Methodist Circuit - Building Christ-centred Churches that, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and in partnership with other Christan churches, serve their local communites, and make disciples of Jesus, to the glory of the Father. Bere Alston, Horrabridge, Mary Tavy, , , Tavistock, and Yelverton EDITORIAL DETAILS Editor: Helena Rogers, High Ways, The Down, Bere Alston, PL20 7HG Tel: 01822 840743 Mob. 07702 577672; e-mail: [email protected] (Don’t forget to add the ‘p’ in the middle!) Final date for submissions: 15th of each month. Late items may not be included after this date. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Methodist Church First Thoughts from Ali Mansfeld

Caring For A Community Through COVID

Dear Church, We are living in unprecedented times, a time of shaking, a time of stirring and most of all a time to trust that we are a small part of God’s bigger plan. As people of faith, we know we can hold on to God's word and Jesus’ teaching. Matthew 28:20 reassures us ….surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. But how are those without faith in God feeling about COVID: isolation, shielding, fear, health concerns, unemployment and depression to name but a few. Jesus tells us in John 15:12 ‘My commandment is this: Love each other as I have loved you.’ We are called to share the love of Jesus which overflows to others, we can be the face of Jesus who radiates hope, a vessel for the Holy Spirit to work from, our hands be God’s hands to serve and heal and our tongue to be His voice of comfort. Pioneering Horrabridge has opened my eyes, my heart and my mind to look beyond what I once knew - journeying with God, to go out and serve, meet new people, connect with them and love them. I love spending time with the unchurched (and those who dislike church). I learn from them and the Holy Spirit nurtures our relationships and conversations. ‘Horrabridge Love Your Neighbour’ is a new community project that has been birthed out of lockdown. It is supporting the village's residents during these challenging times and the seeds of Jesus' commandments are being sown… Mark 12.29 tells us ‘The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these’. During the past 6 months the village has been looking after their neighbours, nominating those around them for a special delivery of cupcakes and a personal message of reassurance. Many have gathered to volunteer and delivered nearly 1,000 cupcakes and through the winter months hot puddings, soup; and home cooked meals will go out to the elderly, families and those suffering illness or difficulties. Companionship is found at our weekly ‘Cuppa and Catch up’ in the park, the weekly walking friendship group supports us through any challenges we may be facing, as well as phone and prayer buddies, free gardening, mental health support, community book share, newspaper drop off and messages of hope. Continued on p.5 3 Lockdown Updates………………..

News from TMC Our ‘tech team’ have been very busy and we now livestream the Sunday morning service; the link for the service can be found in the weekly newsleter. This is an excitng venture and each week the quality improves. We are thankful for the hard work this team puts in each week enabling so many people to access the service. Our Harvest Service held in September raised nearly £600 for FAST Romania. The Mission House is again open with all the usual Covid restrictons and Margaret Smith has been able to send out several parcels of reusable masks made by people in the Circuit: many thanks for these. You can see pictures of the children on our Facebook page. On 4th October we were blessed to witness the baptsms of Mike Harper, along with two of our young people, and accepted them into membership along with Liz and Peter Rowe. Over 60 people atended the service - our largest congregaton since re-opening afer lockdown. Subsequently, there have been over 300 views of the service via the various online links. Our dear sister in Christ, Tanya Lucas, recently lost her batle with cancer and her funeral service was a touching reminder of how Tanya has brightened all of our lives. Over 100 friends lined the street in socially-distanced fashion, watching the service ontheir phones via the livestream link and holding sunfowers, Tanya’s favourite fower. ‘For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.’ Philippians 1:21 We will miss you, Tanya; you are forever in our hearts. Messy church has contnued to be held via our website and Facebook page every second Thursday of the month and it is a delight to see all the craf the children have made. We contnue to remember our young people who have gone back to University this autumn; we pray in partcular for those recovering from Covid, for Mathew Dowle who has gone to Winchester University for the frst tme, and for those beginning apprentceships or looking for jobs. Having successfully completed his "Be transformed" year with South West Youth Ministries whilst on placement here at TMC and working with Catalyst ministering tothe young people of Tavistock, Toby Davies has decided not to go on to do the 3-year degree course as he had initally envisaged. Instead,

4 Toby feels called to explore other opportunites to contnue his mission and will be moving away from Tavistock to do this. We pray for the fulflment of Toby's plans, and we thank him for the energy, enthusiasm, inspiraton, commitment and care that he brought in his year with us. We also thank Toby for contnuing to lead our youth group actvites on a voluntary basis untl the end of October whilst we put plans in place for this work to contnue. Jennifer Youé

