Around the Parishes Awliscombe - Buckerell - Combe Raleigh Cotleigh - Gittisham and Honiton August2021

St Nicholas’, Combe Raleigh It is encouraging that a gradual return to normality seems to be on the way and we hope there will not be too many hiccups as we pick up the threads after lockdown. Some things are bound to have changed, others will be different, but it will be wonderful when we can drink a cup of coffee together after our services and enjoy a time of socialising together – that is something we have so much missed over these past eighteen months. To say we were blessed with good weather for our Open Gardens event would be an understatement. To say it was almost too hot would be ungracious! But the sun shone and continued shining throughout both afternoons as our visitors toured the village. Gardens were looking their pristine best and received very generous comments of appreciation. There was a huge variety of flowers in bloom, vegetable plots were brimming with produce, and numerous goldfish swam unperturbed in the lake at Coryhill. Cream teas on the terrace at Combe Hill were un- doubtedly a great attraction and dozens of scones, liberally piled with jam and cream were consumed, A young visitor with her along with slices of home-made cake. family’s tickets Thank you to everyone who came to support us from near and far and who helped to make the afternoon such an overwhelming success. An amazing £1,521 was taken over the two afternoons which, in One of the village gardens view of church repairs recommended in last year’s quinquennial inspection, will be a very welcome addition to our fabric fund. Finally we have a smart new vimple flying from the church tower – a much- appreciated gift from Val and Mark Moran. Rosemary Mapleston

STOP PRESS!! SONGS OF PRAISE Enjoying a cream tea St Paul’s Forecourt, Sun 8 Aug 1500 Featuring Honiton Town Band Free Cream Teas Festival Week Buckerell- Monday 30th August - Sunday 5th September Buckerell have planned the most wonderful village Festival Week. Here are just some of the events that are taking place. You will be very welcome to join in with any of them. Monday 30th August Bank Holiday Monday Beating the Bounds - 10am start from the Church A community stroll around the Parish with some songs from Jim Causley along the way. Quite flat and suitable for all. In sections so you can pick what to walk. About 7-8 miles in total. Bring a sandwich lunch. Return for a cream tea in the afternoon. Wednesday 1st September – St Giles Day Family Communion - 6:30pm in the Church A special service dedicated to our patron saint, Saint Giles followed by cheese and wine in the Old Rectory. Thursday 2nd September Grand Open Air Quiz – details to follow A Grand Open Air Quiz at the Shed organised by Terry and John on behalf of Buckerell Community Association. Saturday 4th September Buckerell Fete - 2pm Splatthayes Come along and enjoy a wonderful variety of stalls and a cream tea. Jim Causley our Musician in Residence will be leading a singing workshop at 3pm which will include rehearsing a folk song for the service on Sunday. Sunday 5th September Community Church Service – 11am Church We will be hearing from some residents of our community about these past months and reflect together, give thanks and look forward. The singers from the workshop will sing and Jim will play. We will be joined by Jackie Searle the Bishop of Crediton . For more details on events, please contact Ian Tucker at [email protected]

