To obtain a copy of The Estuary Magazine please visit St Margaret's Church or The Topsham Bookshop.
MISSION COMMUNITY NEWSLETTERw.b. 29th March 2026Hello All!This week saw the historic installation of Dame Sarah Mulally as the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is an ascendancy that is dizzying as many of us will remember Sarah being Bishop of Crediton for two years around 2016, before going to London as Bishop, and now she heads the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as being the head of the Church of England. Much has been made, understandably, of the fact that Sarah is the first female Archbishop in history; and I am sure as such much will be expected of her in a way that her male forebears would not have to bear. Women in positions of authority notoriously endure greater scrutiny and often unrealistic expectations, even whilst they are feted. Let us pray for Sarah Mulally, someone incredibly gifted and with a heart of service, that she will have support, and courage of those working close with her, so that collegially they can focus upon the changes that are needed and lead us as a church of integrity and not publicity.As the prophet Micah said: what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?LouiseLouise’s email address: vicartopshamwear@gmail.comSafeguardingFor any safeguarding concerns, please contact :Katie Gray: safeguardingtopshamwear@gmail.comFor issues with rough sleepers:Elizabeth Reed: homelessoutreachtopshamwear@gmail.comPlease send all contributions for the newsletter to Gill Yates by Thursday evening.gyates@uwclub.netServices and calendar for the week Sunday 29th March – Palm Sunday10am… Holy Communion…St Margaret’s10am… Holy Communion…St Luke’s6.30pm… Stainer’s Crucifixion…St Margaret’sMonday 30th March7pm…Compline…ZoomTuesday 31st MarchWednesday 1st April10am…Morning Worship…Zoom2.30pm…Tea and Cake…St Margaret’sThursday 2nd April11am…Holy Communion…Watermeadow Grange7pm…Maundy Thursday Service…St Luke’sFriday 3rd April9.30am…Good Friday Service…St Margaret’s11am…Walk of Witness, then hot cross buns…St Nicholas2pm… Meditation…Holy CrossSaturday 4th AprilSunday 5th April - Easter Day8am… BCP Holy Communion…St Margaret’s10am… Holy Communion…St Margaret’s10am… Holy Communion…St Luke’s The Zoom links and meeting IDs for all the Zoom events are on our pages on ACNY (A Church Near You)BookingsSt. Margaret’s bookings are managed by Caryll Ingerslev.Contact: bookingstopsham@gmail.comPlease book in for any use of the church including church meetings and events.St. Luke’s Church and Church Rooms bookings are managed by Sandra Greedy:Contact: bookingswear@gmail.comSt. Luke’s churchwarden can be contacted on:churchwardenwear@gmail.com or phone 01392 271458St. Margaret’s Churchwarden can be contacted on:churchwardenstmargarets@gmail.comSt. Luke’s Church will reopen on Wednesday afternoons from Wednesday 8th April until Wednesday 30th September.St. Margaret’s is open every day between 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m.N.B. The riverside door may be unavailable from time to time because of the building works.The door on Fore Street will remain open during the usual hours.The Dream Big ProjectThe project is going well, and the new flooring will be complete by Easter. We are on schedule for completion of the whole project by the end of April. Thank you for your patience while access to the church has been restricted. Bookings of the social area are already being accepted for May!Services at Watermeadow GrangeServices: 2nd April, 23rd April at 11.00 a.m.Cook Book!A few unsold copies of Tried and Tested, the recipe book which was produced during Covid to raise funds for the church, have been donated to the Dream Big project and are available for a suggested donation of £7.50 (or more). If you missed out before, or have joined the church since they were last on sale, there is now a final opportunity to get hold of a St Margaret’s classic! Please contact Paul or Niki Jakeman, who can deliver copies within the EX3 postcode.Coffee and CakeWednesday Coffee and Cake will continue throughout the building works and be hosted in the front entrance Foyer of the Church. We look forward to welcoming you between 2.30-3.30 - not just for coffee, tea and an array of cakes, but also for friendly chat and a warm welcome. There's no charge, and we'd love to see you, whether you're Christian, or of a different faith, or of none at all! 