From the Associate Vicar's Desk

Welcome to "From the Associate Vicar's Desk" for Friday 25th June

Journey back to church together

Plans are coming together for our weekend on 17th and 18th July bringing our church family back together in church. Please think if anyone you know is feeling nervous about returning, and see how you can encourage or support them to come along. We will have a chance to prayerfully reflect on all we have lost, on how God has sustained us, and on our hope for the future, concluding with a chance to enjoy some refreshments. All in a COVID-secure environment, as we continue to do our best to keep each other safe.

Having promised you a booking form this week, we're having a couple of problems setting up the system in the way we need to, so I will email again next week!

Thanks to those who have already offered to help, we could do with some more people to welcome people, help guide them through the church and to wipe down seats between pilgrims, so please let me know if you can spare an hour or two on the day.

Hello from Belinda!

We're all looking forward to the time when we can socialise safely at church. In the meantime, our new Junior Warden Belinda wanted to introduce herself to those of you she hasn't yet properly met. Read her message here.

Opening up again

Our staff team are working on a plan to open our doors more over the summer. As we prepare to welcome more people back into our beautiful church, it is more important than ever to have a great team at the door ensuring everyone is safe and welcome.Our Stewards and Sidesmen are preparing to resume their duties, and both teams would love to have some new members. Stewards welcome visitors during the week, and Sidesmen welcome people to services. If you would like to find out more or get involved with either of those roles, please let me know.

Congratulations to Ned

On Sunday we said thank you and farewell to Ned Tennet, one of our Choral Scholars. We found out this week that he has just been appointed Chorister Chaperone at St George's School/Chapel, Windsor. A wonderful opportunity for him, especially after a very challenging few terms for all our students. Congratulations!

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

Reverend Kat Campion-Spall

Associate Vicar, St Mary Redcliffe

07506 310564

Services this Sunday

8.30am : Morning Prayer

: live streamed only

: live stream here : words here

10.00am : Holy Communion

: live streamed public worship

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

Tuesday 29th

12.30pm : Holy Communion

: live streamed public worship

: live stream here : Order of Service here

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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.