St Michael’s, Awliscombe What does the immediate future hold for St Michael’s community following Free- dom Day on 19th July? The first face to face meeting for 18 months of the PCC on 21st July provided some of the answers, at least for the short term. Freedom Day brought the relaxation of most the Covid restrictions. The relaxation, at the time of preparing this item, is tempered by an increasing incidence of Covid infections and by words of caution from both Church and government. Services. The PCC recognised that some parishioners may be reluctant to embrace a complete return to ‘normal’ and may prefer a cautious approach to meeting with others for the time being. With that in mind the PCC agreed to recommend to Rector Revd Sue Roberts that the regime followed for the past 3 months con- tinue through August. That is to encourage the wearing of face masks while inside St Michael’s and observe social distancing both inside and outside St Michael’s. The format of the Eucharist on 1st August and the Lay Led service on15th August will use printed service sheets, there will be no singing, and interesting selection of recorded music will be chosen by Nick. The PCC will review the situation in late August. The Fete. Put Saturday 4th September in your diaries for the Awliscombe and Weston Fete at the Otter Inn at Weston. The Fete Committee have plans well in hand. The Fete Committee are adapting the format to provide a safe environment and encourage your attendance. There will be no tea tent this year, but fortunately the ducks are Covid free and eager to race down the Otter. Just in case circumstances change do keep an eye out for announcements on the Awliscombe Facebook page. Harvest Supper. At the time of writing there is uncertainty about the wisdom of holding the Harvest Supper and Auction in late September. So please look out for information on Facebook page. Survey. What do you think that the role of the Church and the church building should be in our community? Nick is working on a survey which will invite your thoughts on this question. Maintaining the church in Awl- iscombe both as a structurally sound building and as a place of worship is a burden which in the long term is beyond the resources of our present congregation. Doing nothing is not an option. The church needs to adapt to the needs of the Awliscombe and Weston communities within the resources available. Your views are needed if we are to get this right! Roger Caudwell St Paul’s Honiton On Tuesday 20 July we progressed from serving only take-away teas and coffees outside the church to launching our Tuesday morning café, Coffee@St Paul’s. We were blessed by the weather: a cloudless blue sky, and also by the presence of Hannah Loibl, who accompanied everyone’s leisurely chatting with some lovely songs from various shows … thank you so much Hannah! We were also thrilled to have Danielle and her mother both joining us on behalf of Tesco (Honiton). To our delight, they both enjoyed it so much that they volunteered there and then to go on the rota of regular helpers! Tesco also donated 50 colourful mugs for the café, for which we are very grateful. Despite the rapidly rising temperature and the need for shade, the morning was a great success and we look forward to repeating it every dry Tuesday from 10-1200. Congratulations to Emily Thorn- hill and her excellent team for the wonderfully warm and enthusiastic welcome they give to customers and passers by alike. We have had some lovely feed back - from, amongst others, the Archdeacon of Exeter and the Bishop of Crediton! And we have raised over £300 for Vaccinaid - so far. Well done everyone!

St Michael’s Cotleigh People have been coming to the wise man complaining about the same problems every day. One day, he told them a joke and everyone roared with laughter. After a couple of minutes he told them the same joke and a few of them laughed. When he told the joke for the third time no one laughed anymore! The wise man smiled and said: “You can’t laugh at the same joke over and over so why are you always crying about the same problem?” THE MORAL OF THE STORY: Worrying won’t solve your problems, it’ll just waste time and energy.

