Steven’s ordination to the priesthood will take place on Saturday, 24^th September at 4 pm in St Eustachius’s Church. All are welcome to this service and to the refreshments afterwards. Steven will be ordained alongside two other deacons from Plymouth: Leo and Carl. Please remember them, and Sue Tucker (to be made deacon on 11^th September), and all those to be ordained at this time, in your prayers. If you would like one of Steven’s ember cards, these will be available on Sundays in church. Ember cards are traditional prayer cards (of a size to fit between the pages of a bible or prayer book) to remind people to pray for those being ordained and those whom they serve.

The first time a newly ordained priest celebrates the Eucharist is a very special occasion as he begins his or her new ministry.  Steven will celebrate the Eucharist for the first time on Sunday, 25^th September at St Eustachius’s at 9.45 am, followed by refreshments.  All are encouraged to attend this service and other morning services within the benefice have been re-scheduled in order to enable all of those from across the three parishes to attend. Within this first Eucharist, Steven will also baptise his and Caroline’s son, Henry. At the end of the service, Steven will give First Blessings to any individuals who wish to receive one. This custom of First Blessings is an ancient tradition whereby the newly anointed hands of the priest (sanctified by the Holy Spirit through the bishop with the holy Oil of Chrism) are used to give God’s blessing for the first time.

It is customary for the new priest to celebrate two other ‘First Masses’, in thanksgiving and to mark this important transition in his ministry. These will take place on Monday, 26^th September at 10 am at St Michael de Rupe, Brent Tor, where Steven will offer a sung Eucharist (with incense), in thanksgiving for the unique witness and ministry of Mary, the Mother of God. This service will last no longer than an hour, and all are welcome to attend.

On Tuesday, 27^th September at 10 am at St Paul’s Gulworthy, Steven will offer a requiem in thanksgiving for his departed family, friends and benefactors. This service will last about 30 minutes. Again, all are welcome to attend.

PEOPLE in Tavistock Deanery are being invited to meet the Bishop of Exeter when he pays a three-day visit this month.

On Sunday, June 19, Bishop Robert will be at Tavistock Parish Centre to join an open discussion group with churchwardens, parochial church council members, school heads, foundation governors and youth leaders, who will explore ways of furthering their work.

The two-hour event will follow tea and cakes at 3.30pm and a short service of Compline will be held at St Eustachius Church at 6.30pm.

On both Monday 20^th and Tuesday 21^st, the Bishop will attend 8am Morning Prayer. On Monday he will meet with Chapter members at 9.30am in the Parish Centre, followed by a working lunch with farmers at New Court Farm, Lamerton.

Also on Monday, at 7pm, at St Paul’s Church Hall, Yelverton, Bishop Robert will attend an open event for people involved in evangelism, when refreshments will be followed by a discussion on sharing good practice in areas such as Messy Church, Open the Book and Church trails. The Bishop will also speak about the Church of England’s ‘Pilgrim Course’, of which he is co-author.

On Tuesday 21, at 11am, at Lamerton Village Hall, the Bishop will lead a two-hour workshop on ‘Growing in Prayer’, to which everyone is invited.  Then, at 4pm, at the Parish Centre, he will meet with TACT (Tavistock Area Christians Together), CATALYST, a group of local churches working with senior schools, and Street Pastors.

Tavistock Parish Church vicar, Christopher Hardwick, said the Bishop’s visit was part of the ‘Bishops in Mission’ initiative in the Diocese.

‘He will be staying in the Deanery during this time, getting to know us better, and helping us look at new ways of nurturing disciples, spreading the good news of the Gospel and serving the people of Devon with joy.’

If you are interested in attending an event contact the Parish Office on 01822 616673.

For catering at Yelverton, ring the Rev Nick Law on 01822 840229 or email him at: www.nicklaw2@tiscali.co.uk

Are you exploring your vocation?

The good news is that if you are baptised you already have a vocation because ‘vocation’ just means ‘calling’. Our primary calling as Christians is to live life in all its fullness and be representatives of Christ in the world. God loves us and wants us to be the person he has called us to be. For some we may identify our calling as a role in the world that allows us to follow Jesus as a disciple and share our God given skills in service to benefit others. There is also another calling, sometimes called ‘having a vocation’, which is not for everyone but may be for you. This particular calling is to serve God and all people through one of the Church’s authorised lay or ordained ministries. For this particular calling you have to allow your sense of vocation to be tested by the Church through its discernment processes.

Many people feel called to serve God through ministry in various different forms – some of these may be Lay or Ordained Ministry or, for example, as a Church Army Evangelist. God calls all people to follow him and some to minister his Church. He calls young people and older ones, men and women, the wealthy and poorer from all walks of life, social classes, ethnic backgrounds and educational abilities. God has a place set aside for us all in his world.

Understanding God’s calling can be challenging – you might feel excited, anxious, scared or not sure of what to do next. Prayer and being open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help you discern your calling, whatever it is to, can be helpful. Often, the first step to exploring whether ministry is the right path for you is to speak to someone, either to me or to a member of our ministry team.

The South West Ministry Training Course (SWMTC) is one of the best ways of discovering more about the Christian faith locally. Courses are held regularly for those wishing to study various aspects of Christian theology or to pursue a specific vocation.  Again, I have details of these courses and information can also be found on the SWMTC website www.swmtc.org.uk. Please do speak to me if you are interested to know more.

Adult Christian Exploration Summer 2016

A new ACE program begins this May.  This will be held in the Parish Centre on Mondays from 11.30 am -1 pm (coffee is available from 11.15 am). Everyone is welcome.  The details of the Summer Program are:

Monday 16^th May      Making sense of the Old Testament

Monday 23^rd May      Making sense of the New Testament

Monday 6^th June        A journey around Israel

Monday 13^th June      How can Jesus be God and Man?

Monday 27^th June      Open to Question …

Celebrating the Queen’s 90^th Birthday 

I am proposing to hold a service to celebrate the Queen’s 90^th Birthday on Sunday, 12^th June 2016, at 3pm in Tavistock Parish Church. This will be part of the national celebrations being held across the country over the weekend.  Everyone is invited to the service which I hope will be a significant community event.

Monthly Healing and Wholeness Service – a change of date and time

The next two services of Healing and Wholeness will be held on Wednesday 18^th May 2016, and Wednesday 15^th June 2016, both at 11.30 am in Tavistock Parish Church.  Everyone is welcome.

With my love and prayers.

Christopher Hardwick