Church Update – Coronavirus

admin 19/03/2020

Last updated 23 March 2020

The last few days have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, so in the midst of all this ups and downs, I wanted to write to update you on what’s happening with church in this time of change and confusion.

If you want to go straight to our FAQ list, click here, otherwise, let’s start by reminding ourselves that King Jesus is still in charge of the world. As the psalmist puts it, he is

our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1).

At times of national crisis, it’s good to know where our strength lies: not in our health or wealth, or in government and leadership, but in our God. He is our ultimate refuge and strength. He’s the one who will ultimately see us through this crisis.

But the writer of Psalm 46 doesn’t just leave it at that. He continues with a “therefore“! Because God being in charge has implications for how we live and respond to a crisis. So here’s what he has to say about how we should respond. For if God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble,

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” (Psalm 46:1-3).

There are many ways we can respond to this time of confusion, but let’s not paralyse ourselves with fear, for

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” (Psalm 46:7).

A fortress is a place you run to for safety and security. For a lot of us that may be our homes – and there’s great wisdom in self-isolation at this time – not just to protect yourself but to protect others. But sitting alone at home is not an antidote to fear. For that, we need something more. So why not, as long as this crisis lasts, try to create a place of calm and peace in your home, where perhaps for 15 minutes a day, you switch off your mobile phone, silence the persistent ping of Facebook and Whatsapp updates, ignore the landline (take it off the hook – if its urgent they’ll call back!), switch off Radio Fear Live and Television Turmoil, and once everything is quiet, take the final part of Psalm 46 to heart,

Be still, and know that I am God;” (Psalm 46:10).

Because it’s only as we silence the distractions, that we’ll find that God-centred place of peace and calm, where we can know with certainty that we are secure in the everlasting arms of our loving heavenly Father.

God is our strength and refuge, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…” (Psalm 46:1-2)

As you’ll probably have gathered by now, the government’s advice on restricting “unnecessary” gatherings means that we’re temporarily shutting our church gatherings down. But this doesn’t mean the church has stopped, it’s just going to be different for a while as we enjoy some new ways to be together and support one another.

The full picture of what all of this will look like is still evolving- so please give us time to work out the things we don’t yet know! This is particularly the case with legally significant things like weddings, funerals, church annual meetings and elections. In part this is because we are still receiving new guidelines from the Government and Church of England daily. I know they very much value our prayers, so please pray for them!

But despite all the confusion, here’s what we do know.

Coronavirus FAQ

What about church services?

Every Sunday, starting from 22 March, and continuing until we're allowed to meet together again, we'll be providing an "online" church service for you that you can access on your PC, laptop, or mobile phone (in fact if you have a Smart TV there's probably a way to use that too). God-willing, this will be a way for our Hope Church Family of churches to keep moving forward together, even while we're apart!

The services will be available from just after midnight on Sunday morning from the "Church Online" page on our website. Everything you need for the service, including liturgy, hymns, and prayers will be included in the video. Some Sundays we'll offer you a choice of services, some Sundays there will only one. You can watch one or both, you can watch them alone, or with other members of your family, and feel free to pause at any point and discuss amongst yourselves what's going on!

In addition to these regular weekly online services, I'm also inviting you to join us for a short, 7-10 minute Daily Prayer service. At this challenging time it's important we keep praying - and I hope these videos will help! I'll publish them daily on the website, and again, everything you need to join in will be in the video.

How can we help one another and our community?

Just because physical services have stopped, that doesn't mean we can't still serve one another. This is a great time for us to provide lots of pastoral support via the telephone and internet. Many of you will be feeling isolated - so pick up the phone and ring a neighbour - chances are they're feeling just the same!

If you are living in Upton, and are willing to help a self-isolating neighbour out, or if you are self-isolating and need help, then please contact the Upton Town Council and Upton Baptist Church "Stay Connected" scheme. You can contact them on 01684 594991.
If you are self-isolating in the Hanleys, and need help, please Click here to download a form which can be returned to Rev'd Sue Adeney. Alternatively, if you know of someone self-isolating, please print it and give it to them. Sue can be contacted by email here.
If you are self-isolating in Welland, the Parish Council, through the village shop is offering a community care support service. The parish council will be sending round a leaflet detailing volunteer efforts. The shop (01684 310377) is offering free local delivery to anyone who has need. You can order over the phone and pay by card.