200 Club £15 No 40 Matt Broom £10 No 81 Mrs Long

There will be a 9.30 am HC Service on Sunday 1st August. All welcome. Pauline Gordon Getting Out and About this Summer - Welcome to Devon Pilgrim From towering granite tors to breathtaking rivers, Devon's is an ancient landscape that has drawn and in- spired our ancestors. The ancient idea of pilgrimage is as much about the personal inner journey as the desti- nation. Devon Pilgrim follows this living tradition. Devon Pilgrim invites you to walk these pilgrim routes, some ancient, some new, which connect tors, stone crosses, holy wells and tiny churches, standing stones and cathedral. Through doing so you can re-root yourself in Devon's landscape and the spiritual traditions which run like a thread through it. Devon Pilgrim began life within the Growing the Rural Church project in the Diocese of Exeter. Devon’s landscape is dotted with small, rural church buildings, each built hundreds of years ago to serve its local community. For generations, people have worshipped God in these buildings, and their prayers and praise echo through the ages and fill these places with peace and tranquillity. Growing the Rural Church is a seven year project funded jointly between the Diocese of Exeter and the Church Commissioners’ Strategic Development Fund. It aims to support rural churches to engage with their wider community to develop new missional, cultural, commercial and community uses for church buildings that will enable them to be sustainable for generations to come. Devon Pilgrim works to support rural churches to work together along these pilgrimage routes, to offer hospi- tality to pilgrims, along with opportunities to reflect, re-root and add your prayers to those of the generations who have worshipped here before. Devon Pilgrim routes offer the opportunity to explore pilgrimage across the varied landscape that our county has to offer. Whether its journeying through our rich agricultural land, meandering alongside one of our ma- jestic rivers or taking in the awe inspiring landscape of Dartmoor, each Devon Pilgrim route invites you to wander and wonder through our little piece of Heaven in Devon. Each route has its own Pilgrim Passport, available in the guidebook or downloadable on the Devon Pilgrim webpage. Some routes pause at each church building along the way where you will find stamps to collect. In each church building you’ll also find a mediation, reflection or invitation to prayer. You are welcome to use these in the church building or take them to use outside in nature or along the way. Or you may simply want to focus on your own experience, or enjoy the time without thinking or doing anything at all. It’s up to you. St Boniface Way begins at the birthplace of its namesake in Crediton. From Crediton, your pilgrimage will take you across fields, along river banks and through farmland. You will visit chocolate-box villages and countryside that in- spired Jane Austen, before leaving the rural behind and enter- ing Exeter via the University. However, even in the city, St Boni- face Way will provide green spaces and places of reflection. At the end of the journey lies Exeter Cathedral and the invitation to join a service of Evensong. As you visit each of the churches along St Boniface Way, you will find welcome and a space to pray, to reflect and to encoun- ter God. St Boniface Way has been broken down into short sections, al- lowing you to experience this pilgrimage at your own pace. Take one section at a time or do it over a day or two – however you approach it, St Boniface Way is an opportunity to slow the pace, to pause and refocus away from the busyness of daily life. The Archangel’s Way. There are 35 miles from Brentor around the northern slopes of the moor to Chagford, broken down into 5 stages. It’s an ancient and remote landscape that connects you to the people who have lived here via the buildings and artefacts they have left behind. You can investigate historic churches and other sacred sites dating back thousands of years. You will feel a long way away from everyday life, but accommodation and other facilities can be found along the route at the village locations of Lydford and Belstone.

You can find all the details at www.devonpilgrim.org.uk God in the Arts The Rev Michael Burgess continues his series on God in the Arts with ‘Jacob’s Dream’ by Ribera. It now hangs in the Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain. Our picture is from Wikiemedia Commons.

In the 3rd century a Chinese philosopher, Chang Tsu, had a very vivid dream. He dreamed he was a butterfly, happily flying here and there. When he awoke, he thought to himself, ‘Did Chang Tsu dream that he was a butterfly, or did the butterfly dream that it was Chang Tsu?’ Dreams are often like that: crucial experiences which cause us to pon- der and wonder about their meaning. The prophet Joel suggested that it was old men who dream dreams, while young people see visions. But dreams invade and col- our our sleeping hours, whatever age we are. In the Bible dreams are vital events. Think of Joseph in the Old Testament dreaming of his superiority among his brothers, the dreams of the cup bearer and baker at Pharoah’s court, Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnez- zar’s dreams, and Joseph’s dreams in the Gospels that were so crucial for the safety of the Holy Family. This month in our paintings we focus on ‘Jacob’s Dream’ by Ribera. Jusepe de Ribera was a Spanish artist, whose most productive years were spent in Naples, where he died in 1652. This painting from 1639 is based on Genesis 28. After depriving his brother Esau of his birthright, Jacob is sent to Laban. At Bethel he rested and in his sleep received the vision of God’s angels on the ladder to heaven with God’s reassuring words of promise and blessing. When he awoke, Jacob set up an altar at Bethel, which he declared was the house of God and the gate of heaven. To baroque artists, this scene in Genesis was seen as a prefiguration of the coming of Jesus, and in John’s Gos- pel Jesus Himself told Nathanael that he would see the angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. For Ribera the subject of Jacob’s dream is treated with great tenderness as Jacob sleeps beneath the lu- minous expanse of sky, which occupies a major part of the canvas. Not for him the depiction of winged messengers; no, the light of heaven falls down upon the sleeping figure, casting shadows on the ground. The angels, ethereal and insubstantial, are contained in the glory of light. The tree at the other side looks like a fallen cross, and Jacob almost like a sleeping disciple in Gethsemane. But here, he is in deep repose as his face is lit up with the golden glow of the heavenly messengers. For Jacob, the dream is the golden assurance of God’s blessing. As his saga continues in Genesis, he marries Laban’s daughters, wrestles with the divine stranger, is given the name Israel, and his 12 sons become the ancestors of the 12 tribes of God’s people. So, the blessing of the dream is worked out in his life and the life of Israel. Dreams can come to give visions of the way life should be. Like Jacob, or perhaps like Martin Luther King and his prophetic words in 1963. In this month of August many of us will go on holiday to enjoy rest and recrea- tion. As we end the days with sleep, we pray that like the Psalmist we will lie down in perfect peace and safety and know the refreshment Jacob found at Bethel: a repose which will restore our souls and bodies to bring life and vision wherever we may be. St Michael’s Gittisham

