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I N T O U C H ~ A U G U S T 2 0 2 1 . It really seems, as this is written on the day of Covid regulations being relaxed, that last month’s heading for this page, Bring back the music! may indeed now be fulfilled, but all of us in our churches will need to be alert to the guidance of the wardens, and sensitive to the wariness of some to be free of every restriction. The heavily paraphrased counsel of Apostle Paul in this context may be appropriate: Be considerate for the needs of others who may not all be on the same page as you! The dreadful, for many, events in Iran in 1979 mentioned in a piece about the new Iranian Bishop of Chelmsford (pages 7-9) help to illustrate the way in which a church, pruned of any semblance of power or prestige, can nevertheless flourish as never before – as suggested in this month’s piece about the late Bishop John Taylor (page 14). This chapter in the book being followed was a difficult one to digest, but this was one outstanding feature. Read at least, if you can, the final paragraph of that item! This month there is quite a bit about walks and pilgrimage, apart from Debbie’s Community Walk. There has been the relay from G7 to COP26 (see page 5), while too late for inclusion last month is the imminent launch of a new pilgrimage route. The item below is one of three in this issue about … The Archangel’s Way – Chagford to Belstone Walk – Saturday 31st July This is an 11½-mile linear walk celebrating the launch of The Archangel’s Way. It will include Gidleigh, Providence, Throwleigh, South Tawton, South Zeal and Sticklepath. This is a moderate walk over tracks, paths, country lanes and ancient woods. There will be refreshments and music at the finish in Belstone. The walk starts from Chagford Church at 10 am. If you decide to join in, please let Lisa Harris know (07843 602289 / L.J.Harris@exeter.ac.uk – the email address begins with L.J.) as soon as you read this notice. But you will need to organise your own return transport! See other notices about this on pages 6 and 12. Co-editors Vicky Rose 231584 — [email protected] Lionel Holmes — 440113 & 07931 890255 / [email protected]

COPY DEADLINE for next month is 19th August but please send us your item once you have it ready. Please don’t sit on it till then!  Please send items to BOTH of us  MESSAGE OF THE MONTH This was submitted for POETRY PLEASE, but it was felt worthy of being given pride of place as this month’s ‘Message’ This month’s contribution is a very personal one, and comes from one of our lay ministers, Wendy Ellis. Wendy has lived in Moreton since 1982, after living in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) for 18 years where she met her husband Peter. Wendy has been very much involved, not only in the life of the local church but also in the wider community, including local variety and singing groups, and all this whilst working as a nurse in hospitals and on the district until she retired in 2001. She has written the following introduction: ‘The lines below came to me some time ago – I cannot remember exactly when, except it was when my late husband Peter, who had been suffering from kidney failure for many years was suddenly getting much worse, before he died in November 2019. Our daughter Heather had also just had the devastating news that her whole life was going to be changed by cancer. That is currently in abeyance, but she will live with it all her life. ‘In the midst of such overwhelming developments, it would be so easy to give up on faith altogether. Instead, what I was absolutely certain of was this – that God’s presence was very much with me in this situation, and it was as though his arms were upholding me in times of stress and anxiety, and I was aware of a remarkable sense of comfort and complete confidence, just as though Jesus was there, carrying this burden with me.’ When the storm clouds gather And the way seems dark and farther. Than we thought, turn your eyes across the pathway and there be surprised. By the cracks of moonlight through the trees Shapes, sizes all degrees of light and movement. Dawn is coming with its new day. Bringing with it a sense of renewal And relief, comfort and assurance that there is hope and life anew. Walk softly, Look carefully. Listen and feel. The joy of creation The touch of new life Give thanks to God For that sheer joy. [Concluded on next page …

Find that rainbow. Hold it in your hands. Sense the vibrancy of all its colours. Place them in your heart. Feel the darkness lifting And the light creeping in Illuminating all.

