MISSION COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
w.b. 18th October 2026
Dear Friends,
This Sunday we celebrate the patronal feast of St Luke, with a joint service of communion at St Luke's Countess Wear.
St Luke is such a rich personality, a saint truly inspirational, a good choice to patron a church. He is famous for numerous things: being creative, an evangelist, highlighting the place of the vulnerable in the kingdom of God, a healer.
There is no doubt that we all need a healer at times in our lives - the changes and chances, trials and tribulations, can be exacting and that balm of healing is longed for.
I was also struck by the link to the saying from the book of Proverbs that I quoted at the start of this week's Daily Reflections: 'reckless words pierce like a sword but the tongue of the wise brings healing' (Proverbs 12 v18)
There are many ways that we can bring healing to one another, not only those of us who are medically trained.
Our relationships form the bedrock of our wellbeing, whether in the family, church, daily work or community context. May we take to heart the example and protection of St Luke the healer.
Louise
Louise’s email address: [email protected]
Safeguarding
For any safeguarding concerns, please contact :
Katie Gray: [email protected]
For issues with rough sleepers:
Louise Grace: [email protected]
Please send all contributions for the newsletter to Gill Yates by Thursday evening.
Services and calendar for the week
Sunday 18th October
8am…BCP Holy Communion…St Margaret’s
10am…Joint Holy Communion…St Luke’s
12noon…Baptism…St Margaret’s
Monday 19th October
10am…Kid’s Matter…St Margaret’s
6.30pm…PCC Standing Committee…St Margaret’s
7pm…Compline…Zoom
Tuesday 20th October
6.30pm…PCC training…St Margaret’s
Wednesday 21st October
10am…Morning Worship…Zoom
1.15pm…Lunchtime Concert…St Margaret’s
2.30pm…Tea and Cake…St Margaret’s
Thursday 22nd October
Friday 23rd October
9am…Morning Prayer…St Margaret’s
11am…Holy Communion…Pym Court
Saturday 24th October
Sunday 25th October
10am…Family Holy Communion…St Margaret’s
10am…Morning Worship…St Luke’s
6.30pm…Evensong…St Margaret’s
The Zoom links and meeting IDs for all the Zoom events are on our pages on ACNY (A Church Near You)
Bookings
St. Margaret’s bookings are managed by Caryll Ingerslev.
Contact: [email protected]
Please 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: [email protected]
St. Luke’s churchwarden can be contacted on:
[email protected] or phone 01392 271458
St. Margaret’s Churchwarden can be contacted on:
St. Luke’s Church is now closed during the week for the winter.
St. Margaret’s is open every day between 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m.
Apologies for St Margaret’s being cold this weekend, especially to those who attend 8 a.m. Holy Communion on Sunday. Our boilers are due for servicing on Tuesday morning. We feel it would be unwise to try running them in advance of that. If the engineer is content with their condition, normal heating will resume immediately for activities that are booked in the church calendar. Smaller meetings can be held in the North Transept where the electrical heaters can avoid the need to heat the whole church.
The new toilets were misused last week, and one of the sewage pumps is blocked with paper towels. Luckily this does not prevent use of the toilets (there is a reserve pump) but does explain why our toilets could not be “Public Conveniences”. An engineer’s call out fee is almost £400, so we cannot afford to let this happen again.
Mini Messy Church has returned!
We are delighted to let you know that Mini Messy Church is back on Mondays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the back of the church.
This is a weekly drop-in space once again for young children and their families to gather for stories, songs, and friendly connection. No pre-booking is required— just pop in, and please help us spread the word to any local families who would love to join us!
Help us stock our Baby Bank at St Margaret’s
We’re excited to be setting up a Baby Bank at St Margaret’s, providing practical support to local families who may be finding things financially difficult.
We’re looking for good-quality, clean items that can be passed on to families and put to good use. We’d particularly welcome:
Baby and children’s clothes (newborn–5 years), freshly washed and in good condition
Sleepsuits, babygrows and sleepwear
Coats and warm clothing
Socks, tights and hats
Nappies of all sizes
Unopened baby wipes
Unopened baby toiletries, such as baby wash, shampoo and lotion
Baby feeding equipment such as bottles, cups and bowls
We’re especially grateful for everyday essentials that families can use straight away. If you have clothes that your children have grown out of but are still in lovely condition, or unopened baby essentials that you no longer need, we’d love to receive them.
We’re hoping to create something that is welcoming, practical and dignified for local families, with a good selection of things that parents and carers can genuinely choose from and use.
Please email me to organise any donations before bringing to the church - [email protected]
Thank you for helping us get our Baby Bank off the ground and for supporting local families in our community.
The Musical Lunchbox – Wednesdays at 1.15
Free lunchtime concerts!
The next one is on Wednesday 21st October. Wood Farm Wind Quintet – a unique sound from five different wind instruments carefully.
