Headlines

Coming Home - Church Commissioners welcome Archbishops' Housing Commission landmark study of UK housing crisis - here

Give Hope - Bishops and church leaders target Covid vaccination misinformation - here

Archbishop of Canterbury's Adress to international Faith Leaders ahead of Glasgow November Climate Change Conference - read here

Diocese of Southwark Coronavirus Task Group Bulletin No. 35 Saturday 19 December 2020 - read here

Daily Hope - Church of England Free Phone (call 0800 804 8044) worship for people without access here

The Pilgrim Way - A Guide to the Christan Faith

National Virtual Church of England Services - Listen to Sunday Service on BBC Radio 4 or a local radio station

Safeguarding - see our Safeguarding Page and the Church of England's Code of Safer Working Practice

HeartEdge - New - December Mailer;  Website 

Diocese of Southwark - The Bridge, November 2020 Issue here

The Season of Lent

Lent and Easter are an important part of the Christian calendar. The season of Lent lasts for forty days (not including Sundays). It is a time when Christians reflect; a time to give something up or a time to take something up. Rector of St Andrew with St Alban, Revd Ian Welch offers his poem, Love's Remedy as a seasonal reflection:

On Calvary our Lord bedewed, The stubborn soil with drops of life,
And made this world his future wife, Where souls conjoin in life renewed.

With strange design beyond man's wit, This tincture from cruel thorns and spear
Released into our atmosphere, The remedy to make souls fit.

His blood suffuses soil and air, And streams that stir fresh seeds to birth,
With selfless love's restoring worth, Whose healing power is everywhere.

Each harvest then of grape and wheat, Endows us with dual potency -
The waves of Love's enfolding sea, And nutriment of death;s defeat.

This joyous feast reforms our clay, And washes clear our cloying blood
With springs of a reviving flood, From the depths of incandescent day.

Every good wish for a blessed and holy Lent. Ian,  Revd Ian Welch

Share your Lent reflections and actions in the next issue (7 March) of Keep Connected! Contact bob@standrewandstalban.org.uk

Online Improvised Daily Taize Prayer is available here

Keep Connected!

Social distancing may mean physical isolation but we can renew connections of soul and spirit through the telephone, social media, email and even the humble letter post.

Keep connected with this website -

It is updated regularly with news of our local community, the parish and the Church of England in general.

Stay connected with a candle -

Our Archbishops have invited us to light a candle in the presence of Jesus in our homes. Take this opportunity to say:

• a prayer for thanks giving each day
• a prayer of blessing on our families
• a prayer for help wherever it is needed
• a prayer for healing and forgiveness

Come close to God and he will come close to you! (James 4:8)

Keep Connected with our Parish community News Sheet - 14 February 2021, Issue 27 and Supplement

A Vision for the Church of England in the 2020s

At the end of 2019, the Archbishop of York was asked by the House of Bishops to lead a process to create a vision and strategy for the Church of England for the next ten years. Find out more here

The Archbishops' Address to the General Synod

'Renewal' for Church is coming despite 'trauma' of pandemic, say Archbishops. More here

Letter to clergy from Archbishops and Bishop of London

A letter sent following the announcement of the second lockdown - here

The Church is a Beacon of Hope

The Bishop of Southwark's pastoral letter to clergy - here

The Pilgrim Way

A guide to the Christian Faith

Christians believe that in Jesus, God has walked this earth before us, and that with Jesus as our companion we can travel through life differently.

We can live and travel as pilgrims. We can set our sights on God's Kingdom of justice and peace; and our journey home to God, becomes more meaninful and joyful, and the world a better place

Happy are those whose hearts are set on the pilgrim way.

Psalm 84.5

The Pilgrim Way is a new guide to the core beliefs of the Christian faith. Set out in a question and answer format, it follows one of the Church's very earliest ways of teaching and training disciples.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for Churches

See the Church of England's website for guidance on what churches should do. There is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section at the bottom of this CofE website page which includes a section on 'What Churches should do at this stage'. It covers some of the issues that have been raised within our (Southwark) Diocese. Please continue to check this guidance as it is updated regularly. 

A joint letter issued on 17 March 2020 from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York called for the Church of England to become a "differenct sort of church" in the coming months to face the challenge of coronavirus. Archbishops Justin Welby and John Sentamu said it is now necessary to put public services on hold until further notice. Accordingly, no services will be held at St Andrew's and St Alban's until further notice. Please continue to check this page regularly for updates.
 A second joint letter issued by the Archbishops on 24 March 2020 updates this, clarifying the latest position.

How is the Church of England adapting plans for Holy Week and into Easter to meet the challenges of Coronavirus? Read how.

Supporting Good Mental Health - visit the CofE website and read the thirteen daily reflections or print them.

In a joint statement leaders of the Church across Britain and Ireland have come together to urge Christians to pray, serve and do all we can to slow the spread of Covid 19 - read here