UPDATE: (22nd March)

Last week the Scottish Government gave an update to parliament on whether legal restrictions regarding Covid-19 would come to an end and be replaced with guidance. The decision of the Scottish Government was that the majority of restrictions would be lifted but that the legal requirement to wear face coverings in most indoor settings would remain in place until at least April.

Places of worship remain one of the only places left in society where the legal requirement to wear a face covering at all times remains in place. As a result of this anomaly, we have gone through the appropriate channels to push back at the Scottish Government on this issue and ask whether there was any room for manoeuvre in allowing churches and other places of worship the opportunity to remove face coverings whilst seated.

We received an incredibly disappointing response that bringing places of worship into line with other comparable settings was discussed and dismissed in favour of simplicity and familiarity. There was a significant concern that any changes would result in a ‘big impact’ with people becoming confused about when they should and shouldn’t wear a face covering.

The legal requirement to wear face coverings at all times during our services will unfortunately therefore be required to remain for the time being.

The continued wearing of face coverings will be reviewed by the Scottish Government in the coming weeks to decide if an extension beyond April is deemed necessary.

UPDATE: (12th March)

Below outlines what we are anticipating in terms of changes after 21st March, the date when the regulations are due to change here in Scotland.

Right throughout the pandemic we have aimed to give you the information that you need to make decisions that help manage your personal levels of risk. We also know that we are living in a distinctly polarised society when it comes to all things covid, and our own church family is not immune from that polarisation of opinion.

As we move from legal restrictions to guidance then need for grace, compassion, and love to one another becomes more important than it has been at any other stage of the pandemic. The church has an opportunity here to be a beacon in society in how it approaches difference of opinion.

We know from conversations that the views on wearing face coverings tend to be at extreme opposites; those who can’t wait for the day they can be removed and those who see them as an important part of life as we move forward.

They are the marmite of covid restrictions.

Our plan, dependent upon guidance from the SEC, is to move towards a gradual removal of face coverings in our services. The rationale being that we want people to continue to feel safe and included in our physical services. The removal of face coverings in other areas of society, such as shops, cafes, etc. is likely to create heightened levels of anxiety for a number of people and we want to be sensitive towards that.

With this in mind, we are planning that on Sunday 27th March and Sunday 3rd April we will ask people to wear a face covering when moving about and when singing, but during the notices and times when we are seated then people are free, if they wish, to remove them.

From Sunday 10th April, provided that the Scottish Government and the Scottish Episcopal Church are allowing churches to make their own decisions on managing risk, face coverings will no longer be required in our services. However, if you wish to continue wearing a face covering then you are more than welcome to do so.

We will be continuing to make available the socially distanced seating for the foreseeable future and so people will be more than welcome to continue using this area as a way of managing their personal levels of risk.

UPDATE (6th January)

There are several changes to Places of Worship Guidance which we need to adhere to. These changes are as follows:

Legal Requirements:

Face coverings are a legal requirement for all people attending a service. There is an exemption for medical reasons only. Face coverings must cover nose and mouth.
Those who are leading part of the service, and therefore removing their face covering must be 2m from other people, or separated by a screen.

Strong Guidance:

All those attending a service are strongly encouraged to take a Lateral Flow Test prior to attending.
Physical distancing of 1m between groupings is encouraged where possible.
Continue to use Test and Protect QR codes/detail collection to assist with contact tracing.

We are continuing with our policy to keep you as informed as possible and allow you to manage your own risk.

For those wishing to read the latest SEC guidance and response, you can find it here.

UPDATE (5th August)

The First Minister confirmed that with effect from Monday 9 August, Scotland will move “beyond level 0” in the Scottish Government’s Strategic Framework. In general, the move entails the lifting of most of the remaining legally imposed restrictions. The impacts on places of worship are as follows:

The restrictions regarding physical distancing and the limits on the size of social gatherings are removed. This means that for churches there will no longer be a legal requirement to maintain 1 m social distancing. We will however, be continuing to offer people the option to pre-book a socially distanced seat at our services.
The law will continue to require the wearing of face coverings in indoor public places. Consequently, the wearing of face coverings in church continues to apply (that likewise applies for congregational singing).
Churches continue to be encouraged to maintain a record of contact details for those attending services. St Mungos will collect this data via churchsuite for those pre-booking. The data for those individuals who turn up on the day will be captured using unique Test and Protect QR codes for each venue.
Guidance on what the implications are for housegroups will be emailed to the housegroup leaders in the next week.

