St Margaret’s Church Topsham

“He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.”

Psalm 62. v.6

July Newsletter 2021 Topsham and Countess Wear

Mission Community

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St Paul – love that sounds harsh! “Given that we are all pretty much homebound (even whilst coming out of lockdown travel is either not permitted or not encouraged) my thoughts rove beyond the parish borders. I enjoy recollections of past adventures, to Greece, Rome, Florence, Paris, Malaga, and dream of future opportunities. Even travelling up north to Liverpool to see family or to London to see friends would be great. Spending another summer in the southwest is, for us, not a

hardship though. We are lucky to live in a beautiful part of the world, and even a glimpse of the moors, the fields or the light on the water can lift the spirits in the daily round.

But back to the Mediterranean - we can dream ... and this also casts my mind to the early church. Christianity was from the very beginning an outward looking religion, seeking to share the riches, the 'good news', in a generous way, rather than a judgemental way. St Paul famously travelled all the way across the Mediterranean founding small base communities that became known as churches, characterised by their care and love of one another, rooted in their love of, rather than fear of, God.

This vision of spreading overflowing love, knowing no borders, may surprise some because the worst type of stereotype of such mission is that of St Paul haranguing others until they convert and do as he says. Far from it. St Paul doesn't hold back from ticking off the fledgling com-munities when he feels that they are falling short of loving one another deeply, which may feel harsh sometimes; nevertheless it is that deep love and affirmation of the value of every single member of the community that is at the heart of all he said and did.

His famous hymn to love, 1Corinthians chapter 13, is rightly beloved as a number one choice at rites of passage services. This is because I am convinced that people of all hues recognise the depth of its message as containing very good news for us all, a vision of community life in which love is the first and last, emboldening and strengthening the heart to be courageous and consistent in practical love.

I can't think of a better message for us all at this moment in time when we sincerely hope that we have passed the worst that this pandemic has to offer, and yet we also know that it's not over until... it's over…..

(continued on page 9)

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Mission Community weekly services this month We continue this month with the pattern of services begun in May:

1st Sunday (July 4th; 5th after Trinity) 10am Mission Community Communion live* at St Margaret's & on zoom. 6.30pm choral evensong live at St Margaret's.

2nd Sunday (July 11th; 6th after Trinity) 10am Mission Community Communion live* at St Luke's & on zoom. 3pm “Open the Story” for young families, live at St Luke's.

3rd Sunday (July 18th; 7th after Trinity) St Margaret’s Patronal Festival

8am “BCP” Holy Communion, live at St Margaret's. 10am Confirmation Service live* at St Margaret’s & on zoom with Bishop Robert Atwell.

4th Sunday (July 25th; 8th after Trinity) 10am Mission Community Communion live* at St Luke’s & on zoom.

In addition there are the following mid-week services and events:

Monday 2.30pm to 3.30pm: contemplative prayer in St Margaret’s; (Julian Meeting on the 2nd Monday of each month). Monday at 7.00pm- a short service of Compline (reflective night prayer) streamed live via zoom, with a short Gospel reflection time.

Wednesday at 10.00am midweek Holy Communion via zoom.

Thursday 10.30am Coffee and Chat on zoom. A chance to come to-gether and chat with friends over a cup of coffee. All very welcome.

11.00am Mini-messy Church in St Margaret’s for under 5’s & carers.

Friday– 9.00am Morning Prayer in St Margaret’s, followed by personal prayer until 10.00.

* if you wish to attend any of these services in person, please email joloughlin@hotmail.co.uk to book, or ask a friend to do so for you.

To find links for zoom services please search the “A Church Near You” website https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/8641. You can listen in by phoning 0203 481 5237, then key in 867 3814 0910 when invited.

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Pentecost (23rd May) in St Margaret’s

An octet from the choir sang on behalf of the congregation, opening with the traditional Pentecost hymn “Come, Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire”. They then sang he modern anthem based on Isaiah chapter 43 “Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you.” Preacher and President was retired Bishop Martin Shaw, whose sermon focussed on the “awe” of God’s presence, taking in a scene from “The Wind in the Willows” and the experience of the runaway deceiver Jacob in the Book of Genesis – “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” (It was many years later, after many trials, that God finally ‘broke’ Jacob’s stubborn-ness, but the process had begun!)

