East Devon Arts Festival Goes Online
Each year, the Parish Church of St Thomas of Canterbury in Thorverton is turned into an art gallery for the East Devon Arts Festival (EDAF). This year would have marked the 50th year the festival has been running, but due to COVID-19, the church has been unable to hold the event and has instead created virtual art and craft exhibitions on Facebook. The Arts Festival is usually a significant fundraising activity of the church, raising…
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New role for man who brought great creativity to Devon
Revd Jon Marlow, the Diocese of Exeter’s Mission Community Development Team Leader, is to take up an exciting new role as the Diocesan Director of Ordinands and Vocations Officer for the Diocese of Canterbury. Jon moved to Devon in 2006 to start his curacy at St. Matthew’s Elburton and has spent the last 14 years based in Plymouth. He became vicar of St. Pancras, Pennycross in 2010 and moved to his current role as Mission…
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A Vicar Who is Scared of Heights Will Attempt to Climb Church Spire
A Torquay vicar is hoping to overcome his fear of heights and climb to the top of the church spire to raise money for urgent repairs. St Mary Magdalene (St Mags) is covered in scaffolding at present for external repairs which were funded by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. But while the work has been going on, £7,000 of repairs are now needed in the kitchen which is a vital part of…
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Face Covering Mission
Vera Tooke, a Reader at the Hartland Coast Mission Community, has used her time during lockdown to sew over 1400 face coverings, all in aid of Parkinson’s UK. Vera explained how she got started on this mammoth sewing project: “I got involved with a local group making scrubs and other things for the NHS, at the beginning of lockdown. One day there was a request from the local surgery asking if anyone could make some…
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Live Swift Cams in Dartmoor Church
The bell tower at St Michael the Archangel in Chagford has become a nesting site for Common Swifts for the first time in over 25 years. Last week, Nick Baker, a local naturalist and TV presenter, hosted a livestream from the church, which was broadcast on the RSPB England Facebook page and featured live camera feeds of the swifts nesting in the church and a live Q&A with Nick. Nick said: “There were swifts in…
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Stepping Out of the Boat: An Online Service by the Archdeacon of Exeter
The Archdeacon of Exeter is leading an online service on Sunday 9 August, on the subject of ‘Stepping Out of the Boat.’ The Venerable Andrew Beane, Archdeacon of Exeter, said: “Perhaps we can all think of a time when we have had to take a risk, try something new, a moment when we like Peter in our Gospel Reading have had to ‘step out of the boat’, and trust God as we head out on…
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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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