Church of Scotland calls for all services to stop until further notice
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The Church of Scotland has issued an unprecedented call for all its services to "cease until further notice" – including all Easter services.
The call was made earlier today and also affects house-groups, meetings for youth work, and church cafés.
As an alternative it was suggested that some services could be live streamed while Sunday broadcasts of weekly services would be broadcast on Radio 4 and other outlets.
A spokeswoman for the church said: "We are asking that all gatherings for worship should cease until further notice, with effect from today.
"This includes all Easter services. Some Presbyteries have already instructed this action.
"It will still be possible for an individual to offer a live streaming of a sermon and prayers.
"Sunday broadcasts of a weekly service take place on Radio 4, and also on Radio Scotland; other radio stations are available."
Earlier the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Colin Sinclair, added his voice to calls urging a day of prayer over the coronavirus outbreak.
He said: “There are many different ways the Church can and should offer support and help to their communities at this time, but one way is through prayer. We believe in a God who hears and answers prayer.
“We are encouraged to come honestly in prayer, sharing openly our emotions, questions and concerns in the light of COVID 19."