What about Bible Study groups and other fellowship / discussion meetings?

Sadly groups will need to stop meeting immediately. However individual group leaders may well be in touch to discuss alternate arrangements to allow discussion, chat, using Whatsapp and other means.

Information about Girlz Only, Base Camp, Toddlers, The Deep End, Breakfast Church, and Open House

Carol writes, Our Hope Church childrens, youth, and family groups are switching to AIR mode!

Hope Church Air logo

This means they won't meet physically but will be reinvented to still give connection, fun, Bible truth, spiritual growth and mission in a way appropriate for the internet age we live in. In truth, we're praying that God can turn this seemingly bad time into a new opportunity for us in our calling. Through the power of the Holy Spirit this can be a significant new time for the advancing of God's plans and purposes!

So if you have grandchildren, nieces, nephews of primary age, please email carolunwin@gmail.com NOW to receive regular once a week emailable, internet-linked resources that you can pass on to parents of children you know. It doesn't matter where they live geographically, this can be your way of helping them to have fun and not get bored while physically isolating. It's also a great chance for them to hear more about our great Leader, Jesus, and a big help to their parents, who will be looking around for different resources to help entertain the children and to give them hope and a Christian explanation of this uncertain time.

Breakfast Church, Open House bring and share teas, and other ministries will also continue in AIR mode, possibly through Zoom (don't worry if you don't know what it is, more details will follow, and you don't even need the internet to participate!). But if you do have access to the internet you may want to try out connecting with people through Zoom or Skype now, to be ready to gather with people in AIR congregations soon to worship our great God, who is in control, and working for the good of those who love Him.

What about PCC Meetings, Annual Church Meetings, and other "Business Meetings"?

All meetings are on hold for now.

Some of our PCCs have Standing Committees, and will meet using online conferencing software to resolve any urgent business.

To date, Upton, The Croomes, and Ripple churches have not had their Annual General meeting. The Church of England has extended the deadline for an Annual General Meeting (APCM) to take place from May 31 to the end of October. We hope to reconvene before then. In the meantime all officer terms have been extended until the APCM takes place.

How will the COVID-19 outbreak impact a wedding?

(Taken from the Church of England's Coronavirus guidance page).

If you are due to get married in the coming months, we recognise that this may be a time of great concern.

As of the Prime Minister's announcement on 23 March, the option of going ahead with your wedding with minimal numbers in attendance is no longer available. All weddings are therefore postponed, and we will do everything we can to accommodate you on a mutually convenient date when the current restrictions are eased.

The following advice is provided for those planning weddings, either who wish to go ahead or to find an alternative date in the future.

Before the wedding

Planning meetings between the couple and the priest can still proceed but must be help by telephone, skype etc rather than face-to-face.

Where it has not been possible for marriage banns to be read because of restrictions to public services, a Common Licence or Special Licence may be appropriate. The priest will be able to help you to ensure you have what is necessary.

How will the COVID-19 outbreak impact a baptism?

(Taken from the Church of England's Coronavirus Guidance Page)

As of the Prime Minister's announcement on 23 March, all baptisms are postponed. We will work with you to find another mutually convenient date when restrictions are eased.

Meetings between candidates or parents/guardians/carers and clergy can proceed but must be held by telephone, Skype etc. rather than face-to-face.

How will the COVID-19 outbreak impact a funeral?

(Taken from the Church of England's Coronavirus Guidance Page)

In this exceptional time, the Government’s guidance on social distancing and self-isolation will have a major impact on all aspects of everyday life, including the way funerals will be conducted for the immediate future. Christian funerals will continue in the Church of England but inevitably there will be some adaptations to protect everyone.

This means funerals can go ahead, but they may be different from what might normally be expected.