UPDATE (15th July)

We have now received the guidance update from the SEC advisory group after the First Minister announcing that the country is moving in to level 0 with some modifications from Monday 19th July.

We don’t have a physical service planned until August, but the announcement today means that we can begin to look forward to singing together as a church family once more.

We are using this interim time to make sure that all our equipment is still working and getting everything ready for joining back together again :)

Some key aspects of the changes are as follows:

The physical distancing requirement for indoor public places (including churches) is reduced from 2 m to 1 m, which means a lot more of us will be able to gather together.
Congregational singing, subject to the wearing of face masks, is permitted in level 0, which is something that we have been looking forward to for so long, and will be amazing to worship together again.
Unfortunately there is no change to the existing position requiring the wearing of face coverings in places of worship at this moment in time.
The limits on household gatherings are as follows: in level 0, up to 8 people from 4 households can meet indoors at home without physical distancing; up to 10 people from 4 households can meet indoors in a public place, subject to 1m distancing, and up to 15 people from 15 households can meet outdoors. Physical distancing needs to be maintained between groups of 15 households, but within each 15 household group the requirement to physically distance is removed altogether. Children under 12 are excluded from those numbers and, from 19 July will no longer count in the calculation of the number of households either. This guidance will hopefully allow most of our house groups to meet outside for a social gathering, if they so desire.

UPDATE (1st June)

The senior leadership team have noted today’s announcement from the First Minister on the different levels applied to Edinburgh and West Lothian. We will update this page after we discuss the implications for our planned services when we meet together tomorrow.

UPDATE (28th May)

Today the Scottish Government has confirmed that congregational singing is to be permitted in levels 0 and 1 from Monday 31 May (it is anticipated that Edinburgh and the Lothians will enter level 1 on 7th June).

The Government Guidance indicates face coverings and 2m physical distancing are still a legal requirement in places of worship with removal of face coverings only permitted for a "small group" who may lead worship "from the front".

Full guidance on singing can be found: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-phase-3-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-places-of-worship/pages/individual-and-congregational-worship/

The Government has updated its guidance on unregulated activities for children. As lockdown has eased this year and such activities resumed, they were subject to restrictions on numbers. Those restrictions have now been removed and replaced with limiting numbers on the basis of building capacity, allowing for physical distancing.

Full guidance on Organised Children’s activities can be found: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-organised-activities-for-children/pages/capacity-and-physical-distancing/

UPDATE (15th May)

The Scottish Government has now released some expanded guidance based on the First Minister’s statement last week and there are some slight changes for Places of Worship when we head into level 2 on Monday 17th May.

Congregational singing is still to be avoided, however singing of ‘small groups, for example a small choir or worship band’ is now permitted. This may mean you seeing more than a single worship leader singing at the same time on Sunday online services or at in person services. We have been advised that the suggested number when defining a ‘small group’ is around 4 people.
Hospitality is now permitted but must follow the guidance for hospitality, meaning it must be a seated table service. Alongside this requirement, places of worship are not eligible to apply for a reduced 1m physical distancing. Therefore we have decided that we will be continuing not to serve refreshments at our in person services or gatherings.
2m physical distancing is still applicable to Places of Worship. Whilst hugging, handshakes and high-fives are now allowed in private homes and gardens only; before, during and after services 2m physical distancing is still required. You will see that reflected in seating arrangements at both Howden Park Centre and Heriot Watt University.

You can read the latest update here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-phase-3-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-places-of-worship/pages/individual-and-congregational-worship/#singing

UPDATE (11th May)

The senior team have taken notice of the latest lifting of restrictions and the potential impact on churches. We'll be looking through the detailed guidance as it is released over the coming days and see how, if at all, it affects our current face to face plans

UPDATE (26th April)

From today, Monday 26 April, all parts of Scotland will move to level 3. In line with the latest government guidance the number of people who can be admitted to a place of worship is no longer capped at 50, but is now based on the capacity of the building, subject to 2m physical distancing.

