Author: MarkSanderson

It’s Wednesday at 10, so it’s Toast Story Time again. And here is this week’s offering. Get ready for quite a bit of hunting!

‘I didn’t ever think I would gain so much spiritual recharging from seeing services in this way. I always thought that the age, smell, history and the sense of serenity in God through Jesus could only be experienced whilst at church; of course I do feel that the ‘all encompassing’ feeling of connectedness is only attainable in church. But what a wonderful gift to worship in such a way! Praise be to God. And thank you all within for making services available online, it is much appreciated. Long may they continue, even after the dark chapter we are all experiencing now.’ – A recent comment from an online

A grateful worshiper

This morning’s service will bu underway shortly on YouTube. We look forward to seeing you there.

February’s about to start… so that means it’s Messy Church on Thursday 4th – the first Thursday of the month!

• We can’t get together in church yet but we’re putting together some great Messy Bags so we can all take part in Messy@Home! (You can pick bags up from St Mary’s porch on Wednesday or Thursday or message us & we’ll deliver) 
• AND… we’re having a go at a Messy ZoomGet Together from 3.30pm on Thursday 4th – so we can say hello to each other,  Get Messy virtually with our activities and at 3.55pm we’ll have a short show and tell to see all your fabulous creations, and from 4pm, our Messy Celebration with story, song and prayer – and snacks at home!
• Or… if you’d like to catch up later at a time that suits you better, we’ll be putting together a short Messy Video!PLEASE BOOK YOUR PLACES HERE: Messy Church Registration, Thu 4 Feb 2021 at 15:30 | Eventbrite to help us plan and make enough bags – and so we can send you the Zoom link – we’d love it if you can Zoom with us! 

We’ll send you more info when you book – meantime, if you have any queries or suggestions, or you’d just like a chat, please email caroline@rossparishes.uk
Let’s Get……. Messssssy!!!!!

Caroline and all the Messy Team

It’s Wednesday so here’s this week’s Toast Story Time video from St Mary’s Toast Makers. If for no other reason you’ll want to see why Ann is pulling that face!

For children of all ages!

If you like it please share and join the Toast Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/toastandtoddle or see https://rossparishes.uk/toast for more from previous weeks.

Every year the Ross Educational Foundation supports local students by awarding grants for equipment, books and travel to help them achieve their educational goals.

The current pandemic places strains on families that go way beyond the need for educational support, as we have seen across the country the issues with free school meals and the increased use of food banks. 

The Foundation has therefore decided to make the sum of £1,500 available in £30 food vouchers which can be reclaimed for food from Morrisons.

Kirintec Ltd., the company that resides in the Walter Scott School in Old Gloucester Road, is very kindly adding £3,000 to the fund, so a total of 150 vouchers are being distributed via Ashfield Park, Brampton Abbotts, Bridstow and St Joseph’s Schools for the benefit of local Ross families.

There’s still time to book a place on our 2021 virtual Vision Day where people from all three parishes will gather by Zoom from 10am-12 noon to discern, prayerfully how our vision might be developed and made more real in our parishes. The Bishop of Hereford the Rt Reverend Richard Jackson will lead part of our vision day process. If you would like to join us please let Lou in the office know (562175) or book your place on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ross-parishes-vision-morning-tickets-135673233293

You can read Sean’s latest letter at https://rossparishes.uk/letterjan21/

A new lockdown was announced by the Prime Minister on the 4^th January 2021, and unexpectedly, communal worship is permitted under this lockdown. 

Unlike a year ago, we are now dealing with a COVID variant that is significantly more transmittable, and despite our churches being COVID-19 secure, any gathering of people poses a heightened risk of transmission or infection. We are particularly concerned that people, starved of social contact, might mingle and chat to one another before and after services, and in so doing, put one another at risk. 

As Christians our behaviour needs to be guided by our faith. One of the most basic teachings of Jesus Christ was that all interpersonal ethical choices should be directed by the principle of loving your neighbour as yourself. In the context of COVID-19 this means avoiding any risks of transmitting the coronavirus to others. Furthermore, churches need to be safe places – not places where we put our health or lives in danger. But equally, as Christians we are called to worship God and we need to be spiritually replenished and encouraged, especially in such a difficult time. 

Holding these principles together, we strongly urge people to attend services online, and will only make 10 seats available at selected services for those who believe that their mental and spiritual health would be significantly compromised by not attending a physical service. To attend a service physically, booking through Eventbrite (https://rossparishes.uk/digital-services) will be essential or please phone the church office on 01989 562 175. Those at services will be social distanced and no mingling or chatting will be allowed.

