Christmas and more at St Mary Thorpe - Photo ReviewLife in Thorpe has been busy and I am pleased to report we managed to offer all of the services we had planned for Advent and Christmas 2020. The outside lights twinkled for a month and were adored, a daily evening carol service was relayed into the churchyard and the outside nativity visited by many families and children. Alongside this, a team of lay and ordained members filmed daily reflections right up to The Epiphany, reflecting on Advent and Christmas themes as we prayed "Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus." We were pleased that on average, each video was fully viewed over 40 times. With live streaming worship as well as being open in a restricted way, we have maintained the tradition of the parish, supported unanimously by Thorpe PCC who have voted twice since November to remain open to Communal Worship (which we think is safer than Private Prayer in our context). Alongside our strict Covid-secure protocols, including socially distanced seating and a significantly reduced capacity risk assessment of 30 maximum inside the building, we have encouraged our community to return to online participation where possible, at home being the safest place to be right now. For this latest period of lockdown we have re-introduced our daily pattern of worship at 10am and three services with a congregation, all Eucharistic on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Should we be asked to close to Communal Worship, these will continue to be live streamed from inside St Mary's. While we remain open, with our small service support team in place, we will continue to offer worship for those without the internet - while streaming for those who can join in from home, all at the same time, indeed we now have several congregations from churches in other locations joining us online too, as they are unable to film Eucharistic worship from inside their own church buildings - being a resource in this time of challenge. Our Social Committee has been busy organising more events, including an online Quiz held on the afternoon of Sunday 31 January.
All photos in this article courtesy of St Mary’s Facebook page. Like many congregations we have experienced loss associated with Covid, with five members of the congregation passing in 2020 and many more familiar faces and friends from the wider Thorpe community passing away. However, there have been some exceptionally moving funeral services in Church which we have also been able to Zoom, so a large number of people have been able to participate, pray, celebrate, laugh and cry together. This is an important ministry at St Mary's which is a priority at this time as we walk alongside people in their struggles, with love and in faith. We have continued to remain a donations point for Runnymede Foodbank and have been blown away by the generosity and kindness of the Thorpe community in support of others. At the Vicarage, we have been joined by another family member - Maggie the kitten who was found under floorboards and nursed back to health by Kathleen and her girls at Paws Cattery in Stanwell Moor before finding a new home with us. She is very affectionate and spirited, so you don't quite know what she will get up to or into next - none the less adored by all of us. I suspect her exploits will end up become sermon inspiration! With prayers for you all, my brothers and sisters in Christ as you continue to navigate these troubled times. Father Damian - Vicar of Thorpe |