ADVANCE NOTICES FOR NEXT MONTH (September) The Archbishop of Canterbury is to visit Devon in September to attend a number of events to commemorate the life and ministry of Devon-born John Coleridge Patteson, first Bishop of Melanesia, on 150th anniversary of his martyrdom. On Saturday 18th September, Archbishop Justin Welby will open a new pilgrimage route in honour of Devon-born Bishop Patteson, before attending a Eucharist at Exeter Cathedral at 12 noon, and the charity’s festival afternoon and AGM. Details at: mmuk.net/news/the-archbishop-of-canterbury- to-open-new-melanesia-pilgrimage-route-in-devon On Thursday 16th September there will be a talk on The Life and Legacy of John Coleridge Patteson: Missionary, Bishop and Martyr 7 pm at the Chapter House, Exeter Cathedral (drinks from 6.45): £13. Attendance at this event requires pre-booking – details from the editors. Devon Historic Churches Day – Saturday 11th September Christine Walton will be doing her usual walk for St Andrew’s. Please support her and others who may be riding or striding for your local church. Christine reports that the Plant Sale at the end of June raised £142.60. Friends of St John’s, North Bovey The Safari Supper and Cream Tea have been cancelled, but there’s a Quiz Night on Friday 24th September – unless Covid infection rates dictate otherwise. east-dartmoor u3a – repeat announcement We plan to resume monthly meetings at the Union Inn, Moretonhampstead, on Wednesday 1st September at 10 am. Richard Marsh will speak on What really happens to your recycling. Coffee and biscuits available for £1. Members and visitors welcome. Annual membership, including attendance at monthly meetings and free access to the many interest groups which we run, is £12.50. Membership application forms from our membership secretary, John Ralston (252386) – or join in person at the monthly meeting. New members always very welcome. For further details visit: https://u3asites.org.uk/east-dartmoor

3 St Winifred’s, Manaton Forthcoming services: Manaton’s annual Pet Service will be held at 10 am on Sunday 12th September. This is very much a service for all ages of humans and for most types of animal! Please contact one of us (see below) nearer the time if you intend to bring horses or other larger animals. That may affect whether we hold the service inside the church or outside. Our Harvest Festival will be held on Sunday 10th October in two parts: Holy Communion will be celebrated at 11.00 am, followed by lunch in the Parish Hall. As always, this is an event for the whole village. Please join us if you can – for either or both parts of the Festival. Further details will be given in September’s IN TOUCH and by other means. Chris Butcher (221251 / [email protected]) Rose Underhill (221202 / [email protected]) Manaton WI All things being equal, we will resume regular meetings on the first Thursday of each month from August onwards. On Thursday 5th August we will have our AGM, to be followed by a talk on Agatha Christie by Janet Sellick, and then tea. On Thursday 2nd September, after the business, there will be a talk on Gun Dog Training by Steve Kimberley. We do look forward to seeing you all again, along with any new members who may wish to join. You will be very welcome. Lynn Walton (01626 832327) North Bovey Belles WI Our July meeting was held at Moretonhampstead Bowls Club at the sports centre when four bowls club members coached us in lawn bowls – and we even managed a couple of games in two teams, ably supported and encouraged by some WI spectators. The rain held off and we enjoyed a friendly competition with much laughter and a great deal of suitably- distanced socialising which included tea and delicious cakes. Our tutors for the evening were Dai, Bill, Kevin and Laurence. Due to the summer break, there will be no August meeting. However there is a Garden Party on Sunday 29th at 3 pm. New members welcome. Details: [email protected] Our next meeting will be on Thursday 9th September at 7.30 pm in North Bovey Parish Hall. Jane Urquhart will be letting us into a few secrets from below stairs in a present-day guide to domestic staffing. New members always welcome. Further details: 07793 555572 / [email protected] 4 YCCN – Young Christian Climate Network, walking from G7 to COP 26 Late June saw a group of young people crossing Dartmoor as part of a relay, heading for the climate summit in Glasgow. They spent three nights in the area – and we are deeply grateful to their hosts in Chagford and Dunsford as well as to East Shallowford Farm near Widecombe – AND the schools in Chagford, Moreton and Dunsford where a relay speaker addressed assemblies. A friend continues: ‘The tragic loss of life and homes in recent floods in Europe and China brings home the urgent need for “climate justice” for poorer countries especially, and for lifestyle changes from us all. Ben Bradshaw, MP for Exeter, spoke at the cathedral (right) as part of the relay: “The very sensible and practical *four action points that the young people are demanding – and the work of the wonderful Melanesian Mission linked with a part of the world already so affected by climate change.” (*Reaffirm 0.7% ODA – Scale up $100 billion p/a in climate finance – Take loss and damage seriously – Cancel debt.) ‘Toby Grier and Jack Alderson, two young members of Exeter Network Church, spoke at another YCCN event streamed from St Matt’s Church. “There was a man who was concerned by the injustice of the world, and exasperated, he cried out to God, ‘Why aren’t you doing anything?’” And God replied, “I did do something. I created you! The Bible is very clear that we are called to the last, the least and the lost” (Toby, 17). “Our relationship with Jesus gives us a calling for (climate) justice, and in that relationship it’s so much more sustainable to seek it” (Jack, 20). Katie Drew (Melanesian Mission), Prof Chris Southgate (University of Exeter), and Liz Dunbar (Christian Climate Action) also spoke powerfully.’ The model boat emphasised the fragile nature of our planet, with these statements:  We’ll keep asking, praying and acting for no country to be pushed into debt tackling climate change.  We will keep walking to Glasgow as an act of faith, hope and love, praying for justice.  Because enough is enough. And there’s more than enough for everyone.

