Category: Priest’s Monthly Letters

From the Parish Priest

Dear Friends,

A vicar is always thinking ahead when it comes to Christmas, and although it seems to get earlier every year in our shops and high streets, Christmas starts appearing on my desk in the summer!

Although our shops are now full of cards and decorations, the Church’s reaction to the annual remembrance and celebration of Jesus’ birth has been on my mind for a very long time already.

We will all be very busy preparing our homes, schools, offices and communities for Christmas with decorations, food and gatherings, but this year, particularly, with the appalling loss of life in the Holy Land and in the surrounding countries, let us all think about what welcoming the Prince of Peace into our homes and hearts actually means.

I invite everyone to come and join us in celebrating and pondering the great mystery of the birth of Jesus Christ, and how we can be messengers of that peace in the communities we live in.

You are all welcome to join us for any and all of our services, in which we will pray for the peace of the world and the well being of this and every community.

I wish you a very happy, holy and peaceful Christmas.

With love and prayers,
Philip

Dear Friends,

The North Tamar Mission Community is very excited to announce the start of a new initiative in Christian Worship within our six parishes.

From Saturday 30^th November 2024, we will be giving the church and the community another opportunity to gather together to worship God and enjoy fellowship together.

So many people find Sundays such a busy day, and there is a long tradition of recognising the biblical tradition of the day beginning at dusk the night before.

So we are introducing a Vigil Service (the first service of Sunday) at 6pm every Saturday evening at St. Mary’s Kelly, starting on the eve of Advent Sunday, which is a very special occasion.

These services will be quite different to what we are used to in our churches on a Sunday Morning. They will last half an hour and be followed by half an hour of fellowship together, including Tea and Crumpets and the opportunity to have some fun together.

Everyone, of every age, including the very young, is welcome to join us, and to join in!

We look forward to welcoming you to our new exciting venture.

 With love and prayers,

Philip

From the Parish Priest

I have had a lovely Summer! I have not had my Summer Holiday yet, I will be enjoying that when this letter is published, but in spite of working and being very busy we have had a lovely summer.

We haven’t done anything particularly exciting, or gone anywhere exotic, but what we have had is a very busy household with lots of visitors. We have enjoyed many a joyful evening in our garden, and round our dining table.

As someone who comes from a very small family, I am always in awe of the large family groups that appear in church for Funerals and weddings. Uncles, Aunties, Cousins, sometimes numbering into the forties and fifties, are quite a shock when you are from a family where you only have five blood relatives!

Despite having only one aunt, and no cousins, I can never truly say that I have a small family!  In fact I have an enormous and wonderful family. The rule is that Family may, or may not, include relations!

The members of our family that have come and shared the summer with us are all indispensable and much loved. It matters not if some are actually related or not, they are all essential members of our family and we would not be without any of them: even with some of their/our peculiarities!

We often hear of the Church being described as a Family, and that is quite appropriate, we are all related in and through Jesus. We may fall out and bicker, and not always agree, but we are a family and we should always look out for, care for and give thanks for each other.

With love and prayers,

Philip

From the Parish Priest

Dear friends,

Although I could in no way be described as sporty, and I do not have the physique of an athlete! I do appreciate the endeavours of those who train hard to achieve greatness in physical endeavours. From my lovely comfy chair, I have partaken in the thrills and excitement of the Olympic games in Paris.

There was some excellent competition, and some wonderful surprises for some with gut wrenching disappointment for others, and yet what pleased me beyond words was the wonderful display of sportsmanship, comradery, and collaboration between athletes who despite being opponents in the pool or ring, or on the track or pitch, were able to celebrate with, and support, each other in their victory or loss, showing empathy and compassion to their fellow competitors.

How sad it was then, to have as the other major news item the horrific violence that has recently affected our nation. The death of those three little girls in Southport was a horrendous action, and I am sure that the Justice system will deal with it accordingly.

