COVID-19 / Coronavirus and the Church - UPDATE 23rd March 2020
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
Following the latest directives of the Government and of our Bishop, all public services of worship, meetings, and other Parish gatherings are now suspended until further notice.
On Sundays, Morning Prayer will be offered privately in each of our churches by our clergy, and you will be held in our hearts and minds as we do so. We encourage you to offer your own Sunday or daily prayers as well, from the safety of your own homes.
To help you with this, and to keep you connected with worship, a number of Anglican Churches are offering ‘livestreamed’ worship online. On Sundays, we encourage you to pour yourself a cup of tea, log on, sit in the comfort of your own home and join the Church universal in worship, either at:
St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne: https://cathedral.org.au/covid19/webcasts-livestream/
Christ Church St Laurence, Sydney: https://youtu.be/J2XVy7j_E54
St Andrew’s Brighton: https://youtu.be/_ZYX-vmxHq8
We value you and your health and safety as paramount. As a result, we have initiated a system of telephone pastoral connecting for our regular members. We will also work towards finding ways to distribute pew bulletins and other communications as regularly as we can.
Please take care of yourselves over the next few months; phone each other regularly to check that they are OK; wash your hands; and; above all, pray and keep calm.
Remember: we never walk alone in this world, for, in the Spirit, God is always with us, speaking soft words of wisdom and of hope, and perhaps in the beauty of a sunset, or in the call of birdsong at dawn, reminding us that, whilst there are times of darkness in this world, God’s pattern for all creation is always to work towards bringing forth light, and life anew.
Blessings and prayers for the journey ahead.
Fr Thomas
The Rev’d Canon Thomas Leslie, Parish Priest
Anglican Parochial District of Beechworth and Eldorado
Tradition, Hospitality, Openness
The Anglican Parish of Beechworth is
a friendly Anglo-Catholic Parish
in the beautiful North-East region of Victoria.
In worship, in prayer, and in our daily lives we seek to live out the message of Jesus: of a God of generous and all-encompassing Love for all people.
Whoever you are, whatever your background, experience, language, gender, sexuality, creed, or uncertainty,
you are welcome to join us,
as together we learn to be God's people.
HO
PE
“ This is the message we have heard and proclaim to you, that God is light; and in him there is no darkness...” [1 John 1:5]
Inspired by God’s Love, through worship, prayer, and scriptural reflection,
we seek to live out our Christ-centred values
by meeting the needs of our communities
through serving and accepting others.
Parish Mission Statement
PRAY
A SAFE CHURCH
The Anglican Diocese of Wangaratta, including all ministry units within the Diocese, has a zero tolerance for abuse. We believe that all people, including children and vulnerable adults, have the right to be respected and valued and to feel emotionally, physically and spiritually safe at all times. We are committed to providing a safe, respectful, welcoming and positive environment for children and adults from all backgrounds.
If you have experienced or suspect abuse you can report it to the Director of Professional Standards on 1800 377 842 (1800 DPSVIC).
The Director of Professional Standards can also be contacted by email
or by mail at PO Box 337, Canterbury VIC 3126.