SERVING WITH JOY

GOOD NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF | march 2020 Reverend Nick Haigh talks about JOY 2020 Inside: and the need to engage with people outside JOY 2020 our church walls KEY DATES FAMILY FUN COOKING CLUB “We have been looking for and recipe cards for families to ways in which we can support pop in and collect for free during families in the holidays with food. the school holidays or at other “We talked to foodbanks and times of the year. schools and found out that A #familyfuncookingclub some families aren’t going to Instagram account has been foodbanks because that’s not set-up for families to share their what they do. culinary creations. “Others can’t get to them Tatiana says: “We are hoping because of the distance they Family Fun Cooking Club will have to travel. It’s preventing enable all families, wherever they them from accessing food for are in , to access good The recipes include: Baked their families.” ingredients to cook a family meal Porridge, Lentil Dhal, Hot Dog Tatiana Wilson is the Education together.” Spaghetti, Green Pasta Bake Advisor for projects and For more information and to and Microwave Mug Cake. vulnerable pupils at the Church download recipe cards go to: Merenna says: “All the recipes of England in Devon. https://exeter.anglican.org/ have been developed using She has taken a pilot project resources/faith-action/family- really basic ingredients which from the West Exmoor Federation fun-cooking-club/ or email are readily available in shops and of schools in North Devon and [email protected] foodbanks. turned it into Family Fun Cooking “The nutritional content has Club. The aim is to encourage also been worked out so there is families to cook together and a portion of fruit or veg in every help tackle food poverty. recipe. They are all fun to make Tatiana’s daughter Merenna and are designed for children Wilson is a nutritionist who to muck in and get their hands has devised a series of budget- dirty.” friendly recipes for families to Churches, schools and make. The chef and food writer community organisations are Jack Monroe has also given being encouraged to prepare approval for some of her recipes bags with specific ingredients to be used.

EXETER.ANGLICAN.ORG @CofEDevon Diocese of Exeter cofedevon JOY 2020 SWIMMING POOL MISSION DATES THIS MONTH Team Mission There will, therefore, be a range Community have developed of options for families to choose Friday 6 March mission around swimming by from. These will include traditional Gift of Years Workshops providing a space for a swimming church Baptisms, Naming and and pool toddler group, plus a venue Dedication services and full for child and adult baptisms. immersion Baptisms in a pool. Saturday 7 March Overtly Christian in its nature, Liturgy for each type of service will The Big Sing! Aqua Bears and Prayers Toddler be tailored accordingly. The Big Sheep, Group provides an opportunity For more information: for pre-schoolers and their parent https://sites.google.com/site/ Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 March / carer to hear Bible stories, sing spteammc/prayer-request/ Art and Craft Exhibition worship songs and pray together. baptism-christenings or email: RHS Rosemoor The swimming pool can also [email protected] be used for child and adult Sunday 8 March baptisms in a range of different Beach Clean formats. Talking to parents the Putsborough Beach team realised some families were uncomfortable with the promises Friday 20 March they and Godparents are asked to Gift of Years Workshops make during a traditional baptism and service. Friday 20 March Bringers of Joy Dinner Woodbury Golf and Country Club

Saturday 21 March ‘Cob’ Cathedral Devon’s Best Churchyard Orange Elephant Farm Sunday 22 March Competition Mothering Sunday Fun Escot House The Devon branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE Devon) is seeking Devon’s Best Churchyard of 2020 and is inviting Sunday 22 March churches of all denominations to enter the competition by the end of Family Fun March. As well as the kudos of winning, there’s a further incentive - a top Knightshayes prize of £200 and a beautiful oak plaque, made in Devon from sustainable wood, to display to locals and visitors. The deadline for entries is March For more details go to: 31st. Full details and an entry fom go to: www.cpredevon.org.uk https://exeter.anglican.org/ christian-faith/joy-2020/ In addition, Caring for God’s Acre, who work nationally to support groups to keep burial grounds beautiful, accessible and connected to their communities, are holding a Beautiful Burial Ground Conference on 12 March, in Cardiff. For more information go to: https://exeter.anglican.org/events/beautiful-burial-ground-conference/

