Following the Scottish Governments announcement on Saturday saying we will all move into Tier 4 from Boxing Day both Kirk Sessions have decided to suspend all services during that period. Therefore the Churches will remain closed for the time being and all services are now cancelled until further notice.
Following recent meetings of both Kirk Sessions, due to restrictions placed upon us in terms of worship, and in particular the cleaning routine that would need to be in place – the fact that Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year would mean that if we had any services on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day our churches would have to be cleaned again on Boxing Day before our Sunday services – the Kirk Sessions have reluctantly decided not to have any services in either church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day but instead to have worship in both churches on Sunday the 27th of December at the usual times of 10.00am in Bendochy Church and 11.15am in the Abbey Church.
These were not easy decisions to arrive at and were taken with sad and heavy hearts, however, given the unusual circumstances we are faced with, we hope everyone will understand why we have come to these decisions. There will be a short Christmas message available on Christmas Day through the usual YouTube link on the homepage of our website and there will be a Christmas Day service at 12 Noon on the BBC Scotland channel which will be led by the Moderator.
Just a reminder that there will be no service in Bendochy Church this coming Sunday, the 13th, but there will be a service in the Abbey Church at 11.15am.
An audio recording of the service will now be available every Sunday from about 2.00pm and can be accessed through the YT Link on the website homepage.
Sunday worship will be held in both churches this Sunday. In Bendochy at 10.00am and in the Abbey Church at 11.15am.
This coming Sunday, the 8th of November, is Remembrance Sunday and sadly, because of restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, things will be different this year.
At Bendochy Church there will be an Act of Remembrance in the Church grounds, around the War Memorial at the gate, at 10.00am. We will still have to remain in household groups and maintain a social distance, and we will still have to give contact details for Test and Protect.
At the Abbey Church there will be a short Service of Remembrance beginning at 10.50am. Again the current restrictions in place for Sunday worship will apply, including wearing a face covering, and unfortunately, because of restrictions in numbers, only a limited number will be able to attend.
None of these situations are ideal, but we will still be able to commemorate the day and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice during both world wars, and indeed in every conflict since. At both services there will be an opportunity to make a donation towards Poppy Scotland.
Just a reminder that there will be no service at Bendochy this Sunday, the 1st of November, but there will be a service in the Abbey Church at 11.15am.
Just a reminder that there will be no service in Bendochy Church this Sunday, the 18th of October, but there will be a service in the Abbey at 11.15
Both our churches will be open for worship this Sunday morning at the usual times of 10.00am at Bendochy and 11.15am at the Abbey Church. Things will of course be different so please read the various signage as you enter with regard to face coverings, social distancing, hand sanitisers and seating arrangements etc. Regrettably, because of the need to socially distance our seating the capacity at both churches has reduced significantly. At Bendochy this has been reduced to between 13 and 18, depending on the size of different household groups, ie individuals or couples, and at the Abbey to between 25 and 41, again dependent on the size of household groups and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. We look forward to welcoming those who are able to join us but will continue with the on line Reflections too.
Both Churches will be re-opening on Sunday the 11th of October at the usual times. Please see the Minister’s Update page for further details.