The senior leadership will be discussing the implications of this latest guidance and how it may impact planned future physical gatherings.

UPDATE (23rd April)

As we enter into level 3 you will start to see opportunities for our Children and Youth to resume meeting face to face. They are able to use the Organised Activities for Children guidance, which will permit them to meet with up to 20 YP outdoors and 10 YP indoors in level 3 (all subject to further guidance on risk assessments, physical distancing, masks etc.).

You can read more on that guidance here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-organised-activities-for-children/pages/overview/

UPDATE (24th March)

BREAKING NEWS! We have received confirmation from the Scottish Government that crossing the Local Authority Boundaries to attend your normal place of worship is now permitted. This means that our upcoming Good Friday Services are now available to the entire church congregation.

For more detailed information on this guidance please visit: https://www.gov.scot/news/places-of-worship-in-level-4-can-reopen-from-friday/

UPDATE (21st March)

In line with the guidance from the Scottish Government that from 26th March physical gatherings are permitted, we will be holding 3 Good Friday Communion service in our Church building, Ladycroft. Due to the continued travel restrictions, these services will only be available for those who live within the Edinburgh local authority. In order to make the service accessible to everyone we will be live streaming one of the services onto our Facebook Community group and our Youtube channel.

Our Easter services will be online and we will be continuing to stream three Worship and Soaking sessions throughout March and April. The dates for these are 21st March, 4th April and 18th April, all at the usual time of 6:30pm.

We are planning another communion service on the 25th April, but again travel restrictions will apply.

As travel restrictions ease, we plan to hold a service in May that will be accessible to the Livingston congregation, as we appreciate that they are needing to be the most patient as the various layers of lockdown are released.

UPDATE (9 March):

The Scottish Government has announced that:

"…people will be able to gather for communal worship from 26 March, so long as no more than 50 people are in attendance and physical distancing is maintained throughout.” (Taken from the BBC News website.)

Ollie and his team will consult with Vestry and the SEC Advisory Group before making any decisions on how St Mungo’s will respond to this. That said, we should all continue to expect our main Easter celebrations to be online.

UPDATE (25 February):

The Scottish Government announcement of Tuesday 23 February has created some confusion with the guidance clearly indicating 5 April as the earliest date by which Places of Worship might re-open whilst the First Minister has indicated that this date may be brought forward in recognition of Passover and Easter.

We will continue to track developments however the 20 person capacity constraint plus the continued unavailability of the High Schools inevitably means that our main Easter celebrations will be online.

Watch out for further details nearer the time.

UPDATE (31 December and again on 4 January):

In light of increased concerns regarding Covid-19 and the constraints associated with being in Level 4, and now in response to the Scottish Government’s latest lockdown measures, it has been decided that we should cancel the Evening of Prayer and Worship on 10 January and the Communion services planned for 24 January. Although only at an early stage, we had hoped to gather our Livingston congregation on 31 January. This will not now go ahead either. We are considering what else we might be able to offer online instead. Watch this space.

UPDATE (21 December):

As you would expect, we have prayerfully considered how to respond to what we heard announced on Saturday evening by the Prime Minister and First Minister regarding Covid-19, and in particular, this new strain of the virus.

We have subsequently concluded that we will continue with our plans to conduct four communion services on Christmas Eve.

Here’s why: we have been conducting services in a safe and carefully thought-through manner at the church building since August and everything we have planned for Thursday fully complies with Government and Scottish Episcopal Church regulations. We also believe that it is important to conduct these services for the spiritual and pastoral health of our church. For these reasons, we are proceeding as planned.

We are presently checking in with those who previously registered to attend in order to establish if they wish to change their plans.

UPDATE (19 December):

The leadership of the church will take stock of this evening’s Scottish Government announcements and advise over the next few days on any changes to plans.

One immediate implication of moving to level 4 restrictions for three weeks from Boxing Day is that the maximum capacity for any single act of worship reduces from 50 to 20.

Of itself, this reduction has no bearing on what we do at the church building as the capacity is 12 but it will impact current plans for the Evening of Prayer and Worship on 10th January.

