Finding alternative ways of worship at this time
Vicar of Halifax Minster, Rev Canon Hilary Barber shares his support with the local community after the Minster closes its doors due to the coronavirus crisis.
FOLLOWING GOVERNMENT advice and instructions from both the National Church of England and our own Diocesan Bishop, I can confirm that, with the support of the church wardens and other colleagues, we have taken the decision to close the Minster until further notice.
This decision is to support the government in trying to limit unnecessary travel and communal gathering, in order to protect the whole community and try to slow down the rate of infection until such time as we are told we can re-open with confidence.
This is a painful restriction on us all. This means we can’t be the gathered church at this time, and that we will need to pray at home as a dispersed community.
This situation leaves the Minster with a number of challenges: worship, pastoral, and financial. These I will take in turn with advice.
The worship of the whole people of God is one of the main spiritual things we do as Christians that sustains our daily living and existence. I encourage you to pray at home, and we shall be putting some material on the Minster website to support this. I also encourage you to join in worship broadcast on the BBC, both daily worship on Radio 4 and the proposed televised service on BBC One on Sunday mornings. Baptisms will be put on hold. Weddings and funerals will be subject to government guidelines at the time. David, Jane and I intend to meet together for prayer and the Eucharist. Therefore, we are asking you to send through to the office your prayer requests so that we can include them in our offering to God. This will continue for the duration unless illness or lockdown prevents us from doing so.
Pastoral matters: one of the great strengths of attending church is the pastoral care that each worshipping community provides for one another. Many people living on their own suffer from isolation and loneliness, and families are struggling with work, mortgages to pay, childcare, and now schools closing indefinitely. Rev David Carpenter, the lecturer and chaplain to the congregation, will head up our new pastoral care system, that aims to keep in touch with as many people as we can who are part of the Minster community, whether you class yourself as congregation, choir family, welcomer, bell ringer, civic leader across the town and borough, member of staff, or simply a Friend of the Minster. We shall be dividing people into groups, and key leaders both clergy and lay, will be phoning and emailing people, in order to stay in touch, and provide a listening ear and support.
Please leave messages on the Minster phone (01422 355436) and via email admin@ halifaxminster.org.uk and the office will be open daily Monday-Friday, 10am-1pm to pick up messages and respond to requests for prayer and help.
Financial: Over the last twelve years since I’ve been here, we’ve turned around a £50,000 year on year deficit, and for the last three years we made a small surplus. We are now planning to stay closed until the middle of the summer, when we hope some restrictions might be lifted. This means we need to somehow stay financially afloat, paying staff, paying the parish share each month so that the diocese can pay clergy stipends, and our monthly bills towards insuring the building and other committed expenditure.
Many committed members of the Minster community contribute financially monthly through planned giving: either by standing order, the envelope scheme, or by cash donation, and all gift aided.
For those who already contribute by standing order we remain hugely grateful for the knowledge that your money will arrive each month. If you would like to talk to our treasurer Peter Naylor about setting up a standing order and gift aiding your contribution, please either ring the office or email Peter - treasurer@ halifaxminster.org.uk.