Why obey God? “All we need is the right motivation. We’re not saved because we obey; we obey because we are saved. We don’t receive God’s love by doing what he says; we do what he says because we’ve received God’s love. That is how it was for Israel.” (Frank Price, Vicar of St Matthew’s Cambridge, commenting on Moses’

dying charge to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 5. 6 – 7: "I am the LORD

your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.”)

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Summer Concerts in St Margaret’s Many of you know that for several years we have put on series of lunch time recitals which have become extremely popular and well at-tended: I am delighted to announce that we are ‘back in business’ and the following book-ings have been fixed for Wednesdays in July.

7th July welcomes back to Topsham Peter King, of international renown, who has played many of the cream of the world’s top organs over the years. “He is a virtuoso of world class….I am astonished at his bravura; nothing fazes him…he plays with such elan, passion, commit-ment” – thus said Chris de Souza in 2011. He was Director of Music at Bath Abbey from 1986 – 2016, where he designed their Klais organ. He is currently President of the Exeter District Organists’ Association.

On 14th July Joyce Clarke revisits us (she just loves to play our refurbished Yamaha Grand!). Joyce studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music where she gained her LRAM Diploma with distinction. In Devon since 2001, Joyce has concentrated on her solo piano recital work; she is also involved with her Beacon Piano Trio who give recitals in the South West. She has also given recitals in Venice and Tuscany, performing at Summer Music Festivals.

On 21st we have Le Jazz (Chris Gradwell on clarinet/saxophones, Andrew Barrett, guitar, and Mike Thorne on double bass), regular ‘returnees’, paying us another of their mouth-watering visits! Le Jazz Trio have been together for (who knows how?) many years producing their magical arrangements of 1930s classic ballads etc with their unmistakable gentle but ’swing’ style – all a true treat indeed!

Last but definitely not least, on 28th the locally based Heavitree Strummers are paying us another visit: This group of ukelele and banjo exponents under the direction of the delightful Rose Goodman are brilliant ‘fun’ and on their last visit, almost had the Topshamites dancing in the aisles! They are just great.

SO…please remember these dates, do come, and bring you friends too. It is now necessary to book for all events in church. Therefore please email Jayne at joloughlin@hotmail.co.uk to book either for your-self or others. The concerts are from 1.15 – 2pm. There is no entry charge, only a retiring collection for a good cause.

There will be more concerts in the autumn. Please contact jamesliell@hotmail.co.uk with your comments/feedback/ideas.

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Divertimento String Quartet (Concert on July 4th at 4.00pm)

Mary Eade writes “DSQ is back again at long last! We are so happy to have started rehearsing again and are pleased to offer you a concert in St Margaret’s on Sunday July 4th. The programme is: Mozart string quartet in A, K464, and the Shostakovich string quartet no.3 in F major, op.73. “

“We are going to stick with short programmes for the time being, so there will not be an interval. We would ask you to be aware of social distancing and the wearing of masks. Tickets are £15 (children are free of charge). We would like you to buy in advance, either from Topsham Bookshop, from me (for payment details jme123@btinternet.com) or call DSQ on 01803 863677. Looking forward to seeing you all again.”

News Updates

Change of Use application We have learned from Exeter City Council that the “Little Ducklings” application for official planning permission to use St Margaret’s Church Room as a Nursery was approved on 28th May. Details can be viewed on line at the Council’s Planning website ref. 20/1645/FUL.

Exciting news from Ben & Katy Ray (St Luke’s CMS Mission Partners in Tanzania; received at the end of May): "Praise God for our new team of five deaf carpenters: Godson, Rickson, Michael, Ahmeed and Justin. These new recruits will be responsible for our new venture into lower cost eucalyptus furniture."

A Cry from Gaza! Towards the end of May Anne forwarded to us a plea from “The Shepherd Society” (the social arm of Bethlehem Bible College), who were aiming to raise $20 – $25,000 to support 58,000 displaced Palestinians in Gaza following the recent conflict. If you would like to be associated with this campaign you can do so via their website https://shepherd-society.org/donate/.

New St Margaret’s Treasurer No announcement yet, but hopefully soon, following the PCC meeting at the end of June.

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What is the PCC, and what is it for? A Parochial Church Council is defined as the executive committee of a Church of England parish, consisting of clergy and churchwardens of the parish, together with representatives of the laity. It is a corporate charitable body, legally responsible for the financial affairs of the church parish and the maintenance of its assets, such as churches and church halls.