We are thankful that Julia’s recent ‘op’ in Wonford has been success- ful and she is now home and taking things easy to get her strength back. Our monthly Eucharist service at 11.am on the second Sunday is gath- ering momentum, as numbers in church are still somewhat restricted. If anyone wishes to attend please let Carol know 01404 851113. We are suggesting masks to be worn and those not wanting to wear them should sit towards the rear of the church. Angie led her first lay-led last Sunday and this coming one (31st) I shall be leading the telephone service at 11.am details of how to join the telephone services were given in July’s Around the Parishes, or you can ring me – Carol 01404 851113. The service usually lasts about 30 minutes and is free. This month we have both a baptism and a wedding so things are starting to get back to some semblance of normal. In our churchyard, the mown paths around the wild areas are proving to be of interest and visitors usually have a walk round when viewing the church, and in fact after the lay-led most of the congregation went for a walk round, a sort of follow my leader! The annual Flower and Produce Show is on the 7th August in the Village Hall and visitors can view the entries from 2.30pm. Teas will be served. The village’s first get-together will follow the show from 6.00pm, we are asked to bring our own food and drinks, the bar-b-q will be lit, there will be some form of music, and it will be lovely to have a proper social time without restricted numbers – hopefully. Pierre Graeber, our resident French chef, is starting a monthly Sunday Café in the Village Hall on the second Sunday from 9.00am to 5.00pm, offering a selection of croissants, pains au chocolat or raisins, scones, home made jams and chut- neys, sharing platters, ploughmans, salads and home made ice creams. Vegetarians and vegans most welcome. Pierre asks for bookings (07545214940) so he knows how to arrange the hall safely. Some of our congregation are helping with the rest and refresh tent at Honiton Show on both days, if you are going to the show and could spare a little time to help please ring Judith Turner 01404 851061 or 07974829187. Carol McCann

Ringing Matters With most Government imposed Covid restrictions now lifted we should be able to get back to our normal bell ringing activities. We still need to be careful; some ringers from a nearby tower have had to self-isolate. The wedding season seems to be upon us and the demand for wedding ringers is higher than ever, especially for weekday weddings. Borrowing ringers from other towers has become more frequent as a consequence. The Combe Raleigh Friday Group have had their first meeting in the tower since the start of lock down in March last year. For most it was the first ‘live’ ringing for a very long time. For the moment ringers are asked as a minimum to have had two Covid vaccinations or a recent, (within 2 days), negative test. Most ringers are happy that this will minimise the risk of further spread of Covid among those ringing. However, this may be changed requiring everyone to have a test before ringing to be doubly sure that we are as safe as possible. One local tower has half its band unable to ring at present due to a variety of medical problems, none Covid related. Hopefully most will be able to return to ringing before too long. We need them. I have frequently called for new potential ringers to come forward, I make no apologies for raising the question once again. Wouldn’t you like to be able to ring Church bells? Please give it some serious thought and do not think that age is any sort of barrier; in recent years we have had people as young as ten and as old as sev- enty learn to ring. You could be the next and would be very welcome. You will find it a compelling and satis- fying hobby and a welcome service to the church.

