Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
It is with joy and a measure of caution that I am pleased to announce the Bishop has given permission for St Luke’s to reopen for worship in a limited capacity in accordance with state government regulations.
For the foreseeable future St Luke’s is permitted to hold worship:
- On weekdays only
- With a maximum of 10 parishioners in attendance – (10 parishioners + priest + Liturgical Assistant + parish official).
- services cannot exceed one hour in duration
- attendance at the service must be booked in advance.
- Contact details of attenders must be kept by parish official for tracing purposes
Other restrictions include:
- No singing (shown to increase chances of transmission of virus)
- No greeting of the peace or other touching
- 1.5 metre socially distancing rules in place
- Parishioners must sit in designated pews (Couples/families must also follow social distancing guidelines)
- Communion administered in bread alone (no wine)
- Church to be sanitised after each service
- No refreshments on site after service
- Children are counted the same as adults
Booking System
There are only two ways to book attendance at a service.
Online
Visit http://stlukeswallsend.eventbrite.com, select the service you wish to attend and follow instructions. A phone number must be included when prompted to complete booking.
Phone
Call or text 0482 667 331 (between 10am-1pm Mon – Fri only), with the date/day/time service you wish to attend and Hannah will confirm booking or suggest other available times. You must leave your name and contact phone number when booking.
Please do not call outside the set hours, as the Phone will be turned off and not turned on again until 9am the next day.
***Please be considerate of others in only booking one service per week***
Service times and instructions overleaf. SERVICE TIMES AVAILABLE
1 June (Mon) 10am Eucharist
2 June (Tues) 10am Eucharist
3 June (Wed) 10am Eucharist
4 June (Thur) 6pm Eucharist
8 June (Mon) 10am Eucharist
9 June (Tues) 10am Eucharist
10 June (Wed) 10am Eucharist
11 June (Thur) 6pm Eucharist
*Canon Andrew and the Wardens will review the services after the first week,
and re-assess service times for the remainder of June after that.
**Should the diocese move to allow churches to open up for Sundays, weekday service times will be reviewed**
WHEN ARRIVING AT ST LUKE’S FOR A SERVICE
1. Please follow social distancing rules of staying at least 1.5 metres apart from each other at all times.
2. Please do not attend worship if you are feeling unwell, have returned from overseas in the past 14 days, if you have been in contact with suspected cases or confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the past 14 days
- The parish is taking all reasonable steps to prevent a case of Covid-19 from entering our site, however, there is still a risk that you should take into consideration before entering our site.
- We recommend you take into consideration your personal situation including any pre-existing medical conditions or whether you fall within a high risk category and take additional precautions as necessary.
3. Wait at entrance to church, spaced from others outside, until the entranceway is clear and you can move into the church. A one-use printed service sheet will be provided. Please take this with you when you leave.
4. Please Sanitise your hands at the entrance as per instructions.
5. Please sit in a marked pew. All pews have been sanitised with government approved disinfectant by our cleaners.
At the Administration of Communion
6. The priest will stand in the middle of the sanctuary at the bottom step and call those in the front pew.
7. Please move forward to the x on the floor at the front step to receive communion. If there is someone in front of you, please stand at the mark on the floor behind, and wait for the person in front receiving communion to move away before stepping forward.
8. Only the person receiving communion and one person waiting at a time. All others must wait in their pew until the second mark is clear before moving forward.
9. Please try to not touch anything as you move. if required, hand sanitiser will be available throughout the church.
Please be patient as we learn this new way of gathering together. The priest and parish official will be there to assist or answer questions at the time.