However, the deliberate manipulation of misinformation by some, and the vicious hatred that it unlocked in others, was a total disgrace. Communities, which already feel exceedingly vulnerable, were targeted, as were those whose duty it is to protect all of us and keep order. I am delighted that so many communities rallied round to protect those who were being targeted. Many churches and church leaders took their place in demonstrating what community life should be,and witnessed to the reconciling love of Christ in practical ways.

The saddest thing is that people will use Christianity, or a distorted version of it, as an excuse for showing hatred to those who are different. Real Christianity is hospitable and compassionate. Jesus demonstrated this in his own words and actions. Let us pray that we demonstrate real Christianity in our language and behaviour and call out False teaching when we hear it, and unglodly action when we see it.

With love and prayers,
Philip

From the Parish Priest

Dear friends,

It is correctly said, that with enough thought and manipulation, you can find support or condemnation for everything and anything in the Bible. People have, historically, selectively used scripture to support the Slave Trade, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and many other horrific beliefs and practices. So we always need to be careful when people use Holy Scripture to back up their arguments. We need to read our bibles with care, thought and intelligence.

One of the most important concepts in Scripture, from the very beginning of Genesis and throughout the Old and New Testaments, is the importance of Rest. This is not human beings digging into scripture to excuse a few days off, but something that is part of God’s design for us.

Rest, Relaxation and Recreation: the Three R’s for the holidays especially! Even if we are not fortunate to be on Holiday this month, the Holiday season reminds us all of the importance of taking time for ourselves. This is something that we see in the Creation Story, and in the life of Jesus.

There is a reason why a Day of Rest is one of the Commandments!
So please, make sure you give yourselves some time for Rest and Relaxation this summer, so that we can all be recreated, full of life and energy, to live our lives to the full and witness to God’s love.

With love and prayers,
Philip

Dear friends,

I am getting to the age where there is a real danger that I view everything through an illogical pair of rose-tinted spectacles! Perhaps I should be diagnosed with a case of chronic Nostalgia!

It is so easy to look back at times that seem to be better in hindsight and pine for the familiar rather than accept the challenge of new things and new ways. All of us must hold in balance the things that are part of our past and upbringing with those things that are part of the present. The result of this may sometimes be excitement, and others disappointment.
I do not want to harp on, but one thing that I do feel is not the same, to the detriment of society is the lack of respect and civility within our political and civic leadership.

However much the political leaders of my youth passionately held their opinions, they, on the whole, respected the good motives behind those with whom they disagreed.

Thirty Years ago, the whole nation was saddened and shocked by the death of the then Labour Leader: John Smith. The respect in which he was held by the then prime minister was evident in the gracious tribute John Major gave from the dispatch box. He said at one point “John was, by necessity, my opponent, but was never my enemy!”

I feel that there is so much encouragement in our national life to separate us from, and deny the value, of those with whom we disagree, rather than come together to, respectfully and civilly, work together for the good of our society.

I hope and pray that all our election candidates and those who aspire to political office will demonstrate this in their behaviour and language over the election campaign and also in the aftermath when some will be elevated to power and others disappointed.

“God created Man in his own image. Male and Female he created them.” We must be so careful not to deny someone’s worth and value to society based on their political opinions, skin colour, religion or any other human division.

May we work at being role models for our leaders, as much as we hope our leaders will be role models for us.

With love and prayers,
Philip

From the Parish Priest

Dear friends,

For us, June is going to be a very busy month. 

You will see the notices and advertisements for the various events posted around the community and elsewhere in this magazine. I do encourage you to come and join us in all our celebrations and gatherings.

One of the things that I am most excited about this month is the visit from the Choir from Radebeul in Germany.  They are a church choir from a benefice of Lutheran parishes just northwest of Dresden and are coming to spend a week in West Devon to enjoy our lovely countryside, hospitality, and weather!!!  Added to that they will be singing around the area and county.

Do please come and hear them and meet them. There are many opportunities to get to know them and to share fellowship, time and music together,  including an informal shared music evening and Barbecue at the Fox and Grapes.  In a world where there is so much division, we should take every opportunity to make friends and build relationships with our fellow human beings wherever they are from, and whatever their background.

