Dear all Today is the feast day of St Blaise (4thC AD), about whom relatively little is known. However, anybody who is familiar with Cornwall will likely have heard of the town of St Blazey, which is named after the saint, and, closer to home there is a St Blaise church near Newton Abbot! He is a saint recognised by the Anglican Church, but more so in the Catholic Church. Sadly he does not get a special mention in our church calendar, which I think is surprising given that one of the causes he is patron saint of is of the wool trade! Maybe not the industry it once was in these parts - but there is a fascinating link between the wool industry and the establishment of the first English language prayer book; one for a sermon perhaps. St Blaise is also the patron saint of illnesses of the throat, and it is said that he performed miracles of healing with a particular tale of a healing of a boy with a throat infection suffered from a lodged fish bone. Today some Catholic churches will perform a ritual using two lit candles crossed over each other whilst saying prayers of healing, an act that is apparently rooted in how St Blaise carried out his healing all those centuries ago. Please do not hold up lit candles to your throat if it is sore! But perhaps today you might like to light a candle and say a prayer for all those you know who are struggling with illness at this time. Sunday 5th February 8am - Book of Common Prayer Holy Communion; Forde Abbey 10am - Holy Communion; St Stephen's, Winsham 10am - Morning Worship; St John's, Tatworth Wild Church: Wild Church is back on Saturday February 4th! In a slight change of plan, we are going to go for a walk at Chard Reservoir! We will meet at 3pm in the main car park - all welcome! Hop to it! Reverend Michelle has started her skipping challenge to raise money for Cancer Research! During February she will attempt to do 100 skips with a skipping rope everyday. If you would like to support her please see this link: Michelle's Skipping Challenge Giving Page (cancerresearchuk.org) A big thank you to all those who have supported her already! Prayers: Please hold in your prayers all you know who are struggling in any way, in body, mind or spirit. We are asked to pray by name for: Dave Boyland; Terri Boyland; Sheila Clement; Wendy Cotton; Hannah Knott; Jan Knott; Mary Marsh; Tony Taylor; Margaret Bandy; Dorothy White, Tony Meech, Di Nicholls, Hester Down, Stella Hutchison; Oskar Lee; Margaret Shields; Andrew de Pury; Frank Long; Jean Dodd. We remember all those whom we love but see no longer, especially at this time Nick Frankau, Vernon Martin, and Margaret Jeanes. We hold all those who are bereaved in our prayers. Margaret Jeanes' funeral is on Tuesday 7th February in Cricket Malherbie at 11am. At 2pm there is a memorial service, also in Cricket Malherbie, to celebrate the lives of both Margaret and Stuart Jeanes. A Collect for St Blaise Almighty Father, you have built up your Church through the love and devotion of your saints: inspire us to follow the example of St Blaise, whom we commemorate today, that we in our generation may rejoice with him in the vision of your glory; 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. Blessings Philip The Reverend Philip Butcher Rector - Two Shires Benefice (Tatworth, Thorncombe, Winsham, Chaffcombe & Cricket Malherbie) The Vicarage 3 Home Farm Tatworth Chard TA20 2SH 01460 221286 PASTORAL EMAILS - please to: twoshiresrector@gmail.com HOME PRAYER & WORSHIP: https://twoshires.wordpress.com Rest Days - Mondays (Tuesdays where following a bank holiday) For non-urgent enquiries please allow up to a week for responses. Mornings are best times for phone contact!