EXETER.ANGLICAN.ORG Serving with joy… NICK HAIGH Revd Nick Haigh is the Mission Chaplain at Lee Abbey in North Devon. He moved to Devon two years ago with his family having previously been a Vicar in the North. He is from “God’s own county, Yorkshire” (his words not ours!), but having taken up the call to be a missionary to the South, is enjoying life in this stunning part of the world. school, friendships and helping out with events that How did you come to faith? are organised for the area. As a child I went to church, but only started to grow in my own faith through being challenged by We are also fully engaged in helping the church hearing Billy Graham at Mission England and through regionally, through JOY 2020 and wherever we are summers camps that I attended as a young person. invited. This includes working with those exploring planting Lee Abbey Small Missional Communities, We know Lee Abbey is a much loved retreat leading mission trips and being a catalyst for mission centre in North Devon. What are your plans for and evangelism. engaging more in your community? Lee Abbey was set up as a Centre for Evangelism Why are you excited about JOY 2020? after the war. It’s vision statement at the time was: I have been involved in the planning for each of the JOY 2020 weekends and it is great to see how the ‘The most urgent call to every Christian vision of the Bishops spending a weekend specifically and the Church as a whole today is for focused on reaching those with little or no faith is adventurous evangelism and the rekindling helping shape the churches connection beyond the of the fires of faith, prayer and witness. walls of the church. Whether it be The Big Sing at The Nothing matters today more than the Big Sheep, the Bringers of Joy Dinners or the Invitation winning of men and women to a real to Try Praying to find JOY, these weekends hold within experience of Christ as Saviour. This is the them fantastic opportunities to connect with those supreme task to which every effort must be outside of church. The most exciting aspect of JOY directed.’ 2020 for me, is how these weekends could change the way we think about, ‘Serving the People of Devon This quote could have been written yesterday. Our with JOY’ throughout the whole year and beyond. plans are to become more and more the Centre for Evangelism that was dreamed of all those years ago. What brings you joy? Family, friends, faith, food and fun times – The way we have been doing this recently is by particularly the way we get to do life on the beach working with the local churches in the Lyn Valley. We down here in Devon. I love going for a curry on meet monthly to pray and plan how we can reach out the beach at Barricane Bay and bodyboarding at to the local community through initiatives such as . Thy Kingdom Come, Try Praying, Love North Devon. To get in touch with Revd Nick Haigh, please email: We connect into the local community through the [email protected]

@CofEDevon Diocese of Exeter cofedevon CHRIST-SHAPED FRUITS

Revd. Prebendary Jackie Taylor, Dean of Women in Ministry

his is the month that sees the first Life is a series of seasons. We are gifted with day of Spring on 20th. It’s the season the season of Lent as we journey towards and whose perennial gift of newness in are pointed to the greatest story of all time. colour, scent, sight and sound brings with it such promise. This is the story that is grounded in the T grittiness of reality and recognizes the worst in And as we look ahead to the fruitfulness of our humanity. Yet it is also the story that is grounded gardens, it’s time to be thinking about feeding in the reality of the unfathomable depth of God’s our apple trees if they are to bear good fruit later love for humanity; the love poured out on the in the year. Cross.

Egremont Russett, Cox and Royal Gala are all Lent is a time of reflection and renewal. It’s a varieties grown in Devon and , but have time of being nourished and growing in faith and you heard of a Reverend Wilkes – or a Margil – re-centering our lives on God. It’s a time in which both heritage varieties that are now sadly very we can reflect on the ‘ bletting’ that he allows to rare. take place in our lives, that will bring maturing and softening as we open our hearts and minds A heritage fruit in my garden is the Medlar. to God. This reflection will help us to bear fruit This funny shaped fruit is from a tree that has that is beneficial as disciples of Christ and for the pretty blossom in the spring which is an excellent growing of his kingdom in the communities of attractant and nectar source for bees and other which we are a part. beneficial insects. But in the traditional season of harvest, these fruits are still hard and sour to So let our prayer for this month be that we can taste and so they need to be bletted before they become Christ-shaped fruits that, like apples, are can be eaten raw or used for making sauces or nutritious and beneficial for our wellbeing and preserves. ‘Bletting’ is simply allowing the fruit to the wellbeing of others, but unlike apples and mature and soften. even medlars, are for every season and can bear fruit for all eternity.

EXETER.ANGLICAN.ORG @CofEDevon Diocese of Exeter cofedevon