Dear FriendsThank you to our hosts at Martinhoe and to all who joined in with the Lammas celebration last Sunday: cream teas are certainly a good way to experience the joy and gratitude for the beginning of the harvests that were the focus of our prayers. Let's continue to keep our own farming community in our prayers through this dry summer, and to pray for the peace in Eastern Europe that will also free farmers in that region to tend their land and export their produce in a needy world.Next Sunday and Monday there will be events in Lynmouth to mark the 70th anniversary of the extreme flooding across this region of Exmoor which culminated in Lynmouth - details of services are at the end of this letter. There will also be a talk at the Pavilion on 11th August at 6.30pm. Please hold in your prayers families for whom memories of the events of that time are still raw and all who, around the world suffer from natural disasters . It is a time too, for giving thanks for the community life we continue to share, and the resilience of our region through many challenges, old and new.Perhaps the words that open this Sunday's gospel are timely. "Do not be afraid" Jesus says (which is one of the most repeated phrases in the Bible) as he encourages his followers to trust in God's love for us and to find ways to share God's provision with others. As we weave our thanksgiving for those who provide us with food and care for our land, with our concern for those suffering war across our world and our remembering of the grief and resilience of our immediate past here, may our prayers help us to trust God's presence with us through all things and the love that prevails eternally.God bless,SamanthaLynmouth’s 70th Flood Anniversary CommemorationTo mark this important event the following are taking place.6.30pm Sunday 14th AugustAn evening service of Remembrance in St John’s Church, Lynmouth.Monday 15th AugustA heritage walk starting from Middleham Gardens at 6.00pm.This level walk of approx. 1 mile on mainly tarmac surfaces will proceed over Woodside Bridge, along Tors Road, over Tors Bridge, along Riverside Path. Crossing Countisbury Road where a wreath will be laid on the Flood Cross.The walk continues along Lynmouth Street to the Flood Memorial Hall Garden where a plaque to remember the 34 flood victims will be unveiled followed by a 1 minute silence.It will then proceed over May Bridge to the Manor GreenHere there will be a short remembrance service where relatives/friends of the 34 victims will ring a bell in their memory.Along the walk will be pre and post flood photos.People are welcome to join the walk at any point along its route or wait at the Memorial Hall or on the Manor GreenFor further information please contact Sheila Voisey 01598 752436 sheilavoisey54@gmail.com or David Wilde 01598 752296 partstreet1@btinternet.com
During the summer, many churches are taking part in the Church of England promotion, encouraging visitors (and locals) to stop and look in more detail at the stained glass windows which are not only beautiful works of art, but in many cases tell something of the history of the church and its people. On social media, the search tag #stainedglasssummer will help you find churches locally that may be part of this. For some churches in the Lyn Mission, I have added photos to the gallery, but this should be an incentive for you to get out and visit them yourself. The link below will further explain what it is all about.https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/digital-labs/blogs/stained-glass-summer-join-social-mediaIf you want to find out more about churches, the following web page is recommended though it does not include all churches.https://devonchurchland.co.uk/north-devon/
Dear Friends,This comes later in the day than I try to get the Saturday mailing out because I spent the afternoon at a concert given by Ian Lovegrove and some friends. Ian is based at an Ilfracombe church and stepped in at the last minute to play for a wedding at Brendon at the beginning of the month. His venue for today's concert fell through so given his contact with us through helping us out with the wedding he asked if they could bring the music to St Mary's. This for me highlights the gift of simple personal contact - as we get to know each other the scope for co-operation widens and shared creative ventures become more possible.In the wider church we are praying for this generosity of spirit to be experienced by those from all over the Anglican Communion meeting in person at the Lambeth Conference currently. In our own Mission Community, our Lammas Service at 3pm at Martinhoe tomorrow is another opportunity to meet together and share thanksgiving for the agricultural life we depend on and to enjoy spending time with one another.Sunday's gospel encourages us to notice how rich we are "before God". Those riches include those with whom we share our faith - in our own churches and further afield. As at Lammas- tide we give thanks for the generosity of God and of those who work the land so that we can share in its bounty, perhaps we can also notice and give thanks for the fruitfulness of friendship and the personal connections we make in daily life.God blessSamantha
Dear Friends,This week the Lambeth Conference begins. It is held once every decade as a gathering of Bishops from across the Anglican Communion. It is a time of prayer and reflection, as well as an opportunity for discussion and exploration of what God is calling us to as the church at this time. This year's theme is: "God's Church for God's world: walking, listening and witnessing together". The Biblical focus is a study of 1 Peter.Bishops from our diocese are attending and it will be good to keep them and the whole conference in our prayers over the coming days. There is a website dedicated to the event https://www.lambethconference.org/ And in particular, you may be interested to take a look at the daily prayer guide, enabling us all to pray alongside the Bishops as each day has a particular focus. This is the link for that guide:https://www.lambethconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Lambeth-Conference-Prayer-Guide-2022-ENG.pdfIn it there are prayers written by religious communities from around the world, reflecting the wisdom and spirituality of those who have responded to a particular calling to a way of life shaped by patterns of prayer across the world. In today's gospel the centrality of prayer in Jesus' life is highlighted, as, on seeing him pray, a disciples asks to learn how to pray and Jesus gives us what we now call "the Lord's prayer": that God's name may be glorified and God's kingdom come. Praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ as they gather to discern together the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of our wider church may be a very good response to what Jesus teaches in today's gospel.Let's also remember closer to home this week, the children of our primary schools, especially those marking the end of their time at West Exmoor Federation. We pray for God's blessing as they look forward to the next step in their young lives.God blessSamanthaReminders: Epilogues continue on Sunday evenings at 8.30 at CountisburyLammas Service and Cream Tea: Sunday 31st July 3pm Martinhoe
