Welcome to St Mary's Shortlands

At this time we are in the middle of one of the greatest crises experienced in modern times: the spread of coronavirus. Our worship of God and our care for each other continue here at St Mary's and whilst we cannot be together in person we are still able to join together in prayer and worship.

I am delighted to announce that St. Mary’s church is now re-opened for private prayer and reflection only.  The church is open to the public on the following days and times: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, 10am to 3pm.

Arrival is strictly through the South Door and, upon arrival, hand-sanitiser will be available. When leaving the church, please exit using the North Door. Whilst in the church, please can I respectfully request that social distancing (2 metres) is observed at all times.

Within the church, seating will be clearly indicated, but there will be no hymn or prayer books available and there will be no access to the kitchen, toilet or meeting facilities. Government guidance requests that a register is maintained of all visitors and kept for 21 days to assist with ‘track and trace’ should it be required.

Please do not enter the church building if you have any underlying health issues that might be a concern, or if you are feeling unwell for any reason.

Re-opening our church doors is a significant step forward and one that needs to be taken cautiously and with sensitivity, but it is a step that I very much welcome and one that I hope you will all embrace.

Love and Blessings, Revd Gary

St Mary's News Sheet 26 July - 22 August 2020

Worship at St Mary's

Streaming of services takes place each day:

Morning Prayer: Monday - Saturday 9am

Holy Communion - Sunday 10.30am

To access our live services and recordings of our most recent services, please click here.

Please click on the links below for orders of service:

• Morning Prayer
• Morning Worship - Sunday 9 August

Visit our Coronavirus page for more information on how to access these services and other information about our response to Coronavirus.

If you are aware of anyone within our community who may be in self-isolation, unwell or alone during these challenging times, St Mary's has a team of people available to provide both pastoral and practical support to those that need it.  If we can help in any way, please email the vicar, vicar@stmaryshortlands.church, or phone on 020 8460 0262.  Please leave a message if your call isn't answered straight away.

Stewardship
Thank you to everyone who has been able to make a stewardship contribution to St. Mary’s during the past few months as we have lived through the impact of coronavirus, a virus that has affected each and every one of us. Whether through an increase in monthly giving, as a new donor, or as a one-off payment, your generosity has been received with sincere thanks, generosity that greatly helps in keeping your church alive.

Restrictions on access to the church have now been lifted, which is wonderful news for us all, but we are still a long way off from ‘normal service’ being resumed. Because of this, I would respectfully ask that if you are able, please could you consider how you might be able to continue in financially helping St. Mary’s, perhaps as a new donor through a standing order, or through increasing your current giving. Christian giving is part of our discipleship, a response to God's love and today, like no other time, the life of the church continues even through these exceptionally challenging times.  Many people are working tirelessly, learning new skills and adapting how worship is presented and it is through all of this, that the love of God continues to radiate through our community. 

If you are considering joining the stewardship scheme at St. Mary’s, please fill in the stewardship scheme form, and set up a standing order with your bank, using the following details: Nat West Bank sort code 60-04-02, Account Number 42417112 (you can use this standing order form).  If you pay tax, please do also complete and return a gift aid form - this allows us to reclaim tax on your donation at no cost to you.

If you wish to give a one-off payment, you can:

• DONATE HERE
• use the above bank account details (please let us know if sending an online payment so we can identify the payment)
• make a cheque out to St Mary Shortlands PCC, which can be dropped off at the vicarage as part of your daily exercise regime

Thank you for your continued support of St. Mary’s and ensuring that we continue to share the love of God within our community.

Safeguarding
As a church we take our safeguarding responsibilities very seriously: we are committed to ensuring our church and hall buildings are safe places for all.  If you have any concerns about safeguarding you can contact our Parish Safeguarding Officer, Kay Coleman, on 07879 337567.