Dearest friends,
Last Sunday, more than 175 people gathered in Mill Marsh Park for Praise in the Park. It was a wonderful afternoon of worship, fellowship, and witness. Yet perhaps the most encouraging thing about the day was not just the number of people who came, but what it revealed about the work God has already been doing amongst us.
Over recent years both St John’s and St Luke’s have experienced their share of challenges. Like every church, we carry our own histories, strengths, weaknesses, and scars. Yet God has been patient with us. He has been quietly at work, often in ways that are easy to miss until we pause and look back.
Over the past two years I have seen friendships deepen, trust grow, and a renewed sense of common purpose emerge across our churches. More importantly, we have begun to see new people joining us. Not in a sudden flood, but in something far more valuable: a strong and steady stream of people seeking Christ, exploring faith, returning to church, and becoming part of our congregations.
That kind of growth may attract less gossip, but it is often the way God chooses to work. It is growth that is rooted, sustainable, and capable of bearing fruit for years to come.
Praise in the Park felt like a sign of that same work. Christians from different congregations gathered together in the heart of our community to worship Jesus. For a few hours the Church was visible beyond its walls, and more than 175 people shared in that witness.
Our job though, is not finished. The Church does not exist simply to gather those who are already here. We are called to share the hope we have found in Christ with those who have not yet discovered it for themselves.
The question before us is not how we preserve our churches, but how we help our neighbours encounter Jesus. The question is not whether God is at work among us, but whether we will join in with what He is already doing.
Plans are already beginning for Praise in the Park next year, both in Bovey Tracey and in Newton Abbot. We move forward with confidence, not because we trust in our own efforts, but because we have seen enough already to know that God is at work.
We have a Gospel to proclaim! Now go…
In love,
Fr. Matthew
Lecture – Christian Denominations
Why are there so many different Christian Denominations? What do they all believe? Don’t we all just believe the same thing? Why do we disagree? Come to a lecture at St. John’s on the 21st June at 4pm to listen to a lecture by Fr. Matthew. Join us afterwards for a cream tea (5pm), followed by sung evensong at 6pm.
Sunday 7th June
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
9am – Sung Parish Mass [SJ]
11:15am – Sung Parish Mass [SL]
3pm – Explorers [SC]
Year A(II), Psalm week 2, Trinity 1, Proper 5
Upcoming Dates
June
7th – Explorers
20th – Table Top Sale [WH]
21st – Lecture, Christian Denominations (4pm) [WH]
Afternoon Tea (5pm) [WH]
Evensong (6pm) [SJ]
July
1st – St. Luke’s Ladies Group
4th – Parish Outing to Exmouth
5th – Explorers
10th – Evening Lecture – History of the Anglo Catholics in Devon [WH]
18th – Table Top Sale [WH]
Rosary Group (10:30am) [SL]
19th – Joint mass with BBQ [SJ]
23rd – Sending Mass for Fr. Matthew’s Pilgrimage, 10am [SJ]
25th – Quiz with Fish & Chips [SL]
26th – NA Benefice Evensong, West Ogwell
Sept
2nd – St. Luke’s Ladies Group
5th – Glastonbury Pilgrimage
10th – Winter Term & Christmas Planning Meeting [SL]
11th – Bingo [SL]
13th – Explorers
20th – Lecture, Church Vestments (4pm) [WH]
Afternoon Tea (5pm) [WH]
Evensong (6pm) [SJ]
27th – NA Benefice Evensong, St. Mary’s
No Ladies Group in August
No midweek Mass in August
Fr. Matthew on pilgrimage from 24th July to 4th September