Continued from p.3

We have recently found a surrogate grandparent for a little girl who was keen to visit an elderly resident. We have shared children’s activity bags during home learning to encourage parents to have a much needed break, plus a fortnightly teenage hang out with Tavistock Catalysts. November also brings to the village ‘Tag-A-Teen’ month, where we will be celebrating any random kindness acts from our youth. We hear ‘good news’ of others helping their neighbours, stronger relationships are being embedded and simple acts of kindness are being shared amongst the community. Unity brings community and community brings diversity, where faith, non- faith, atheists and agnostics plus more, so let's celebrate our differences with the one common theme we thrive from...love! During the pandemic the government may close our church buildings but ‘the church’ is still very much alive. God Bless each and every one of you. Ali Mansfield Methodist Pioneer

5 Lockdown Updates………………..

I AM DOING A NEW THING!

The Leaders at BAUC believe that God is going to do new things in this season. During November BAUC are looking together at this scripture: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19) Life has been very difcult for most of us this year, but we don’t despair, and we turn to God as our rock and our guide. Who else would we turn to in such tmes as this? King David writng in the Psalms pours out his heart to God (See Psalm 31 for example). Job also pleaded to be rescued when his faith was tested through grief and loss of health (e.g. Job 17 v13-16). Even Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane pleaded with God to “take this cup of sufering from me” (Mat 26:39), but all of these called out to God who they knew is able to lif them up and reveal His great power and provision at the most difcult of tmes. As Jesus goes on to say, “Yet not my will, but Your will be done!” (Mat 26:39). We don’t believe God abandons us or is punishing us for our wrongs, (as much we probably deserve it). We do believe that out of this pandemic will come hope and a new beginning. We want to go deeper into God’s word and to understand his ways; to savour Jesus, (Taste & See) and understand His love for us and for all people, and to serve those in need in our community through any means possible. We fnd new ways of worship though live streaming, so that those who are isolated due to age or underlying health conditons can contnue to worship and to enjoy fellowship. We want to encourage our youth through the Young Church Sunday meetng on Zoom (see links in our Church Family News), and by sending them fun inspiratonal and encouraging material through our Make Lunch boxes at half-term and Christmas etc. We want to pray, “Your will be done!” just as Jesus did, and to see His Kingdom established here on the Bere Peninsula. If you want to join us why not have a look at our Facebook page where you can fnd links to our Sunday Service on Zoom. We look forward to seeing you soon. Trevor

6 Life at Peter Tavy has taken on a new “norm” of masks, distancing, gelling and restraining from singing but our Lord and his love for his people, in this tme of testng, has not changed. We are grateful to Steve and our local preachers for leading us in our worship and fellowship tme together . A new investment of a TV monitor allows diferent ways of interactng together. Unfortunately our normal Harvest in the Barn was just not feasible but we were able to celebrate God’s gifs to us with a service around the Yew tree. We are thankful for everyone’s generosity of donatons for the Food bank and money to Mind the Gap. Although winter is nearly on us, Anna has been plantng Sweet pea seeds, ready to grow and fower next spring and summer. In a way that is where we fnd the Church, in a tme of seed plantng, but unlike Anna’s seeds which we know will grow into sweet pea plants (provided she hasn’t mixed up the packets) we are not sure in what way the spiritual seeds will grow and so have to be open to God’s will and calling. We are experimentng with Sunday services at 3.30pm at present but would always be worth confrming the tme if you wish to join us. (David and Anna 01822 810776.)