Trevor Hitchcock Christian Aid Launches Global Hunger Appeal Christian Aid has launched an emergency appeal as more than 30 million people in 20 countries are teetering on the brink of famine. Immediate humanitarian assistance is needed to help prevent escalating numbers of deaths. The Covid health pandemic, climate crisis, and continued conflict has exacerbated hunger and food insecurity in 20 countries. Countries like South Sudan, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Nigeria (in the North East) and Afghanistan are particularly affected.

In South Sudan, 60% of the population are struggling to get enough food to eat, and 82% are living in extreme poverty. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, six of the country’s coun- ties are already categorised as being in IPC Phase 5 Catastrophe - which means people face starvation, death, destitution and debilitating levels of acute malnutrition - and 34 states are in the emergency acute food insecurity phase as people experience very high acute malnutrition and excess deaths. The most food insecure states are Jonglei, Unity, Upper Nile, Lakes, Warrap and Northern Bahr el Ghazal. 7.2 million people are now affected during this lean season, expected to be the worst on record.

James Wani, Christian Aid’s South Sudan Country Director, based in Juba, said: “Floods, drought, conflict and Covid-19 have joined forces to deliver devastation and fuel the food crisis in South Sudan - the com- bined result is the destruction of crops, livelihoods, houses and dwellings, while roads have become im- passable, markets have stopped, supply chains have been crippled, and food prices have soared.

“I am gravely concerned about the scale of hunger we are witnessing, now escalating well beyond that formally reported in December, claiming the lives of the most vulnerable, particularly those displaced and already in dire need. People, at this time, are dependent on our good will and compassion. We need action now, but we also need the humanitarian system to act robustly, collectively, and consistently well in advance of the level of famine - once the earlier threshold of crisis is met - and aligning this with preven- tative action knowing the cyclical effects of climate change.”

Salome Ntububa, Christian Aid’s Head of Global Humanitarian Response, said: “The numbers we are seeing in some of the countries where we work are alarming and they are only getting worse. Covid has obviously had a massive impact on health systems, people’s ability to earn a living or grow food, and lock- downs are collapsing economies. On top of this, UK aid cuts have meant vital funding from crucial lifesav- ing programmes has been pulled, leaving the most vulnerable to fend for themselves in the middle of aChristian Aid and its local partner organisations in South Sudan, including SPEDP (Support for Peace and Education Development Programme), have been responding in the worst-affected areas by providing emergency cash distributions to enable people to buy food, fishing equipment, seeds and tools as well as delivering much needed hygiene and sanitation awareness campaigns to help in the fight against Covid.

With funds from the appeal, Christian Aid plans to expand its response with increased food and cash distributions, and nutritional support – especially to children under five and pregnant or lactating women, as well as access to water for drinking and for agriculture and livestock, and livelihood support including setting up women’s groups with initial capital to start up businesses. pandemic.”

The deadliest factor which stymies efforts to halt the worsening food insecurity in, for example, Afghani- stan and South Sudan, is continued violence and armed conflict. In South Sudan, Christian Aid and local partners, including the South Sudan Council of Churches, have been supporting peacebuilding for dec- ades, building on the country’s traditions of mediation and consensus to deal with extreme violence. De- spite the peace agreement in 2018, intercommunal fighting continues in parts of the country, and delays in implementation of the peace agreement are exacerbating hunger.

To give to the appeal and help communities in the worst-affected countries including South Sudan, please visit www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/emergencies/global-hunger-emergency-appeal. August Crossword August Sudoku