5 A new Pilgrimage Way for the 21st century — along ancient paths — where all are welcome to engage with our fascinating landscape, find sanctuary in twelve historic churches and space for the soul through walking, poetry and the beauty of Dartmoor. Come to Belstone on Saturday 31st July for the launch of The Archangel’s Way The 35+-mile route – on which Belstone is the halfway point – starts from St Michael’s, Brentor (the fourth smallest parish church in the UK, and the highest working church in England), and ends at St Michael the Archangel, Chagford. It will offer places of accommodation, a Pilgrim Passport for walkers, a series of guided reflective walks through the year, and poetry, music and art. The launch event will centre on the halfway point at Belstone, where walkers setting out from Brentor, Lydford and Chagford will converge, but you are welcome to the celebrations without walking! At 12 noon on 31st July, Jim Causley will perform a song he has composed for the Way. There will then be a short service, Morris Dancing and more music. There will also be route displays, merchandise and information about other Devon Pilgrim activities. Refreshments will be sold from the Tor Inn and the Old School Tea Room and parking will be available at the Cricket Club – and the bells of a Dartmoor churches will ring! More information from Judith Oakes on [email protected], the Revd Paul on [email protected] – or visit devonpilgrim.org.uk The Archangel’s Way is part of a series of new pilgrimage routes linking Devon’s historic churches and ancient holy sites being developed by Devon Pilgrim across the Diocese of Exeter – all part of a new project launched at this year’s Devon County Show. It has been created by the Diocese of Exeter’s Growing the Rural Church team, working with churches and other volunteers across the region. Other Devon Pilgrim routes are the St Boniface Way from Crediton Parish Church to Exeter Cathedral, and the Sacred Waters Way, which explores the spirituality of the River Dart from its source to the sea. And, as noted on page 3, a fourth will be opened next month by the Archbishop of Canterbury, with the creation of the 12-mile Patteson’s Way in east Devon. The Devon Pilgrim project has its own website with details of all the routes with step-by-step guides to download, information about walking safely, and how to make a pilgrimage perfect for you: devonpilgrim.org.uk

