It was announced a short time ago that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second has died. The Church of England has issued the following prayer:
Gracious God, we give thanks
for the life of your servant Queen Elizabeth,
for her faith and dedication to duty.
Bless our nation as we mourn her death,
and may her example continue to inspire us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
Services
The church will be open Friday and Saturday (12-1pm) for quietly remembering Her Majesty the Queen. Drop in anytime between 12-1pm, sit quietly and remember, sign a book of condolence, and hear some words of hope.
Join us this Sunday at 10am for a special service remembering her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. There will be childrens’ work as normal and opportunity to sign the books of condolence after the service.
Sign the memorial book
The Church of England has opened an online memorial book which you can sign using this link. There will also be physical books of condolence available in the church building.
Our vicar has said
“It is with heavy hearts that we hear of the death of our Queen. For many of us she is the only queen we have known and, for all of us, she was a queen of unparalleled service, grace, wisdom and care. In describing herself as ‘your servant’ Queen Elizabeth followed in the footsteps of her saviour Jesus Christ. We believe that today she is face to face with the only one she need call ‘your majesty.’ Today our prayers are for her family – mourning the loss of their mother, grandmother and great grandmother, for our nation as we mourn, and particularly those who have recently lost loved ones for whom this will feel even more poignant. We thank God for the gift Queen Elizabeth was to this country and pray for King Charles as he seeks to follow her example.“
Bishop Pete has said
“We mourn with deep sorrow at the news that our beloved Queen has died. She was not only the longest serving sovereign our nation has ever known, but also one of the most devoted. She was devoted to her people, faithfully keeping the promises she made at her accession to give herself without reservation to the responsibilities entrusted to her; and she was devoted to her Saviour, whose call to service she had heard and whose example of costly obedience she sought to follow. The reality of her faith was clear, not least each year in her Christmas message, when she would always make a skilful contemporary connection to Jesus Christ — a knack not every Christian preacher has! We extend our sincere condolences to her children, grand-children and great-grandchildren and to all others in the Royal Household who will miss her most personally.”
Bishop Sophie has said
“It is with great sadness that we receive the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth today. Unprecedented in her length of service, her life has been one of duty exercised in love for her own nation and that of the Commonwealth. Her life testifies to her faithful commitment to Jesus Christ whose teaching and example she claimed served to ‘show the world how small steps taken in faith and in hope can overcome long-held differences and deep-seated divisions to bring harmony and understanding.’ The response to her death is a measure of the impact she had in following his example and a remarkable legacy. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family especially today in their loss, in particular her children, grandchildren and those closest to her personally. We thank God for the life of our beloved Queen, may she rest in peace and rise in glory.”