Before the funeral

It is advised that meetings between the bereaved and the person taking the funeral (officiant) are held by telephone, skype etc rather than face-to-face. If meetings can only be held in person, social distancing guidance will be followed.

Planning the funeral

Although this will be very difficult for everyone, numbers of those attending the funeral will have to be kept to a minimum – we advise immediate family only. This should also be communicated to anyone in the wider circle of friends, family or colleagues in advance. Sadly, those over the age of 70 and those with an underlying health condition are strongly discouraged from attending in the present circumstances.

Any changes to the normal service will be explained by the officiant to the family.

Where family relatives or friends are unable to attend a funeral service, clergy can still take a funeral at the graveside or crematorium, even if those present are limited to clergy and funeral directors.

Consider whether a memorial service could be held at some point in the future, which is an opportunity for more people to come together once Government guidance permits.

Those who are self-isolating may be offered the opportunity to join the service via a system such as Skype or another audio link. Failing this, a recording could be made which can be sent to anyone unable to attend after the service.

Where no audio link can be achieved, officiants may be able to provide an order of service, either by email or post.

No additional people should be expected to attend the service, such as an organist, verger, sound system operator etc.

During the funeral

Everyone attending the service must adhere to Government guidance on social distancing. Please follow the directions of the officiant and funeral director if you are attending a service.

While naturally those present may wish to shake hands or hug, all present should refrain from doing so in light of guidance on physical distancing.

After the funeral

In keeping with the recommendations to limit social gatherings, there should not be a wake or other gathering after the funeral, although it may possible to hold a gathering at a later date

If you are organising the funeral of a loved one, we are acutely aware of what a difficult time this will be. We will do our best to explain any changes or delays which may be an inevitable consequence of the current restrictions – for example, to the burial of ashes – but we are here to support you and to ensure a Christian funeral and burial can still be provided.

PRACTICAL GUIDANCE FOR BAPTISMS

In this exceptional time, the Government’s guidance on social distancing and self-isolation will have a major impact on all aspects of everyday life, including the way baptisms can be conducted for the immediate future. Baptisms can continue in the Church of England but inevitably there will be some adaptations to protect everyone.

This means baptisms can go ahead, but they may be different from what might normally be expected.

Before the baptism

It is advised that meetings between candidates or parents/guardians/carers and clergy are held by telephone, Skype etc. rather than face-to-face. If meetings can only be held in person, social distancing guidance will be followed.

Numbers of those attending the baptism must be kept to a minimum – the candidate, their parents/guardians/carers, godparents and the minister and no others.

This should also be communicated to anyone in the wider circle of friends, family or colleagues in advance who may wish to attend. Sadly, those over the age of 70 and those with an underlying health condition are strongly discouraged from attending any in the present circumstances.

If candidates or parents/guardians/carers wish to postpone the baptism in light of the restrictions in numbers, this is something that will be supported, and help given to find a suitable date in the future.

All baptisms will be “stand-alone” events rather than part of a Sunday service as there is no longer public worship.

No additional church personnel will attend the service, for example, organists, vergers or sound system operator etc.

Planning the baptism

Where family relatives or friends are unable to attend given the restrictions on numbering, churches will be happy to explore ways to allow others to join the service, either through platforms such as Skype, or recording the service to send at a later date to anyone unable to attend.

Where no audio link can be achieved, an order of service could be sent either by email or post.

Everyone attending the service must adhere to Government guidance on social distancing. Please follow the directions of the priest if you are attending a service.

While naturally those present may wish to shake hands or hug, all present should refrain from doing so in light of guidance on physical distancing.

Where infants are being baptised, a parent/guardian/carer will be asked to hold the infant for the duration of the service, including for the baptism.

Communal bibles and other items will not be used to minimise transmission risk and baptismal candles, if used, should be handled by one person only. A parent or Godparent will be asked to light and hold the candle on behalf of the candidate and to remove it safely immediately after the service.

The application of oil and signing of the cross will be done using an implement which avoids the need for direct physical contact.

While a parent/guardian/carer holds the infant, the officiating member of clergy will use an implement such as a shell to pour the water. A parent/guardian/carer will be asked to wipe the forehead of the baptised person with paper towels which can then be thrown away.