6 ‘Iranians are gift to C of E’ – by Lionel Holmes Late last year, the appointment was announced of a new Bishop of Chelmsford, with the appointment of its previous incumbent, Peter Cottrell, as Archbishop of York. His successor is Guli Francis-Dehqani, the daughter of the first Iranian Bishop of Iran and his British wife (herself the daughter of the previous Bishop of Iran). Since 2017, Guli Francis-Dehqani has been Bishop of Loughborough, a new suffragan bishopric (and the first) in the Diocese of Leicester, with special responsibility for BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) Christians. Leicester Diocese is one of the most diverse in the country. Bishop Guli will also be the CofE’s first female BAME diocesan bishop. Just over two years ago, an article in the Church Times used as a headline the title of this article. Coined by the Bishop of Bradford, it headed the report of a service held in Wakefield Cathedral nearly two years ago to launch a bilingual Common Worship in Farsi and English. Few other Anglican churches in the world have bilingual worship books – but they are found in New Zealand and in Wales – and Christians in some other parts of the world would like to see them in other languages too. This bilingual Common Worship was produced in response to requests from 75 churches in the UK, so that growing numbers of Iranians attending church could participate fully whilst learning English. At Wakefield, after an informal picnic in the nave, there followed a two- hour service of Communion using the new book. One of the most striking aspects of the Christian faith among Iranians is not only its growth in Iran (though numbers are downplayed for fear of repercussions) but the phenomenal number of Iranian émigrés in the UK, for whom this gathering was something of a reunion. And in his address, the Bishop of Durham made the fascinating point that, whereas one of the languages spoken on the Day of Pentecost was that of the Elamites (Elam being another name for ancient Persia – see Acts 2:9), English was then quite unknown! ‘I had no ancestors there,’ he said, ‘but you might well have done!’ [Continued after box …

7 My journey through Iran, whilst travelling overland from India to Britain in 1984, took only six days, but made a deep impression on me. I visited a priest whose church had a window to the memory of the late Bishop’s son (Bishop Guli’s brother), murdered soon after the revolution had started in 1979. I took a photo of it and gave it to the Bishop, then living in exile in Basingstoke. His wife later told me that the church building there had since been not only closed but ‘sealed’. In Iran, I encountered unprecedented hospitality from ordinary people: a stranger insisting on paying for my meal on a train was just one example. Officialdom, on the other hand, was surly and intrusive: on leaving the country, I even had my trousers loosened round the waist, presumably to check for drugs. And on a final bus journey, a Muslim cleric sitting some rows to the front, was described to me, sotto voce, by a fellow passenger with an English phrase which one would not print in a family magazine! There is, sadly, no doubt that Iran has one of the world’s most repressive regimes, and of its people the old adage that they ‘get the government they deserve’ could hardly be less true. Christians in Iran have suffered quite severely under the Islamic regime, especially the Episcopal Church which has the majority of Muslim converts. Other churches have suffered somewhat less, while members of the Baha’i faith have suffered considerably more than any other religious group in Iran. Persian Christians numbered just a few thousand at the time of the revolution, but there are now as many as a million converts in Iran, according to new research. But they must practise their faith in secret, and face the constant threat of arrest and imprisonment and, as observed earlier, such statistics are deliberately suppressed by Christians in Iran. Guli – the new Bishop of Chelmsford – was born and brought up in Iran till she was 14. The family had to leave in the wake of the revolution. ‘Seldom in history can it have been that suspicion, misunderstanding, fanaticism and cupidity have struck an innocent group of people in the way they have struck the tiny Episcopal Church in Iran under the Islamic Revolution.’ These were the words of her father, the first ethnic Persian Anglican bishop of Iran, Hassan Dehqani-Tafti. In his 1981 book, The Hard Awakening, he reflected upon all that had happened in a bewildering first few months after the revolution. The bishop left his homeland in November 1979, just four days before the confiscation of his home, and a week after surviving an assassination attempt when his wife was injured, though not over-severely. The first assault on the bishop’s house – a large property in the beautiful city of Isfahan within a compound that also hosted a church and Christian hospital, school and centre for the blind – came in August that year, as a