🎂 🥮Exmouth Food BankIf you are kind enough to be planning to donate to us, we would be grateful to receive the following priority items: Crisps/savoury snacksBottles of squash e.g orange squashJams/peanut butterTins of soupTinned meat meals such as stews, meatballs or curryTinned cold meats such as ham, chicken or corned beefTinned tunaTinned fruit, rice pudding or custardHair shampoo & conditioner Thank you for your Kindness ❤️We are also really short of clean, large 'bags for life'For further information email: info@exmouthfoodbank.org.uk 07787758511PrayersFor those who are ill or in need of our prayers:Jill and Adrian, Kirsten, Jan, Jeremy, Rob,Marlene Gardner, Pam Wormald, Mary, Peter, John Heal, Rosemary Henry, Gail MillerHousebound or in nursing/care homes:Alfred Wonnacott, Janet Mutter, Georgina Lear, JohnPlease pray for Anne Plested supporting the work of Bethlehem Bible College, and Ben and Katy Ray in Tanzania, St. Luke’s CMS mission link.AnniversariesCyril RoweJohn Richards, Geoff Dawe, Barbara Church, Doris NevitteRecently departedJan BhanjiGospel Readings for the coming weekSunday 29th March Matthew 26: 14 – end of 27Monday 30th March John12: 1-11Tuesday 31st March John 12: 20-36Wednesday 21st April John 13: 21-32Thursday 22nd April John 13: 1-17, 31b-35Friday 3rd April John 18: 1- end of 19Saturday 4th April John 19: 38 - endSunday 5th April John 20: 1-18Collect and reading for Sunday 29th MarchAlmighty and everlasting God, who in your tender love towards the human race sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross: grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility, and also be made partakers of his resurrection: 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.Matthew 26. 14-27Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;Positions vacantSt Margarets’ Topsham and St Luke’s Countess Wear are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders and volunteers are expected to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to acceptable pre-appointment checks, including a satisfactory DBS check of the appropriate level for the role.We are currently wishing to appoint suitable people to the following volunteer role in our parishes:Sacristan for St MargaretsWe are looking for a new Sacristan to join our team and to prepare for the service on the first Sunday of the month. The successful applicant will need to spend approximately twenty minutes on a Friday or Saturday to make the required preparations in the vestry, in readiness for the Sunday morning service. Then on Sunday you would be required to arrive at 09:30 to lay everything out on the altar.Email: recruitmenttopshamwear@gmail.com for an application form and full Role DescriptionThis email was sent from Mission Community of Topsham and Wear using iknowchurch. If you wish to update contact preferences, please email: gyates@uwclub.net
Dear all I haven't forwarded anything from Bethlehem recently but this request for prayer arrived a few days ago. A few weeks ago a group from the College spent a couple of weeks in Jordan running a summer camp for refugee children from the conflict in Syria. Munther Isaac is one of the best Christian advocates for the Palestinians at the moment. Anne and I heard him speak in Bristol last summer, and he caused some controversy a while back when Justin Welby didn't have time to see him during his visit to the region. Justin apologised later. Margaret and I are hoping to have lunch with Anne Plested the week after next. Will try to keep you in touch, but meanwhile thank you for your prayers. God bless David As we recruit students for the upcoming academic year, please join us in praying that the Lord opens doors for those wishing to study at Bethlehem Bible College. May He guide His children to the right fields where they can continue building His kingdom on earth. We are grateful for the success of our summer community training programs. Over two weeks, we welcomed 26 adolescents and 5 young leaders to our summer camp, along with more than 70 local and international students in our language courses. Please pray that these programs do more than fill their time; may they instill the love of Jesus Christ and highlight the significance of our Holy Land. We ask for your prayers for Rev. Munther Isaac, who has been traveling this summer to share about our College, its impact on the community, and the ongoing conflict in our Holy Land. May the Lord bless and protect him. Due to the water shortage caused by the occupation, please pray for families suffering from a lack of water for days and weeks. Congratulations to our recent high school (Tawjihi) graduates! We wish them blessings as they decide on their next steps!
