|
News
|
|
A History of Tavistock Parish Church
 Tavistock’s parish church is at the centre of the town, its position symbolising its historic role at the heart of the community. Dedicated to St Eustachius, it is a beautiful building, perpendicular in character but incorporating fragments of earlier churches on the site. In itself, however, it tells us little about the people who worshipped there through the centuries. Some two years ago the PCC commissioned Gerry Woodcock, our well-known historian, to write a book about the history of the building, its happenings, and its people. The story takes us from the beginnings, when the parish grew up alongside the great abbey, through periods of calm and unity alternating with spells of turmoil and division. St Eustachius’ was never an insular or inward-looking institution, and one theme that is followed is the way in which it responded, on the one hand to pressures from such as kings, popes, and bishops, and on the other to the wider needs of the community that it served. And through it all emerge the people: the 57 vicars, 36 patrons, numerous curates, readers, wardens, musicians, choristers, ringers and other officers and servants of the church, as well as the innumerable generations who occupied the pews, and to whom the book is dedicated. The book is scheduled for publication at Easter 2012. It will have 125,000 words (probably 240 pages) with 95 illustrations. Included are a final chapter that takes the form of a walk round the present-day church, and an extensive index.
Orders for the book at this pre-publication stage can now be taken at the discounted price of £15 that will apply until 31 January 2012. After this date the price will be £25. If you would like to avail yourself of this opportunity, please complete the coupon below, and send it, with your remittance, to the address shown. A separate receipt will be issued for each book ordered, and these can be exchanged subsequently when the book is published. Perhaps you would not mind me suggesting that a receipt might make an acceptable Christmas present?
John Askham: Book Committee Treasurer
Please print and send to John Askham, Book Committee Treasurer, 9 Limes Lane, Tavistock PL19 8HL.
Please reserve me . . . . . . . copy/copies of Homage to St Eustachius’.
I enclose £15 (please amend if more than one copy is being ordered).
Cheques should be made payable to Tavistock PCC Book A/C.
Your name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tel No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Post Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
You will receive a receipt as an acknowledgement of your order. Please retain it to be exchanged for your book(s). Public notice of the details of the arrangement for the exchanges will be given on publication. All copies of the book will be signed by the author. If you wish Gerry to include a special message (eg To . . . . . ) please include it.
|
|
|
9 January 2012
Tavistock parish church is this Sunday beginning the new year with a family celebration of baptism. St Eustachius’ church will hold a special service when people will be able to recall their own baptisms, on the day when across the world, churches remember the baptism of Jesus.
The service of songs, readings and prayers will take place at 3 pm in the church, and will be followed by a light tea. ‘We’ll gather round the font,’ said the priest-in-charge, the Reverend Michael Brierley, ‘and we may make a bit of a splash!’
‘Baptism marks the beginning of our Christian journey,’ added churchwarden Mrs Cathy Sherlock, ‘so it’s really wonderful to begin the new year by reminding ourselves what those journeys are all about, and of the day those journeys began. It will be really lovely, and absolutely everyone is welcome.’
|
 The 2011 Festival, held in Tavistock Parish Church, followed two highly successful years in 2009 and 2010 and happily exceeded our expectations, breaking all of last years records.
Fifty six trees, beautifully decorated by local organisations and businesses, were displayed in the Church for ten days between 25th November and 4th December , and there were also delicious refreshments, and a wonderful programme of more than 30 musical performances by local schools, choirs and musicians.
We estimate that over 4,000 paying adults, around 1,500 children and a 1.000 people attending services saw the trees, with over 2,000 people coming through the doors on Dickensian Evening. A lot of money was raised, with a surplus of over £6,000, which is likely to reach £7,000, with the anticipated receipt of a major donation. The number of votes cast for the favourite tree were very high, with all or the trees having their supporters. In the end, the visitor’s favourite tree was the one decorated by Tavistock Church Schools Federation, (above) a joint effort between St Rumon’s Infant School and St Peter’s Junior School. The theme of their decoration was “Natures Bounty of Christmas Decorations” and the orange fruit represented the schools links with a primary school in Uganda. Trees decorated by Tavistock Launderette, Operation Sunshine, Tavistock Primary and the St Eustachius Church also attracted large numbers of votes.
The Christmas trees lit up Tavistock for ten dull winter days, and we know that they lit up the lives of a very large number of people and we give thanks for that. We also give thanks to all those who decorated the trees, who made the refreshments, who performed the music and who helped with the Festival in so many different ways. We would like to give particular thanks to The Robey Trust, who loaned us their trestle tables, and to the men from the Tavistock Town Council, who provided the “muscle” to move and place the trestles and the trees. We know that Tavistock is a wonderful community, with an equally wonderful Church at its centre, and we think that the 2011 was a truly joyful manifestion of that.
The Festival was organised and managed by the Friends of St Eustachius’ whose aim is to raise money to help maintain and improve Tavistock Parish Church. Many of our members are not regular church goers, but have tremendous affection for the Church and wish to support the fund raising efforts, and also to enjoy the frequent social events, which take place throughout the year. If you would like to consider joining the Friends, then please contact the parish office, tel 01822 616673 for further details.
Ray Hurle for Friends of St Eustachius’
|
|
|
CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY WORLDWIDE
CSW’s advocates work tirelessly bringing to the attention of the world governments and media the atrocities suffered by Christians around the world, purely because of their faith. They see and hear much which is extremely painful, such as a case in Nigeria when 500 villagers comprising babies, children, men and women woken from sleep and massacred by machete blows. Viewing the aftermath of this carnage and in bringing the details to ministers and world service news could only be accomplished by the support of prayer.
Next month on your behalf I will be attending the CSW Annual Conference in London, entitled this year ‘Freedom for the Nations’ when first-hand talks and testimonies will be heard from those who have suffered torture, imprisonment and loss, and as well as asking prayers for themselves always request prayers for those who carry out these terrible deeds. How humbling is that?
As always during November except for the 30th, coffee and tea will be served after the 10.30 am service on Wednesdays. Please call in and support all that is being done within CSW.
Time too to send a Christmas card to a suffering brother or sister. Please see me on a Sunday or Wednesday or phone 618091 to select a country and person(s).
Thank you.
Eileen Hooper |
|
26 September 2011
The people of Tavistock are being warmly invited this week to celebrate harvest this Sunday - the celebrations at the parish church will support those who are homeless in Plymouth. St Eustachius’ church will be beautifully decorated with symbols of the harvest, and parishioners are warmly invited to bring produce as part of their harvest thanksgiving.
All foodstuffs, excepting fresh produce, will be donated to the Shekinah Mission in Plymouth, a charity well-known for its excellent work since 1992. The Mission especially appreciates gifts of stock-cubes, ‘Angel Delight’, jellies, and tinned or packet soup, so parishioners are particularly encouraged to bring these items with them to Tavistock parish church for the family festival communion at 9.45 am on Sunday.
Following this morning service, parishioners are welcome to enjoy a special hot cooked harvest lunch in the parish centre, 12 for 12.30 pm, at the extraordinary bargain of £5 per head, or £10 per family. If you are able to let the parish office know in advance that you are coming for lunch, ring 616673.
In the evening, at 6 pm, a festival service of evensong will be held, the quality of which was recently highlighted in a letter to the Times.
All are very warmly invited to these magnificent harvest celebrations. |
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 1 of 5 |
|
