The Parishes of Tavistock, Gulworthy and Brent Tor

The Parish Office, 5a Plymouth Road, Tavistock, Devon PL19 8AU Tel: 01822 616673 Email: parishoffice@tavistockparishchurch.org.uk

Dear Brother and Sisters in Christ,

A Second Lockdown

We have all been affected by the Coronavirus and the response that has been necessary to control the situation. Many of us hoped that the problem would be gone by now but sadly that is not the case. We are going to live with the reality of the virus for some time to come. This fact has presented us with new challenges as a community of faith. We have seen many positive responses to the situation. In our churches new ways have been found to reach out and support one another. How we worship has called for creativity and fresh thinking. The use of social media and the provision of online services has grown and is helping our churches to reach new people. As Christians we have been reminded about what is important in terms of our faith. Sadly, the Government has said that during the November lockdown no public worship is permitted in our churches. Locked-down church buildings can stay open for individual prayer subject to COVID-19 precautions being implemented, and it will still be possible to record acts of worship and hold funeral services, but not weddings. St. Eustachius’ Church will continue to be open from 10.00 am until 2.00 pm for private prayer on a Sunday and Wednesday.

Speaking about the lockdown, Bishop Robert said: “For many of us, this second lockdown is a body-blow. However, we must not pull back in exhaustion or fear. Earlier in the year, we learned that it is by drawing on the well-springs of our faith and reaching out to those in need that we mitigate isolation and smooth the abrasive edges of lockdown. As Paul writes, ‘We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair’ (2 Cor. 4.8). This is the moment to draw together in mutual support and renew our trust in God who journeys with us”

Our Archbishops have called upon the Church of England to make the month of lockdown a month of prayer.

All Saints’ Day

The service for All Saints’ Day from Tavistock was recorded and posted on our social media sites. The Gospel reading came form Matthew 5.1-12. I reproduce below the sermon preached by our Reader, Liz Bastin:

A child was once asked, ‘What is a saint’. Her answer? Someone who lets light in. She may have been looking at the light streaming in through the beautiful stained-glass windows which so often depict the saints. But, how right she was. Through the saints the light of Christ has been revealed to the world. It is not only the apostles, those who have been canonized by the Church, like St Augustine, St Benedict, but those such as John Wesley, and Billy Graham, also belong to the communion of saints. And although it’s not common to consider sainthood as a part of our own spiritual lives, the Bible definitely conveys this to be so. Those called to true faith in God, through the saving grace of Jesus Christ are called saints in the Bible.

So, on this, All Saints day, we have an opportunity to remember and honour, those faithful people who have lived in the service of our Lord over the centuries, and with them, to remember those we have known and loved, who have died in the faith. So how do we follow the example that the Saints have set us?

We have heard in the gospel reading today how Jesus sat teaching his disciples from a mountainside. Although there was a vast crowd of people following Jesus, he spoke mainly to a close band of followers. It was almost a concentrated course on how to build their faith, and service to God, through the teaching of the beatitudes. God’s blessings.

The great orator, Charles Spurgeon suggests the nature of these blessings, to be, like going up the rungs of a ladder of light. One blessing builds upon the next. Each one is a step of purest sunshine, enabling growth in the freedom of new life through the work of the Holy Spirit. This contrasts with the Law and commandments given through Moses – also delivered by God on a mountain, which, due to humankind’s unrenewed heart and spirit, proved to be a form of bondage. God sent Jesus to bring us new life from within, free from the bondage of sin, and wishes to bless us as we walk more closely with Him through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The first beatitude: ‘blessed are the poor in spirit’ calls for a putting away of all that glorifies self. Until we agree to less of ourselves, recognising our soul’s state of destitution and our need of repentance, we cannot obtain more of God. Jesus seeks those who need him, not those full of self-righteousness. His eye of favour rests on those with hearts and spirits humbled before him. This is the road to purity of heart. We must not be satisfied with external religion; we need more than a form of godliness. We need the ingrafting of the Word of God into our spirit through His Spirit. Then, ours is the kingdom of heaven.

The second beatitude; Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. This is not the mourning for a lost loved one, but the mourning for sin. For personal sin, for sin in others, in the Church, in the nation and in the world. Sin dishonours God and works ruin in humankind, but God comforts with the pardon for sin through Jesus Christ, bestowing the blessing of comfort through a peaceful conscience.

