Vicar's Newsletter for the Seventh Sunday of Trinity

From_the_Vicar Community_news
Dear Friends,


This week the primary schools within the West Exmoor Federation will be breaking up for the summer holiday and I will be joining the "Leavers" for services hosted at Lynton and Parracombe to give thanks for their contribution to school life here and bless them on their next step on their school journey. All involved in school life have been remarkable as they have put the well being of the smallest and youngest members of our community at the heart of all they do and adapted to all sorts of things no one could train for. Let us pray for all to have a truly restful and restorative summer.

The guidance from the Church of England Recovery Group was published last night. It urges continued awareness and caution as we more into the government's step four of the road map. The responsibility for making decisions about how we lift any precautionary measures within church activities is left with the incumbent to base on local circumstance so I ask for your prayers and patience as I consult with Church wardens and PCCs about how we run things in each church. Given that I have only just seen the guidance I cannot weigh up what changes we should make to put things in place safely before the end of the month, so services will run in their current form on July 25th.


I am not somebody who is trained to make public health decisions so I will be seeking support and guidance from others to inform our risk assessment. I am, however, a theologian, and my calling to lead our Mission Community is rooted in a conviction that Jesus calls us to cherish the weak and the vulnerable, and we meet Jesus as we put smallest, the weakest, the most vulnerable and the voiceless at the heart of all we are as the community who gather in his name. Care for those most at risk across our community as a whole will therefore be central to my approach to this transition.


That care, this weekend, extends to awareness that while some will be delighting in the sunshine, others will be vulnerable to the heat over the next few days, please keep an eye out for anyone you know who might be struggling with health issues in these temperatures. Meanwhile, pictures from the flood zone in Europe are a stark contrast to our weather, but as a communities who know the historical impact of such devastation, lets keep all caught up in floods in our prayers.

Serving the community with joy: after a long wait, it looks as though Martinhoe's coffee morning is good to go ahead on Wednesday 21st July 11.00 am- 1.00pm! It will be a good way of opening a large space for people to meet - offering the space of the church for a communal event. How might we think about using our buildings more in coming weeks in service to those around us?

God bless

Samantha

Services this week

11.00 Lynton Holy Communion

8.30 Countisbury Epilogue


Next week:

9.00 Brendon Holy Communion

11.00 Lynton Holy Communion

8.30 Countisbury Epilogue