7 FROM SCEPTIC TO SERVANT – MY TESTIMONY By TONY TUCK

IN 1991, I decided to change my career from engineering to mental health nursing. I was accepted for training on a three-year course, commencing in February 1993. Accommodaton would be provided for me in an apartment block at the rear of Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, north- west London, but I decided to retain my home in Luton, which I would use mainly at weekends. I soon formed a platonic friendship with one of the other students on the course, whose name was Angela. Angela was a commited Christan: and we had long discussions on various topics, including religion. At that tme, although I believed that there was ‘a God’, I was very sceptcal about what I had been taught in school, in religious educaton lessons. Over a period of tme, though, Angela’s arguments gradually strengthened in my mind. Just over halfway into the course, Angela announced that she was getng married. The wedding was going to be down in Falmouth, Cornwall, from where she originated. The wedding ceremony, and the surroundings, were vastly diferent from any other ceremony or church service that I had ever atended. It was really beautful: and it had a huge efect upon me. Bearing in mind that, by this tme, Angela had almost convinced me that her views about Jesus and Holy Scripture were correct, and that mine were absolute nonsense, my mind was in complete turmoil. I fnally decided to become a Christan whilst lying on my bed, back in my apartment in London. The following morning there was a very strange occurrence. There on the foor, near to my bed, was a miniature posy of fowers made from plastc, and mostly white in colour. Mainly because of its colour, I wondered whether it had inadvertently become atached to my clothes, whilst at the wedding. I decided to ask Angela and her new husband about this, when they came back from their honeymoon. This I did: but, of course, the most important thing to tell them was that I had decided to become a Christan. They were both overjoyed: and they told me that they had both prayed beforehand that their wedding ceremony would act as a witness to their faith, and might

8 infuence one or more of their wedding guests. Again, they were both overjoyed when I told them about the huge infuence that it had had upon me. I asked them about the posy of fowers: but Angela told me that there weren’t any plastc fowers at their wedding – only real ones. Therefore there was no logical explanaton for the appearance of this posy. The only explanaton that I can think of is that it was put there by an angel, following my decision to become a Christan. I then enquired how should I go about becoming a Christan. Angela suggested to me that, when I went home the following weekend, I should seek out my nearest Pentecostal church, and inform them about my decision. The leaders of the church, she suggested, would take it from there. Angela then gave me one of her bibles, and told me to commence reading it at Luke’s Gospel. The next day, as I was preparing to go to a lecture, I picked up my bible and turned to Luke’s Gospel. As I did not have much tme to spare, I chose a small passage, which was headed “The Parable of the Lost Coin”. You have to realise here that I hadn’t picked up a bible – let alone read any of it – for something like thirty years: so I had no idea at all what I was about to read. If you remember, this parable is about a woman who has ten silver coins, and loses one of them. When she fnds it, she rejoices with her friends and neighbours. The point that the parable is making, however, is that there is similar rejoicing in heaven over the repentance of one lost sinner. This made me quite emotonal again: because I felt that God was speaking to me through this reading. The following weekend I went back home to Luton: and I made contact by telephone to a Pentecostal church in Dunstable, a few miles from where I lived. I told the pastor’s wife that I had decided to become a Christan: and we had a brief discussion about how I had arrived at that decision. When I arrived at the church the next day, the pastor and his wife welcomed me at the doorway. The date was 15 May, 1995. They introduced me to one of the elders of the church: and he took me into a side room. There I gave my life to Christ in prayer. We joined the service towards the end of a worship song: and the next hymn was Amazing Grace. Unlike TMC, where this hymn is sung regularly, in that church, it was only rarely sung. When I heard the third and fourth lines of the frst verse (i.e. “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see”) tears came to my eyes: because I felt that God was speaking to me through this hymn. These words could simply not have been closer to the way I felt at that tme. I was aware of the existence of Amazing Grace: but I had no knowledge of the words, and didn’t even realise that it was, in fact, a hymn. I thought that it was just another popular song. Since that tme, Amazing Grace has been, and always will be, the most signifcant hymn of all to me. Every tme I sing it, or hear it sung, it takes me back to those few precious moments afer giving my life to Christ Jesus.

9 Lockdown Updates…….

Back on Daytme Street pastor Patrol

Back in July a few of us returned to do some trial and risk assessment days out as Street Pastors. We, with the backing of the management commitee decided it was feasible, a rota drawn up and we were out on the streets again afer a break of 5 months. Everywhere we went in town, people were pleased to see us returning and I’m sure many of you will have seen us on either a Friday or Saturday. At present nine Street Pastors are going out and each one has said how enjoyable it is and how glad they are to be back. We have to be careful to distance from each other and from those we are talking to as well as not blocking the pavement. Street pastors in the daytme are very diferent to the night tme patrols. We’re just there to make connectons with people in the town; to listen to those with worries or concerns and pray with those who welcome prayer. Perhaps most importantly, we are God’s presence on the streets of Tavistock Maybe you feel you could get involved in this ministry. We go out on a Friday or Saturday – Pastors choose and we do a duty a month. We are going to try and run a virtual training course this year, so if you are interested in joining us, now would be a good tme to speak up and please speak to Rob Palmer or Jo Wright Do stop and say Hi if you see us Night tme patrols have also restarted --- but that’s another story!!

