From the Vicarage

September will see a number of new priests and deacons being ordained in the diocese. It is always very exciting and humbling to be involved with ordinations when those who have been exploring, and sometimes struggling, with their sense of vocation for many years, take an important step on the journey of discipleship. It is also hugely encouraging to see new ministry immerge alongside the existing ministry and encouragement of others.

We are, of course, all disciples. I am always greatly encouraged by the number of those who offer themselves for ministry whatever form that takes. The exploration, discovery, and nurturing of new gifts and abilities to further God’s work is something which we should all celebrate and rejoice in.  As Hazel Butland and Rosie Illingworth are ordained priest to serve in our benefice we should all be encouraged to take this opportunity to consider what is our calling.  How do we remain faithful to our baptismal vocation? It is not always clear or obvious, sometimes for many years, how we can best exercise and enable our own ministry to be developed. However, it is the case that each of us has a ministry and each of us has a duty to try and respond to that calling from God. I hope and pray that we can all consider our own sense of call and vacation. The real fruit of Hazel and Rosie’s ministry will be them enabling and encouraging others to blossom and flourish in their discipleship.

Almighty and Everlasting God,
by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified:
Hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people,
that in their vocation and ministry
they may serve you in holiness and truth
to the glory of your name;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and for ever. Amen.

Please pray for Hazel and Rosie and for all being ordained this September.

The Galley and Toilets Project at St. Eustachius’

Plans for the refurbishment of “Dora’s Cupboard” are now well advanced and have been displayed in Church. Alongside the design and faculty application process, we have been looking at funding options for the project. The likely cost will be in the region of £150,000. Thanks to the generous support of the Friends of St.Eustachius’, and the PCC, we have funding in place of approximately £75,000 and we are now submitting grant applications hoping to secure up to a further £50,000. We do not know whether these applications will be successful or not. The worst-case scenario is that no application is successful, and we will need to find £75,000 from other sources, or, we are successful, in which case we will need to find £25,000. Alongside this process, local weekly fund-raising initiatives continue in the parish. We are now looking to appoint a fund-raiser with a specific and focussed brief to approach local businesses to support the Galley and Toilets project. We have a strong team in place, and office support available if needed, but we do need someone to take-on/head-up this specific part of the project. If you are interested or would like to know please do speak to me.

Diocese of Exeter
Next Steps

The Diocese has developed a “Next Steps” plan to help mission communities move forward from the pandemic in a way that is both creative and sustainable.

Bishop Robert says:

“The pandemic has changed every aspect of life over the last 18 months and the life of our churches is no exception. We have been challenged in all sorts of ways and I have been moved by the way people have stepped up and stepped out in faith. I give thanks for deeper engagement with local communities, proclaiming the joy of a God who yearns that people everywhere experience life in all its fullness. Most of our parishes and Mission Communities have revealed their resilience, but some are feeling fragile and apprehensive about the future.

As a Diocese, it is time to take stock so that we emerge from this extraordinary period with a clear sense of direction and a realistic plan for how to get there. We need to move forward in a way that is both creative and sustainable.

Now is the time to renew our trust in the leading of God. ‘Next Steps’ represents the crystallisation of our collective learning to date. It draws on the Listening in Deaneries consultation, ‘For Such A Time As This’, carried out in 2020 and the work of the Theological Reflections Group, a group of clergy and laity from across the Diocese who met during lockdown. It incorporates feedback from the Diocesan Synod held in May 2021 on the Church of England’s Emerging Vision for the 2020s and what I learnt at first-hand during my online visits to every deanery chapter.

With so many rural parishes, we have also drawn upon the wisdom garnered in the excellent ‘Lightening the Load’ toolkit and have consulted our Growing the Rural Church team. All these tributaries have fed into our thinking. It is my hope that, as we move forward, we can build a culture that is mutually supportive, working together to make bold decisions, always willing to listen and to adapt.

I hope the document will stimulate imaginative and realistic conversations about how our Mission Communities can develop over the next three years. That development will help inform how our stipendiary clergy can best be deployed. Recognising that some significant challenges still lie ahead of us, we need to enable our Mission Communities to flourish in ways that are fruitful and sustainable, with thriving congregations that make a difference. May God bless our endeavours as together we seek to grow in prayer, to make new disciples and serve the people of Devon with joy.”

The Right Reverend Robert Atwell, Bishop of Exeter

The “Next Steps” document can be read in full on the Exeter Diocesan Website:

https://exeter.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Next-Steps-MC-vision-document-1-7-21.pdf

The “Next Steps’ video “God’s Vineyard” can be viewed on Vimeo:

NEXT STEP CONVERSATIONS

The Archdeacon of Plymouth, Ven. Nick Shutt invites you to a conversation on the “Next Steps” plan on:

Thursday, 9th September, at Tavistock Parish Centre, Tavistock, at 7.00 pm
Sunday, 12th September, at St Pancras Church, Plymouth, at 2.30 pm
Thursday, 23rd September at St.Mark’s Church, Ford, Plymouth, at 2.30 pm

Please do take part if you are able to do so.