Unfortunately, baptism by immersion is not possible during the current restrictions.

During the baptism

Everyone attending the service must adhere to Government guidance on social distancing. Please follow the directions of the officiant if you are attending a service.

While naturally those present may wish to shake hands or hug, all present should refrain from doing so in light of guidance on physical distancing.

After the baptism

In keeping with the recommendations to limit social gatherings, there should not be a celebration or other gathering after the baptism, and this should be arranged at a future date once Government advice permits.

We will do our best to explain any changes or delays which may be an inevitable consequence of the current restrictions, but we are here to support you and to ensure baptism can go ahead or be rearranged to a suitable date in the future.

If there are no church services, are the buildings still open for prayer?

Sadly, as of the Prime Minister's announcement on 23 March, all places of worship are now closed, even for individual prayer.

We hope this will be a short-term restriction. If you need pastoral support please contact barry@hopechurchfamily.org or 07757 610345.

Is the church office still open?

With the schools closed, Clare is likely to be working from home for some of the time.

We are looking at diverting calls to her there.

The best way to reach her is via email at admin@hopechurchfamily.org. We will provide an update as soon as we have more consistent arrangements in place.

______________________

Taking all of this together, I hope that you can see that there is the beginning of a plan in place for how we can continue to worship together as church even though we cannot worship together in person. At a time like this, I am reminded once again of St Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, where he tells the believers,

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2)

That is wise advice at any time, but especially now!

Take care, and may God bless you all in the coming weeks as we learn some new ways of being church.

Reverend Barry Unwin
Vicar, Hope Church Family

Diocese of Worcester “Open Conversations” about the future

admin 18/02/2020

Published in the Bridge Magazine, 1 Feb 2020

In January, the Diocese of Worcester began a series of “open conversations” about the future of our church. So far, they’ve been both uncomfortable and yet encouraging.

Uncomfortable, because they set out the financial challenges the Diocese of Worcester (and therefore its churches) face, but encouraging because there’s a growing recognition among diocesan staff, clergy and congregations, that carrying on as we have been doing for the last fifty years is a recipe for closure.

The detailed plan for the future is still to be revealed, but it’s driven by four hard facts: that with certain exceptions, attendance at our churches is declining; we’re all getting older (46% of church members are over the age of 70); the Diocese needs to cut its annual expenditure by £1.67 million by 2024, and 60% of our church buildings are now classified as “difficult to sustain.”

And if that’s all there was to it, we’re probably better off giving the whole thing up as a bad job. But the truth is, church was never about buildings and money, it’s about our loving God and his people. Or as my wife likes to put it,

Church is what’s left after the building burns down.”

Though please don’t take this as an encouragement to arson.

So what’s going to need to change if the Church of England is to have a future in Worcestershire? For starters, the old model of one priest, one parish, one church, is gone. I’m already responsible for eight church buildings, and five parishes, and it’s entirely possible I’ll get more before the changes are complete.

But it’s also possible I’ll have fewer of each, because some of our church buildings may need to close, and some of our parishes will merge. There’s no “hit list”, but it’s very hard to justify sustaining buildings or parishes where the congregations won’t take legal responsibility for the administration of the parish and the building and don’t contribute sufficiently towards the cost of the clergy. Clearly, heritage buildings cannot be demolished, but some could close, or be sold, or more likely given over to charitable, or community trusts. Whilst others may remain open, but with significantly fewer services.

The face of the person leading the service will change too. The diocesan vision is to ensure that every church that does not have a vicar of its own will have a “focal minister” – a volunteer who leads mission and ministry locally. They’ll be overseen by clergy, and supported by a new training scheme.

There’s also a growing recognition that much church administration and bureaucracy is needlessly complex. UK Charity Law is partly to blame for this, and I doubt there’s much that can be done to change that. But our structures and governance can be simplified, and the number of parochial church councils (PCCs) reduced, so that we all spend less time in meetings, and more time helping people.

