Welcome to St Vigor’s Church, Stratton on the Fosse and St John’s Church, Chilcompton.

Weekend of 4th-5th April 2020

Dear Friends,

We have had a busy week coming to terms with the lockdown regulations and working out how we can worship at home and serve our community. The Parish Council have generously invited me to their meetings (three times a week) and we have joined forces with them to offer help to those in need of assistance in the village. They are doing a super job of marshalling volunteers and co ordinating a response to those who ask for help. It is good that we should work together, I think.  We have also given our stock of protective gloves to Fosse House Nursing Home to help them as they care for vulnerable adults in our benefice.

Do pray for our school who are doing a magnificent job in difficult circumstances. The staff are working on a rota basis to feed children who have free school meals and offer care to those who are part of the family of key-workers in the community. Attendance varies day to day but they have been working with up to 30 children daily this week.  In our weekly chat and emails, I have been sharing faith-based resources with Mr Chorley to help the children explore both the Easter Story and activities to help the children explore how a person of faith might reflect on our current circumstances. Although in good spirits, he tells me that they have been asked to remain open over the Easter Holiday to care for these children, which will be quite a challenge. Do hold the staff in your prayers.

I am delighted to share with you an invitation to join together for Morning Prayer via Zoom on Palm Sunday (5th April) and on Easter Morning (12th April), both at 10.30am. The service sheet for Palm Sunday can be found here. A recording of the sermon will be available via the link toward the bottom of this letter before the service. If you would like to join us on Zoom and worship together, simply click on the link detailed below. It would be good to do this on Saturday some time, to give yourself time to familiarise yourself with the set up. When you return to it on Sunday morning, at the appropriate time you will be added to the meeting. I am hoping it will be as simple as it sounds and might open up new horizons for us to worship together in weeks to come.

To join Palm Sunday's Zoom meeting, click here. Please enter the following details when requested:

Meeting ID: 814 328 055
Password: 000967

You can try clicking on the link above at any time before the meeting starts, as that may help you if Zoom is new to you. It will simply show that the meeting has not started yet, and you can leave. Your browser may ask you to download and run Zoom if it is unable to connect directly, and this may work better for you anyway. In either case, you will not be required to either sign in or register with Zoom to simply join a meeting. You can click here for a bit more information on Zoom. If you scroll down a bit to the section headed "Joining the meeting or webinar" there is a very short video clip to watch on the subject.

A new invitation will be generated for Easter Sunday and will be communicated next week.

Please do ask for help if you feel you need it: we are all in the process of working out how we can make the most of technology in these challenging days. Thank you once again for the gracious way in which you have all been mindful of caring for one another: do keep it up!

Wishing you every blessing.  I am hopeful of seeing you on Sunday morning. 

Esther