We were delighted to be part of the community event offering our church as a venue for the Cockwood Shanty Festival. An amazing weekend for shanty crews singing over the weekend, including shanty crew C.A.S.K (pirate and mermaid) singing as part of our Sunday morning service. During the weekend visitors we able to enjoy the wide variety of refreshments, bacon butties, pasties, sausage rolls, cakes, etc.The festival returns next year, 23rd & 24th March 2024 and St Paul's will again be part of this.
Our appeal for Lent this year, through the charity Ripple Effect, twinning the church garden with a family in Kenya. started our Lent appeal to twin our church garden through the Ripple Effect with an amazing £142.50 raised/donated today from our pancake afternoon (on Shrove Tuesday). Garden Twinning is a charity gift that plants hope for a family in Kenya.'Twin your church garden with Ripple Effect this Lent and your donation of £60 could help a family living in rural Migori, Kenya, with three years training in sustainable organic farming. Starting with small kitchen gardens, families can grow enough to eat, set up small businesses, send their children to school and go after their dreams.In recognition of your donation of £60, your church will receive a sustainable wooden plaque to display in your garden, a vegetable growing guide from Charles Dowding our no-dig expert, wildflower seeds and information on how to make your outside space more contemplative. Plus, we can’t wait to share the practical techniques families in rural Africa are using in their own gardens to fight hunger and the climate crisis.'
Enough money was raised from very generous donations to allow the work to go ahead removing the asbestos from the blower and replacing. The work is now completed and we are looking forward to be able to have the organ back in play for Easter Sunday.Thank you to all who contributed.
Introductory letter from Rev Patrick Parkes, December 2021Season’s Greetings I thought it might be nice to introduce myself as the new Church of England minister for the parishes of Kenton with Mamhead and Starcross. Advent is all about arrival, so it is perhaps a pleasant coincidence that Viv and I will be joining you during this season. We are very much looking forward to being part of the daily life of these lovely villages and their surroundings. The area is not unfamiliar to us as we have previously lived in Kenton and still have a house there. We will, however, be living in the Rectory at Staplake Rise on the edge of the Village of Starcross for the duration of our time with you. Due to the ongoing restrictions on the numbers able to attend services, I am unable to offer a general invitation to my licensing on the 14th of December but hope to make the acquaintance of as many as possible over the coming months and years. I will be taking my first Holy Communion at Kenton on the 19th of December and will be at services in Starcross: Crib Service (24th Dec) and Carol Service (19th Dec) in Starcross As we reflect on the joyous news of ‘Emmanuel’ - God with us, may we all experience Christ’s loving presence at this special time of year.<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Patrick</span>Editor: We look forward to welcoming Patrick (Revd. E Patrick Parkes) who joins us having previously been the Rector of Newton Abbot Benefice.
