Dearest friends,
In the days between Ascension and Pentecost, the Church lingers over Jesus’ prayer in St John’s Gospel: that his disciples “may all be one” as he and the Father are one. This unity is not simply an inward feeling or a private spirituality. It is meant to become visible in the life of the Church, in shared prayer, shared love, and shared witness to the world.
That matters especially for us here in Bovey Tracey and Milber. St John’s and St Luke’s are two churches, with different histories, traditions, and personalities, yet called into one life in Christ. The unity Jesus speaks of is not uniformity. It is the discovery that we belong to one another because we first belong to him. And when Christians learn to love across boundaries, to pray together, and to serve side by side, the Gospel itself becomes visible.
Practical evangelism begins there. People are often drawn to faith not first by arguments, but by seeing communities marked by joy, generosity, and genuine affection. Our shared worship and common life become an invitation to others: “Come and see.”
That is why our joint service in Mill Marsh Park on Trinity Sunday, 31 May, matters so much. Together with PPT Church and the wider Christian community, we will gather outdoors in praise and thanksgiving.
We are not hidden away, but present in the heart of the town. It is a simple but powerful witness: Christians together, worshipping Christ together, and welcoming others into that joy.
And that is, perhaps, the true gift of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit does not gather people into isolation, but into communion – strangers become neighbours, neighbours become brothers and sisters, and the Church is sent out in love for the life of the world. The same Spirit who descended upon the apostles still sends us out this Sunday, not simply to keep the faith for ourselves, but to share it with generosity, confidence, and joy.
In love,
Fr. Matthew
Notices
Holy Trinity Sunday Joint Mass in Bovey Tracey.
We need volunteers to help set up in the morning and do the BBQ etc. Please be in touch with Fr. Matthew
Newton Abbot Parishes Evensong @ St. Luke’s
The Benefice evensong for the 5th Sunday is hosted at St. Luke’s on the 31st May. Join us at 5pm.
Sunday 24th May
Pentecost
9am – Sung Parish Mass [SJ]
11:15am – Sung Parish Mass [SL]
Year A(II), Psalm week 4, Pentecost
Upcoming Dates
May
31st – Joint service & parish outreach with PPT [SJ]
NA Benefice Evensong, St. Luke’s
June
3rd – St. Luke’s Ladies Group
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]
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
[SJ] St. John’s | [SL] St. Luke’s | [WH] Wickham Hall
[SC] St. Catherine’s School
Downloads
