Benefice Church During Covid-19
In these challenging times we hope this page will offer spiritual nourishment and avenues for practical care.
In Church Services & Virtual Gatherings
22nd May. Sixth Sunday of Easter
8am Eucharist
10am Eucharist
Past services - still available to view
Sunday 12th July, 5th Sunday after Trinity: Service link
Sunday 5th July, 4th Sunday after Trinity: Service link
Sunday 28th June, Ss Peter & Paul: Service link
Sunday 21st June, 2nd Sunday after Trinity: Service Link
Sunday 14th June, 1st Sunday after Trinity: Service Link Service Sheet for Trinity 1
Sunday 7th June, Trinity Sunday: Link to Service. Service Sheet for Trinity Sunday
Sunday 31st May, Pentecost: Link to Service. Service Sheet for Pentecost
Sunday 24th May: Link to Service. Service Sheet for Easter 7
Sunday 17th May: Link to Service. Service Sheet for Easter 6
- Sunday 10th May: Link to Service Video. Service Sheet for Easter 5
- Sunday 3rd May: Link to Video. Service Sheet for Easter 4
- Sunday 26th April: Link to Service, 26th April. Service Sheet for Easter 3
- Sunday 19th April: 2nd Sunday of Easter Service
- Palm Sunday Worship April 5th: Link to Palm Sunday Service, 5th April. Palm Sunday 2020 service sheet
- Sunday Worship March 29th: Link to Service 29.03.20. Downloadable Service Sheet: 29.03.20 – Fifth Sunday of Lent
- Sunday Worship March 22nd: Mothering Sunday Benefice Service @ 10.00am. Click here to view. You can download the accompanying service sheet here: Mothering Sunday service 22 March.
Holy Week: Still Available to view
- Monday April 6th: Online reflection – Video link here.
- Tuesday April 7th: Online reflection – Video Link here.
- Wednesday April 8th: Online reflection. Video Link here
- Maundy Thursday April 9th: Link to 7.30pm service. Accompanying .Maundy Thursday order of service
- Good Friday April 10th: Good Friday Reflections: Link here – A series of reflections with accompanying artwork, music and silence. Streaming of the the Liturgy of Good Friday via Facebook – link here: https://www.facebook.com/CothamParishChurch/ You do not need to have a Facebook account to view.Good Friday service sheet
- Easter Sunday April 12th: 10am Celebratory Service, with Bishop Viv’s Easter Message, service link here. Service Sheet for Easter Day
Downloadable Holy Week resources and Covid Prayer resources that you can print at home and use for your own meditation and prayer. Covid Prayer & Holy Week Resources
Every Week
- Join with Daily Morning Prayer @ 9am (Monday and Tuesday) and 8.30am (Wednesday).
Join Zoom Meeting hereMeeting ID: 814 2870 0487Passcode: 499363
- Thursday Eucharist @ 9am. You will be able to join this using Zoom. A link for the service will be sent in an email the day before. If you would like to be added to the mailing list email highburypartnership@googlemail.com.
Helpful Information about Zoom
Zoom is an online video conferencing application. It allows groups of people to gather for meetings using a computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. It even allows people to call in with any kind of phone and participate in gatherings. A Zoom meeting needs to be hosted by someone, usually the meeting’s organizer. They are the “host” and have some control over the meeting, like sending out invitations to join the meeting.
Joining A Zoom Meeting There are several ways to join a Zoom meeting.
1) You can join using a link provided in an email. Click the link and your computer’s browser will automatically prompt you to download the Zoom app. You must allow this to join the meeting. NOTE: in order to participate in a Zoom meeting, your computer must have a microphone and speakers. To allow others to see you, you will need a webcam, which most laptops have but not desktop computers. External webcams connected to a computer work fine as well. You don’t need a camera to use Zoom and see what is on the screen. A camera only allows others to see you.
2) You can join with a smartphone. It is similar to joining with a computer; you need the Zoom app to join. The steps are similar to joining with a computer.
Let’s look at joining a meeting on a computer:
Start by clicking the link in the meeting invitation. Your computer’s default browser will automatically try to launch the Zoom software. If the software is not already on your computer, the browser will automatically download the app. Follow all the prompts to install it (just click where it tells you to click). If it asks you to “Run” a file, click yes or run. You will join the meeting as soon as the software installs. This should only take a few seconds. If the software is already on the computer, you will be asked to “launch” the Zoom app. Before entering the meeting you will be asked to join audio. Click “Join with Computer Audio.”
Virtual Groups
Lent Groups – Listening Lent: Tuesdays at 7.45pm. An invitation to listen to God, one another and the world. Every Tuesday evening we will meet on zoom to reflect on a reading, listen to lockdown experiences, and have an opportunity to share together in smaller breakout groups, finishing with a simple service of compline (evening prayer). Finishes at 9pm. All very welcome.
Virtual Book Group – The Benefice Book Group is alive and well and ‘met’ recently. The next meeting by Zoom is at 8pm on Thursday 11th February. We’ll be discussing Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens.
Everyone is very welcome. It’s an informal group – still getting to grips with the technology! Do get reading, and please contact Rob via highburypartnership@googlemail.com if you’d like to join the next discussion. Bring your own tea!