8 group of men the bishop described as ‘ruffianly but obviously highly organised’ burst into his home and ransacked it, before setting fire to many files and personal documents, including family photographs. From just a few thousand Persian Christians at the start of the revolution, there are now as many as a million converts in Iran, according to new research. But they must practise their faith in secret, and face the constant threat of arrest and imprisonment. As Bishop Dehqani-Tafti wrote all those years ago, ‘The persecution of church members and the illegal confiscation of church properties started in the first week of the revolution and still continue relentlessly.’ The same could be written today. His daughter, Bishop Guli, said, ‘I had a very happy childhood in the Bishop’s House, which was my home and where I spent my formative years. I have countless memories of so many people who passed through the doors: colleagues of my father, friends and many, many guests. ‘My parents were very hospitable. When we left and the house was confiscated, it still included all our belongings – other than those we had taken in one suitcase each. In the last few months, it was the scene of unhappy events such as a raid and the attack on my father’s life. ‘The house, which belonged to the Church, was unlawfully confiscated and the injustice of that still stings. However, after 41 years of being vacant, I hope it will now at least be put to good use and that it will truly be used as a place from which those who are dispossessed and poor may be helped.’ Lord Jesus, we thank you for all those who uphold the faith in Iran. We pray that you will give them courage, enrich them with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and strengthen their sense of belonging to the Universal Church so that their sense of isolation may be relieved. Amen.

9 Lawless World by Philippe Sands, QC – reviewed by John Randall I am of a generation that grew up with ‘Saturday Morning Pictures’, a weekly trip to the cinema before TV came along to rule the roost. Cowboy films were a regular feature. And as I look back, I think that for me they were an early lesson in basic ethics. There were ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’ – and it was pretty easy to tell the difference. As we grow up, the world becomes rather more murky. While there are sometimes clear cases of right and wrong, some issues seem to be various shades of grey. And decision-making becomes more challenging. Philippe Sands is an international lawyer of some eminence. His book starts with a history of the development of international law from World War II onwards for which, in the aftermath of the horrors then, the US and the UK made a huge contribution. The book has a series of appendices that record the Atlantic Charter of 1941, the Charter of the United Nations 1945, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, the Geneva Convention 1949, and Protocol 1977. I have no grasp of the detail at all but these, and other documents that he cites, enshrine standards of behaviour that are accepted by all but a tiny minority of nations. Sands proceeds to examine a series of events over the last twenty years that present both the US and the UK in a far less positive light. He charges both countries, in the persons of President Bush and Prime Minister Blair, for their dishonest attempts to justify the second war against Iraq and the inhumane treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib – in clear violation of international law. And he describes how lawyers in both countries were leaned on to produce legal window-dressing for essentially political agenda outside the law. He extends his argument to earlier attempts of the US administration to obstruct moves to help counter the impact of climate change. His fundamental indictment is that the US and the UK have a pick-and-mix attitude to international law. When it suits our economic interests, we are more than happy to abide by the rules. But when those agreed universal standards prove inconvenient, then there is clear evidence that on occasions we decided to throw away the rule book. I was brought up to be proud of our country and what it had achieved. Sands turns over stones that some of our leaders would prefer to leave buried. The ‘goodies’ and the ‘baddies’ have somehow become a little mixed. And while the book looks backwards to recent history, it seems to me that the basic issues are still very alive today.

