Dear Friends,First, thank you to Laurence and all who have taken particular responsibilities while I have had a few days away. “Serving the people of Devon with joy” is the third part of the Diocesan vision and it is the natural outworking of our growth in prayer and our deepening discipleship – offering God’s love outwards in our contribution to the well-being of others:Love God and love your neighbour as yourself : these go together.Over the last eighteen months the kindness and service of others offered throughout our communities has been essential, and amazing. Neighbourly care has been what has got so many through the difficult days of lock down and isolation. It has been a time when, as a church community we have often been grateful receivers of others’ loving and joyful service.As we begin to think about the life of the church returning to its gathered and public form, it is a good time to reflect individually and across our parishes about how we offer the service our faith inspires to those around us.My suggestion this week is for each of us to notice the little ways in which our lives connect with other people in love, care or service – how do we already serve others with joy? “Serve” can sound quite daunting – but at its most basic level it is about being there for people in ways that are attentive and bring good into their lives. Noticing how we are already doing this is a way to grow in the habit of looking outward into the world with love.God bless,SamanthaChurch services for Sunday 27th June:9am Brendon Holy Communion (BCP)11am Lynton Holy Communion (Common Worship Order 1)July 4th 9am Parracombe Holy Communion11am Lynton Holy Communion3pm Barbrook Holy Communion8.30 Countisbury Epilogue
The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev'd Dame Sarah Mullally, who chairs the Church of England’s Covid Recovery Group, says the delay in the next stage of the lifting coronavirus restrictions will be a blow to many but understandable. She welcomes the news that the limit on the number of people attending weddings has been lifted and says practical guidance for churches will be updated. She says the Recovery Group is continuing to press for the restrictions on singing in church buildings to be looked at again. Read her full statement here.
Dear Friends,This week once again I am experiencing a double response to receiving (my second dose of) the Covid Vaccine. Again I have had flu like side effects and my energy is low this weekend, but again I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to receive it and to live in a country where this has been easily possible. I back all the statements made by religious and health leaders for the swift achievement of vaccine equity across or world. Christian Aid has a “Give thanks for your vaccine” appeal to support this, which Bishop Jackie is promoting: https://exeter.anglican.org/bishop-of-crediton-backs-calls-for-global-covid-19-vaccine-equity/As this Trinity season invites us in to growth it is appropriate to reflect on the second aim in the diocesan vision, which is “growing disciples”. Disciples are those who learn, and for Christians that means those who learn from Jesus how to be Christ-like by following him, and draw others to do the same. We each grow in discipleship as we learn how to be more like Christ in the world that we live in, responding to its challenges with his guidance. This week the diocesan newsletter, Roots and Shoots, which I commend to you all to sign up includes lots of opportunities to learn more about Christian responses to issues around us in the world. Why not give some time to looking and learning about these:https://mailchi.mp/f8736e497936/welcome-to-our-new-shoots-newsletter-4781026Growing in prayer suggestion for this week:There are still spaces along the coast to join South West Awake The Church of England in Devon is joining other churches in the region in an attempt to have people praying along every mile of the whole South West Coast path on the same day at the same time. The socially distant “chain of prayer and praise” is on 19 June at 10.30am Have a look at your area on the map and sign up to help complete the chain.A reminder of services this weekend (13th June): 9am Martinhoe Holy Communion (BCP)11am Lynton Holy Communion (Common Worship 1)For June 20th:9am Parracombe Morning worship (self led)11am Lynton Holy Communion (Common Worship 1) I will be taking a few days of annual leave next week (16th– 21st June) God bless Samantha
Dear Friends, This month we begin the new pattern of face to face church services across the Mission Community. I would like to register thanks to the team who helped get the Lynton service up and running and all who have maintained worship there while other churches were less accessible, and now to all who are preparing carefully for Covid compliant services in their local church. I’ll attach the service pattern again so that everyone knows where services are taking place each week. Why not sample worship in a church beyond your parish on a week when there is not a service there? This week’s suggestion for growing in prayer: prayer is the action of opening our lives to the presence and guidance of God for which we are created. Our communal worship provides a good pattern for the different aspects of prayer that might become godly habits in our lives. Our experience of communion offers a sign of prayer at its simplest and deepest – coming into union with God; we intercede for the world aligning our hopes and fears with God’s will for the life of the world and crying out for transformation; we pray for forgiveness, for a clearing of all that impedes our relationship with God; and we offer thanksgiving and praise, recognising our dependence on God, and expressing our wonder. Knowing that we pray with others can be something encouraging and strengthening. I’d like to suggest that we develop a Mission Community prayer calendar with something to pray for each day. To start I suggest that each day we pray for a different parish: Sunday: the whole Mission Community Monday: Brendon Tuesday: Countisbury and Lynmouth Wednesday: Lynton and Barbrook Thursday: Parracombe Friday: Martinhoe Saturday: Trentishoe If anyone would like to be involved in taking this deeper and coming up with ideas for prayer within each parish or more widely, do get in touch God bless Samantha
