It is with regret that St Andrew's Church will now be closed until further notice. This is in line with the government recommendations that everyone should now stay at home.
We may have suspended services on a Sunday but we are very much here to bring Reflections and sermons and prayers to you. Please click here to view previous weeks' sermons and reflections
"A thought for Passion Sunday"
written and spoken by The Rev'd Canon Graham Hardwick for St. Andrew's Church, Rugby.
Important announcement from Rugby Foodbank
We have been open for 8 years and have helped thousands of people in Rugby in that time in a very practical way. However due to the outbreak and rapid escalation of the coronavirus pandemic, the directors of Rugby Foodbank have taken the very difficult decision to close to the public after Wednesday 25th March. While we understand that we provide a service to vulnerable people who need food now than ever, we still feel this is the best course of action for several reasons:
· The health and safety of our volunteers and clients is our very highest priority, and we feel that this is the best way to minimise the risk of infection, as the building we currently run from, that we only moved into on 15th March, makes social distancing extremely difficult, as it has small rooms and narrow corridors.
· We need a minimum number of volunteers at each session to operate safely. Increasing numbers are self-isolating and this is set to increase further if restrictions on over-70s come in as many of our volunteers are retired. We have had many offers of help but as mentioned the building is difficult to operate out of and new volunteers need training, which we are not in a position to do given the impact that the rapid escalation of coronavirus has had on our staffing levels.
· Our food supplies are running low, with donations down but we know Trussell Trust and supermarkets are working to ensure foodbanks can get access to food supplies.
· We have also had to take into account that the provision of food to those in need is something that, in the current situation, the government and larger and better-resourced organisations – like the large supermarkets – are better-placed to do safely than we are until the situation subsides.
However, we are in detailed discussions with Rugby Borough Council who are seeking to put in some emergency scaled back council run service shortly. This will include support from the foodbank and utilising the food donations we have in the warehouse. More details will follow in the coming days.
The food bank will be open on Wednesday 23rd March, 12-3pm where pre packed bags of food will be given to clients. We will monitor the situation closely as it unfolds and will re-open as soon as we feel it is safe to do so.
We are very grateful for all the amazing support we have received from the community – food donations, volunteers time and also financially. We will reopen. Our thoughts and prayers are with the whole community and country at such unprecedented times.
Parish Safeguarding
We take the safeguarding of children, young people and the vulnerable very seriously. In the document immediately below you will find the contact details of our Parish Safeguarding Officers. The Diocesan 24 hour contact number is 024 7652 1345.
Safeguarding Statement with contact numbers.
CAN YOU HELP US KEEP OUR DOORS OPEN AND SERVING OUR TOWN? we rely on donations to fund our work, offering a place of refuge and peace for all at no charge. We are responsible for the upkeep or our heritage building, help us to keep it in good condition. Please support us today. To make an online donation, click here - there is no fee! WITH VERY MANY THANKS