Joan Jones

10 Prayer Points with Joan Gosling

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be Thank you Lord for your goodness and dismayed, for I am your God. I will mercy, loving kindness and grace; strengthen and help you; I will uphold you thank you for the love and fellowship with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41: 10 we share through knowing you. We (NIV) contnue to ask for your blessings to We praise and thank you Lord for your fow through the services, whether in wonderful promise throughout Scripture our buildings, Facebook, Zoom, which never fails and stands frm in any computer or by post, giving thanks for situaton. Would you please reach out to all who prepare and present them to those who are fearful and unsure of what us. lies ahead with this constant rise of Covid- Please bless, anoint and guide our 19. Be a comfort for those who mourn, for Ministers, leaders and families, loved ones and themselves afected by it. protectng them in their service to Lord we long for your cleansing power to you, Lord. heal our land. May all our young "When I shut up the heavens people and staf be so that there is no rain, or blessed as they learn command locusts to devour the and teach together land or send a plague among keeping them safe from the people, if my people who the Coronavirus, in our are called by my name will Universites, Colleges, humble themselves and pray schools and toddler and seek my face and turn groups etc. from their wicked ways, then will I hear from We give thanks for the dedicated staf heaven, and will forgive their sin and will in our hospitals and care homes. heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 Please bless, protect, strengthen and Come Lord Jesus - pour out your Spirit we equip them for each new day. pray, that we may truly seek your cleansing, There are many we know sufering healing power to keep us all in that true through various illnesses, loneliness, relatonship with you. It has to start with us depression and mental health issues. to show the world what an amazing, faithful O Lord, may they feel surrounded in God we serve, the mighty 3 in 1-- Father, your loving, healing care and fnd Son and Holy Spirit, the great I AM. Filled shelter in the shadow of your wings. with love and compassion longing for all your people to be in that rightul place with Keep safe, keep loving and caring for you, as one in Christ Jesus our Lord. Please the praise and glory of our God, in forgive us and turn our hearts to you. Jesus name. Amen.

1110 Touch the Earth Lightly

The theme of the 2020/21 Methodist Prayer Handbook is “The Earth is the Lord’s”. This is an extract from one of the prayers in it. We thank You and praise You for the colours of creaton: infnite variety of pigment and of shade. Genius at work in the brushstrokes of nature, fngerprint of glory in the landscapes You have made. Lord we breathe your essence in the fragrance of the fowers: priceless perfumes gif- wrapped by You. Help us to appreciate and care for your creaton

So that future generatons experience it anew. The prayer was writen by Margaret Litlecot, Northampton Circuit. For details of next year’s theme and how you could contribute photos or prayers, see www.methodist.org.uk/prayerhandbook. Email [email protected] with ideas for this regular page.

12 Thinking with the Holy Spirit Back in 2002 I wrote a short artcle for a magazine about the young David, who killed Goliath. It hinged on the fact that David, from a very young age was used to doing supernatural things in the name of God. He told King Saul: “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried of a sheep from the fock, I went afer it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistne will be like one of them, because he has defed the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistne.” (1 Sam. 34-37) So I wrote the artcle asking how young David managed to acquire such a solid faith in God—afer all, he hadn’t had long years of studying the scriptures. And then, one might think that if David had performed these amazing exploits as an old man, then maybe he might have studied the scriptures enough to grow a great faith. But no, he was no more than a teenager—and thought to be useful simply for looking afer the sheep. But what he did have, were long days of sitng on hillsides thinking….. Please don’t get the wrong idea when I say that I have studied the Bible all my life— it was ‘normal’ to me from a very young age, and yet I have to admit that at eighty I don’t have the faith even of a mustard seed—mountains have nothing to fear from me! But what I have just had is six months of being able to do nothing much else but think…. And I thought mostly about the difcult questons in the Bible and began to search for the answers. The most amazing thing that came out of this is that I was acutely aware of the Holy Spirit’s teaching—directng me to the answers—so many answers that I have achieved a book that I’ve called, The Incredible Story of Life. It will go no further than my computer I expect, but I am excited by the revelatons I discovered when I did no more than sit and think— with the Holy Spirit. If only I had been able to spend six months thinking when I was a teenager…… Helena Rogers

