Notices for Sunday 31 Oct

If you would like to receive the weekly notices via email and don’t already do so, please contact Cathy S. To maximise delivery please add info @) corshambaptists.org to your address book and check your spam folders.

Notices are also published on the Church homepage, typically early evening on Fridays.

We have now returned to pre-pandemic timings

Unfortunately there will not be a live stream of the 9.15 or 11.15 services at Priory Street this Sunday due to unavailability of volunteers.
If you would like join a service live this Sunday you will be very welcome at the Church on the Green service which starts at 10am here: https://meet.google.com/ezs-ftbr-gtg

Important Message from the STRIPE Team

Please read carefully

The STRIPE team have met to reconsider our COVID policy in the light of the Government Press conference on 22^nd October. For those who tuned in, it was clear that the Government is concerned about the rising infection levels going into winter and there was a strong emphasis on getting booster jabs for those who are eligible but also that the public take sensible precautions even though, at this stage, they are not being mandated.

In the light of that and the high levels locally, we decided that the wise and responsible thing to do at this point is to step up our precautionary measures, to protect our more vulnerable members in particular, and so that Church can remain open and worship can be as free and meaningful as possible. Clearly, the rational thing to do is to prevent infection entering the Church if at all possible and then to mitigate with additional measures too.

Advice set out at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus  is as follows

Coronavirus remains a serious health risk. You should stay cautious to help protect yourself and others.

1. Let fresh air in if you meet indoors.
2. Wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces where you come into contact with people you do not normally meet
3. Get tested and self-isolate if required
4. If you haven’t already, get vaccinated

On 1, we are carrying out a technical survey which will tell us how well air is circulating within the building and if additional ventilation is felt necessary, we will be recommending to the Trustees that investment into ensuring windows all open and other practical measures are implemented with all speed possible

On 2, We are providing zones where face coverings are mandatory (in the balcony) and can be used by those who feel more comfortable in that environment. When and if the Church becomes crowded, face masks can be worn in any part of the Church or you can elect to attend one of the other weekly services where numbers are lower – 9.15 on Sunday or the Midweek on a Wednesday. Alternatively, services will continue to be live streamed.

On 3,

• if you develop COVID symptoms, you should get a PCR test and stay away from Church until you have a negative result or isolate if the test is positive,

• If you have no COVID symptoms, to protect others, we strongly encourage and request you to take a lateral flow test if you are over 12 years of age before attending church, regardless of vaccination status, and stay away if you get a positive result. If you have COVID in your household but you test negative on a test, please wear a face covering when you attend Church

• We don’t believe it’s the role of the Church to dictate vaccination policy but please do consider this carefully and responsibly

We will clearly mark one side of the balcony as stage 3 restrictions (face masks at all times, no singing & social distancing). If more people wish to adopt these measures, we will designate further space to it

We will keep the chairs downstairs spaced to allow for some measure of social distancing

We will keep doors open and put fans by the open doors to ensure the room is not enclosed in line with advice here: 
COVID-19: ventilation of indoor spaces to stop the spread of coronavirus

We may ask everyone to wear a face covering in certain circumstances where the leadership consider the building to be crowded

We will continue to provide coloured stickers to reflect people’s appetite for touch. 

We understand this is a difficult time with cases rising in our area, and our earnest desire is to care for each other whilst continuing to worship together in the most conducive environment possible. We recognise that these additional measures will be considered by some to be too lax and by others to be too draconian. Please bear with us and with each other and consider others compassionately. This situation is not one that any of us would have wanted and we are all trying to do our very best to plot a path that is as unintrusive as we can make it whilst taking responsible steps to protect each other

Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation. Ultimately, our heavenly Father is in control and having used the gift of rationality he has blessed us with, we must trust Him to take care of us as we meet to worship Him.

“Peace, perfect peace, the future all unknown

But Jesus we know and he is on the throne”

Yours prayerfully

The Stripe Team

Midweek Service

The next Midweek Service is Wednesday, 10th November at 2pm.

Light Party 2021

The light party will be in person this year, it will be held on Sunday 31st October 5pm – 7pm at church.  For more information contact Rhiannon (in the directory or via the Church Office). Places are limited and tickets are available here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/light-party-october-31-2021-tickets-181770509487

Your help is needed

Please also contact Rhiannon, if you are interested in serving at this event or if you could help move chairs after the morning services and also to put them back after the event (approx. 7.30pm), ideally a team of approx. 10 people.

Thank you, Rhiannon

Safeguarding Training

If you are planning to work with children, young people or vulnerable adults and haven’t had safeguarding training, we have a date for your diary! There will be safeguarding training in the church on the afternoon of Saturday 27th November (1:30-4:30pm) – Face to face training is valid for 5 years. 
Please let Mark E. (marke @ corshambaptists.org) or Steve B. (see directory) know if you would like to join this safeguarding training.

Two Hundred Years of CBC

Did you know that Corsham Baptist Church will soon be 200 years old? 

Many Baptist, as other evangelical churches have a long history and Corsham Baptist Church is, in many ways typical of many of them. Started around 1823 by a small group of believers meeting in a cottage in what was then really only a village, the new church was joined by a man, self-taught in the faith, who became moved by a desire to evangelise all of North West Wiltshire. Henry Webley led the church for many years, initiated the construction of the present chapel building in Corsham, then went on to construct six more in the various villages around about.

A book has now been written by Paul Garcia chronicling the history of the church through the 21 pastors down the years, along with details of the many rises and falls of the church and its chapels. Included too are stories of the dead from two World wars, ‘special people’ who made an impact over the two centuries, the various ministries in which the church is involved currently and memories of some of the older folk.

The book includes contributions by Rev. Eddie Larkman, who also wrote a Foreword, Rev. Marc Owen from the 1980s, Sheila Woolford and many others.

The book is now on sale at the back of the church any day or directly from the author (email me at paulgarcia1@live.com), cost £8.99. Payment can be via cash, cheques or bank transfer (Sort Code 08-90-12, Account no. 17037914). 

Please note that all profits including any extra donations will go for relief of the Persecuted Church via Open Doors, a charity close to my heart. For us as Christians, I believe the persecution of our brothers and sisters across the World is an incredibly important concern. 

Souper Friday: Can you help?

Souper Friday – we are planning to open up again for soup/roll/tea/coffee very soon!

We need volunteers to help run this event every Friday.

We still plan to continue with a small number of deliveries and have our ‘market stall’ open, whilst at the same time there will be refreshments available.

If you can help with…

• Food packing (market stall). 
• Providing soup.
• Serve in the kitchen
• Sit in the coffee hall to listen and chat.
• Setting up/down. 

…then please contact:  

Colin Whiting, Esther Albon, Joan Cooper or Jo Sheringham. 

Other Activities:

• Souper Friday continues to reach out to our community and neighbours
• Community Money Advice is handling work remotely, but do get in touch if you are aware of or are having money difficulties ;
• Craft Group Outreach: first Saturday of the month @ 10 am starting in the New Year 2022
• Ark Children’s Service: last Saturday of the month 10am-11:30am.
• Toddlers: Thursdays 10:00am – 11:30am during term time.
• Life groups meet in person and/or online. Contact us if you’d like to join one.
• Youth Groups – Contact Dan for further details.

Please send items for next week’s notices to Cathy S by 12 noon on Friday

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