As well as trying to fix some of the brokenness of the parish system, the Diocese is keen to do some new things. You deal with the problem of an ageing, declining congregation, by reaching out to younger people and families. And to help with this there’s a vision to create two brand new churches by 2025 in areas where population changes merit it. The Diocese will also continue to invest in two larger “Resourcing Churches” (in Worcester and Dudley) to be centres of excellence, resourcing and enabling their surrounding parishes.

As more details of the plans for the future become available, I’ll keep you informed. But if you’d like to join the conversation now, it’s not too late to read about the plans online and offer feedback electronically through the diocesan website here..

Scammers beware!

admin 16/02/2020

Bridge Magazine, February 2020

Just after Christmas, a church member (let’s call her Brenda, though that isn’t her name) received an email claiming to be from me, asking her for a “favor” [sic].

Being a very kind lady, Brenda ignored the American spelling and offered to help, and was asked to go to Tesco and buy four £50 gift cards, take photos of the codes and PIN on the back, and email them, so that “I could give my niece a Christmas present.”

Thankfully Brenda wasn’t able to go through with it – and a relative realised something fishy was going on, and prevented her falling victim to a scam.

Subsequently, I’ve discovered several people in the Upton area have been contacted by email scammers pretending to be me, and so I thought that I’d write a slightly different type of article this month to draw attention to the situation, and hopefully reduce the likelihood of it happening again!

So here’s a quick guide to making life as tough as possible for the scammers!

1) Beware the common email scams!

“The Nigerian Scam” – a prince / pastor / politician needs your bank account details to get money out of a war-torn African country.
The “Can you do me a favor?” request email. This is very common in businesses and community groups eg churches.
Blackmail scams: Send money now to avoid arrest for unpaid taxes, or looking at illegal pornography.
Threat-based scams, eg, “Someone paid me to kill you”
The email Greetings card (don’t click the file, its probably got a virus in it)
Too good to be true scams, eg The lottery win, or that gorgeous-looking person who canted you through your internet dating site, who needs cash to come to the UK to meet you in person.
Phishing email scams – usually pretending to be from a bank.
“Your computer is infected, download this file now to fix it”
“I’ve lost my passport and need money to help me get back to the UK”

For an even longer list, visit this website. And remember they’re always coming up with something new, so be sceptical!

2) A spotters guide to scams.

Be suspicious of emails containing bad grammar, misspelt words, and Americanisms! A lot of scammers are based outside the UK and English may not be their first language!

Look at the email address. If the email claims to be from someone you know, make sure it’s the email address the person normally uses. If it isn’t, be suspicious!

Beware emails that attempt to move you to action by tugging on your hearts strings, making you feel guilty, or stupid.

Get a second opinion. Copy the first sentence of the email and the word SCAM into Google and see what Google finds. If that doesn’t reveal anything, also ask a friend or family member to look at the email for you. And if the email claims to be from a friend or your boss or the vicar, telephone them to double-check the details!

Finally, will the money you send be traceable? Are you paying into a recognised bank account, or is it something anonymous like Bitcoin or gift vouchers? I read about one scammer who pretended to be an Inland Revenue investigator chasing unpaid taxes. Amazingly, he asked to be paid in iTunes vouchers. Even more amazingly, people paid him!

3) Reporting a scam email.

If you receive an email that looks like it might be a scam:

Don’t reply to it.
Don’t click any links or open any attachments in it.
Do report it to the email company that was used to send you the email. (Nearly all email suppliers have a system allowing you to report scam emails. They can then close the email address down.)
If you’ve sent money to a scammer, it to the police via ActionFraud
If in doubt, call the Citizens Advice UK helpline: 0300 330 3003.

4) Where do scammers get names and email addresses from?

There are huge lists of email addresses and other personal details for sale in the darker corners of the internet. However, scams like the one Brenda nearly fell for, work best when sent to networks of people who know each other, eg businesses, community groups and churches. To get a list like that, scammers infect a computer with a virus that steals the person’s email address book. A quick search of the address book would reveal my title (Reverend), and they could then send the email to everyone in the address book in my name.

5) How can I prevent my data from being used like this?