With my love and prayers.

Chris Hardwick

September 2021

From the Vicarage

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope and pray that everyone remains safe and well.

COVID Guidelines

As you will know, with the move to step 4 of the Government’s ‘road-map’, churches now have the freedom to agree guidance appropriate for their own buildings and practice. As a Benefice we have done so, and I write to update you about this.

The approach taken by the Government is to promote guidance that emphasises the personal and corporate responsibility of individuals and organisations to protect others and themselves. For some people and in some parts of Devon, the Government’s restrictions have seemed unnecessary or overly prescriptive. For others, the easing of restrictions has been met with considerable anxiety because it seems to bring additional risk to themselves or to others vulnerable to the virus. Whatever our view of the wisdom of the approach being adopted by the Government, what is clear is that this virus is not going away. Sadly, cases of Covid are, once again, rising. Thankfully, and largely due to the success of the vaccination programme, hospitalisations and deaths are much lower. As a country we are embarking upon the slow journey of learning to co-exist with this virus and how best to manage risk.

The legal limits on the numbers of people allowed to meet indoors and outdoors have been removed. Whilst it is no longer a legal requirement to wear a face covering, the government has stated that it “expects and recommends” that people wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings. To protect yourself and others our guidance is:

·      If you have symptoms, please do not enter the Church.
·      Please wear a face covering or mask in our churches.
·      Use the sanitizer provided to clean hands at entrances and at key points within the building, and before receiving Communion.
·      Use the socially distanced zoned seating for the time being.
·      Use NHS Test and Trace (or QR code scanning).

Communion will continue “in one kind” until further guidance is received from the House of Bishop’s COVID Recovery Group. Congregational singing is now permitted. When and where possible we hope to continue with our online worship provision, in addition to “in person” services. These can be followed on our Facebook pages and websites. For those without internet access the Church of England’s free national phone line continues to offer music, prayers and reflections, as well as full worship services, each day. The phone line, which is available 24 hours a day, is: 0800 804 8044.

The lifting of legislation means that the restrictions placed on the numbers permitted at baptisms, weddings and funerals have been removed. However, there is an expectation by Government that people act responsibly in indoor spaces, particularly where large numbers of people are involved and, therefore, it may be necessary to limit numbers for the safety of all those attending. The numbers permitted to attend will be determined by the usual health and safety and fire safety capacity of our buildings, and our COVID risk assessment.

We wish to retain these measures until the impact of the current wave of the pandemic can be fully assessed.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

On Sunday, 15th August, the Church celebrates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Feast of the Assumption sets before us the final act of Mary, the young Jewish girl from Nazareth, who gave Jesus to the world, and was spared death. A messenger from the Lord announced that she was to be the bearer of the Son of God to the world, and her response was: “Let it be according to your word.” We are inclined to forget that Mary had little idea of what faced her when she responded to God’s call. It was with faith and trust, but with little knowledge, that she kept going, seeking to discover the hand of God in what was happening around her. Mary’s natural obedience to God and reverence for his word showed her worthy to be the bearer of “the word made flesh.” As a woman with a human heart and human personality, she experienced all aspects of everyday life – its joys and its pains. We know of Mary’s journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was expecting a baby, and we know of her presence at the Cross. From Jesus’s birth to his death, Mary is present.  In Mary we see the fullness of response we are asked to make to God in our lives. She recognized the greatness of God working through her: “The Almighty has done great things for me…” Her Assumption into heaven should inspire us to see the worth of making every effort to live life as fully as we can in obedience to God’s word, for Mary is a living symbol of what God calls us to be. As we journey on our own pilgrimage, Mary’s ministry of “presence” has much to teach us, as she points us forward to where we hope to be.

Almighty God, who looked upon the lowliness of the Blessed Virgin Mary
and chose her to be the mother of your only Son:
grant that we who are redeemed by his blood
may share with her in the glory of your eternal Kingdom:
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
 in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen

With God’s blessing
Christopher Hardwick

August 2021

From the Vicarage

“Neighbours from Hell”

“Neighbours from Hell” is the title of a popular television programme which reports on disputes between neighbours, some of which have been going on for many years, and all of which are the source of anger and resentment between the parties involved, and the cause of much pain and distress – why is such a programme so popular?

An important theme in the teachings of Jesus is that of forgiveness and mercy. These are basic attitudes that every Christian must put into practice. Apart from the command to love one another there is no greater obligation placed on a Christian. But, in some of the circumstances of everyday living, forgiveness is more often talked about than put into practice. It is difficult to forgive. It is demanding, and it can take a great deal out of us. Within families and among neighbours incidents can get blown up out of all proportion; we can become so embittered by injuries and wrong-doings that we may find it impossible to forgive … by our own strength alone.

