From the Associate Vicar's Desk

Friday 7 May

With Dan on a birthday break, this week's email comes from the Associate Vicar's desk for a change!

Opening up - all hands on deck!

As Covid restrictions ease, a lot of people have been asking "when will we be back to normal at church?" It's going to take us a while to find our way towards the settled pattern that becomes our "new normal" but there are two main factors that will drive this: externally, the restrictions that are imposed on us; and internally, our capacity to make things happen. Lots of things require extra person-power at the moment - for example, everyone entering the church needs to register for Test and Trace, which requires someone to supervise and assist them. As we open up we all need to work together to enable us to welcome people on the scale we used to and long to once again!

So, can you offer some time over the coming months, during the week or on Sundays, to be part of our opening up effort? Over the next weeks I'll be sharing more details of different opportunities to get involved, but in the meantime, please have a think about what you could do, and get in touch to let me know how you can be part of this team effort.

Christian Aid Week 10th - 16th May 2021

Christian Aid Week begins on Monday, and this year is focusing on the impact of climate change on some of the poorest people in the world.
This climate crisis hurts us all. But people living in poverty fight the worst of it every day. From drought to flooding, climate change robs people of control over their lives. Extreme weather means people like Rose are struggling to survive without a reliable source of water.

Your gift could help a community build an earth dam, so when the rains do come, they will have the water they need to live. A reliable source of water will help families withstand long drought or relentless rainstorms. Find out more about Christian Aid Week here, and donate here. Many thanks.

Ascension Day Eucharist - Thursday 8.30am

We will be celebrating Ascension Day with a Eucharist service at 8.30am on Thursday 13th May. This will be livestreamed public worship so please do join us either in church or online. Booking is not required for this service. You can find the order of service here.

Staffing Update

We will see a few changes in the staff team at the end of the month. Rachel Varley (our Community Development Officer) and Roseanna Wood (our Head of Operational Development) will be leaving at the end of the month - both have brought a huge amount of experience, passion and commitment to their roles and have been a delight to work with, and will be greatly missed. SMR is committed both to our community engagement and our organisational development, and we'll keep you posted on how Rachel and Roseanna's excellent work will be continued and built on. Read more from Rachel here.
And Sarah Purdon (our Parish Administrator) is expecting a baby in July and will begin her maternity leave at the end of May - wonderful news for Sarah and Rich although we will very much miss Sarah in the meantime! Again, watch this space for details of what will be happening in the Parish Office while she's away.

Choir News

At the end of the 12pm service on Sunday, we say thank you to one of our boys trebles, Hal, who completes his time as a treble, after almost five years in the choir. Thanks also to his parents for their support. Today marks the first time in 2021 when the boys sing at a Sunday service - it is good to be back. Next week will be the girls turn.

Send on / Contact me

Please forward this email on those who might be interested in SMR and contact me here (rather than using reply please)

With my best wishes

Kat

Revd Kat Campion-Spall

Associate Vicar, St Mary Redcliffe

07506 310564

What's On this Sunday (9 May)

8.30am : Morning Prayer

: live stream here : words here

10.00am : Holy Communion

: live stream here : Order of Service here : weekly sheet here

12.00 : Holy Communion

: public worship : Order of Service here: weekly sheet here

: some seats will be available for those who turn up on the day

< Older Post

Newer Post >

More blog posts

Sermon on Sunday,10th August 2025

By matthew.buckmaster • August 10, 2025

Preached by the Revd Laura Verrall-Kelly, Associate Vicar

Interregnum Information

By Laura.Verrall-Kelly • August 7, 2025

Keeping You Updated During the Interregnum As I prepare to go on maternity leave at the end of August, I want to share some important updates regarding our Sunday Services and communication during the Interregnum period. We’ve taken time to consider what is sustainable and meaningful in this season of transition, and while some of the changes have been difficult, they are intended to ensure we can continue to worship together well. Service Changes 8am BCP Eucharist We’ve made the difficult decision to pause this service during the vacancy, following a PCC vote (with 3 votes against). This is due to the limited availability of clergy to cover two Eucharist services on a Sunday. We’re grateful that this decision has allowed us to secure strong cover for the other services. If you’re looking for an early service, the Cathedral offers Morning Prayer at 7.40am and BCP Eucharist at 8am. This change to the 8am will happen from the beginning of October. Mattins & Evensong These will continue with support from a growing team of Lay Leaders. If you're interested in helping lead, please speak to Simon Goodman. Please note: bespoke online orders of service will no longer be produced weekly. Instead, we will use a standard booklet and hymn book in church. Online viewers will receive a standard order of service plus a document with Bible readings and hymns. 10.30am Sung Eucharist Some small changes are being made to simplify things for visiting clergy: Notices will be read by a Church Warden, Duty Warden or Church Representative Communion distribution will return to queue formation A Gradual Hymn will replace the Responsorial Psalm - there is simply not the resource to produce a weekly or termly Psalm hand out in church. We’ll use a standard “Eucharist during the Vacancy” order of service (in booklet form), with hymn books provided in church. As with other services, online resources will mirror this setup. These changes to the 10.30am will happen from the 17th August. Christingle Service Due to the scale of this service and the planning it requires, we’ve made the difficult decision to pause it this year. Without full-time clergy to oversee preparations and lead the service, we don’t believe we can deliver it safely or well. We know this will be disappointing, but this service will be back. Ongoing Communication Thanks to Chris Duncan and Sam Love, we will continue to send out a weekly email during the Interregnum. I’m very grateful to both of them for stepping up to support in this way. We know some of these decisions may not affect everyone, while others may feel them more deeply. We don’t expect universal agreement, and that’s okay — your questions and thoughts are welcome and valued. All we ask is that feedback is offered with kindness and respect for those who have worked hard to make these plans in a short space of time. Thank you for being part of this community and for your ongoing support as we navigate this together.