The key is to keep your computer up to date. Microsoft no longer supports Windows Vista, XP or Windows 7, so if your computer uses these operating systems, you are vulnerable and really should consider updating it to Windows 10. It is still possible to do this for free, but if you’re unsure how to do it, it’s best to ask a knowledgeable friend or relative. The classified section of this magazine also has details of some local IT companies that can help with upgrades, and who can also help you out if you think your computer has a virus.

But even if you’re using Windows 10, you need to make sure your antivirus is running and up to date. That should happen automatically as Windows 10 has one built-in (it’s called Windows Defender), but it’s always best to check. To do this, type “Windows Security” into the search box in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen, and click on the Windows Security app link that appears. This will open a “Security at a glance” page, which will tell you if there are any problems that need attention.

Whilst there are several other things you can do to make your computer even more secure, installing Windows 10 and making sure your antivirus is running, is the best way to protect your data, and to protect your friends and family from being exploited by scammers.

Barry Unwin Jan 2020

What is church?

admin 04/09/2019

Ask most people in the street “What is a church?” and they’ll probably point to the nearest tall building with a spire.

That’s what most people think church means: an imposing building to which they come for happy events like weddings and baptisms, and sad ones like funerals. They may even come into it weekly for to meet with Christians and to worship Jesus. But for most people church is the imposing building.

Of course the building doesn’t have to be imposing. I once visited a church that met in a converted supermarket. Another time I visited one that met in a coffee shop. They ran the coffee shop Monday to Saturday and moved the tables out of the way for Sunday. Sadly, they still charged for coffee. But these sorts of buildings tend to be the exception rather than the rule in the West, so for most people the word “church” conjures up something imposing, thick stone walls, high ceilings, a steeple to draw your eyes heavenwards.

But in the Bible, the word church is totally different. The Greek word that gets translated as church today is ekklesia ( ‘a gathering’) and in the Bible it has three different meanings, none of which were a physical building (the early church had no buildings –persecuted people don’t have time to build imposing buildings).

The first meaning of ekklesia is never translated as church, because it is a gathering of citizens. In Greek and Roman culture – being a citizen wasn’t an automatic right, so the word has a sense of separateness about it; for example, although most people living in a Greek or Roman city were citizens, some residents, for example, slaves and foreigners were excluded. You can see an example of this sort of ekklesia in the Bible in Acts chapter 19, when the citizens of Ephesus call an ekklesia in the amphitheatre to decide what to do about the annoying Christians who are living in their city, and it nearly leads to a riot.
The second meaning of ekklesia is what the theologians call the “local church” or congregation. This is a gathering of Christians in a location, usually meeting in someone’s home. And again it has a sense of separateness about it: based around whether you were a citizen of the Kingdom of God or not. It amuses me to think that as the citizens of Ephesus met in their ekklesia to work out how to deal with the annoying Christians, the annoying Christians were probably gathered as a congregation (ekklesia) to pray and to seek God’s guidance as to how to respond (in the end the disciples prevented St Paul from going to the amphitheatre in case the crowds killed him!)
The third meaning of ekklesia is what the theologians call the “church universal”. This is the gathering that all Christians everywhere in the world and throughout history look forward to: the time when all those who have trusted in the risen Jesus for salvation are gathered around him in heaven. That’s the way St Paul uses it in Ephesians 1:22,

God placed all things under [Jesus’s] feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.”

And those are the only three ways the Bible uses the word church: in other words, in the Bible, church is never about the building, and it’s always about people. But if that’s the case, how did the word church come to be associated with imposing buildings? It’s time to blame the Germans! The English word “church” comes from the German word kirche which finds its origins in the third century Greek phrase kuriakon doma (house of the Lord). Quite how and when this German meaning crept into English is unclear, but it’s similarity to an ancient Anglo-Saxon word circe meaning circle (usually a stone circle for Sun Worship) would put it as far back as the fifth century.