Full details of the arrangements that will be in place from 7^th January 2021 will be found at https://rossparishes.uk/digital-services. In brief, they are:

St Michael and All Angels, Brampton Abbotts    
No services until further notice

St Michael and All Angels, Walford                   
The church is open for private prayer daily
No Parish Eucharists until further notice
Family Zoom Services will continue

St Mary, Ross-on-Wye                                      
The church is open for private prayer daily
Thursday 10 am Livestreamed Eucharist. Max 10 in church.  
Sunday 8 am Livestreamed BCP Holy Communion. Max 10 in church.
Sunday 9.30 am Livestreamed Benefice Eucharist with Max 10 in church.  
Followed by Virtual Coffee
Come As You Are Services – pre-recorded
Messy Church – pre-recorded/Zoom
Toast and Toddle – pre-recorded/Zoom
LEAF – pre-recorded/Zoom

Please note: All pre-recorded services will be available on the website (rossparishes.uk) and livestreamed services will be available on the Ross Parishes Facebook page or YouTube. If you are having trouble accessing any services online please contact Mark or the church office.  

We are very fortunate to have the ability to livestream and pre-record services, and I thank all involved in bringing worship into the safety of our homes. The ministry team and I will do all we can to maintain contact with parishioners through phone calls, emails and Zoom calls, and will continue with pastoral care in every way we possibly can. Please do be in contact with me or the church office if you need any help of any kind.

God bless, and keep safe

The Rev’d Sean Semple
Rector, The Ross Parishes

As 2020 ends we invite you to commemorate anyone you have lost during 2020 on the Ross Remembers site. We set up this online book of remembrance in March, during the first lockdown to remember anyone who has died for any reason. There’s a simple form on the site for you to enter details (including photographs, poems etc). There is no charge and the site is available to anyone in or around Ross-on-Wye. https://rossremembers.org

We’d like to wish you a very peaceful and joyous Christmas.

Details of remaining services for Christmas are at https://rossparishes.uk/christmas All services require pre-booked places.

Or join us live on YouTube (not Facebook): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q5Hx_UyH3o&list=PLjHmbsCmLi21n-0C4EF8CJ3TXBKLjnLQ8

We have taken the difficult decision to cancel a number of our planned Christmas services. This is largely due to concerns over the rise in Covid infections but also influenced by weather conditions. The following will not now take place:

• Carols on the Green – Ross (Wednesday and Thursday)
• Nativity Service – Walford (Christmas Eve)
• Christmas Eve Eucharist – Brampton Abbotts

You’ll find details of the services that are still going ahead at https://rossparishes.uk/christmas. We ask everyone who comes along to observe good social distancing and to bring a face mask. All services require pre-booking and if you don’t make it, most will be live streamed on Facebook.

In the light of increasing concern over the progress of Coronavirus we have been reviewing some of our remaining Christmas programme today and have, with a heavy heart, decided to cancel the proposed outside carol singing in the churchyard that was to have taken place on Wednesday and Thursday.

We apologise to all who had planned to come. The Bap Shack, who were to have been providing refreshments will instead be in the churchyard at the time of the Crib Service on Christmas Eve (4 pm service). There are only 5 places remaining at that service so book soon

Details of all our Christmas services will be found at https://rossparishes.uk/christmas.

We are sorry that the Carol Service live stream had streaming errors and we’re still trying to work out what the problem was. However, here is an uninterrupted recording of the repeat one at 6pm.

There are still a few tickets left for tomorrow’s carol services at St Mary’s. Sunday 20th December @ 4pm (2 tickets left) and 6pm (5 tickets left). If you don’t mange to get there you could watch the live stream on Facebook at 4pm (or any time after that).

Also there’s a Messy Church drop-in service from 2 to 3.15 pm.

Next week: Carols on the Green (you can sing) in the churchyard at 5.30 pm on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th (no booking required – just come along).

Details and booking for all Christmas services at https://rossparishes.uk/christmas

Why not come along to a Christingle service on Sunday 13th December at St Mary’s in Ross (4 pm) or at Walford (11.00 am).

The Christingle is an ancient tradition that in more modern times has been adopted by the Children’s Society. Christingle Services are taking place throughout the world this month, and our two services are a part of that.

You’ll need to book a place though and seats are going fast. If you can’t come you could watch the service from St Mary’s live on Facebook.

You’ll find all the links to booking and the live stream (and information about everything else that’s happening in the Ross Parishes this Christmas) at https://rossparishes.uk/christmas.

The Christingle is a beautiful and fairly ancient service and a great Christmasy experience. We’ve not held one in Ross for a very long time. But this year we are! You’ll need to book a place. Christingles are provided. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/copy-of-christingle-st-marys-church-ross-on-wye-sunday-13-december-tickets-131077144267

Or join us live on Facebook at 4pm on Sunday, 13th December.

If you’d prefer the morning then a similar service is taking place at 11am at Walford Church.

More links and information about all our Christmas events at https://rossparishes.uk/christmas

All seats have gone for the 4 pm Carol Service at St Mary’s. We have decided to repeat the service at 6 pm. Booking is on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/copy-of-carols-by-candlelight-1800-tickets-131705650145

The 4 pm service will be live streamed on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/StMarysRoss/live/