10 Community Walk Having met at Princetown, the nine of us walked along the old railway track, peeling off to follow the course of the infant River Meavy which rises in a soggy hollow just south of the town. We walked along the old rifle range, set up during the World War I with its markers and target mound, arriving on Hart Tor with its wonderful views out over Sheepstor to Plymouth Sound. There followed some downhill walking to an ancient stone row with prehistoric burial mounds at the top end. Sadly, this row has been dug through the middle of its course by some tin miners, probably in late mediæval times, looking for their precious metal ore. On reaching the River Meavy again, we crossed the full-flowing water by way of a metal plank – which bounced under our weight! – and further on we came down to the picturesque Black Tor Falls with the ruinous remains of a tinners’ stamping mill, and on the other side of the river, a blowing house for smelting the ore. The water was tumbling over the falls here and it was a perfect place for our coffee stop. The route was then to follow the course of the river until we came to the aqueduct which takes the Devonport Leat over the river. We crossed over this bridge structure and headed uphill to walk along the leat until, branching off, we found ourselves at the mysterious Crazywell Pool with its sinister legend. How glad we were that this was not Midsummer’s Night … It was then off into the Burrator Forest where we found an equally picturesque spot for lunch at Leather Tor Bridge (pictured). Having sat here in sunshine to eat our repast, it then began to rain so it gave us a good reason to pack up and head off again, dropping in on the remains of Leather Tor Farm, abandoned in the late 1800s when the reservoir was built. Many climbed inside its ‘potato cave’ used for the storage of vegetables and anything which needed keeping cool, before we swung off into the forest, picking up the Devonport Leat again and following it northwards. From Black Tor we then headed for Princetown, crossing the road and walking up to the old railway track and from there, back into the town. It had been a day of sunshine and showers, long views and good cheer! My GPS said we had done 7.4 miles. Debbie Jenkin

11 New Devon Pilgrim project invites us to ‘Take a Journey of the Heart’ New pilgrimage routes linking Devon’s historic churches and ancient holy sites are part of a new project that was launched at this year’s Devon County Show. Devon Pilgrim aims to offer all the inspiration and information people need to ‘Take a journey of the Heart’. They have been created by the Diocese of Exeter’s Growing the Rural Church team, working with churches and other volunteers across the region. Project Manager Sarah Cracknell said, ‘Devon Pilgrim provides routes across Devon where people can safely walk, following clear directions, so they can focus on the purpose of the journey rather than needing to find their way. ‘Pilgrimage is having a resurgence, whether it is the Celtic idea of the inner journey or the mediæval tradition of travelling to a specific place to seek help or ask for direction. People do look for direction in times of need or to understand the purpose of their life. We also have a greater awareness now of our own well-being.’ The initial Devon Pilgrim routes are the Archangel’s Way the St Boniface Way from Crediton Parish Church to Exeter Cathedral, and the Sacred Waters Way which explores the spirituality of the River Dart from its source to the sea. There is also a fourth route, the 12-mile Patteson’s Way in east Devon which will be described next month. The Devon Pilgrim project has its own website with details of all the routes with step-by-step guides to download, information about walking safely, and how to make a pilgrimage perfect for you: devonpilgrim.org.uk Helping launch Devon Pilgrim at the Devon County Show was Paul Seaton Burn, Team Vicar of Michael’s, Chagford, which marks one end of the Archangel’s Way: ‘Pilgrims come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and these routes are for everyone. Not only do they invite people to reconnect with this ancient landscape and their own bodies, but they are also opportunities to gain perspective and understand ourselves in a deeper way. ‘Supporting local businesses across Devon is another reason why this is a brilliant project, as well as bringing all sorts of people together to offer hospitality and share stories with visitors and locals alike.’ Each pilgrimage is divided into sections which start and end at a church, so they can be walked in one go over several days or in shorter segments. The churches all have a ‘pilgrim corner’ with prayers and meditations for

12 people to engage with, and a pilgrim stamp for walkers to mark their progress in specially designed Pilgrim Passports. The Bishop of Exeter, the Right Revd Robert Atwell, said, ‘We associate pilgrimage with the medieval world but in our generation, we have rediscovered its grace. People of all backgrounds are walking the ancient paths and, in so doing, entering upon a journey of the heart. Many of them are discovering that God walks with them in their life.’ There are plans to develop more Devon Pilgrim routes as time goes on and Sarah Cracknell added, ‘This is a chance for churches along the routes to offer a Christian perspective on pilgrimage. People might not want to go to traditional Sunday services but maybe a guided pilgrimage walk, a meditation and some gentle introduction to prayer, is actually what they are seeking.’ The Archangel’s Way Blessing ______May our God of the high moor, of tor and of the singing rivers, guide you, protect you and inspire you with truth, goodness and beauty until your journey’s end.