The first two beatitudes express deficiencies but the third: ‘blessed are the meek’ show the Holy Spirit has been working by the grace of God. It is like the first two but goes deeper. The first has more repentance and self-surrender but the third has become an abiding in God. Having been born again, there is a gentleness of spirit and a quiet disposition of the soul, neither harsh nor arrogant. This person imitates Jesus, by making himself of no reputation, but takes the form of a bondservant and has faith in God, whatever the circumstances.

These people will inherit the earth knowing that they are children of God, heirs and joint heirs in Christ Jesus. ‘Inherit the earth’ can also be translated as inherit the land. This is the promised land, the heavenly Canaan, full of joy and peace when Jesus returns.

The fourth blessing comes when we hunger and thirst for righteousness. Note again the contrast between the old and new life. Under the old Law humankind is forbidden to do certain things but under the new covenant we are offered grace by God, -His free gift of unmerited favour, – to create the desire from within, to hunger and thirst for righteousness. To overcome bad habits and to carry on the regeneration started by the coming of the Holy Spirit. But also, Christ is the Bread of Life. He offers his gift of the Eucharist for our spiritual food, our sustenance, to enable us to dwell in him and he in us. To work towards God’s kingdom of righteousness and peace coming here on earth.

Blessed are the merciful, the next rung of the ladder, initially confers benefits on others, but by being merciful one will be shown mercy. The merciful character grows out of the preceding blessings. Mercy may be shown through our Lord’s instruction to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked and visit those in prison and spiritually by sharing the gospel, the good news of Jesus, praying for others and by forgiving from the heart.

Next, we hear how the pure in heart are blessed for they shall see God. Impurity of heart causes spiritual blindness but the power of the Holy Spirit to renew the human heart is boundless. We still struggle with the old nature, but the process of purification causes the heart to seek holiness, pining after perfection and through the saving grace of Jesus we will eventually see God.

God blesses the peacemakers for they will be called Children of God. They will be seeking to control angry outbursts and promoting peace, forgiveness and compassion in all they do.

Eventually we get towards the top of our ladder of light, hearing of the persecution for standing for God’s righteousness. One is not blessed for being persecuted, but suffering it is being loyal to God which will accrue great blessings and will lead us into the kingdom of heaven.

You may have noticed, that the ability to climb this ladder is facilitated through the Holy Spirit. When we came to faith in Jesus and were baptised or confirmed we were each sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. A seal tells the world to whom we belong. It is a free gift from God, a pledge, a deposit laid down that we might be enabled to grow to understand and act on the hope and calling that God has on our lives. A pledge of a far greater inheritance.

We cannot obtain the blessings of the beatitudes on our own. Becoming a child of God and experiencing the Kingdom of God can only be accepted when we choose to make Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives and to live our lives faithful to him.

Then Jesus will say, you faithful saints are blessed, and the Kingdom of Heaven is yours. Blessed are you merciful for I will show you mercy. Blessed are you who mourn for sin and pray for others, for your prayers will be answered. Blessed are you who speak up for peace, justice and righteousness for you are god’s children and heirs of his kingdom.

So, let us join that great cloud of witnesses and run the great race set before us, being aware of the tremendous light and life that awaits us when one day, along with the saints gone before us we truly reach God’s Kingdom of Heaven in all its glory.

Remembrance Sunday

It is now clear that public worship in Church is not permitted on Remembrance Sunday. The Government has issued guidance to Local Authorities which will allow a “limited” outdoor service, with very restricted numbers, to be held in Bedford Square. I intend to record an act of Remembrance in Tavistock Parish Church and I will post this on our Facebook page and website by the 8th November.

Christmas Services

I remain hopeful that it will be possible to hold a service on Christmas Eve at 11.30 pm (Midnight Mass) and on Christmas Day at 9.30 am., but, of course, this will depend on Government regulations in force at the time. For those self-isolating, or unable to attend, I will also prepare a Christmas video service for broadcast on the evening of Christmas Eve. If it is possible to do so, our Christmas morning service will also be recorded.

Mission of the Month

Finally, please remember our Mission of the Month. You have been so generous in recent months supporting these in our website donations, and in retiring collections at services. With services now suspended, we will be relying mostly on the online donations. For November, the Mission is Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and if you visit our website you can read all about their work, and make a donation. You can use this link to get there.

Please continue to share and cascade this letter to anyone you know who has little or no access to email, or our social media sites. It remains vitally important during this second lockdown to keep everyone informed of, and involved in, our ongoing Church life. Thank you.

Please stay safe and well and be assured of my continued love and prayers.

Christopher Hardwick
Vicar
November 2020

Supplementary added pm 5th November with new information about the month of prayer:

Dear Brother and Sisters in Christ,

In my last letter I said that our Archbishops have called upon the Church of England to make the month of lockdown a month of prayer.