That said, we will be taking a step back from such details in evaluating the broader question of what we should and shouldn’t do in coming weeks.

UPDATE (11 December):

With the lifting of Level 4 restrictions in Scotland, it is now permissible for church members resident in areas such as West Lothian to attend physical gatherings in Balerno. Doing so is in line with Scottish Government guidance on crossing local authority boundaries “to attend your usual place of worship”: St Mungo’s Church in it’s broadest sense being our collective usual place of worship even if we aren’t currently meeting in all our usual locations.

UPDATE (17 November):

Today's Scottish Government announcements regarding the implementation of Level 4 restrictions on various local authority areas across West and Central Scotland has implications for St Mungo's members living in these areas, notably the many members who live in West Lothian.

The specific impact is that the exception for crossing a local authority to attend church which was announced earlier this month for Level 3 areas does not apply in Level 4. Sadly, this means members resident in Level 4 areas will not be able to attend forthcoming church gatherings, including the Evening of Prayer and Worship on 29th November. It is my understanding that this will be the case until 11th December.

We are planning further gatherings in mid/late December and in January. We will be sharing news on plans for December this Sunday (22nd November). Hopefully the new restrictions will be lifted prior to these events taking place.

As mentioned recently, we are actively looking at locations to meet in Livingston. Booking, borrowing or hiring anywhere is now very much more complicated than it used to be due to Covid guidelines and the general lack of availability of meeting places (including other churches). That said, we are making some progress and aim to have positive news to share soon.

I feel like a broken record saying this but today's news just reinforces the importance of us staying in close community virtually through house groups, prayer cells, the Thursday night Connections programme, Mighty Mungos, the 1030 service and all 0-18 online activities. We also have our Facebook Community Group including Midweek Word Live with Ollie every Wednesday at 0830. Please continue to prioritise participating in these and all the other initiatives being organised during these difficult times.

Thank you.
Derek

UPDATE (2 November):

Further to last Thursday’s update…

The Scottish Government has published a list of exceptions to the travel restrictions announced by the First Minister last Thursday.

This list of exceptions, which was published yesterday, includes "travel to (from) your normal place of worship" (except for areas in Level 4).

As Balerno has been the only place of worship available to all St Mungo's members since March, we can reasonably say that it is presently the normal place of worship for members of our Livingston congregation.

In simple terms, this means that St Mungo's members who live outside the City of Edinburgh local authority area may attend gatherings in Balerno as long as they are travelling from an area that is designated at, or lower than, Level 3.

(If the City of Edinburgh were to move to Level 4 then things would of course change again but we will cross that bridge if and when we come to it!)

Derek Thomson, on behalf of the Vestry.

UPDATE (29 October):

As anticipated, the Scottish Government has announced plans to impose travel restrictions between local authority areas from next Monday (2nd November).

Here's a summary of these restrictions, as described on the BBC News website:

If you live in a Level 3 council area or in future a Level 4 area, please do not travel outside the council area you live in - unless you require to do so for essential reasons
If you live in a Level 1 or 2 local authority area, you must not travel into a Level 3 or Level 4 council area except for essential purposes

The First Minister then explains that essential purposes mean things like work – if you really cannot work from home – education, local outdoor exercise, healthcare or caring responsibilities, and essential shopping where that is not possible locally.

In recent weeks that guidance has applied to different health board areas. But from Monday, it will apply at local authority level.

Sadly, attending faith-based gatherings has not been deemed an essential purpose.

What this means for us is that church members should not be travelling across council boundaries to attend Acts of Worship or any other church events, including 0-18 activities.

The good news is that Malcolm, Ollie and the staff team will be permitted to cross boundaries to lead Acts of Worship (and associated activities for children and young people) and to provide essential pastoral care.

The main impact, in terms of sheer numbers of people, will be upon our Livingston congregation who will no longer be permitted to attend events in Balerno. We had anticipated this restriction and we are already looking at what we can do in Livingston/West Lothian in coming weeks.

These latest restrictions inevitably mean that we remain heavily reliant upon technology to stay connected and function as a church so you can expect all our current online activities to continue.