Dear all This Sunday is a 5th Sunday in the month, and so we will be celebrating with a Benefice Service at St Michael & All Angel’s, Chaffcombe, at 1030am. ALL WELCOME! It is also the Sunday we celebrate Candlemas; also known as the feast of the Presentation of Christ at the Temple. It is the official end of Epiphany and the wider Christmas Season. If you haven’t taken down your Christmas decorations yet – now is the time to do it! During the service on Sunday we will say some special responses together that include the call, “We turn from the crib to the cross”; to which the congregation will respond, “Let us shine with the light of your love” At Christmas my son Andrew and I made a nativity scene out of Lego (other generic plastic building bricks are available…) We were immensely proud of it and it had pride of place on the landing outside the kids bedrooms. As far as I know, there is no ‘off the shelf’ Lego kit for a full nativity scene, so we made it up entirely ourselves using bricks from other kits. This required much improvisation – for example we needed wings for an angel, and the best we could do was attach a set of Lego turkey wings, which worked just fine! Lego is a constant activity in our house as both the boys (and dad…) are a little bit obsessive about it. And so, over the past couple of weeks the nativity scene has gradually been taken apart as new things are built and those parts are needed. The stable roof was needed to make the wings for a spaceship… Candlemas has an echo of this for our journey of faith now. We have celebrated Christmas and Epiphany and now it is time to take what we have witnessed, what has been revealed to us, and what we have been taken joy in, and allow that to carry us on the journey towards Easter. We have what we need; most importantly the light of Christ; and now we take that for a new purpose – the living out of our faith. It is not an easy journey – it will find its way to the cross itself. But neither will it stop there, for that is the next landmark on a journey of a lifetime – in this life and the next, where we know we can tread boldly on the path lit by the love of Christ. Sunday 29th January - BENEFICE SERVICE - Candlemas: 1030am at St Michael's & All Angels's, Chaffcombe. Rev'd Philip Readings for Candlemas: Malachi 3:1-4 - Malachi 3:1-4 NRSVA - The Coming Messenger - See, I am - Bible Gateway Hebrews 2:14-end - Hebrews 2:14-18 NRSVA - Since, therefore, the children share - Bible Gateway Luke 2:22-40 - Luke 2:22-40 NRSVA - Jesus Is Presented in the Temple - When - Bible Gateway Wild Church: Wild Church is back on Saturday February 4th! 3pm outside St John's, Tatworth. An outdoors expression of church for all - especially the young at heart who love to be active outside! Fun, fellowship and food! Prayers: Please hold in your prayers all you know who are struggling in any way, in body, mind or spirit. We are asked to pray by name for: Dave Boyland; Terri Boyland; Sheila Clement; Wendy Cotton; Hannah Knott; Jan Knott; Mary Marsh; Tony Taylor; Margaret Bandy; Dorothy White, Tony Meech, Di Nicholls, Hester Down, Stella Hutchison; Oskar Lee; Margaret Shields; Andrew de Pury; Frank Long; Jean Dodd. We remember all those whom we love but see no longer, especially at this time Margaret Bowditch, Amy Barr, Nick Frankau, Vernon Martin, and Margaret Jeanes. We hold all those who are bereaved in our prayers. Collect for Candlemas: Almighty and ever-living God, clothed in majesty, whose beloved Son was this day presented in the Temple, in substance of our flesh: grant that we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts, by your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Blessings Philip The Reverend Philip Butcher Rector - Two Shires Benefice (Tatworth, Thorncombe, Winsham, Chaffcombe & Cricket Malherbie) The Vicarage 3 Home Farm Tatworth Chard TA20 2SH 01460 221286 PASTORAL EMAILS - please to: twoshiresrector@gmail.com HOME PRAYER & WORSHIP: https://twoshires.wordpress.com Rest Days - Mondays (Tuesdays where following a bank holiday) For non-urgent enquiries please allow up to a week for responses. Mornings are best times for phone contact!
Dear all Yesterday Michelle and I had an 'away day' - a day away from home and the phones to plan our year ahead and also do some strategic ministry thinking. It did not start well. I had prepared for the day in advance by writing an agenda and I had loaded my bag with paper, pens, year planner, lectionary - all the bits and bobs I thought we might need. For the morning session we decided to go to a nice quiet cafe we know near Honiton where the owner has known us for years and we could relax with good refreshments and plenty of table space. And so we arrived - and promptly realised that I had left my bag at home. No resources. Michelle helpfully suggested that perhaps this was God's way of telling us that our strategic thinking needs to start with a blank piece of paper. So, armed with a little notepad and a biro we went into the cafe - to discover it was open but also having a refurb. Relaxing it was not. We soon decided that staying for one coffee was about the limit of our endurance and decided to de-camp to another hostelry near Exeter, which has been fine in the past. It turned out that everyone in the area seemed to have had the same idea, but we found a table and did at least manage to do our diary planning. It was however way too noisy and distracting for doing our strategic thinking! It was a truly beautiful day, and so we headed down to Topsham Quay and, as luck would have it, there was one space left in the car park on the quayside. There was also one bench available in a suntrap behind the antique shop with the most stunning and calm vista across the estuary with cormorants skimming the water and boats lazily swinging on their moorings. This was perfect - and was absolutely not in the plan