13 Walk the Way It was good to welcome 26 walkers to our October walk. Current restrictons meant that we needed to divide into 5 separate bubbles of up to 6 people each with bubbles keeping well apart. We gathered on the Harrowbeer airfeld and took Drake’s Trail in the Plymouth directon. One bubble stayed on the trail to give level walking while the other 4 bubbles took the footpath down into the Meavy valley giving sheltered walking on a blustery day. Joining the lane by the river bridge at Clearbrook, we climbed up to the Drake Trail and found space on the common for our socially distanced pause for cofee and refecton. Here we rejoined the 5th bubble (seen striding out purposefully in the centre photo). Notng that the funeral service for TMC member Tanya Lucas was being held this

morning we remembered Tanya and gave thanks for her afrming faith. God is with us in all circumstances. A prayer from the prayer handbook, contributed by our District Chair Graham Thompson, brought this to mind in this morning’s moorland setng “… God of breeze and sunshine, bless us … God of wind and rain, refresh us … God of creaton, grant new life to all your earth …” The return path followed the course of the Drake’s leat along the Drake trail cycle route and our walk ended in warming sunshine. Would you like to join our email list for future walks? We set of at 10am on the frst Tuesday of each month and all are welcome, but no dogs please. Details from Lorraine & Geof at [email protected]

14 FREECYCLE - RECYCLE - RE-USE Send details of your items for recycling or for sale to [email protected]

• Gtech cordless vacuum in working order free to a good home, Requires a new batery direct from Gtech which will cost about £59. Ring 01822 840175. (m2) FOR SALE • Petrol hedge trimmer RYOBI RHT2660DA. £40 or near ofer. 841215 • Panasonic 32 inch LCD TV. 10 years old, fully working. Free 01822 840565 (m3) • Avenir 3 Bike Carrier, Silver, by Raleigh. Cost £119.99, hardly used £50.00 (m3) • Pair of Mudguards hardly used £10.00 (m3) • Towel Rail as new 2f. £10.00 (m3) • Dog Cage with sloping roof to ft in boot of car. 1f 6ins x 2f x 1f 8ins) £20.00 Ring Anne on 01822 841464 (m3)

Items will remain on this list for three issues

The Methodist Church is deeply involved in a number of Justce issues. One such issue is Tax Justce. It has been instrumental in setng ‘Church Acton for Tax Justce’. I have personally found the newsleters very helpful in terms being a source of quality informaton, helpful suggestons for acton, and challenging theological refectons. The lead person for this organisaton is the former theologian for the Evangelical Alliance, medical missionary, and colleague of mine at Clif College. You can read the October Newsleter and sign up for the leter here: htps://mcusercontent.com/9258959a26f90be88a507aa9f/fles/a5bae324 -dea4-403a-9525-2a091fa6a119/OCTOBER_CATJ_Newsleter_PDF.01.pdf

Or you can visit their website here: htps://www.catj.org.uk/

Rev Dr Steven Emery-Wright 01822 612840 52 Whitchurch Road Tavistock, Devonshire PL19 9BD 15 Local trades and services......

At Tavistock Methodist Church we say: “Each one is special, accepted and loved”. Whether you are looking for a church to belong to, or simply visitng, we trust that you will fnd a very warm welcome.

16

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Your nearest services right here DIRECTORY Ministers: Church Contacts: Revd. Dr Steven Emery-Wright Bere Alston Lesley Wright 01822 841120 52 Whitchurch Road, Tavistock Horrabridge David Crocker 01822 840656 PL19 9BD 01822 612840 Ali Mansfield [email protected] e-mail - [email protected] Mary Tavy Graham Shillabeer 615409 Rev. Phil Griffin 853860 Peter Tavy Anna Dodd 810776

Princetown Candy Rickman 890405 Supernumerary Ministers: Tavistock Rob Palmer. 618597 Rev. Valerie Honey 611078 Rev. Jeff Moles 616243 Yelverton Tony Sprague 01822 458547 Rev. Paul Smith 840468 [email protected] 19 Rev. Malcolm Richards 01822 481827

TMC Family Workers: Deborah Bevan 611049 Ilona Richardson 611049 Circuit Officers: Toby Davies 611049 Treasurer: Graham Skedgell 618353 Meeting Secretary: Mel Tamblin 611049 Circuit Stewards: Property Secretary: John Wright 458285 Ian Parsons, 840609 Archivist: Mel Tamblin 611049 Jackie Shillabeer, 615409 The Link Editor: Helena Rogers 840743 David Dodd, 810776 E.mail: [email protected] Circuit Office: Mel Tamblin 611049 E-mail: [email protected] Tavistock Methodist Circuit