On their final Sunday with us the Revd. Christof Heinze, who is coming with them, will be preaching at Lewtrenchard, and we will be having a bring and share lunch to say farewell to them.

So please join me in welcoming our friends from Germany and making this a week for all of us to look back on with joy and gratitude.

 With love and prayers,

Philip

From the Parish Priest

Dear friends,

This year, because of the date of Easter, May is a month full of celebrations!

There have been some wonderful celebrations in our churches recently. Our commemorations of our Lord’s Passion Death and resurrection were appropriately solemn and joyful, and our gathering at Broadwoodwidger for our confirmation service was indeed a very special occasion. Huge thanks to everyone who contributed to our church life and worship for these occasions.

The celebrations continue, with Ascension Day on the 9th May. This is a Principal Feast: as important as Christmas and Easter, but often forgotten about. Do please come and join us as we celebrate the triumph of Christ ascending into Heaven. This is one of those occasions when we are taking Church out of the building, this time to the lovely Barn at Orchard Barton. Where we will celebrate both with worship and with food and Fun!

The feast of Pentecost follows on the 19th, and this year coincides with one of our Baring-Gould Celebrations at Lewtrenchard: celebrating his marriage and family life. This should be a lovely celebration, and everyone is welcome.

Finally, on the 26th there is the Feast of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity! The day to contemplate the very nature of God.

We celebrate the love of God in the context of a world that seems to have forgotten what love is. The news from the Holy Land, Ukraine, and many other places is both deeply saddening and frightening. But we are taught that there is no situation, and no person, or group of people, that are beyond the reach of God’s love.

As we celebrate the truths of our faith, we should not rest in prayer and action to work for the Love of God in heaven to be demonstrated by his people on earth.

With love and prayers,

Philip

From the Parish Priest

Dear friends,

Easter is early this year!! When Easter Sunday is in March it coincides with Clock Change Sunday, so be aware if you want to turn up on time!!!!! The run up to Easter is the most special time of the year for Christians. It is the time when we retell the wonderful story of God’s saving love in Jesus Christ and are invited and encouraged to take time out of our, sometimes frantic, lives to contemplate the sacrifice that Jesus made for us all.

The timetable for services this Holy Week is published separately in this volume, and as always, I encourage you to come and join in our commemorations and celebrations of this great season and festival.

As I write this our churches are planning their Annual Meetings. These are important occasions, as they reflect on the activity and vibrancy of our worshipping communities. The Church, as I have said and written often, is not a building but a community of people, and without that worshipping ommunity our church’s are just shells. If you would like to help build up the real church, that is the community of people, and could support us in our mission and ministry, then you are most welcome to come to our Annual Meetings and join in!

Meetings, however mundane are still about the Joy of the resurrection, and the new life that God gives us in and through Jesus Christ! May that Easter Joy fill all our lives.

With love and prayers,
Philip

From the Parish Priest

Dear friends,

New year is always exciting, but it does not take long for normality to return and we are back in our usual routine. However, the year proceeds, and before we know it the days are getting longer, and signs of Spring are already appearing.

In the Christian Church, Lent will soon be upon us, and Easter following. Many people see Faith, and particularly the Christan Faith as something to console and comfort us as we live our lives in a cruel world. That is the case in some ways, but the Christan Gospel also challenges us, and we ignore this challenge at our peril.

Lent is about engaging with the Challenge of the Christian Gospel, and exploring how we can learn from Jesus’ life and teachings, and express that truth in our lives and through our worship.

Lent Starts on Ash Wednesday 14^th February (Yes, it displaces Valentine’s Day!) with our Ash Wednesday Service at  Kelly at 7pm.

During Lent, there will be a Lent Course, at the Rectory, on both Monday at 5pm, and Thursday at 7pm. This year we will be exploring the Holy Week Services or Liturgies. There seemed to be quite a bit of confusion and misunderstanding as to what these beautiful service were for and there position in the tradition and life of the church. There is a great deal we can learn from them, and so this is an opportunity to prepare to take a full and meaningful part in the life and worship of the Chruch at this most special time.

With love and prayers,

Philip