Though Spreyton is some way from Moreton, we have been short of Flower Festivals lately, and so it was good that Vicky sent this notice from her church The dates are 2nd-4th September – 10 am till 4.30 pm

13 Rediscovering a radical – John V. Taylor ‘The minority posture is the natural position for Christians in the West’ If you have been following any of this series, you may be relieved that we may now be at the end (bar a possible final postscript next month)! The book which has been the basis of this series, Imagining Mission with John V Taylor, has been a most refreshing read, and also quite a challenging one. But if this pandemic does not challenge one to change, it seems certain that little else will. It may surprise you, as it surprised me, that nearly 90% of the world is still of a religious bent. Another surprising statistic is that, at the height of Empire, Queen Victoria had more Muslim subjects than those of any other faith group! Sadly, a ‘frontier mentality’ has tended to pervade the Church’s overseas mission, and the concept of forming friendships across religious divides has, till recently, been somewhat novel. By contrast, Taylor advocates a risky degree of openness, preferring the term ‘exchange’ to ‘dialogue’ – something unplanned or even unconscious, but always in the context of friendship. In this country, a church in (94% ethnically diverse) Southall launched ‘The Table’ as a Fresh Expression initiative. But this occurred only after ten years of ‘connecting with the community and building firm friendships’. It is a space where, in a monthly gathering round a meal and worship, all are invited to explore and experience what it is to know God. While it is firmly Christ-centred, nearly a dozen types of community meet – other faith members, asylum-seekers and migrants. ‘Taylor challenges us to be more risky and creative when we engage with those of other faiths, as well as within our own faith tradition, where we may have become stuck and unable to question our own traditions and shibboleths.’ The Church Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) made the daring decision to open itself to the Gentiles in becoming Gentile, and just as the Jewish worldview was turned upside down so too, in its turn, was much of the Gentile worldview. Having links with the West can be an obstacle for overseas churches, even a danger, making them vulnerable. But Taylor wrote: ‘Yet this very vulnerability may open doors of communication with their non-Christian neighbours which have resisted the more confident hammering of the past.’ It has to be said, as Taylor himself acknowledged, that the stance of some more militant faith groups has forced churches to adopt the ‘frontier mentality’ referred to above. But there is opportunity to turn vulnerability into an asset – the Islamist scholar Bishop Kenneth Cragg is quoted: ‘Minorities have to exist with their ultimate securities outside their direct control.’ It is a context quite similar to that of the early church ... arguably, it is also closer to the way of Jesus. Christians need to learn how to practise the art of being a minority.

14 We wonder if any readers can identify the church pictured below. It would be interesting to know how its size evolved, or was it like this from the start? Anyone with clues is invited to let us know – while we imagine it’s in Devon.

Smiling is infectious You can catch it like the flu When someone smiled at me today I started smiling too I walked around the corner And someone saw me grin When he smiled I realised I had passed it on to him. I thought about the smile And then realised its worth A single smile like mine Could travel round the earth So if you feel a smile begin Don’t leave it undetected Start an epidemic And get the world infected. With acknowledgements to Spike Milligan, who also made us smile 15 Mobile Library 29th July, 26th August, 23 September Manaton Parish Hall: 12 noon–12.45 Lustleigh, Cleave Inn: 1.50–2.30

