Sadly, because of concern about the numbers of Covid 19 infections in South Somerset, and the fact that many of our congregation are in the vulnerable category health wise, we have had to temporarily close all the Benefice church buildings, including St Mary’s church.

However, we continue hold online services, which are increasingly popular.

At the time of writing, yesterday(17th Jan) we held an online Café/Family service at 10am via zoom. Each Sunday at 9.45am there is an online Family Service hosted by Sheila and Robin Carpenter for Hardington/Pendomer churches, to which anyone is welcome, and people from all over the Benefice are joining in. Contact Sheila and Robin on  robinsheila@icloud.com  for an invitation to the zoom service.

While our churches are closed, our Rector, Colin Simpson is broadcasting a Holy Communion service on line at 11am every Sunday. These are broadcast live on our Benefice Facebook page The Coker Ridge Benefice and via zoom. For an invitation contact Barbara Hampshire on officecokerridge@gmail.com You can also catch up with them later on our You Tube channel www.youtube.com/Coker Ridge

Our Children and Families worker, Deborah Wootton, regularly puts together materials for children and families to do together. These and many other material to help us worship God can be found on our Benefice website www.cokerridge.org.uk. Below is a recent sample of our Kid’s Corner page in the Coker Ridge weekly magazine.

For up to date information on services, including whether our next Café/Family church on on 21st Feb will be on line or in church email me at gilliantettmar@gmail.com or look on What’s On at  eastchinnock.net  

For those not on the internet, there is a free phone line offering prayers, hymns and reflections from the Church of England on 0800 804 8044

A quote from the Welsh church in Beaverbrook Oregon, which those upset by the closure of our church building might find helpful. 

"The work of the church is essential,

the work of caring for the lonely, the marginalised, and the oppressed is essential.

The work of speaking truth to power and seeking justice is essential.

The work of being a loving, liberating and lifegiving presence in the world is essential.

The work of welcoming the stranger and the refugee and indocumentes is essential.

The work of reconciliation and healing and caring is essential.

The church does not need to be 'open' because the church is never 'closed'.

We who make up the Body of Christ, the church, love God and our neighbours and ourselves so much that we will stay away from our buildings until it is safe.

We are the church."

From Gillian Tettmar, Church Warden.