Introduction
The world is going through great
changes at this time which affect us all. We
cannot ignore the circumstances in the world -
indeed we are called to consider them in our
prayers, and to hold on to what God has to offer
us in these times.
We believe that life has a meaning
and purpose as portrayed in the Scriptures and
that there is a means of living set out there
which we should try to follow.
We believe that Jesus Christ, born
some 2000 years ago, died for our good and that
as a result we are able to live a future life in
His presence through Faith. We do not profess to
understand it all, but we believe it and we see
God at work in His world now through the actions
of the Holy Spirit influencing lives everywhere.
New ev'ry
morning...
I want to thank you
Lord for being close to me so far this
day.
With your help, I
haven't been impatient, lost my temper,
been grumpy, judgmental, or envious of
anyone.
But I will be
getting up in a few minutes and I think I
will really need your help then. Amen.
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Find
out more - Alpha
 The way to
find out in some detail and in a friendly
atmosphere what our beliefs are all about.
To
find a course near you or for more information
about Alpha - see the Alpha
website.
* * * * * * * * * *
How can God allow such
things to happen?
Don't we all hear this cry from time
to time about events in the world. The
catastrophic events of September 11, 2001 stand
out as an example. But there are many things that
happen to people in their personal lives and we
ask sometimes in our anguish:
Why does God allow
suffering?
We
don't have a ready answer but it is worth
examining what would really happen if God did
intervene at such times. Perhaps we would
gradually realise that we could take risks with
our lives and the lives of others, knowing that
there is a safety net which will prevent the
worst from happening. Ultimately we could become
totally irresponsible and do what we felt like.
In fact our lives would be far from free; we
would become robots.
Sobering thought?
| The good
Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but
mosquitoes come close. |
Flower arrangers
| May God grant that
our hearts, our eyes and our hands may
receive this His inspiration enabling us
to glorify His house with the beauty of
the leaves and blossoms which He has
created. |
During
Advent and Lent, the seasons of preparation, the
church is rather bare, the altar frontal is
purple, and there are few flowers in church. But
Christmas and Easter change all that!
But why do we forgo flowers during
Lent? Surely this is the season of new life and
the church would do well to recognise this.
Remember Christ spent much time in the Garden of
Gethsemane.
When
you get to your wit's end,
you'll find God lives there.
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Thoughts of a seeker
I'm thinking of trying the Church.
My life is in a mess and I don't know whether I
am coming or going; but I am scared stiff what
will happen when I first set foot inside the
door.
What should I wear? In Mum's day
they wore hats and Dad wore a suit and tie.
Do they sing hymns or is it all
guitars and do they sway to the music? Will I be
ignored or will the welcome be so effusive that I
will feel instantly trapped into something when I
only want to test the water? How will I know when
to sit, stand, kneel - do they still kneel?
Will I be expected to say something?
anything? - on my own even? And since I haven't
been consummated, or whatever, what happens when
they all go up to the front?
I'm not sure I can cope with this -
I think I'll leave it another day...
And another month, or a year or more
goes by...
Reassurance
You will get
a welcome! But don't worry - you won't be
press-ganged into anything! You will be handed a
service book, a sheet giving information about
today's specific readings and notices and some
other information, and you will be given a book
of hymns or songs that we will sing during the
service.
Come smart but relaxed, hats, ties
and suits are optional; everyone wears what they
feel comfortable in and in winter the church is usually quite
warm.
Yes we sing, and quite well too, but
no particular actions go with it. If we introduce
movement or dance in any form it will be for
those who want to do it and only for particular
events under careful direction.
You will know when to sit or stand
from the service leaflet and it will probably be
announced anyway.
If it is a Communion Service you may
come up to the altar rail even if you have NOT
been confirmed where you will be blessed. (Nice
that one - I wish it had happened when I was
young. Ed.)
After any morning service you will
be invited to stay for a little while for a cup
of coffee or other light refreshment which will
give you a chance to meet people informally. We
will want to get to know you better but whether
you stay is entirely up to you.
Mission and Outreach
The Church in the UK and elsewhere
cannot wait for new members to just arrive. We
are commanded to
"preach the Gospel to
the world".
So churches are getting into the
whole business of reaching out.
This website is part of that but the
work will be largely personal - one-to-one. This
will be an exacting task and will make us all
think carefully what we believe in and what we
can offer openly to people who are struggling. We
hope that they will then feel able to come back
to the church as a physical and symbolic centre
of the ministry. We hope many seekers will find
this site helpful in clarifying their thoughts on
what we believe in. We know it is not easy but it
may be an introduction to a way of life that is
wonderfully fulfilling.
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How the Church is run
The Church is run by the Priest-in-charge and
Parochial Church Council. It is overseen by the
Church of England through the Diocese of Exeter
which is subdivided into Deaneries. We are in the
Torbay Deanery under the Archdeacon of Totnes.
The PCC cannot do what it likes.
Permanent alterations to the fabric of the church
building for example need to be processed through
the diocese and a Faculty obtained. Grants may be
available for major projects or repairs.
In order to do its job properly a
busy PCC will delegate many of its functions to
committees. This is good - it involves those who
do not wish to have the more general
responsibilities of running the church, but who
have a particular talent to offer. Such people
are the backbone of the church and often do their
valuable work almost unnoticed.
Who pays?
Despite opinions to the contrary,
the Church of England is not that wealthy. It has
assets, but to dispose of these to fund day to
day expenses would be irresponsible. Anglican
church congregations have had to learn that they
must fund most of the costs of running the
building, paying for the clergy and supporting
the many activities of the Church. It has been a
painful lesson. It used to be common for the
"collection" to be the main method of
personal giving.
| But doesn't
a £10 note look huge in the collection
plate while very small in the
supermarket? |
But there
is no need to despair! If the Church concentrates
on its core activity of bringing people to
Christ, and reaches its congregation in a
sustainable way, then the money needs tend to
fall into place.
But let's keep it real - we cost well over £500
per week to run.
This means that the PCC will
spend approaching £1M over the next 25 years! We
are a big business and must run this side of the
church carefully.
Order or Re-order?
We sometimes like to have an
informal service in church; perhaps where we
could gather round in a circle for teaching,
occasional singing, readings, music or whatever
comes to mind at the time.
The Anglican churches in particular
in the UK have struggled with trying to make
their buildings more user-friendly, warmer in
winter and effective for modern worship. But
these buildings are often of great historic
interest and significance in the community and
are regarded as "sacrosanct" especially
so far as their fabric is concerned.
Did you hear of the vicar who met
opposition to his proposed relocation of the
piano? He moved it just one inch every day until
it eventually arrived where he wanted it! We
should not forget that much of the internal
fabric of our churches was substantially altered
relatively recently by the Victorians to suit
their styles of worship, so we should bear in
mind that our present needs may not be met in
today's historic buildings. If anyone is worried
by this they should consider the amount of
alteration carried out in the cathedrals: York,
Canterbury and Exeter have all seen major
internal alterations in recent years to the great
benefit of congregations and visitors.
So we should not be surprised if, as
a result of review or some other need, one or
more of us identifies a weakness affecting us
within the church building pointing towards some
possible alteration. Let us not look on this as a
threat, rather an opportunity for careful and
prayerful consideration.
| God doesn't call the
qualified, He qualifies the called. |
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