Sunday 11th September8am St Stephen's, Winsham - Book of Common Prayer service of Holy Communion in commemoration of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. (This is a said service)10am St Mary's, Thorncombe - Commemoration Service marking the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Lay led10:30am St Michael and All Angels, Chaffcombe - Commemoration Service with Holy Communion marking the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.Sunday 18th September10am St John's, Tatworth - Commemoration Service with Holy Communion marking the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.10am St Stephen's, Winsham - Commemoration Service marking the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Lay led11:30am St Mary Magdalene, Cricket Malherbie - Commemoration Service with Holy Communion marking the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
New Archbishop of York to be confirmedBishop Stephen Geoffrey Cottrell will be confirmed as the 98th Archbishop of York this month. The service, at 11am on Thursday 9th July, will be broadcast entirely via video conference due to the Coronavirus restrictions. The service, which had been due to take place in York Minster, will be in two parts. A legal ceremony with readings, prayers and music, will be followed by a film marking the start of Bishop Stephen’s ministry as Archbishop of York. Bishop Stephen Cottrell says: “I am looking forward to beginning my ministry as the 98th Archbishop of York. This isn’t quite how I imagined it would begin. It is certainly the first time an Archbishop’s election will have been confirmed via video conference. But we’re all having to re-imagine how we live our lives and how we inhabit the world. “These are difficult times. My hope is that through this service the love of God that is given us in Jesus Christ will shine out, perhaps even to those who while never attending a service in York Minster, might have a look onlineFollowing in the footsteps of my many predecessors, I look forward to serving our nation and bringing the love and peace of Christ to our world, especially here in the north.”The service will be available on the Church of England website. Arrangements for Bishop Stephen’s enthronement service will be announced later in the year.
Why are we celebrating VE Day?VE Day stands for Victory in Europe Day, which took place on Tuesday, May 8 in 1945.It marked the end of World War II and was the day on which allied forces announced the surrender of Germany in Europe.The day before, Germany had surrendered, while Hitler had committed suicide a week earlier.This left Grand Admiral Donitz of the German army to admit defeat and surrender Nazi Germany.75 years later, Business Secretary Greg Clark said it is important we continue to 'honour our heroes'.Crowds celebrated VE Day in Trafalgar Square in 1945He said: "It will ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to remember and honour our heroes of the Second World War and reflect on the sacrifices of a generation."Sir Andrew Gregory, chief executive of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, added: "It is our duty to keep the events of the past alive in collective memory, including future generations - this is how we ensure that such a conflict never happens again."It is our hope that the nation takes a moment to reflect on the significance of this date, as a milestone that changed the course of history for the whole world.”
