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Due to the the recent rapid spread of the new variant of Covid 19, we have decided our responsibility is to reduce the possibility of infection in our community. This is to protect our volunteers, customers and the NHS, which is under great pressure just now.
Therefore, with great regret ,we will not be re-opening The Lantern shop as planned this Monday, 4th January, and will review the situation on a weekly basis. As soon as it becomes safe to do so, we look forward to welcoming you back.
Posada (the Spanish word for ‘inn’) started as a Mexican custom. Children dressed as Mary & Joseph and went from house to house in Advent asking people if they had any room, so prompting thinking about the Christmas story.
The tradition was first brought to the UK by the Church Army and has spread.
As you may be aware in Holyford, we have in relatively recent times used part of the knitted nativity set (Mary, Joseph & the donkey) for a Posada journey throughout Advent into people’s homes. Obviously, this will not be possible this year in the same format.
Instead, from Advent Sunday to Christmas Eve, Mary, Joseph & the donkey will start on a journey throughout the mission community & bordering parishes, to outside locations only, for a series of 26 photo shoots. These will be posted daily on both the Holyford Facebook page & the news pages of this website. At the end there will be a prize for anyone who can correctly identify the 26 locations – £10 voucher to spend in The Lantern Shop in Colyton.
The Archbishops have called for November to be a month of prayer. As a Mission Community our part in it will be to hold a special day of prayer on Advent Sunday, 29th November.
We invite you to pray for our country and our community during this pandemic. During the day our churches will be open if you want to pray there, and you can simply pray at home at any time, or you can sign up to cover a time slot as part of our 12-hour vigil.
Everyone living in our Mission Community is encouraged to join in.
You are invited to light a candle at 6pm on Advent Sunday and say the special prayer for our Mission Community which you can download now here.
Do watch out for further announcements on this website and watch out for the online service which will be available shortly.
There will be a Telephone Service at 2.30pm on Sunday 29th November.
At 6.00pm you are invited to light a candle and say our shared Mission Community prayer at home.
At 8.00pm there will be a service of Compline on Zoom.
This prayer has been written for our Mission Community Day of Prayer by John Lees. Please pray this prayer on Advent Sunday, 29th November, and share it with others.
Almighty God
Who has cared and protected your people in every generation
We offer our prayer to you today
for this country and our leaders
for everyone who has to make difficult decisions
about the health and well-being of this nation.
We pray for everyone affected by Covid-19;
for all those who are sick and those who care for them;
for all those in hospital;
for medical staff, carers, researchers, for our emergency services.
We pray for our local community,
for all those who protect us and keep us safe.
We give thanks for all those who support,
serve and feed us in these difficult times.
Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy in this time of uncertainty and distress.
Loving Lord, you taught us to love our neighbour,
and to care for those in need as if we were caring for you.
In this time of anxiety, give us strength to comfort the fearful,
to tend the sick, and to assure the isolated of our love, and your love,
Due to the renewed lockdown we will not be able to hold the planned services. We will hold these short simple outdoor services at the war memorials:
10.50 Colyton
10.55 Branscombe
10.55 Musbury
We still have the telephone service at 2.30
The following church services have been CANCELLED:
8.00am Eucharist BCP Colyton
10.45am Remembrance Service, Southleigh
10.50am Remembrance Service*, Colyton *see below
10.55am Remembrance Service, Musbury
10.55am Remembrance Service, Branscombe
3.00pm Messy Church, Colyton
3.30pm Remembrance Service, Colyford
6.00pm Evensong, Northleigh
Social distancing measures will be in place and you will need to wear a mask unless you have an exemption.
* Numbers at St Andrew’s Colyton will need to be limited, so we ask you to let us know you wish to come by emailing David Fouracre david@thetoolbox.org.uk by Saturday 31st October with your name, phone number, and the names of people in your household/bubble who wish to attend. If you are offered a place and then find you can’t come please let us know so we can offer the place to someone else.
There will also be a short Act of Remembrance at 10.55 on Wednesday 11thNovember at Colyton war memorial
Annual Memorial Services. This year there will be two services to remember our loved ones by name at All Souls. As in previous years there will be a reflective service on Sunday 1st November at 6.30pm. This year there will also be a Eucharist on Monday 2nd November at 10am. Given the covid restrictions both will be held in St Andrew’s Colyton to accommodate as many people as possible. If you would like to come please contact Emma Laughton. We will be reading the names of everyone for whom we held a funeral this year. If you would like to add any names, please contact Christine Sansom by Mon 26th October.
Saturday 26th September was a wonderful occasion in Exeter Cathedral as our well-loved Assistant Curate Rev’d Victoria Chester was ordained priest. She will continue to serve in our Holyford Mission Community. She is shown here with Rev’d John Lees, also one of our team, who is her training incumbent.
Annual Parochial Church Meetings (APCMs) within the Holyford Mission Community will take place in the following churches on the following dates:
•St Michael’s, Musbury: Wednesday 30th September at 5.30pm (following evensong).
•St Andrew’s Colyton with St Michael’s, Colyford: Thursday 1st October at 7.30pm (this meeting will be proceeded by a Eucharist at 7pm)
•St Lawrence’s, Southleigh: Tuesday 6th October at 8pm
•St Giles’s, Northleigh: Sunday 11th October at 7pm (following Evensong)
•St Winifred’s, Branscombe: Wednesday 21st October at 7.30pm.
Please contact the wardens or PCC secretary if you wish to stand for election as a PCC member of your parish church. These APCMs were due to take place in April, and deal solely with events etc. in 2019.
Thank you for all your generous donations since we re-opened the Lantern shop. As a result of the need to quarantine all new stock for 72 hours, our storage space is full to overflowing, so we intend to hold an
OPEN AIR MARKET
SATURDAY 12th SEPTEMBER 2020
on THE CHURCH GREEN
11am-3pm (weather & restrictions permitting)
This will enable us to clear our storage and sorting space, but we very much regret we are unable to accept any more donations until 22nd September 2020
We are offering two more events. Another silent prayer/meditation meeting at the Churchyard, St Andrew’s, Colyton, on Friday 21st August from 12 noon – 1p.m. WEATHER PERMITTING! There are some chairs available or bring your own, and bring a packed lunch if you would like to stay on afterwards.
Friday 4th September
Silent walk and/ or picnic lunch, starting from the Churchyard,St Andrew’s Church, Colyton. (weather permitting)
We invite you (people of all faiths and none) to join us for a silent circular walk and/or a picnic lunch followed by half an hour of collective silence.
To join the walk we invite you to arrive by 10.15a.m. We aim to begin walking at 10.30. You will be able to leave your packed lunch (and chair if you bring one), in the Church Building, before we set off.
The walk is approximately two hours long, and takes us by the river, through fields and lanes. We will have a short stop at the halfway mark. The terrain is mostly flat, with a short section that has a slight incline. There are gates to go through so please be Covid aware and take responsibility for yourselves.
We should arrive back at the Churchyard by 12.30. If you would like to come just for the picnic and collective silence, please join us then. Finishing time – approximately 2p.m.
We have been offered free use of the church room facilities, so If you would like to make a gratitude donation to the Church there will be a bowl on the table during lunch.