I have received further details of this afternoon. The House of Bishops has decided that this call to prayer should take the form of an invitation to every Christian and person of good will to pray at 6pm every day, beginning today, Thursday 5 November, for the period of this present lock-down.

This call is going far and wide – and the hope is that many of our ecumenical partners will join us.
The Archbishops have provided some resources in the form of different styles of written prayers with a particular thematic focus for prayer each day. The weblink to the resources is https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches/call-prayer-nation.

In addition, there is a direct link to a simple printable prayer booklet, which is intended to be shared with all members of our congregations – Prayer Booklet. This material is intended simply as one tool to enable participation – the hope is that individuals and worshipping communities make these times of prayer their own. There is no desire to be directive in this – rather simply to encourage all to be united in Prayer for the Nation.

Please share and cascade this letter to anyone you know who may wish to be involved. It remains important to keep everyone informed of this initiative. Thank you.

Christopher Hardwick
Vicar
November 2020

The Parishes of Tavistock, Gulworthy and Brent Tor

The Parish Office, 5a Plymouth Road, Tavistock, Devon PL19 8AU Tel: 01822 616673 Email: parishoffice@tavistockparishchurch.org.uk

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

As I write this letter the Government has just brought in further regulations for Churches to help tackle the Coronavirus pandemic. The following letter from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York has also been received. Their letter is reproduced below:

“Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
 
It is clear that we now have to gear up for a second wave of the coronavirus. This is hard. Many people were starting to believe things could return to normal. They can’t. But neither are we in the same place as before. We have learned a great deal. In our leadership of the Church and in the witness we show to our nation we need to be determined, resilient and hopeful. We will need to be more critical in our response to restrictions that are above and beyond government regulations, helping the church at the local level, in parish and diocese, steer a course that is marked by responsible action towards each other, care for the most vulnerable, and witness for the poor and disadvantaged who are suffering disproportionately. All this is the nature of love.
 
Our national situation is much more complicated than it was in March. The divisions are deeper. There is public and reasonable concern about hunger – especially amongst children – and homelessness, with an expected rapid rise in evictions. Domestic violence remains a major issue which is concealed.
 
We are also in a situation which threatens the recovery from the huge decline in the economy in the second quarter. The most vulnerable to this second wave are the small companies who employ the most people, and especially those in the hospitality industry. It will be for us and others to encourage the banks, who received such help in 2009, to be equally merciful to others as the nation was to them. St Matthew 18:23-35 seems highly relevant.
 
The poor, the elderly and isolated are especially vulnerable. There will be growing nervousness about Christmas, about mental health and many other issues that cannot be considered in this very short letter.
 
We are called to be responsible, but we are also called to resilience and prophetic speech. We have the networks, long since mobilised, and the partnerships to serve especially the hungry and homeless. Our schools are a particular treasure.
 
However, there will also be a sense of tiredness; the weariness which comes with dealing with yet another threat and difficulty. To face this, we must continue to encourage one another and bear one another’s burdens. We must in our meetings be transparent with each other, able to say difficult things in a way that avoids mistakes being made through unwilling acquiescence to the perceived view of the majority.
 
Most of all we need to draw close to Christ, and continue to offer the hope and stability of the gospel. It is this gospel joy, even in the darkest times, that alone can help us through this crisis, bringing hope and an eternal perspective to the very pressing trials of the moment.
 
We are so grateful for our partnership with you in this work. Do feel free to share this letter as you see fit. And please be assured of our prayers. In the peace of Christ,
 
The Most Revd & Rt Hon Justin Welby
The Most Revd & Rt Hon Stephen Cottrell”
 

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

At the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on the 11th October Mary Whalley was re-elected as Churchwarden. My congratulations to her. My thanks to Hilary Sanders for her support and tremendous hard work as Churchwarden over the last 6 years. Hilary has worked tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to ensure that our Church life runs smoothly. I am extremely grateful indeed to her and will miss her now that her second term of office has come to an end. We now have a vacancy for Churchwarden, please do speak to me if you feel you could take on this role or if you would like to know about what is involved. My thanks also to retiring members of the PCC, Edna Bennallack, Barbara and Tony Miller, and George Mudge for all their care, diligence and hard work as Council members. We welcome Scott Angell, Liz Bastin and Fiona Lang as new members. The meeting also thanked Eileen Hooper for overseeing “Mission of the Month”, and Nick Clarke for his work as Fabric Officer. Both Eileen and Nick have stepped down. Again, if you feel you could take on either role, please do speak to me.