This sort of formal definition probably clouds our understanding of what the PCC is really for, with its emphasis on the management of assets, which while important, are only part of the whole. The Diocese of Exeter gives a rather different emphasis in its introduction to PCCs:

The PCC takes the lead in carrying out the mission of the church – the whole church. Working alongside and supporting the clergy, pastoral care, telling the story of faith, social action and co-operation with churches of other denominations all fall within its remit. In many ways it is the PCC that shapes the health of the church.

PCCs are indeed legal entities and are governed by two pieces of Church of England legislation. These mean that PCCs have to be run in particular ways so, like all Anglican activities, they are done “decently and in order”. There are rules on how often they meet, who can be members, how lay members are elected and the responsibilities of its officers. There are also rules on how PCCs work when parishes are working together jointly, and we also had the Bishop’s permission for the PCC to meet on-line during the pandemic.

Minutes of meetings are taken so there is a proper record, and these are made public, but only after they have been approved as correct at a subsequent meeting, so there is always a bit of delay. In June the St Margaret’s PCC is meeting itself, but is also having a joint meeting with St Luke’s PCC to discuss issues that affect both parishes.

The lay members of the PCC represent the congregation in leading the church, and are elected at the Annual Church Meeting. They are people who are happy to be asked about the running of the church, and they will try to explain situations and policies as far as they are able, or to refer questions to the Vicar or Churchwarden. Equally, they can re-flect the concerns of members of the congregation at PCC meetings to ensure that their voices are heard. (from St Margaret’s PCC)

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Helen Heal (30th May 1936 - 19th May 2021) Helen passed away very quickly, as she would have wished, the morning after she was taken ill one evening. Her funeral was conducted by Juliet Horwood in St Margaret’s on 18th June.

She was born near Glasgow and never forgot her Scottish and Presbyterian roots, although the family moved to England when she was 3. Her son John, the eldest of 3 and a former churchwarden of St Margaret’s, told of her long life, training as a PE teacher, her marri-age to Jack in 1962, their move to Devon soon after, and her enjoyment of entertaining and dancing. She and Jack moved to Topsham in 1985, but sadly in 1986 Jack was diagnosed with cancer. He died in 1990, but Helen continued with an active social life, mostly closer to home in Topsham as her health declined in later years, and she was a regular worshipper at St Margaret’s, latterly mainly at the 8.00am Communion service.

The only hymn in the service (“The Lord’s my Shepherd”) was played to us as arranged by Howard Goodall, best known as the theme tune for “The Vicar of Dibley”. It was suggested that Helen would have approved! Juliet shared the story of an occasion when she and Helen found they were wearing identical crosses, both bought in Iona and based on the cross of St Columba. Helen had worked there on youth camps in the 50s and 60s, which were part of the project to rebuild the Abbey. Juliet said that Helen’s faith was constant but she thought she had probably asked God lots of questions! She leaves behind 3 sons, John, Sam and Tim, with their wives and 7 grandchildren.

“Bid” Vernon-Smith Bid was a popular and long-standing member of the Topsham community, who recently died aged 93. Enabled by her family and a dedicated group of carers, including Melinda Jeffrey, she was able to live at her home on the Strand to the end of her long and fruitful life. Many of her years were spent in worship and service at St Margaret's, sitting on the PCC for 8 years. She was to be remembered with honour and fondness during two services on Wednesday 26th June - a short family funeral at Exeter crematorium led by Rev’d Richard Jeffrey, followed by a memorial service in the church she loved so well, led by Rev’d Louise Grace. (Our thanks to Louise for this information)

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Refugee Week World Refugee Week took place this year from 14th – 20th June. Anita Beasley sent us this poem by Brian Bilston. To get its significance you have to read it from the bottom up!

“Refugees” They have no need of our help So do not tell me These haggard faces could belong to you or me should life have dealt a different hand We need to see them for who they really are Chancers and scroungers Layabouts and loungers With bombs up their sleeves Cut-throats and thieves They are not Welcome here We should make them Go back to where they came from They cannot Share our food Share our homes Share our countries Instead let us Build a wall to keep them out It is not okay to say These are people just like us A place should only belong to those who are born there Do not be so stupid to think that The world can be looked at another way.

