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Exeter church believed to have hosted first wedding since World War Two

A wedding has taken place at one of Exeter’s oldest churches for, what’s believed to be, the first time in 80 years. Steph Selway married her fiance Chris Stokes at St Olave’s Church on Wednesday 8 July. Theirs was also one of the first weddings to take place in Devon since the Government allowed them to resume on July 4. The vicar, the Reverend Shiela Swarbrick, said the couple had discovered a newspaper article from…

Silent hymns and hazard tape as Sunday services in church resume

Some churches in Devon have held their first services in their buildings since March following a change in the Government’s coronavirus guidance. At St Mary’s Church in Bickington, near Newton Abbot, people started arriving for the 9am Communion service half an hour before it started. Parishioner Michael Eveley said “We were ready for this,” and said it was a shame it would not be possible to sing hymns. Inside the historic church other changes included…

Ribbons of Remembrance

A church in Exeter has found a simple way to help people remember others and process some of the loss they might be feeling in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. St Thomas Church is encouraging people to tie a “ribbon of remembrance” on railings outside the church, which is on a main street in the centre of St Thomas. So far around 60 ribbons have been tied, some with messages or prayers written on…

Devon’s churches embrace weekend of weddings and worship

Churches in Devon are holding their first weddings and public services in their buildings since March, following a change in the government’s coronavirus guidance. From 4 July, weddings with up to 30 people present will be permitted. The Reverend Sue Astbury is conducting a wedding at St Nicholas Church in Shaldon on Saturday. “The signing of the register will go ahead but with extra precautions, for example hand sanitizer will be used on the pen…

Weddings and worship in Devon’s church buildings from 4 July

Church leaders in Devon have welcomed the news that services, including weddings, will be able to take place in church buildings from 4 July. But they have also said it would be wrong to “close the virtual door” to the growing number of people who have been attending online church services during lockdown by ceasing to produce them. The Government announced the changes to the rules for places of worship along with new guidance about…

Exe Estuary Pilgrimage Brings Light After Lockdown
A Devon vicar and former Royal Marine is leading a one-day walking pilgrimage from Exeter Cathedral to Exmouth to celebrate the re-opening of church buildings after lockdown and raise money for charity. The Reverend Steve Jones and others will set off from the cathedral on Saturday 11 July, following a short service led by Canon James Mustard and a blessing by the Bishop of Exeter. They will be carrying a candle lit from the Cathedral’s…
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Online service to say thank you to the NHS
The Bishop of Crediton is leading an online service on Sunday 5 July to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the NHS. The Service of Thanksgiving was filmed in the chaplaincy of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. It features contributions from NHS staff, including an Emergency Care Assistant from South Western Ambulance Service. There are reflections from former medics who worked in the NHS from its earliest days, including Henry Gossman, a former neurosurgeon who…
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Thy Kingdom Come Zoom Prayer Room is a Hit
The Reverend James Grier is a happy man. The Diocese of Exeter’s Mission Enabler had been worried that running a continuous 10-day, 24 hours a day prayer room on Zoom would be hard to get people to sign up to and he would end up doing the lonely overnight slots on his own. But in the end, the prayer room, which was part of the international Thy Kingdom Come prayer initiative, exceeded expectations. Over 500…
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