Jesus teaches us to put all our human affairs into a proper perspective and to put our trust in him. In the light of eternity and the shortness of our life span, harbouring anger and resentment is pointless. What comes over clearly in the Gospel is that our ability to forgive others is a measure of the depth of our Christianity. The forgiveness that we offer makes it possible for us to receive God’s forgiveness and to pray in a meaningful way “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.

In the actual circumstances of daily living we are rarely put to the test of forgiveness in matters that are truly painful or emotionally crippling. But, aware of the loving forgiveness of God and his generous mercy shown to all who turn to him, when those times do occur we must be ready to place the situations we face into God’s hands in trust, for, if we are to be true channels of God’s love, then Jesus’ teaching and example must be the standard by which we measure our lives and shape our own conduct.

Heavenly Father,
look with compassion on our failings,
deliver us from hardness of heart
and grant that we may always be ready to forgive injuries
and heal divisions
in the strength of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

With my love and prayers

Chris Hardwick

From the Vicarage

A 5-session course beginning Thursday, 1st July 2021, via ZOOM

How do questions about identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage fit within the bigger picture of the good news of Jesus Christ? What does it mean to live in love and faith together as a Church? Christians in Devon are being invited to “listen and learn together” by running the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith course looking at these issues.

Living in Love and Faith (LLF) is a five-week course supported by a wide range of recourses prepared by the national church. The resources include a book, study guides, podcasts and a powerful series of real-life personal story films. The course book (see details later) begins with an invitation from the Bishops of the Church of England to embark on a learning journey. The course aims to help us think more deeply about what it means to be human and about how to live in love and faith. All around us we see changing understandings of human identity, changing patterns in relationships and families, changing sexual attitudes and activity. What does it mean for followers of Jesus to walk in love, faith and holiness today? Each of the five sessions explores a particular topic. An opening reflection about learning together is followed by two sessions of teaching, time for discussion, and a Bible study. The sessions end with an invitation to reflect on our learning, bringing it to God in prayer. The Church of England website says:

“The hope is for people in Church of England churches across the country to use the LLF resources to study and pray together. The resources are designed to encourage and enable engagement and learning in a variety of settings. This church-wide learning together, listening to one another, and listening to God is part of discerning a way forward for the Church of England in relation to matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. The purpose of the resources is to enable the Church of England churches across the country to participate in a process of learning and praying together as part of discerning a way forward in relation to matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage.

The Church of England is keenly aware that issues of gender and sexuality are intrinsic to people’s experience; their sense of identity; their lives and the loving relationships that shape and sustain them. We also know that the life and mission of our Church – and of the worldwide Anglican Communion – are affected by the deep, and sometimes painful, disagreements among us which have been debated and discussed on many occasions over the years.

These divisions have come into sharper focus because of society’s changing perspectives and practices, especially in relation to lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and intersex people. The Church wants to understand what it means to follow Christ in love and faith given the questions about human identity and the variety of patterns of relationship emerging in our society, including marriage, civil partnership, cohabitation, celibacy and friendship.

The LLF resources explore these matters by studying what the Bible, theology, history and the social and biological sciences have to say, and by telling the real-life stories of followers of Christ with diverse experiences and convictions. 

We hope that people in worshipping communities across the country will get involved and use the resources to learn together. That is why there is a range of resources in a variety of formats.

We believe that the Holy Spirit will be active among us as we pray, study and deliberate together to discover Christ’s call to the Church today. We do this with a deep sense of hopefulness for a future in which Christians can follow Christ together joyfully, fruitfully and with integrity.”

All the resources can be found at https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/living-love-and-faith. The course book “Living in Love & Faith” is also available from Church House Publishing.

If you would like to take part in the course (Thursday, 7.00 pm via ZOOM), then please email me at vicar@tavistockparishchurch.org.uk and a ZOOM link will be sent to you. The course dates are:

Thursday 1st July 2021
Thursday 8th July 2021
Thursday 15th July 2021
Thursday 22nd July 2021
Thursday 29th July 2021

If you would like to know more before our course starts then Bishop Jackie is introducing LLF at an open meeting of the Deanery Synod on Tuesday, 15th June 2021 (7.00 pm onwards), via ZOOM, to which everyone is invited. If you would like a link to this meeting then please email inman.anne@gmail.com (Deanery Secretary) or me, on the address above.

………..

Personal News

As many of you will know from the announcement made at our Annual Parochial Church Meetings, I am to retire on the 31st October 2021, having been Vicar of Tavistock, Gulworthy and Brent Tor since January 2015. My final service will be held in Tavistock Parish Church on 17th October 2021 at 9.45 am to which everyone is very welcome. Following a career in finance and banking, I was ordained in 1992 and I have been very fortunate to minister as a priest and serve churches and people in a variety of places. It has been my joy and privilege to do so. After 45 years of work, I have chosen to retire this year, and whilst it is, understandably, a time of mixed emotions, I feel the time is right. I know I will miss you.

With my love and prayers

Christopher Hardwick
Vicar