August Wordsearch Across 1 Of Moses (6) 4 ‘You have been weighed on the — and found wanting’ (Daniel 5:27) (6) 7 Where Jesus performed the first of his miraculous signs (John 2:11) (4) 8 Roman emperor who ordered all the Jews to leave Rome (Acts 18:2) (8) 9 Member of a conservative Jewish party in the Sanhedrin which believed there was no resurrection (Acts 23:8) (8) 13 South London Mission (1,1,1) 16 Sure of one’s own ability (2 Cor 11:17) (4-9) 17 ‘At this the man’s face fell. He went away — , because he had great wealth’ (Mark 10:22) (3) 19 Airs used (anag.) (8) 24 ‘The Lord is my — , I shall not be in want’ (Psalm Can you find the following words in the grid above? 23:1) (8) Transfiguration Mountain Peter James John Radiant 25 ‘He has sent me to — up the broken- Beloved Son Well Pleased Dwelling Mankind New Cov- hearted’ (Isaiah 61:1) (4) enant Face Exodus Mount Sinai Sealing Moses Law 26 At or towards the rear of a ship (6) 27 Cross-carrying evangelist and world traveller, — making his contribution because of his junior status Blessitt (6) (Job 32:6) (5) Down 13 Chosen as a temple attendant, he was described by 1 Ridicule (Luke 18:32) (4) Ezra as ‘a capable man’ (Ezra 8:18) (9) 2 Encased in strapped-on light shoes (Song of Songs 14 ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, 7:1) (9) where — and rust destroy’ (Matthew 6:19) (4) 3 Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union 15 Employs (4) (1,1,1,1,1) 18 Associated with penitence for sins, along with sack- 4 ‘Father, give me my — of your estate’ (Luke 15:12) cloth (Matthew 11:21) (5) (5) 20 Association of South-East Asian Nations (1,1,1,1,1) 5 Assistant (4) 21 Sub-continent to which Baptist missionary pioneer Wil- 6 On a par (John 5:18) (5) liam Carey devoted his life (5) 10 Credo (anag.) (5) 22 Recess at east end of a church (4) 11 Beaten with a rod (5) 23 One of the nine sons of Beriah (1 Chronicles 8:15) (4) 12 The fourth of Job’s ‘comforters’, who deferred Living in Love and Faith … a heads up for what our Lent course will be next year!

The hope is for people in Church of England churches across the country to use the LLF resources to study and pray together. The resources are designed to encourage and enable engagement and learning in a variety of settings. This church-wide learning together, listening to one another, and listening to God is part of discerning a way forward for the Church of England in relation to matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. The purpose of the resources is to enable the Church of England churches across the country to participate in a process of learning and praying together as part of discerning a way forward in relation to matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. The Church of England is keenly aware that issues of gender and sexuality are intrinsic to people’s experience; their sense of identity; their lives and the loving relationships that shape and sustain them. We also know that the life and mission of our Church – and of the worldwide Anglican Communion – are affected by the deep, and sometimes painful, disagreements among us which have been debated and discussed on many occasions over the years. These divisions have come into sharper focus because of society’s changing perspectives and practices, especially in relation to lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and intersex people. The Church wants to understand what it means to follow Christ in love and faith given the questions about human identity and the variety of patterns of relationship emerging in our society, including marriage, civil partnership, cohabitation, celibacy and friendship. The LLF resources explore these matters by studying what the Bible, theology, history and the social and biological sciences have to say, and by telling the real-life stories of followers of Christ with diverse experiences and convictions. The project is led by the Bishops of the Church of England because of their particular responsibility for upholding and teaching the Christian faith. However, the production of the resources has involved a large and diverse group of people. These include the members of the LLF Coordinating Group, chaired by the Bishop of Coventry, and the members of the four working groups focusing on the Bible, theology, history and the social and biological sciences. In addition, a much larger and even more diverse group of people have contributed to the resources by sharing their stories in the book and on film and in written form on the LLF Learning Hub. The project is greatly indebted to the courage and willingness of the individuals and church communities who have given of themselves to enable all of us to hear the stories of people and churches we might otherwise not have encountered. Finally, the project has involved liaising with and listening to the voices of the Church of England’s sister churches in the Anglican Communion, other churches in England, as well as other faith communities. The outcomes of these engagements are reflected in the LLF Book and their purpose is to strengthen relationships and to encourage mutual learning and reflection.

Next year I'll give up spreadsheets for 40 days and 40 nights... It's going to be Excel Lent

Worship at Home This Order of Service follows, as closely as possible, the worship that we are offering on the internet, using ‘Zoom’, and on the telephone, using a conferencing facility. If you would like to know more about joining in with either, please contact either Revd Sue (01404 42925/[email protected])or Julia Barrett ([email protected])

Preparation + In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen