DEANERY OF JERSEY PRESS RELEASE
MEDIA RELEASE
MEDIA RELEASE
Immediate - 7 April 2020
Following a zoom meeting today of Church of England Clergy in Jersey, the Deanery of Jersey are announcing that from tomorrow, the 8th April, no services will be streamed live, or bells rung from any of its churches, until further notice.
This is to comply with the directive given by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, asking all Clergy to remain at home wherever possible, in keeping with the guidelines issued by our respective governments and by which the general population are asked to abide. Services over the Easter weekend and until further notice, will continue to be streamed live from Clergy homes or pre-recorded using social media.
The Clergy also agreed to use other means to ‘toll bells’ and therefore invite all people throughout the Channel Islands, to ring any bells that they may have in their homes, or play the sound through a PA system, phone or hand held electronic device, from their gardens or driveways or out of windows, at 10am on Easter Sunday, as a means of celebrating the great festival of Easter.
The Deans of Jersey and Guernsey said: “Although, for the time being, we cannot use our wonderful buildings or stream services from within them, congregations and clergy across the Channel Islands are using the internet in really creative ways to stream and record services and we look forward to people “joining” us on Easter Day. Please also ring or broadcast your bells from your homes, drives, gardens and balconies, at 10am on Easter Day to celebrate this great festival”.
I see the Church of England in Jersey has gone with the general madness of the UK.
We have all the evidence of a top-down bureaucratic organisation, which has as much common sense as the Sanhedrin were, in their fear of doing the right thing not to offend the Romans.
1. Covid-19 cannot survive for more than 2-3 days at most outside a host body on ANY surfaces.
2. The only person involved is the Minister inside the church. The church is otherwise locked.
3. The scientific evidence is that there is zero risk.
I cannot see ANY scientific rationale for this.
Following a zoom meeting today of Church of England Clergy in Jersey, the Deanery of Jersey are announcing that from tomorrow, the 8th April, no services will be streamed live, or bells rung from any of its churches, until further notice.
This is to comply with the directive given by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, asking all Clergy to remain at home wherever possible, in keeping with the guidelines issued by our respective governments and by which the general population are asked to abide. Services over the Easter weekend and until further notice, will continue to be streamed live from Clergy homes or pre-recorded using social media.
The Clergy also agreed to use other means to ‘toll bells’ and therefore invite all people throughout the Channel Islands, to ring any bells that they may have in their homes, or play the sound through a PA system, phone or hand held electronic device, from their gardens or driveways or out of windows, at 10am on Easter Sunday, as a means of celebrating the great festival of Easter.
The Deans of Jersey and Guernsey said: “Although, for the time being, we cannot use our wonderful buildings or stream services from within them, congregations and clergy across the Channel Islands are using the internet in really creative ways to stream and record services and we look forward to people “joining” us on Easter Day. Please also ring or broadcast your bells from your homes, drives, gardens and balconies, at 10am on Easter Day to celebrate this great festival”.
I see the Church of England in Jersey has gone with the general madness of the UK.
We have all the evidence of a top-down bureaucratic organisation, which has as much common sense as the Sanhedrin were, in their fear of doing the right thing not to offend the Romans.
They could have waited until a week after Easter. Would a week have made such a difference?
The science:
1. Covid-19 cannot survive for more than 2-3 days at most outside a host body on ANY surfaces.
2. The only person involved is the Minister inside the church. The church is otherwise locked.
3. The scientific evidence is that there is zero risk.
I cannot see ANY scientific rationale for this.
I can only see it as a political move, following the UK rather slavishly, and I had hoped that our Deaneries had more sense than that.
Evidently not.
Addendum:
The Church Times has this to comment:
This direction from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the bishops, contained in their recent letter to the clergy, goes surprisingly beyond the current restrictions outlined by the Government in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020.
These state that a reasonable excuse for people to leave the place where they are living includes “in the case of a minister of religion or worship leader, to go to their place of worship” (6.2K), and, moreover, that a place of worship may be used “to broadcast an act of worship, whether over the internet or as part of a radio or television broadcast” (5.6b).
It also makes this point:
Guidance issued last Friday by the Archbishops’ Council’s Cathedral and Church Buildings Division states that “it may be reasonable for one designated person to enter the church to check that it remains safe and secure.” In most cases, regular checks will be not only reasonable, but essential. A curious situation will arise in which clergy and lay leaders are effectively obliged to perform janitorial duties, but will risk episcopal censure if they say any prayers while doing so.
The Shadow of Clifford Orange
Jersey people with Occupation memories may note the case of Clifford Orange who went way beyond what the law required in compiling lists of Jews. It was what Paul Sanders described as "a culture of blind obedience over humanitarianism". The circumstances were very different but the attitude that Justin Welby has displayed is much the same, going "surprisingly beyond the current restrictions", and then enforcing obedience much as the Church did in the time of Edward VI and the "Tudor Church Militant".
Elsewhere, streaming continues...
It is interesting that the Anglican Church in Wales seems to be applying this ruling and is still streaming services from its Churches.
https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/clergy-and-members/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/digital-resources/live-streamed-and-recorded-services/
Catholic Churches are closed to the public but their priests are required to say their daily mass and pray for their people. They are still being streamed online. This is from their newsletter in Jersey:
Online Masses Please join us online at www.catholicchurch.org.je/live to access the Holy Mass from our own St Thomas Church on Sundays at 9.30am, 11am and 6pm, on weekdays at 12.15pm (moved back from 9.30am last week) and at other times in this Holy Week.
Addendum:
The Church Times has this to comment:
This direction from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the bishops, contained in their recent letter to the clergy, goes surprisingly beyond the current restrictions outlined by the Government in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020.
These state that a reasonable excuse for people to leave the place where they are living includes “in the case of a minister of religion or worship leader, to go to their place of worship” (6.2K), and, moreover, that a place of worship may be used “to broadcast an act of worship, whether over the internet or as part of a radio or television broadcast” (5.6b).
It also makes this point:
Guidance issued last Friday by the Archbishops’ Council’s Cathedral and Church Buildings Division states that “it may be reasonable for one designated person to enter the church to check that it remains safe and secure.” In most cases, regular checks will be not only reasonable, but essential. A curious situation will arise in which clergy and lay leaders are effectively obliged to perform janitorial duties, but will risk episcopal censure if they say any prayers while doing so.
The Shadow of Clifford Orange
Jersey people with Occupation memories may note the case of Clifford Orange who went way beyond what the law required in compiling lists of Jews. It was what Paul Sanders described as "a culture of blind obedience over humanitarianism". The circumstances were very different but the attitude that Justin Welby has displayed is much the same, going "surprisingly beyond the current restrictions", and then enforcing obedience much as the Church did in the time of Edward VI and the "Tudor Church Militant".
Elsewhere, streaming continues...
It is interesting that the Anglican Church in Wales seems to be applying this ruling and is still streaming services from its Churches.
https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/clergy-and-members/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/digital-resources/live-streamed-and-recorded-services/
Catholic Churches are closed to the public but their priests are required to say their daily mass and pray for their people. They are still being streamed online. This is from their newsletter in Jersey:
Online Masses Please join us online at www.catholicchurch.org.je/live to access the Holy Mass from our own St Thomas Church on Sundays at 9.30am, 11am and 6pm, on weekdays at 12.15pm (moved back from 9.30am last week) and at other times in this Holy Week.
You can also access there and at any time a video recording of Stations of the Cross led by our priests as well as find all sorts of other links to help you pray and worship at this time. When sharing in the Mass with us please follow the instructions on the webpage to ensure a good picture.
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