URGENT: From the Bishop of Huntingdon following the Prime Minister's statement.

To all clergy (licensed and PTO), LLMs, Churchwardens, PCC secretaries, members of the Bishop’s Council and of the Diocesan Synod

Dear Colleagues

THE PRIME MINISTER’S ANNOUNCEMENT TONIGHT

You will have heard the Prime Minister’s announcement tonight that we are only allowed to leave our homes for very limited purposes.

Following this announcement, the Church of England’s Archbishops and Bishops made this joint statement:

In the light of the Government’s measures, announced by the Prime Minister this evening, we urge everyone to follow the instructions given. We will give a fuller statement of advice as soon as possible.

Let us continue to pray, to love, to care for the vulnerable, and build our communities, even while separated.

As we find ourselves on the cusp of a major surge in Covid admissions, with the demand for treatment soon exceeding capacity, everyone must join the effort to delay the surge and stem the flow of admissions from A & E to ICU.

There is no question that we, in order to serve our communities in the best possible way, must play our part to control infection rates as much as we possibly can.

For this reason, reluctantly the decision has been taken nationally to close all church buildings temporarily to members of the public. This will save lives.

Therefore, I request now that you keep your church buildings closed and locked. All baptisms and weddings are postponed.

You may NOT say the Daily Office or Eucharist in church, only in your home.

Funerals can still go ahead but within strict limits with only the closest family in attendance and essential physical distancing measures in place.

Current arrangements for foodbanks and nightshelters in churches still stand, pending further guidance.

Only if you are passing your church on your once a day outdoor exercise, please remove the poster stating it’s open.

LIVESTREAMING WORSHIP

A number of parishes are livestreaming worship and it has been good to see how this has reached deeply into some new communities.

If you are livestreaming: you may only do this from your home, not from church.

Please, if you are not livestreaming, do not worry – we are one Diocese and we do things for one another, plus the national church also will be offering worship on their website.

I will be in touch again tomorrow with further guidance as it emerges.

With good wishes.

+Dagmar

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I ran the Cambridge Half-Marathon and am planning to complete further

longer challenges in the Cheviots this year – all in aid of Romsey Mill.

Please can you sponsor me to support their fantastic work with

disadvantaged families and young people in Cambridgeshire?

http://www.justgiving.com/BishopDagmarRomseyMill

AND – THANK YOU VERY MUCH if you have already sponsored me!

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The Rt Revd Dr Dagmar Winter