current rate of infections, when more is understood about transmissibility of the Ever present God, be with us in our isolation, new variant, and when those in the most vulnerable groups have been vaccinated. be close to us in our distancing, be healing in our sickness, be joy in our sadness, be light in our darkness, We are blessed with large buildings where it will be possible to gather at a safe be wisdom in our confusion, be all that is familiar when all is unfamiliar, distance, albeit with gentle and frequent reminders not to mingle and to keep your that when the doors reopen, we may with the zeal of Pentecost social distance! In the meantime, please remember we have a very safe place to inhabit our communities, and speak of your goodness gather online through our Sunday services via Zoom. There will also be an to an emerging world. For Jesus' sake, Amen. opportunity to meet in groups via Zoom for Bible study and prayer during Lent. The Very Reverend Andrew Nunn, Dean of Southwark Please check the Hallaton Benefice website for details. Revd Jayne Lewis Parish News: Visit www.ourbenefice.btck.co.uk for regular updates With background music from Shropshire choirs and brass bands via Shropshire and the latest news from around the Benefice. Radio we sang 12 traditional carols bringing some welcome cheer, especially when we managed to get a shout out for East Norton! We took a collection for the mental Hallaton: health charity Mind and donations are still welcome until the end of January. The Thank you to everyone who participated in the virtual carol service. We hope lots cedars in the churchyard have been carefully felled, bringing welcome light through of people had a chance to view it. It was lovely to welcome people into the church the east window of All Saints and a safer route through the churchyard. on Christmas Day. We were all able to keep a safe distance from each other whilst celebrating the day. The service was taken beautifully by Rev. Jonathan Dowman. Horninghold: We are very grateful to him, Emma as well as their children for coming to be with Whilst Christmas may seem a long time ago we still have happy memories of our us. We are particularly impressed by the children’s self-control, whose day started socially distanced carol singing in the churchyard and it was good to see so many at 6am, not to open presents but to make sure that they could get to Hallaton in of the village there. Meanwhile we are very grateful to Tom, Tom and Gemma and good time. to Anna for helping us enter the world of social media. We now have a Facebook & Erin and John’s re-scheduled wedding was due to take place on 20th January. Instagram page as well as our web site: www.Horninghold.org.uk Having shifted their plans with every change in restrictions since the pandemic Facebook: www.facebook.com/stpetershorninghold began, they reluctantly decided that it just wasn’t feasible to go ahead at this Instagram: www.instagram.com/stpeters.horninghold time. Not only are Erin and John part of a large cohort of couples whose wedding If you buy items from AMAZON please go to our website first and click the Amazon plans are on hold but they are also part of a stricken hospitality sector. Our link at the bottom of the Home Page. There is no effect on the price you pay, but prayers are with all those who find themselves in these two predicaments. our Church restoration fund will earn commission on every purchase you make. Slawston: Launde Abbey: A Very Happy and Hopeful New Year to everyone, from Slawston! "Launde Abbey is closed," says David Newman, the Abbey's Warden, "but Launde's We were grateful to Alison for taking our lamplit outdoor service around the church ministry continues." We may all be stuck in our homes this month, but there's Christmas tree on 20th December, which was very well attended, socially distanced plenty going on for you at Launde@Home, our online ministry of retreats, quiet and masked, with a special guest in Mrs. Christmas too! The village was very well days and training days. Why not transform lockdown into an opportunity for prayer, decorated with lots of lights and a giant Father Christmas, which were all fun to silence, reflection and spiritual growth? see, and Ann Lee very kindly organised a collection of goods for the Jubilee There's so much on offer: an exploration of the Lord's Prayer with Stephen Cherry, Foodbank. Special welcomes to the families who have moved into the village in the a Quilting and Textiles retreat, a chance to explore David Newman's book Growing last 13 months at Rose Cottage, Main Street, including Leo; Row End; Grange Up Into The Children Of God, an Enneagram retreat, a couple of quiet days - and Cottage, including Judy; and Rosslyn House, we hope that normal events will that's just in the next month or so! resume as soon as possible but meanwhile we are very glad to have you! Many Plus we've got an ever expanding library of past retreat talks together with audio thanks to all those in the Benefice who organise our zoom services, the Hexad, and worship and other resources available, all free - it's a cornucopia of delights! Why the website.