St Matthew's Church

Parish Magazine January 2021

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Walking to Jerusalem by Easter

How many of you have rediscovered walking over the past year? Whether that be walking the dog, daily exercise during lockdown, or keep fit exercise. This is for those who do a short daily walk, or a 6 mile hike at the weekend, or just the occasional stroll.

Whilst we can not collectively walk together, a virtual walk has been created for us, as a way of being together whilst apart. During the 100 days between Christmas Day and Easter Sunday (4^th April), the intention is to collectively virtually walk to Jerusalem – a distance of 6,077 km or about 3,800 miles. We are inviting people to join in and make this a community achievement.

The route starts at the lychgate of St Matthew's Church, Stretton goes via London, Bruges, Cologne, Marburg, Bamburg, Munich, Graz, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Ephesus, Xanthos, Adana, Aleppo, Damascus, across the River Jordan (!) and finally to Jerusalem. The church is providing some weekly Reflections on Facebook along the way.

To join the group, send a request to

with details of your connection with the church or the village, and we can then send you an invite to join the group.

Then whenever you go on a walk, log your distance (in km, miles or steps) in the app, and then add that distance to our group walk. We will send some instructions, and provide support.

If you can not/don’t want to use the app, you can still join in by letting us know the distance walked, and we can add your contribution to the walk.

There will be no regular commitment to walk, but you can follow our progress in the app. We will regularly give updates on the group’s progress. At the turn of the year we were just south of Lichfield.

All are welcome to join the St. Matthew’s Easter Walk.

If you have any questions please either e-mail to

or contact us. Stephen and Catherine Edwards

Public Worship and National Lockdown

Government guidance and Church of England advice allow public worship to continue during the national lockdown, but churches must make their own decisions of the basis of what they feel able to provide. The Churchwardens and I are satisfied that we are able to offer the following:

It is clear that we must continue to uphold the highest standards of COVID-preparedness. I would remind you that if you plan to attend a service in church you must inform a Churchwarden and give your contact details. If you turn up without having done so, we cannot guarantee that there will be a place for you.

St Cross: Sandra Bates 265294

St Matthews: Michele Gwillim 450881

Attendance at a service in church means that you agree to follow all guidance, advice and instructions given by those responsible for the safety and well-being of worshippers. This includes wearing a face-covering (fitted over mouth and nose); maintaining 2 metres distance between yourself and anyone not in your own household or bubble; washing hands regularly andusing sanitizer on entering and leaving the building.I need to emphasise that the Government guidance gives you permission to attend a church service. It is not permission to catch up with friends socially. Of course, we will want to acknowledge one another, but if you want to chat, please use the phone when you get home!In particular, please don’t congregate in or around the entrance to the church building. It can be quite unnerving for someone having to walk through a space where others are not allowing sufficient distance for them to pass comfortably.I would like to thank everyone who has worked so hard to sustain the life of our church communities through these incredibly difficult times: wardens and PCC members, those who clean and look after our buildings, those who contribute to our online presence, those who give generously, and all who have respected the protocols and practices that we have had to follow.

Alan Jewell

Benefice Notices 24^th January 2021

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