just a few hours before. In today's Gospel from Mark (3:13-19) Jesus calls his first disciples. He does so by first and foremost getting away from the usual context. He goes to a different place. "Jesus went up onto a mountainside..." He calls the disciples away from their own contexts and into a new place. Today we are also called by God to follow Jesus. Part of discerning that sense of call is the space needed to listen to what God might be telling you - or might be showing you. We often do alot of talking - but perhaps not quite so much listening! What do you really need, right now, to listen to God? And where do you find that that listening best takes place? SERVICES FOR SUNDAY 22nd JANUARY (EPIPHANY 3) 8am - Holy Communion; St John's Tatworth. Rev'd Philip 10am - Holy Communion; St Mary's Thorncombe. Rev;d Judith 6:30pm - Service of Light, St Stephen's, Winsham 6:30pm - Evening Prayer (BCP), St Michael & All Angels Chaffcombe MIDWEEK Holy Communion (Said) Wednesday 25th January at 9:30am in St St Stephen's Winsham. PRAYERS: Please hold in your prayers all you know who are struggling in any way, in body, mind or spirit. We are asked to pray by name for: Dave Boyland; Terri Boyland; Sheila Clement; Wendy Cotton; Hannah Knott; Jan Knott; Mary Marsh; Tony Taylor; Margaret Bandy; Dorothy White, Tony Meech, Di Nicholls, Hester Down, Stella Hutchison; Oskar Lee; Margaret Shields; Andrew de Pury; Frank Long; Jean Dodd We remember all those whom we love but see no longer, especially at this time Jim Tucker, Margaret Bowditch, Amy Barr , Nick Frankau, and Vernon Martin. We hold all those who are bereaved in our prayers. We pray in thanks for those preparing for Baptism. In particular Darcey who is being baptised this Sunday in the Benefice. Collect for Epiphany 3 Almighty God, whose Son revealed in signs and miracles the wonder of your saving presence: renew your people with your heavenly grace, and in all our weakness sustain us by your mighty power; 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. Blessings all Philip The Reverend Philip Butcher Rector - Two Shires Benefice (Tatworth, Thorncombe, Winsham, Chaffcombe & Cricket Malherbie) The Vicarage 3 Home Farm Tatworth Chard TA20 2SH 01460 221286 PASTORAL EMAILS - please to: twoshiresrector@gmail.com HOME PRAYER & WORSHIP: https://twoshires.wordpress.com Rest Days - Mondays (Tuesdays where following a bank holiday) For non-urgent enquiries please allow up to a week for responses. Mornings are best times for phone contact!
Dear all In today's Gospel from John we are at the very beginning of Jesus' ministry and the first spoken words that John includes in his account. And they are a question to two of John the Baptist's disciples. "What are you looking for?". To which they respond with "Teacher, where are you staying?". Jesus' reply is simply, "Come and See". It is a simple exchange, but one that lies at the very heart of what this short season of Epiphany is all about, and in turn, what living our faith is all about. It is more than words. Jesus could have replied with a description, or just a place name. But instead he invited them in. "Come and see!" We are those disciples today. We are the ones looking. But we are also the ones being looked at. As Christians we represent Christ on earth and so we, and no-one else, are the ones that people seeking Jesus will look to. For ourselves, what are you looking for? And to those around us - how can we boldly and confidently respond "Come and See!". In other words - what are we inviting to? SERVICES FOR SUNDAY 15th JANUARY (EPIPHANY 2) 10am - Holy Communion; St John's Tatworth. Rev'd Michelle and children's activities being run by Rev'd Philip 10:30am - Joint URC service in Winsham at the URC Church. 12pm - Baptism service at St John's, Tatworth. Rev'd Philip 6:30pm - Service of Light, St Mary's Thorncombe. Prayers and meditation to prepare for the new week. Readings for Sunday: Isaiah 49:1-7; Isaiah 49:1-7 NRSVA - The Servant’s Mission - Listen to me, - Bible Gateway 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 NRSVA - Salutation - Paul, called to be an - Bible Gateway John 1:29-42; John 1:29-42 NRSVA - The Lamb of God - The next day he saw - Bible Gateway MIDWEEK Holy Communion (Said) Wednesday 18th January at 9:30am in St Mary's Thorncombe. The monthly coffee morning in church follows the service - ALL WELCOME PRAYERS: Please hold in your prayers all you know who are struggling in any way, in body, mind or spirit. We are asked to pray by name for: Dave Boyland; Terri Boyland; Sheila Clement; Wendy Cotton; Hannah Knott; Jan Knott; Mary Marsh; Tony Taylor; Margaret Bandy; Dorothy White, Tony Meech, Di Nicholls, Hester Down, Stella Hutchison; Oskar Lee; Margaret Shields; Andrew de Pury. We remember all those whom we love but see no longer, especially at this time Jim Tucker, Margaret Bowditch (funeral at Taunton Crematorium 18th January at 10am), Amy Barr (funeral in St John's 17th January at 12:30pm), Nick Frankau, and Vernon Martin. We hold all those who are bereaved in our prayers. We pray in thanks for those preparing for Baptism. In particular Olivia-Rose and Darcey who are being baptised in the Benefice this month. Collect for Epiphany 2 Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new: transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory; 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. Blessings all Philip The Reverend Philip Butcher Rector - Two Shires Benefice (Tatworth, Thorncombe, Winsham, Chaffcombe & Cricket Malherbie) The Vicarage 3 Home Farm Tatworth Chard TA20 2SH 01460 221286 PASTORAL EMAILS - please to: twoshiresrector@gmail.com HOME PRAYER & WORSHIP: https://twoshires.wordpress.com Rest Days - Mondays (Tuesdays where following a bank holiday) For non-urgent enquiries please allow up to a week for responses. Mornings are best times for phone contact!
