St Leonard's Church

Here is the recording of this morning’s Zoom Church meeting.

Watch our Easter Celebration service as St Leonard’s Church, Swithland joined with Christ Church & St Peter’s Church, Mountsorrel to celebrate the resurrection of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. The hymns have been missed out for copyright reasons. Please accept our apologies for the quality of sound on Reverend Colin’s microphone – we don’t really know what went wrong there. We were going to edit out the first five minutes of video, but found it such a joy to listen to, so we left it in. Enjoy.

On Good Friday, 10th April 2020, we would normally at St Leonard’s for an act of worship. This year, unable to meet in the Church, we met on Zoom to spend an hour before the cross. Enjoy our service of readings, prayer and silence.

We were not able to gather together as usual for our Palm Sunday service, so we met as Church at Home via Zoom. This was a new experience for many of us and the results of our service are available for all to see:

It is with great sadness that we have had to make the decision to suspend all Church events and acts of public worship (including Sunday services) until further notice.

However, this does not stop our worship of God. We can continue to pray, to find inspiration from Scripture, hymns and music on the internet. We can love and serve our neighbour and keep an eye out for those in need.

If you need help during this time of crisis, please send a message or contact Colin Resch on 0116 429 9946 and we will do what we can to assist you. Love and blessings.

As a church, we have been extremely concerned by the rapid transmission of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Our prayers continue to be with all of those directly affected and with those who live with health issues that make them particularly vulnerable at this time.

After careful consideration, and in accordance with the current guidance and advice issued by both the Church of England and Public Health England, to help limit potential exposure to the virus we have made the following decisions:

• Holy Communion will only be offered ‘in one kind’ with immediate effect. Only the priest will handle the wafers.
• Holy Communion to be received standing (to avoid repeated hands on the communion rail)
• The shaking of hands during sharing of the peace (where applicable) is to be strongly discouraged and the use of British Sign Language or some other similar gesture to be used instead.
• The collection plate will not be passed around, instead a plate will be situated at the back of the Church for contributions on the way into Church. This will still be offered at the appropriate time, but the priest will not handle the plate. At St Peter’s, the plate will be removed to one side after being offered. At Christ Church, the person bringing the offering forward for a prayer will then remove the plate to the vestry.
• Tea/Coffee served after the service will be in disposable cups (of which I have a supply). Biscuits to be offered at the individual’s own discretion.
• For the time being, service books, Bibles and hymn books can continue to be used.
• The washing and sanitizing of hands is to continue and is to be strongly encouraged.
• Should the schools be closed down for an extended period, all our children’s work will also be suspended.
• Anointing with oil and the laying on of hands for healing will be offered at the discretion of the minister and the individual concerned (both must give consent).

If you have any concerns about these arrangements, please speak to a member of the ministry team or call Revd Colin Resch (0116 429 9946)

The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.

Nahum 1.7

We are looking forward to exhibiting at the Mountsorrel Memorial Centre Wedding Fayre on Sunday 15 March. If you’ve not seen our stand before, be prepared to meet Brenda – our clergy stand-in. Various members of our Church may pop in occasionally to support Brenda in her role. And, of course, our Acting Rector, Revd Colin Resch, will be on hand to answer your questions about Church Weddings.

Wedding Fayre

Kidz Club meets this Sunday 1st March at 9.30am. We will start in Church with the congregation before going off to the upper room for our own time. Towards the end of the service we will join with the grown-ups for Communion and then tell everyone what we’ve been doing. Come along and join us.

Swithland Snowdrop Festival 14-16 February 2020.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this year’s Snowdrop & Art Festival such a great success. Here’s a few photos to remind you of the peace within while Storm Dennis raged around outside.

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Preparations are well underway for the St Leonard’s Snowdrop Festival.

The Snowdrops are out in the Churchyard and hopefully, they will still be there for the festival in two week’s time.

The Snowdrop festival will take place over the weekend of Friday 14th – Sunday 16th February 2020.

Join us to celebrate the coming of Spring when our churchyard snowdrops will be in bloom and the church decorated with troughs of daffodil, tulip and crocus flowers.

Also on display will be Springtime themed artwork from the Birstall Art Society as well as artwork and handwritten poetry from the pupils of St Leonard’s C of E Primary School.

Members of Janet Lee’s Art Group are creating a exciting art installation in our south porch and there will be a unique auricula theatre based display of flowering plants.

Opening times are:
+ Friday 14th – 9am to 4pm
+ Saturday 15th – 10am to 4pm
+ Sunday 16th -11am to 4pm

Our Sunday services will include a Sung Eucharist at 9.30am with guest preacher the Revd Eric Whitley, and a ‘Songs of Praise’ service at 4pm to close the event.

Various refreshments will be served throughout the weekend. Why not drop in to share these with us and see all that is beautiful in the promise of Spring.