So “church” is a Germanic building, and also the Bible’s way of describing local and universal gatherings of Christians. But just to complicate things, there’s yet another meaning – which we don’t find in the Bible but we do find in culture: what we call The Church Visible. This is more about the institution of church, and encompasses both local gatherings (ekklesia) and their buildings (kirche) But it’s also the legal and institutional framework that holds all this together. And it even includes people who may well not even be followers of Jesus Christ– the Church of England does try its best to be an equal opportunities employer!

As you might have guessed The Church Visible necessitates that there is also a Church Invisible, but thankfully that’s really just another term for the Church Universal.

So what is church? Well clearly it’s far far more than a building! Personally I like the definition my wife is fond of, “The church is what’s left after the building burns down.” In other words, it’s all about people and God.

To find out more about the ekklesia meeting in a kirche near you visit www.hopechurchfamily.org/gatherings!

Can I be buried in one of your churchyards?

admin 15/05/2019

Can I be buried in the church graveyard?

Planning your funeral ahead of time is a very sensible thing to do. It allows you to say things like “I want a church or crematorium funeral” and it makes life a lot easier for your grieving relatives. But what a lot of people don’t appreciate is that although you can specify all sorts of details about the funeral in your will, it is much harder to ensure you are buried in a particular churchyard.

What criteria govern where you have a right to be buried?

In an attempt to be absolutely fair to everyone, the Church of England has a very simple rule when it comes to deciding whether you can be buried in a particular church’s graveyard:

CRITERIA 1: Were you normally resident in the parish at the time of your death?

If this is the case, and there is space in the churchyard at the time of your death, you can be buried there.

This means that when it comes to allocating a grave plot, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you believe about God, who your family is (or was), what you earn, or what your gender, colour or sexuality is. All that matters is where you normally lived.

The Church of England also gives the right to be buried in a churchyard to two other categories of people:

CRITERIA 2: Anyone who was worshipping regularly and on the electoral roll of that church at the time of their death.
CRITERIA 3: Anyone who dies in the parish.

What if I don’t fit the criteria, but want to be buried in one of your churchyards?

Sadly, because we have a limited supply of churchyard space, it would not be fair to our local residents if we offered you a grave that was really meant for them. To give an example, suppose a person lives in Ledbury (and therefore has a right to be buried in Ledbury) wants to be buried in Hanley Swan churchyard because 50 years ago they lived in the village. Why should they be buried in Hanley Swan if it prevents a person who lives in Hanley Swan from being buried in Hanley Swan?

Notwithstanding this, if you don’t live in the parish, you could gain a right to be buried there by worshipping regularly with us (for at least six months), joining the electoral roll, and then applying to reserve a plot in the graveyard through the Church of England’s official reservation system. Please note there is a cost associated with this which covers legal fees and churchyard maintenance.

Reserving a plot in the graveyard is also an option if you currently live in the parish but know you are likely to move out of it in the foreseeable future, but would still like to establish a right to be buried there.

But someone from the church promised I could be buried there!

Unless it has been formally recorded on our graveyard plans, these promises are not binding. The only way to properly reserve a plot in a churchyard is through the Church of England’s official system.

Do you have any leeway in this?

Not if we are to be fair, though there are some cases we’d look at sympathetically. For example, if your spouse is buried in the churchyard, or if you had met criteria 1 or 2 for most of your life, but moved out of the parish towards the end of your life.

What if I just want my ashes interred in a churchyard?

Ashes don’t take up as much space in a churchyard so this sort of request is much easier to accommodate.

Finally, which of your churches have open graveyards?

St Peter and St Paul’s, Upton, doesn’t have a graveyard though there is a memorial garden, and a civic cemetery elsewhere in the town.
The Church of the Good Shepherd, Hook, has a limited number of plots left for new burials.
The churchyard at St James, Welland, is closed for new burials, though again there is a civic cemetery in the town.
Our churches in Hanley Castle, Hanley Swan and Ripple are all open for new burials though the amount of space varies.
Earls Croome, Hill Croome and Strensham churchyards are also open for burials, though space is limited and it is possible the graveyards will fill up in the next 10-20 years.

For all enquiries about churchyard policies, please contact the church office (admin@hopechurchfamily.org) or 01684 591241.

First published in the Bridge Magazine May 2019