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St Basil inspires new rural church plant on a farm in Devon
The Church of England is planning a new rural church plant on a farm in Devon. The vision is for St Basil’s is to become a centre for spiritual renewal, innovative creativity and “redemptive entrepreneurship”. The church will be led by the Reverend Pete James, who was licensed by the Bishop of Exeter for his new role on 15 July. Pete, 33, grew up in Devon and studied at Exeter University. He has recently moved…
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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…
Read More »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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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…
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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…
Read More »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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