Retiring collection in aid of St. Margaret’s Dream Big Project
Coffee and Cake
We look forward to welcoming you on Wednesdays 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 Bank
If you are kind enough to be planning to donate to us, we would be grateful to receive the following priority items:
Crisps/savoury snacks
Bottles of squash e.g orange squash
Jams/peanut butter
Tins of soup
Tinned meat meals such as stews, meatballs or curry
Tinned cold meats such as ham, chicken or corned beef
Tinned tuna
Tinned fruit, rice pudding or custard
Hair shampoo & conditioner
Thank you for your Kindness ❤️13-20
We are also really short of clean, large 'bags for life'
For further information email: [email protected] 07787758511
Prayers
For those who are ill or in need of our prayers:
Jill and Adrian, Jan, Jeremy, Graham Daurge
Marlene Gardner, Pam Wormald, Mary, Peter, John Heal, Gail Miller, Anthony Appleby, David Byrne
Housebound or in nursing/care homes:
Alfred Wonnacott, Georgina Lear, Paul Morgan, fran Gollop
Please pray for Anne Plested supporting the work of Bethlehem Bible College, and Ben and Katy Ray in Tanzania, St. Luke’s CMS mission link.
Anniversaries
Fred Patchett, Dorothy Ware
John Willing, Guy Neale, Ann Price, Mary Simmonds, Gwendoline Stoneman, Bill Dickens
Recently departed
Gospel Readings for the coming week
Sunday 18th October Matthew 22: 15-22
Monday 19th October Luke 10: 1-9
Tuesday 20th October Luke 12: 35-38
Wednesday 21st October Luke 12: 39-48
Thursday 22nd October Luke 12: 49-53
Friday 23rd October Luke 12: 54 - end
Saturday 24th October Luke 13: 1-9
Sunday 25th October Matthew 22: 34 - end
Collect and reading for Sunday 18th October
Almighty God, you called Luke the physician, whose praise is the gospel, to be an evangelist and physician of the soul: by the grace of the Spirit and through the wholesome medicine of the gospel, give your church the same love and power to heal; 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 22.15-22
Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said.
So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.
Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’
But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites?
Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius.
Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’
They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’
When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
Positions vacant
St 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 paid role in our parishes:
Cleaner
St Margaret’s Church Topsham is looking for a cleaner to work in our newly refurbished social area. The area includes a new toilet area, kitchen servery and communal area.
You will be employed to work for 2 hours a week (1 hour early in the week and 1 hour towards the end of the week). There may be an opportunity for additional hours after specific larger events.
This is a paid, contracted role at £15 per hour (holiday pay will be paid). All required health and safety training, products, equipment and PPE will be provided.
If you take pride in your work, have an eye for detail and want to be an essential part of our community creating a welcoming space for all, then we would welcome your application.
Email: [email protected] for an application form and full Role Description
We are currently wishing to appoint suitable people to the following volunteer roles in our parishes:
Cleaner for Main Body of Church
St Margaret’s Church Topsham is looking for more volunteers to join our team who clean the main body of the church not the new social area.
The role involves spending an hour every four weeks (or less frequently if we can recruit enough cleaners), working in a group of two. The work involved includes:
Vacuuming the carpets in the entrance, in front of the altar, and in the little side chapel
Sweeping the aisles and the pews
Dusting the woodwork (pews, choir stalls and any other woodwork)
It should not take more than an hour each time and you can arrange a time to suit your team.
Please do think about joining the team. Our group of volunteers is becoming smaller and some of the members have mobility issues and may not be able to continue for much longer.
If you take pride in your work, have an eye for detail and want to be an essential part of our community to create a welcoming space for all then we would welcome your application.
Email: [email protected] for an application form and full Role Description
Sacristan for St Margaret’s
We are looking for a new Sacristan to join our team and to prepare for the service on the second 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 and spend time after the service putting things away.
Email: [email protected] for an application form and full Role Description
Volunteer in Forest church.
We hold a monthly service that needs volunteer support to assist in delivering activities alongside established leaders. A requirement will be to arrive early to help with the set up and read the plans for the session. You would then be expected to help in the clearing up afterwards. You would be needed from 2.30 pm until 4.00pm every Second Sunday of each month. The activity takes place at St Luke’s Church.
Essential requirement: experience of working with families.
Email: [email protected] for an application form and full Role Description
Volunteer for St Luke’s Intercessions
St Luke’s Church is looking for volunteers to lead the intercessions during the 10 o’clock Sunday Service. Volunteers take turns to lead the prayers once a month on a rota.
The successful candidates will need to liaise with the incumbent and leadership team. They will need to give approximately one hour preparation time in the run up to each service. Prayer resources are encouraged to be used.
Key skills: clarity and appropriate communication, confidentiality, awareness of current affairs and needs for prayer further afield as well as local, team player, humility and ability to convey pastoral care.
Email: [email protected] for an application form and full Role Description
Volunteer Second Lead for the Parent and Toddler Groups at St Margaret’s Church
St Margaret’s Church is looking for a volunteer Second Lead to help run our friendly ‘Mini Messy’ Parent and Toddler Groups and the ‘Kids Matter’ parenting programme.
St Margaret’s Church is seeking a warm, energetic, and compassionate individual to join our team as a Second Lead for our thriving Parent and Toddler groups. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys interacting with young children and fostering meaningful connections with parents and caregivers.
The Second Lead will support the running of our sessions, working closely with our group leader to create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for all attendees. These groups play a key role in our church’s mission to provide community support, foster spiritual curiosity, and offer encouragement in a non-judgmental and respectful environment.
Are you energetic, great with children, and love connecting with parents and caregivers? Join us in creating a welcoming space where everyone can feel part of a community, explore Christian values, and have meaningful conversations — no matter their beliefs.
Must be happy to chat, play, and support!
Email: [email protected] for an application form and full Role Description
This email was sent from Mission Community of Topsham and Wear using iknowchurch. If you wish to update contact preferences, please email: [email protected]