To ask what services your village church is holding over Christmas?

[Sittinbythetrees]

We are allowed to have a socially distanced indoor service with limited numbers of people - but I’m feeling like it’s a bad idea - we should hold it outside instead. Interested to gauge what other places are doing before DH (church warden) speaks to vicar.

have any of the complainers on this thread been in any older CofE churches?!
I'm guessing not! The one telling us to get a satellite phone was either from the US or from a mega church in the SE that meets in a cinema, I think.

I gave to say that meeting on our quite large space outside the church and singing (socially distanced) carols together to music played by our salvation army band was the most heart warming uplifting and mental health benefitting event since lockdown began in March. Just so very beautiful and good for mind body and soul.

The local Methodist church is having a carol service for 50 people.
We got married in a Non-conformist chapel (not Methodist) that seats 1000. 50 would vanish in that. Depends how big the building is. As I said above, Big Church locally is doing 9 Lessons and Carols for 100 in a church that seats 500+ easily.

We're back with normal Sunday morning services, but an online one as well. Social distancing in the church in terms of seating during the service, but many individuals not distancing after the service. Junior church is on zoom - like shufflestep, some families are not attending live to avoid the risk of them infecting older members of the congregation.

Big Christmas Eve carol service replaced by pre-recorded online one - the church is normally packed for that, so better not to have at all.
Outdoor nativity service.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day communion live (also a pre-recorded Christmas Day service available). I am concerned that we ought to be ticketing Christmas Eve, as we can't be sure how many people will decide to come to that because there's no carol service. I may ask what they're planning to do if too many turn up.

Another church in the village is still having all services online, but with a few older folk gathering to watch them in the church if they can't work zoom. They've done a walk-through Christmas story for families, with booked time slots last weekend and this.

The local Methodist church is having a carol service for 50 people.
We got married in a Non-conformist chapel (not Methodist) that seats 1000. 50 would vanish in that. Depends how big the building is.

Very small.

The parish church is doing socially distanced services which are also on zoom. Doesn't work for us as the sound quality is so poor (and who wants to watch other people take communion?) so we are sticking to Zoom only services. It's enabled us to go "back" to where we used to live and join in with their services, which has been great.

City, not rural, service back as allowed, chairs 2m apart so much reduced capacity hence 3 services of nine lessons!

More fucking Facebook live!

Pretty much the same as with current services but you have to book.
Hugely restricted numbers (no more than 30 in a church that seats 500)
NHS QR code
No singing
Keeping service as short as possible
All doors open
Masks
Hand sanitiser.
No socialising before or after the service.

As indoor spaces go it’s probably as safe as you are going to get.

Carol service will be online.