Thankfully, we are also still permitted to gather for Acts of Worship and associated 0-18 activities within local authority boundaries and we will be sharing some of our plans for doing so in Balerno this coming Sunday.

Derek Thomson, on behalf of the Vestry.

UPDATE (7 October):

Following today's Scottish Government announcement, we can confirm that all of the activities mentioned below are still permitted to take place and are going ahead as planned.

UPDATE (27 September):

From Ollie:

Those of you who saw this morning's online church service will have heard me mention some of our plans for the Autumn.

I want to make clear up front that we remain very aware of the influence of Coronavirus and the need to stay safe, keep others safe and follow government guidance. This is a top priority.

In this regard, I'm pleased to report that we now have a number of weeks' experience of running events from our buildings in a safe and compliant way.

That said, I fully understand that, for a number of you, physical gatherings are still not an option. We remain committed to a combination of physical and online activities for the foreseeable future.

Here's a summary of what's planned over the next few weeks and months:

Worship Meetings with House Groups

Future virus restrictions permitting, I'm still hoping and planning to meet with every house group face to face at some point over the next few months. These meetings will take the form of an Act of Worship and be held at the Ministry Centre as there is sufficient space to gather there safely. We start this week when I will be meeting the House Group Leaders. Most, but not all, meetings will take place on regular House Group meeting evenings. Arrangements will be made for those who are unable to attend in person.

Sunday Evening Gatherings at the Church Building

Future virus restrictions permitting, we are planning to hold a number of "short, simple and safe" Communion services on the evening of Sunday 11th October. You can expect to receive an email with further details and access to the booking system tomorrow afternoon.

We are also planning another Evening of Prayer and Worship on Sunday 25th October. You can expect to receive an email with further details and access to the booking system nearer that date. This event will also be broadcasted on our Facebook Community Page. (You can still view the last one there too.)

Thursday Evenings: "Connections"

In a season where we are still unable to meet in person, feedback from adults across the congregations suggests a desire to find ways to connect with a wider circle of people, in addition to those in their house groups.

Connections will be a series of fortnightly online events designed primarily for connecting, supporting and encouraging existing church members and to foster a sense of belonging.

Each evening will take place on Zoom, last about 60 to 90 minutes and will feature people from across the church gathering virtually around an interest in a common theme.

Starting on Thursday 15th October, each event will look slightly different... for example, there may an interview; specific equipping or teaching; a chat show panel answering submitted questions; or a group discussion. Topics may include work, creativity, parenting, the work of the Holy Spirit, managing finances, personal discipleship, mission partner news, dealing with stress, faith sharing and social justice. We will send you more information on this early next month.

0-18 Activities

Various 0-18 events are also being planned. Parents and carers will be contacted about these directly.

Thanks again for everything you are doing personally to keep our church family in good spiritual health.

Before I finish, here’s a further reminder of all that you’ve helped make happen despite our current circumstances……

We’ve created an online 1030 Worship Service which is reaching hundreds of homes;
We’ve launched and established Midweek Word Live on Wednesday mornings;
House Groups and Prayer Cells are now meeting regularly online;
We’ve developed multiple 0-18 online ideas and small group youth meetings on Fridays and Sundays;
We’ve established on an online counselling service;
We’ve mobilised virtual pastoral care;
We’ve introduced “Mighty Mungo’s”, our new family-orientated Sunday service;
We’ve launched zoom prayer ministry on Sundays;
We’ve created a Live text-based Prayer team which has reached people with no previous connection to us;
We’ve grown the membership and use of the Facebook Community Group;
We’ve continued to support mission partners, notably the Bethany Care Van/Shelter;
We’ve partnered with the community in Balerno to offer advice on mental wellbeing;
We’ve increased and promoted our Care & Share fund;
We’ve encouraged participation in local community support initiatives eg Balerno Cares;
We’ve created and maintained contact with our leadership through special virtual meetings with HG Leaders and the Wider Leadership Group;
Vestry has been meeting virtually;
We’ve redesigned the website to focus on online services;
We finished our own alpha course online and started one at Heriot Watt University;
We ran a New Believers Course online;
We’ve encouraged virtual coffee catch ups after Sunday services;
Last but not least, we’ve connected with our GOLD members through the post.

Malcolm