St.Eustachius’ Opening

We continue to review our patterns of worship and private prayer in all our four churches, and to follow Diocesan COVID guidelines and update our risk assessments as Government guidelines are amended in order to remain COVID secure. The Sunday Eucharist at 9.45 am has now returned to the Nave, and although numbers remain restricted, it has been possible to accommodate more people than previously. Sadly, congregational singing is still not permitted. We have also been able to re-introduce the Mid-week Eucharist on a Wednesday at 10.30 am, again, in the Nave. The Church continues to remain open until 2 pm for private prayer on a Sunday and Wednesday in the Clothworkers Aisle following these services. The arrangements for Weddings (max 15 people) and Funerals (max 30 people) remain unchanged.

Tavistock Food Bank

Following our Harvest Festival service this year we were able to send donations of food to Tavistock Food Bank. Thank you for your generosity in making this possible this year, and for the donations of food and money which are regularly made through our church.

Virtual Vestry Group

For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, I thoroughly recommend our Virtual Vestry Group to you. This can be found on the St Eustachius’ Facebook page and on the website. My thanks to Sarah and her messy team for all their work.

Commemoration of the Faithful Departed

I am planning a service at the beginning of November in Tavistock Parish Church as a special Act of Remembrance for those who have been bereaved. At the service those who have died recently, and in years past, will be remembered by name and candles will be lit as a symbol of hope. The service will be simple and will include well known music although, sadly, congregational singing is not permitted at the moment. The service will be held on Monday, 2nd November 2020, at 7.00pm. Please email if you would like someone remembered by name at the service.

Remembrance Sunday

At the time of writing the arrangements remain unclear for the marking of Remembrance Sunday. The likelihood is that the number of participants permitted to attend an outdoor Act of Remembrance will be limited to six. As in previous years I intend to hold a short act of Remembrance within our Sunday Eucharist. This service will begin at 9.30 am. As with all services at the moment, numbers will be restricted.

Pop-Up Stall

You may be aware that Cathy, Barbara, Judy and Hilary held a pop-up stall in the churchyard a couple of weeks ago (socially-distanced and sanitised of course) and managed to raise £85 in a couple of very windy hours. More pop-ups are planned after the Wednesday services. Someone will be on duty to ensure hand sanitising, collection of contact details, and control of the queues (well, ever the optimists!), etc.  So come along to buy some Christmas presents, many of the items for sale are handcrafted, and you will be supporting St. Eustachius’.

The following stalls will be held from 11.15am – 2pm

Wednesday October 14th –  Craft items
Wednesday October 21st – New and nearly new designer clothes
Wednesday 28th – Vintage Green
Wednesday 4th November – Jigsaws  & Marmalades & Jams
Wednesday 11th. November – New and nearly new designer clothes
Wednesday 18th November -Vintage Green
Wednesday 25th – November – New and nearly new designer clothes
Wednesday  2nd December –  Jigsaws

Christmas Toy Appeal 2020

As in previous years, we will be supporting Tavistock Area Children’s Centre this Christmas by giving them toy vouchers to pass on to families who will be struggling and in need this Christmas.

Donations towards the cost of the vouchers would be welcomed please. Nearer the time, if you would like to support this appeal please would your hand your donation to a churchwarden in an envelope clearly marked TOY APPEAL or make a donation by following the TOY APPEAL link which will appear on the St. Eustachius website.

Christmas Services

I will be able to let you know full details of our Christmas services in my November letter and in the Virtual Parish Magazine which appears each month on our website. At the moment planning is still taking place to ensure we remain compliant with Government COVID19 regulations. I hope it will be possible to hold a service on Christmas Eve at 11.30 pm (Midnight Mass) and on Christmas Day at 9.30 am. For those self-isolating, or unable to attend, or in the event of further restrictions, I shall also prepare a Christmas video service for broadcast on the evening of Christmas Eve. If it is possible to do so, our Christmas morning service will also be recorded.

Parish Centre Refurbishment

The Friends’ have now gone through a tender process and obtained three estimates for the refurbishment of the Parish Centre and a contractor has been chosen to undertake the work. It is hoped to start before Christmas. In addition, new chairs are to be purchased. The PCC were updated about this at its September meeting. The project has three key elements. The first is external work to replace the current fibre glass skylights with a clear glass / acrylic material. The second is to renovate the toilets and provide separate, Ladies, Gentlemen and Disabled facilities. The third is the refurbishment of the hall, including plastering of the walls, painting the ceiling in a light colour, the sanding and renovation of the wooden floor and an update of the lighting system. My thanks to Rick Crawford, Judy Hurst, John Collacott, and all the Friends,’ for the tremendous amount of work being undertaken to achieve this refurbishment.