Love that sounds harsh (continued from page 2) “…. Now more than ever we need to take to heart, as individuals and as a collective, the words of 1Corinthians 13, and make them real in our daily lives and our national dealings:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” Louise Grace (Vicar)

Photo: Project Ploughshares

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2020 -2021 A year to remember – A year to forget – A year full of sadness, sickness and yet Signs of compassion, kindness and love Which stem from the Father of lights from above.

We shall remember the church on our screens, The N.H.S. workers, countless others unseen Without a murmur just doing their work – Those unsung heroes who did not shirk From doing what’s best for us all.

We shall remember the heartache Of death all around, Other ways of communicating we have found- Zoom, Facetime and other such wonders we use So vital relationships we will not lose.

We shall remember the vaccines so new Which scientists laboured to give not a few, We thought of the nurses and volunteers too Who gave up their time for me and for you.

Let’s not forget the architects Who designed Nightingales, The builders too who worked flat out Amidst the rain and gales.

We’ll not forget the government Who tried their very best, But failed to stem the tide of grief, Their skills put to the test.

Our face masks were handy At not spreading germs, Likewise sanitiser to keep us from harm. The message is simple – Just remain patient and calm Until the pestilence ends. Rosemary Henry June 2021

The ‘Problem’ of evil Evil is only a (philosophical) problem if you believe in God. Otherwise it just ‘is’. But if we don’t have God we also don’t have the means to confront it. We are on our own.

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The Ellacombe Chimes “As some of you may know, as well as the traditional method of ringing the bells at St Margaret’s, we also have a system known as Ellacombe Chimes. These were invented by the Rev. Henry Thomas Ellacombe, who oversaw the installation of ours whilst he was vicar at Clyst St George. He created a system with a set of pulleys which allowed all the bells to be rung by one trusted person as he was said to be fed up with his bell ringers’ wayward behaviour! This system is found around the world and Saturday 26th June marked the 200th anniversary of their invention.”

Sadly celebrations on the day have had to be scaled down because of continuing Covid restrictions; the chimes are to be rung between 12.00 and 1.00pm, with the external door of the tower open for people to watch. “There will be no general ringing or the opportunity for other people to have a go. We’ll save that for a later date.”

Matt Pym (Tower Captain)

Please PRAY ..... “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks.” (1 Thessalonians 5. 16 – 18)

“Until we start praying like crocodiles …. Too often we pray like squirrels …, nibble, nibble, nibble”. From a talk by a Nigerian Christian.

For those preparing to be confirmed at St Margaret’s on July 18th.

For those whose livelihoods are at risk as a result of the delay in the easing of Covid restrictions.

For deeper thought about what sort of “normality” we want to return to.

For Anne, continuing her work in the Middle East from her home in Somerset.

‘If you don’t believe your enemy is serious you have already lost the battle.’

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The Back Page

Parish website: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/8641/

Vicar of Topsham & Countess Wear Mission Community: Revd Louise Grace The Vicarage, Globefield, Topsham EX3 0EZ (01392) 873188; louisegrace45@gmail.com (Kindly note, her day off is Friday.)

Please contact Louise for baptisms, weddings and funerals, and to book the Church Rooms or Social Area.:

Churchwarden: Gill Yates gyates@uwclub.net (tel. 01392 875276).

Deputy Churchwardens: Geoff Bateman (tel. 01392 677617) and Chris Buckingham (tel.01392 873422)

Safeguarding Officer: Katie Gray; katiegrayjubilee@gmail.com (01392) 446565

Parish Giving Scheme and Stewardship: June Swan (01392) 877468; email: junemanorend@gmail.com

Pastoral Visiting Please contact the Vicar or Gill Yates (tel. 875276)

Rough sleeper contact: Elizabeth Reed reedelizabeth04@gmail.com

Organist and Choirmaster Tony Yates (01392) 875276 email: gyates@uwclub.net

Bellringers: Matt Pym 07814 348751; email mattpym@live.co.uk

Material for the June issue of this Newsletter should be with David Byrne @ 4 Pound Lane EX3 0NA by 23rd July please. Please note my new email address: dbyrne47@outlook.com.

St Luke’s Church, Countess Wear (our sister Church within the Mission Community – located on Countess Wear Road at the School Lane end): Churchwarden: Caryll Ingerslev (tel. 877330) Church Rooms bookings: Sandra Greedy

Tel. 271458

Website: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/8688/

Front cover: Church of the Transfiguration, Pyrgos,

with Mount Prophet Elijah, Santorini, Greece