Dear Friends,

My original diary for this month of October was full of dates for the various Harvest Festival Services that we usually hold at this time of year. It is a sadness that we are not able to offer the gatherings that are so important to our rural communities across our churches this year.

My suggestion, nevertheless, is that we mark Harvest-tide in our Mission Community Eucharist next Sunday: 11th October. The hymns and readings and prayers with have a Creation and Harvest theme and I will echo that in the You-tube service too – so please feel able to forward it to anyone who might be missing our annual gatherings.

Rather than bringing produce to church, I suggest that we direct our giving to the Freedom Centre in Barnstaple and our local food bank now based in Lynton. I will give further details of how to give next week. If anyone would like to suggest other recipients at this time, do let me know and we can share them via this weekly letter.

Let’s pray for all who farm and fish, giving thanks for their dedication on which we depend. Let’s pray for a better understanding of our own role in caring for the Creation of which we are a part and on which we all depend.

God bless

Samantha