Please continue to share and cascade this letter to anyone you know who has little or no access to email, or our social media sites. It remains vitally important to keep everyone informed of, and involved in, our ongoing Church life. Thank you.

Please stay safe and well and be assured of my continued love and prayers.

Christopher Hardwick
Vicar

October 2020

The Parishes of Tavistock, Gulworthy and Brent Tor

The Parish Office, 5a Plymouth Road, Tavistock, Devon PL19 8AU Tel: 01822 616673 Email: parishoffice@tavistockparishchurch.org.uk

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

On the 12th September a number of new priests and deacons will be ordained in the diocese. It is always hugely encouraging to see new ministry emerge alongside existing ministry and Rosie Illingworth and Hazel Butland will be ordained deacons at 3.00 pm in Exeter Cathedral to serve in our benefice. The ordination service will be live-streamed from the Diocese of Exeter Facebook page and, if you would like to see this, the link below has been provided by the Cathedral:

https://www.facebook.com/CofEDevon/live_videos/?ref=page_internal

The service will be recorded automatically on Facebook so it can be watched again later. There will also be someone taking still photos at the service. Please hold all those being ordained in your thoughts and prayers:

God our Father, Lord of all the world,
through your Son you have called us into the fellowship
of your universal Church:
hear our prayer for your faithful people
that in their vocation and ministry
each may be an instrument of your love,
and give to your servants now to be ordained
the needful gifts of grace;
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.

If you would like to follow the service, the Ordination Service Sheet can be found on the St.Eustachius’ website.

Brentor Church: Open Day

Also on the 12th September, Christ Church, Brentor, is holding a socially distanced “Open Day” from 10.30 am until 12 noon to which everyone is invited. The open day will be held outside in the churchyard, although the church will be open for those who would like to go in and see a photo slideshow (please remember that, at present, masks must be worn in the church building and social distancing must be maintained at all times). This is an opportunity to see the churchyard and the pond area. Dogs are welcome. There will also be an opportunity to buy cakes, biscuits and preserves in aid of the churchyard wall and toilet projects. The open day is also in aid of the Devon Historic Churches Trust, a charity that supports repairs and maintenance to churches throughout Devon. Please support this event if you are able to do so.

Latest Fundraising Campaigns

I would like to reiterate my admiration for the extraordinary generosity of parishioners towards the various campaigns that we have run recently. The church website gives a summary of the amount that has been raised for each of these, and there are some very big figures there. Having raised significant amounts for external charities, we are currently running some campaigns to bring money into our own much depleted PCC funds, and these are:

·      Pat Alexander’s lovely offer to do Pet Portraits
·      The Fashion Fundraising Parade
·      Vintage Green Teas
·      Replace Our Dying Tree

We are also, as usual, supporting our Mission of the Month for September, which is the United Society Partners in the Gospel, by online donations and also with a retiring collection on Sunday 13th September.

All of these campaigns can be found on the front page of our website.

St.Eustachius’ Church: “Roundels”

At the beginning of September, “roundels” were placed on the footpath leading to the south door of St.Eustachius’ Church.  Each roundel contains a Bible passage and words of welcome. They have been placed two metres apart to encourage social distancing. “Heritage” roundels are a familiar sight in Tavistock and those at the Church have been made by the same company. The project has been possible thanks to a private donation. The life of a roundel is approximately 6 months depending on wear. Please do come and take a look next time you are in Tavistock.

St.Eustachius: Further re-opening

We continue to review our patterns of worship and private prayer in all our four churches, and to follow Diocesan guidelines and update our risk assessments as Government guidelines are amended in order to remain COVID secure. From 20th September, the Sunday Eucharist at 9.45 am will return to the Nave, and although numbers will remain restricted, it will be possible to accommodate more people than previously.  The organ will be played, although congregational singing is still not permitted. We are now also able to re-introduce the Mid-week Eucharist and the first service will be held on Wednesday, 23rd September 2020, at 10.30 am, again, in the Nave. The Church will remain open until 2 pm for private prayer on a Sunday and Wednesday in the Clothworkers Aisle following these services. The arrangements for Weddings and Funerals remain unchanged.

Since March, a tremendous amount of hard work has been taking place to address the issues presented by COVID-19, and I would particularly mention the steps being taken to re-open our schools this month, and to provide collective worship and pastoral support. I thank all those involved.

Please stay safe and well and be assured of my continued love and prayers.

Christopher Hardwick
Vicar

September 2020