North Westmorland Churches – Part of the Heart of Westmorland Group of Parishes

Welcome to our website for the churches in the North Westmorland group of Churches. The links above are for the whole group of Churches. Please click on the appropriate image below to load the home page for each church. Please note that this is the only official website for this group of churches.

Coronavirus Latest

The Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England have urged everyone to follow the instructions given by the Prime Minister to stay in their homes in a national effort to limit the transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

It means all Church of England churches, including ours, will close with immediate effect in line with the Government’s instructions. There will also be no weddings or baptisms. Funerals can still go ahead but at the graveside or crematorium only, with only the closest family in attendance and essential physical distancing measures in place. More information below.

Public Worship is now On-line on our YouTube Channel

We are pleased to announce the launch of our Mission Community’s very own YouTube Channel. An introductory video is already up there for you to view. As there are no public Church services until further notice, we will be broadcasting ecumenical Sunday services here and other material (e.g. Thought for the Day, Prayers, and general news updates). Our first service will be on Mothering Sunday. It will be available to watch at any time from Sunday onwards. Do join us.

It’s very easy to access, is free and you don’t need a YouTube account. You can access it as follows:

- Online. Go to https://www.youtube.com and type “Heart of Westmorland” into the search box. Then just click on the video and it should play automatically.
- Download the YouTube App from your App store. Again, type “Heart of Westmorland” into the search box and follow the steps above.
- Most modern TVs have a YouTube channel that allows you to search as above.
- Apple TV also has a YouTube channel that can be used in the same way.
- You don’t need a YouTube account to access the videos in the ways mentioned above, but if you do have one, you can subscribe (for free) to our channel. That will give you notifications every time a new video is uploaded and allow you to comment on what you see (judge us gently folks!)


St Peter – Askham	All Saints – Bolton	St Ninian – Brougham	St Wilfrid – Brougham

St Cuthbert – Cliburn	St Cuthbert – Clifton	St Lawrence – Crosby Ravensworth	St Barnabas – Great Strickland

St Michael – Lowther	St Lawrence – Morland	St Mary – Thrimby	Services

Coronavirus Covid-19 Update

Lent Groups, Church Meetings and APCMs

All Church meetings (including Lent Groups) have stopped until further notice.

Our Annual Parochial Church Meetings (APCMs) are also postponed until further notice. The Bishop of Carlisle has issued an instrument:

- To extend the office of elected lay members of the PCC to the conclusion of the delayed APCM.
- To extend the period of office of those Deanery Synod lay representatives until the conclusion of the delayed APCM.
- To extend the period of office for the current Churchwardens until their successors have been appointed and
- Finally to extend the admission date for Churchwardens beyond 31 July 2020 to 31 January 2021.

Personal Prayer

A number of initiatives to help the Church to pray at this time are available on the national Church’s website. Please keep an eye on it as more resources become available:

In addition, we are pleased to recommend “Pray as you go” a downloadable App for your phone.

Weddings, Funerals and Christenings (Baptisms)

In line with the Government’s instructions. There will also be no weddings or baptisms until further notice. For emergency baptisms please ring our Rector, Revd Stewart Fyfe, on 01931 714620. Funerals can still go ahead but at the graveside or crematorium only, with only the closest family in attendance and essential physical distancing measures in place.

Church Opening

We regret that all our Churches are now closed to the public until further notice.

Communication

This is a complex situation, susceptible to mixed messages and misinformation, which can have serious consequences. We are doing all we can to ensure a co-ordinated approach across the Deanery, with the Diocese, the National Church and our Methodist partners. Please refer only to official information and try to abstain from sending your own communications about the current situation or the Church’s response. If we have overlooked anything relevant to your situation, please contact Stewart.

Pastoral Care

We are continuing to provide pastoral care, but by telephone and electronic communication instead of face-to-face. That means that we will not be offering home communion or home visits. If you would like someone to talk to, or to pray with you, or to offer spiritual guidance, please contact one of the ministry team.

Contacting Ministers

We encourage people to be in touch with us, particularly if you are anxious. Stewart is currently experiencing a very high volume of e-mails, so we ask you to be patient in waiting for a response. We recommend that you phone us if you have a pastoral issue and leave a message if necesary.

Our prayers are with you all.

Stewart Fyfe

Rector

Promoting a Safer Church

We are committed to ensuring that this is a safe place for everyone and the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults is an absolute priority in the North Westmorland Churches. Safeguarding is God’s love in action and we work hard to make our churches safe and secure places where abuse and mistreatment of others will not be tolerated. We abide by the Carlisle Diocese Safeguarding Policy.

Our Safeguarding Co-ordinator, responsible for all the North Westmorland Churches is Sarah Banks. Tel: ‭01931 712801‬, email: safeguarding@northwestmorlandchurches.org.uk.

For more information and details of who to contact if you are concerned that someone you know may be suffering harm please visit our Safeguarding page.

Contact us
General enquiries can be sent to info2019@northwestmorlandchurches.org.uk or you can have a look at the Ministry Team page or the People page to find the best person to contact.

Do you want a Marriage, Christening or Funeral in Church?

Click the appropriate link to find out more.

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