News: Roadmap back to Gathered Worship

This week, our St John’s Covid-safety group met, to discuss and formulate policies for the phased re-opening of St John’s for gathered worship once more. We are fully committed to ensure that unnecessary risks are avoided, but that there is soon an opportunity to worship together physically again, albeit with social distancing etc remaining in place, as with last autumn. We also appreciate that some, of whatever age, including those not yet vaccinated, may not wish to return yet, and we will continue a regular online pattern of services for at least the next few months.

 

Our plan, therefore, is that we will continue fully online until Good Friday. However our Easter weekend we will begin to open-up, first with an outdoor Easter Vigil service on Easter Eve at 8pm, and secondly, with two gathered services on Easter Sunday, an All Age service at 9.30am and a Holy Communion service at 11.00am. The 11am service will be livestreamed and there will also be a pre-recorded online service of Festal Evensong, prepared by the dispersed students of Homerton College.

 

After this, we will have a very gradual return to being a physically gathered community, with the steps we take being in line with the Government process. An outline is included below:

 

 

STEP 1: FROM EASTER WEEKEND (April 3rd/4th):

In Church Sunday services at 9:30am and 11am.

Booking required and other safety measures (masks, social distancing etc) in place.

 

All other services will remain online

 

 

STEP 2: APRIL 12th AT THE EARLIEST

 

Sunday services at 9:30am and 11am.

With safety measures (masks, social distancing etc) in place.

 

 

Sunday Evening at 6pm, home groups etc will remain on Zoom but our Wednesday 10am Eucharist will restart in person at St John's on Wed 14th April.

 

 

 

Other areas of phased reopen will continue inline with the government's stepped process. For instance, when we reach the government step 3 (which is currently set as May 17th at the earliest), we will aim to restart Sunday Evensong in person, along with more socialising after the services and the reopening of the St John's Centre.

 

 

 

 

Please don’t hesitate to speak to James or Chris if you wish to express any views or have questions about this plan for a gradual return to gathered worship.