At St Mary’s in Rye we are doing our best to follow the government’s advice on the coronavirus pandemic and that of the Church of England during this difficult and worrying time.
In accordance with the advice of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York (the two most senior clergy in the Church of England) we are suspending all church services until further notice.
Starting next Monday, March 23 we will be praying daily at 10am for the current situation, the people of Rye, and all those we know and love, and this will be marked by the tolling of the tenor bell.
We are also planning to video the Thursday Holy Communion service (whether or not there is anyone present) and upload this on our Facebook page, which will be a way for people to stay in touch.
We will be actively looking at the possibility of holding some services in the churchyard, but planning these is still ongoing. Updates will be posted on our website and our Facebook page.
We have reluctantly taken the decision to close the tower and shop until further notice, but the church will still be open for prayer
If parishioners would like specific prayers please contact the parish office on 01797 222318 or ryeparishchurch@btconnect.com. The Prayer Net in the church will remain functioning, at least for the time being, so anyone is welcome to write a prayer request on a paper fish and fix it to the net.
These requests are prayed for, and I will bless them every Sunday morning, even if there is no service.
Image Credits: RyeJ. Minter News library , Nick Forman .
UPDATE: We will be recording a private service on Sunday (not Thursday as we previously thought we would) which will be available to view on our website and Facebook page from late Sunday morning.
We are producing a weekly newsletter with information about what we are doing (or not doing!) and that is also on our website. Anyone who would like this emailed to them can email the Parish Administrator on ryeparishchurch@btconnect.com.