Vicar's newsletter Back to St Peter's - Small Steps

[Hugh Kempster]

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St Peter’s,

How are you and yours? Everything is changing so quickly in our world these days. I hope you are OK.

Attached is my most recent Pastoral Letter, addressing this week’s stage-one easing of restrictions.

On Monday the State Government announced that church doors can once again be opened for public worship, permitting: “10 members of the public to gather for religious purposes (in addition to the people reasonably required to facilitate the ceremony). Our Archbishop on Wednesday, however, added a cautionary note: “The Premier made it clear on Monday that, while small religious services may resume, in general people ought to remain at home, leaving only for certain reasons. He repeated ‘safe, cautious, appropriate’.” The big return-to-church party we’ve all been dreaming of, in reality, is not going to happen. Rather, over the coming weeks and months, it is going to be “Back to St Peter’s: Small Steps.”
I have outlined in my Pastoral Letter some of the small steps that I am proposing for St Peter’s, during the current stage-one easing of restrictions. These protocols come out of discussions with our worship team and other parishioners, and were formally affirmed by the Wardens at our meeting last night. They will be in place until the end of May 2020, when our Premier and the Archbishop may announce further changes.

Should you have any questions or comments, do feel free to contact me directly.

Pray for me as I pray for you,
Fr Hugh   
_______________________
The Rev'd Dr Hugh Kempster
Vicar, St Peter's Eastern Hill
Melbourne 3002, Australia
  T:     +61 3 9662 2391
  M:    0488 960 022
  E:     hkempster at stpeters.org.au
           www.stpeters.org.au
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