Lockdown 3 Community Art Project
Following on from our Lockdown 1 project when members of Cotham congregation and friends made textile squares which are now hanging as an exhibition in the church, Sara has proposed a new focus for Lockdown 3 art projects, with a specific invitation to our wider community to join the project – do invite family, friends and neighbours to join.
The subject would be EARTH WIND FIRE WATER, which gives plenty of scope for interpretation at the present time! It could be biblical, ecological, scientific, artistic, philosophical or light-hearted and entirely up to you…
You may wish to choose just one of the elements or as many as four. This time the 12-inch square could be created using any medium e.g. textiles or any description, paint, drawing, collage, words on canvas, print, photography, mixed medium and anything else you can think of as long as it’s not dangerous and is suitable for the subject matter and place.
THE WORK HAS TO BE PRESENTED ON A 12-INCH SQUARE CANVAS AS BEFORE.
It only remains to be said that your skills and expertise are not being judged – this is just an opportunity to be creative, have fun and diversion and share the outcome whatever it is with our community beginning at Cotham Church.
Please contact Sara Metelerkamp for more details: Email: sara@sara-easby.com
Pastoral Support
- Call or email the office if you would like a phone call or to let us know if you need support. 0117 973 3395, highburypartnership@gmail.com
- Prayer list. Firstly, please know you are all being prayed for daily. Those on our intercessions list will be circulated with our weekly email newsletter. If you would like to pray with someone over the phone, or wish your prayer request to remain anonymous, please email highburypartnership@gmail.com and one of our clergy will be in touch.
- Phone a friend. Whilst we can’t be together in person, we can call, WhatsApp or even write a good old fashioned letter, let’s be in good touch with each other and beat social isolation.
- Bristol Sanctuary Offer a mental health service in partnership with the NHS that would normally provide a safe physical place for people to come to for a few hours in the evening if they are struggling emotionally. Whilst currently not seeing people face-to-face they are offering telephone support seven nights a week from 4-10pm. Call 01179542952 or 07709295661 from 4pm
- Oasis Trust Friendship Phone Line, if you fancy a chat Oasis have opened a special Friendship phone line during Covid-19. Open M-F, 11-3pm: 020 7921 4272.
- MIND resources. Mental health charity MIND have created an excellent set of resources for coping with all that Covid-19 is meaning for our mental health, particularly in coping with social distancing, anxiety and depression. Click here for more information.
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Clic is a free online community here to support everyone with their mental health. A place to connect with others for mutual support, share your thoughts and find helpful information.
Online Resources – new resources added
- Pray As You Go App – a wonderful 10 minute led daily prayer meditation, with music, scripture, space to pray and reflect. Highly recommended. Download here for computer, or search for the App on your tablet/smartphone.
- Daily Meditation (via email) from the Centre for Contemplation by Fr Richard Rohr. A short centering email meditation, offering helpful perspective and spiritual resources for our current situation. Visit www.cac.org to sign up for the daily email.
- A Prayer for Sleep – an 18 minute guided prayer for when you are finding sleep hard, from Spiritual Director Julian Maddock. Link here.
- Insight Timer: a smartphone app to support a spiritual practice, with meditations and prayers lead by people from all religious traditions
- Reimagining the Examen: another smartphone app, this time with wonderful takes on the Examen
- Sacred Space: screen-based prayer, with options for prayer in this time of pandemic.
- The BBC’s Daily Service and Sunday Worship
- Prayer for the day – each day the Church of England publishes audio and text of the Prayer for the Day.
- Smart speakers – daily prayer and other helpful audio content can be accessed via our smart speaker apps.

Connections January/February 2022
Here attached is the latest edition of Connections on the theme of Hope, full of contributions from members of the Benefice and dates for your diary. Click here for the link

Advent & Christmas at Cotham

Advent at Cotham

Connections Nov/Dec 2021
The latest edition of Connections is available here: Connections Nov-Dec 2021 Protest is the theme of this edition.I asked for thoughts and reflections about Demonstrating-sit-ins, marches,rallies,...

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Connections Sept/October 2021
Connections-SeptOct21 link is here Connections for September and October 2021 is entitled 'Technology'. Virtual Worship and Embodied faith. Full of interesting articles from members of the Benefice...

Mostly Silent Retreat 15th to 17th October 2021
Llangasty Retreat House, near Brecon Would you like to join us on Retreat this year? We are going back to the wonderful Llangasty Retreat House www.llangasty.com. Llangasty Retreat House is set in...

Connections May-July 2021
Welcome to the May-July edition of Connections. The theme I offered was ‘Generations’,to be interpreted however you want. Thankyou so much for all the amazing contributions! Tilda Booth Click here...