Letters from the Bishop and EDBE

Church celebrates the Importance of Community on Time to Talk Day 2025

This week, church in North Devon has been raising awareness for mental health. St Peter’s Church in Fremington has been marking Time to Talk Day, an annual mental health awareness day. Time to Talk is run by mental health charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, and this year it takes place on the 6 February 2025. The day is an opportunity for us all to start a conversation about mental health with our friends, families, communities and…

Pupils from Devon Primary Schools Unleash their Creativity to Imagine a Greener Future

Pupils at two primary schools in Devon were asked one question, ‘what would your village look like if it were net zero?’ Uplowman Church of England Primary School and Halberton Primary School recently teamed up with their local church, St Peter’s Church in Uplowman, to learn about how they can play their part in caring for creation through a creative task. Both schools received funding from Plymouth University and were each invited to work with…

Certificate in Pioneer Mission Encourages Participants to Dream of New Ways to Connect People and Faith

In January, a group from the Diocese of Exeter begun taking part in a course that inspires students to dream new ways to connect people and faith, think outside the box of traditional church, and do something creative that will build their communities. The Certificate in Pioneer Mission represents a new partnership with the Church Mission Society (CMS) and the Dioceses of Salisbury, Truro and Wells. The course is in it’s 5th year of running,…

Regional Model of Growing Faith Strategic Leaders Programme Launches in the South West

At the beginning of January 2025, just over 30 leaders from across the South West gathered in Taunton for the launch of the regional Growing Faith Strategic Leaders’ Programme (GFSLP). The GFSLP programme has a transformation impact on children and young people’s faith formation, and it develops leaders, and aspiring leaders, bringing sustained change in a range of contexts. The programme also provides a space for a collaborative learning community which models the intersections of…

Nomination Someone Making a Difference for the St Boniface Awards 2025

There are some new categories for this year’s St Boniface Awards, which honour lay people in the Diocese of Exeter who have made an outstanding contribution to life in Devon. It’s the Bishop of Exeter, the Rt. Rev’d Dr Mike Harrison’s first year overseeing the awards, which celebrate the work of lay people in their churches, church schools or local community. Bishop Mike has chosen some new criteria for people to be nominated for. These include:…