St Wulfram's Church in Grantham is to remain open for prayer but services will be broadcasted using Facebook.

Rector Father Stuart Craddock has outlined a raft of changes to help the church maintain its links with the community.

They include a weekly video message from the clergy.

His move came as the

Church of England announced it was suspending all public worship for the foreseeable future. All church groups at St Wulfram's, including the choir, will also be suspended. The church is also compiling a list of volunteers to help those in need. Father Stuart spoke of the church "continually being pushed into a wilderness of isolation." However, he commented: "Your clergy are, however, confident that the response to this situation will still enable us to develop our common life together, but just not in the direction we thought." Father Stuart's full statement is published below. Dear Friends, No one expected our Lenten journey to physically put us in the wilderness, but due to the increased complications and spread of the Coronavirus we are continually being pushed into a wilderness of isolation. However, alongside this is the sure hope given to us through our faith in a God who loves and walks alongside us in our daily lives however they may be affected. The Church of England today made an announcement which will greatly challenge us as a gathered community. Your clergy are, however, confident that the response to this situation will still enable us to develop our common life together, but just not in the direction we thought. With immediate effect all public acts of worship are to be suspended. The clergy had already made the decision to suspend all midweek services but following the statement from the Archbishops this will now sadly include Sundays. What does this mean for us at St Wulfram's and St John's?

Firstly and most importantly St Wulfram's will not be closing.

We continue to offer peace and sanctuary in the heart of Grantham and this will never change. The church will be open as normal from 9am -6pm every day for prayer, and as clergy we are committing ourselves to be around in church as much as possible. The Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist will be on permanent display on the Lady Chapel Altar as a focus for prayer and of course there are the candle stands and prayer board. Congregations are encouraged not to attend church for services, but to join in virtually via another way. Therefore, from this Sunday services will be broadcast on Facebook. How do I join in the services online?

If you are on Facebook, all you need to do is like the St Wulfram's Facebook site and when the service starts at 9.30am you will be able to join our dispersed community via the live stream.

The Community News will be emailed out on Friday's along with the hymns for the service. We know that singing hymns is an important part of our life and worship and so we are grateful that Tim will still join the clergy at each broadcast service.

What if I'm not on Facebook, and why just Facebook?

We understand that some people don't like the idea of Facebook, however, with the numbers of people who already follow St Wulfram's it seems the most logical means of communication. You can register to use Facebook and simply just like St Wulfram's for the period of time moving forward, which will also give you access to the other suggestions we plan to start introducing into these uncharted waters. Other online prayer resources

In subsequent messages we will point you towards other online resources to equip you in your prayers.

The Parish Office

To enable Elaine to keep as healthy as possible during this situation the Parish Office will not be open during the week. All Church Groups and events

From today all church groups are with immediate effect suspended and I know that some (including the choir) are finding ways in which they can continue to engage with each other online.

Developing initiatives and points of engagement during the week

All your clergy definitely have faces for radio, however, we are each week going to brave a video message. This could be a reading from scripture, a thought for the day, prayer, a joke, a question and a whole load of other ideas to keep us connected as a community, and certainly if you have any suggestions we'd be more than happy to hear from you. There will also be a weekly hymn sing-along. Pastoral Care

Please be aware that the time may come for your clergy also to self-isolate, that said, we are determined to keep in contact with you all as much as possible. However, for us to be able to respond to the changing situation that you may be in yourselves, it is important that we know how you are baring up.

Helping hands

One of the great strengths of St Wulfram's is how we look out for each other and others in need. Now more than ever we need to be alert and help each other and indeed the wider community as much as possible. We are therefore wanting to build a list of people who would be happy to help neighbours, members of our congregation and others when they are in need. It could mean going to the shops for them, and other small tasks which would really make a difference to people. If you would like to be involved in this team of people, please do let us know. This week has certainly been filled with difficult decisions. Indeed, the decision to suspend all our worship and groups feels like we have stripped ourselves of the most important things which unite us as a family. However, this is not true, remember we are part of a great cloud of witnesses. A community which spreads itself not only across the world today but across time and all eternity. A community who alongside Wulfram are gathered into the loving and generous arms of God. And finally - but importantly, love God, love your neighbour and look after yourself." With every blessing

Yours

Fr Stuart