Welcome to our churches

Sadly, current Government guidelines mean that services are restricted due to the Covid19 pandemic.

Things are changing quickly again, so please take care wherever you are, in church or out.  A reminder that face coverings must be worn by the congregation at church services (unless you are exempt through a medical condition), and these should cover both mouth and nose.  It is still easy to forget, isn’t it, that we can be without symptoms but infectious with the virus, and that this is to protect you from giving the virus to someone else, as well as for your own protection.  Please continue carefully to keep at least two metres apart from others.  Sincere thanks to those who are doing this under these difficult conditions.

Guidance from the church of England now means that the officiant at each service no longer needs to wear a mask when speaking.

We extend a warm welcome to all our forthcoming services:

1st Nov (All Saints’ Day)
8.30am		Steeple Morden	Parish Communion(PB)
8.30am		Abington Pigotts	Morning Prayer
9.30am		Litlington	Family Service
10.00am		Guilden Morden	Parish Communion
3.00pm		Zoom Service, focusing on Remembrance of the Departed. Click HERE for details.

Following Bishop Stephen’s guidance, we are not supposed to have lots of Communion by Extension services, so there are alternative services which we can use from time to time.

There are orders of service for each type of service available by clicking here (FAMILY SERVICE & MORNING PRAYER) – please print these off to bring to church for your personal use.  There will also be some paper copies in church.  Unfortunately, we are not allowed to sing at services. This is hard, I know, but we need to keep as safe during these services as we can. In place of hymns, at the officiant’s discretion, said canticles may be used.  Please also find a selection of these HERE, which you may like to print off and bring to church so you have your own copy.

Please follow social distancing at all times (for churches this remains 2 metres), so this will mean sitting in the pews using either end of them, so people are separated both along a pew and in terms of behind and in front.  Please use the sanitiser provided on entering and leaving the church. Unfortunately there can be no sharing of The Peace and no gathering at the exit please.

We cannot pass the offering plate, ideally please give by using the bank details on this website (details HERE) rather than using cash. If using cash, it will be a retiring collection and only one person should handle the cash afterwards.  

For the Communion services, it will be strictly receiving the bread only.  When receiving Communion, do not use the altar rails, but instead come forward preferably one at a time, and receive standing with hands outstretched to receive the Communion wafer. Please click HERE for guidance regarding receiving the sacrament.

Orders of Service will be provided, and as they will only be used once a week, the virus should not survive on the paper.  However, for extra safety you may take the order of service home and bring it back for Sunday services.  I feel it would be wise not to have coffee afterwards.  

Unfortunately, because of the size and layout of Wendy church, I think it would be wise not to have Communion services there yet, but have non-eucharistic services instead.

We intend to try to continue with Zoom services, and see how the demand for these goes.  Usually, they will need to be at 11am instead of 10am. If you interested in our Zoom services online, please send me an email for details:  shamuswilliams@waitrose.com.  We are also able to record the services at Litlington church and that, too, will be on our YouTube channel Shingay Churches. (click to take you to the website)

Abington Pigotts, Guilden Morden, Litlington and Steeple Morden churches are open during the day, from approx. 10am to 4pm for individuals to enter for prayer.  

You may like to go into church, and simply read a book, providing a peaceful change of scene. Please bring your own book, as it is important for safety reasons that no books in the churches are touched.  Please note this especially at Litlington church.

Very small scale simple funerals, with restricted numbers permitted to attend are also now allowed.

The Shingay Group of Parishes consists of St. Michael and All Angels, Abington Pigotts; St. Catherine’s, Litlington; St. Mary the Virgin, Guilden Morden; St. Peter and St.Paul, Steeple Morden; St. Giles, Tadlow; and All Saints’, Wendy and Shingay. We are situated in the South West corner of Cambridgeshire and are part of the Diocese of Ely of The Church of England.

All six parishes of the Group have their own organizations, Parochial Church Councils and so forth, but we operate as a Team of Parishes wherever we can, and good friendships have been built across the villages through our meetings together, and our regular monthly worship together in one of the six churches. In normal circumstances we try to have a service in each of the six churches on three Sundays of the month, and come together for worship on the remaining Sunday.

Full details of services are printed in Prospect magazine, which is normally delivered each month to homes in the parishes. Due to social restrictions, delivery is not being made at the moment. Prospect is available on-line by clicking here

Canon Shamus Williams MA
The Vicarage, 18, High Street, Guilden Morden, Royston, Herts.  SG8 0JP.  01763 853067

The care and protection of children, young people and adults involved in Church activities is the responsibility of everyone who participates in the life of the Church. Our Safeguarding Policy can be found by clicking on the Safeguarding tab at the top of this page.