CHURCH OFFICERS IN THE BENEFICE St Andrew, Moretonhampstead with Doccombe Chapel, TQ13 8LL St Andrew’s Churchwardens – Joe Scaife: 440424 & David Forrest: 440575 Secretary – Eileen Forrest: 440575 / Treasurer – Michael Collins: 440934 Key-holder, Doccombe Chapel – Richard Knights: 440607 St John, North Bovey, TQ13 8RA Churchwardens – Sarah Rego: 441096 & Sarah Shorthouse: 07904 228035 Secretary – John Williams: 433910 / Treasurer – Rob Tulloh: 441171 St Winifred, Manaton, TQ13 9UJ Churchwardens – Chris Butcher: 221251 & Rose Underhill: 221202 Secretary – Claire Watson: 221690 / Treasurer – Colin Stewart: 221324 St John, Lustleigh, TQ13 9TJ Churchwardens – Julia Vittle: 277207 & Jane Riley: 277182 Secretary – Linda Davies: 277768 / Treasurer – Henry Reddaway: 277259

SERVICES IN THE BENEFICE THIS MONTH 1st Moreton Morning Worship 9.30 am North Bovey Morning Worship 10.00 am Manaton Holy Communion 9.30 am Lustleigh Morning Prayer (BCP) 11.00 am 8th Moreton Holy Communion 9.30 am Manaton All-Age Service 10.00 am Lustleigh Holy Communion 11.00 am 15th Moreton Morning Worship 9.30 am North Bovey Holy Communion 9.30 am Manaton Holy Communion 11.00 am Lustleigh Evensong (BCP) 6.00 pm 22nd Moreton Holy Communion 9.30 am Lustleigh Celtic Morning Prayer 11.00 am Manaton Evensong (BCP) 6.00 pm 29th UNITED BENEFICE SERVICE – at Moreton 11.00 am

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l The Square MOT l Moretonhampstead 01647 252458 01647 440520 www.moorparkgarage.com United Benefice of Moretonhampstead, Manaton, North Bovey and Lustleigh Priest-in-Charge Revd Paul Seaton-Burn 432265 (Parish Office) / [email protected] Moreton Rector Revd Preb Sue Sheppard — 440989 / [email protected] Moreton Benefice Administrator Julia Vittle — 07985 688023 / [email protected] Lay Ministers Wendy Ellis — 440797 / [email protected] Lionel Holmes — 440113 / [email protected] John Randall — 440247 / [email protected] Church Officers and Service Times — see inside Local organisations — Moretonhampstead Community Church — Paul Banks 440108 Community Club bookings — Becky Beesley 440428 Moreton Primary School — 440482 Parish Clerk — Sam Parkin 440041 Parish Hall bookings — Brenda Jeffery 440755 Scouts — Mike Collins 440934 Sports & Community Centre — Ali Griffith 440107 Local organisations — Lustleigh Lustleigh Baptist Church — John Philp 01364 661510 Parish Clerk — Lis Wallace 277132 Village Hall bookings — Sarah Vantreen 277411 Local organisations — Manaton Manaton Car Service — Ann Mosley 221549 St Winifred’s children’s activities — Rose Underhill 221202 Manaton Market — Graham Wilson 221365 Parish Clerk — Mary Wylie 221270 Parish Hall bookings — Caroline Hart 221445 Manaton Royal British Legion — Chris Butcher 221251 Local organisations — North Bovey Parish Clerk — Mary Wylie 221270 North Bovey Belles WI — Avis Judd 440153 Parish Hall bookings — Hazel Jones 440143 / Julie Pollard 440487 Dartmoor National Park Authority — 01626 832093 Moretonhampstead Health Centre — 440591 Riverside Surgery, Bovey Tracey — 01626 832666 Police — Chudleigh (non-urgent) 101 South West Water Emergencies — 0344 346 2020 Western Power (power cut information) — 0800 6783 105or (emergencies) 105 Please notify to the editors any errors or alterations regarding the information given above Magazine co-editors — Vicky Rose 231584 / [email protected] Lionel Holmes 440113 & 07931 890255 / [email protected]

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