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From the February 2012 magazine

From the Parsonage

It is really good to be able to welcome Alan and Viv into the Shirwell Team. Like any organisation the Team needs a shake-up now and again, and a new person with new ideas and a new way of working will bring needed change into the life of the seven Parishes in the Team. Its good to have you aboard!

Alan and Viv have already experienced the joys of life in the country without a phone line, without nearby shops, and without the heating working in the Rectory. Not an auspicious start. Hopefully it will now rapidly improve.

Next month we'll get Alan to tell us about himself.

It is interesting to note how many people came to Jesus because he was different. “Come and see” is the invitation often used by those who had already met Jesus to bring others into his presence. Jesus was not “odd” or “unreal”, in fact he was the most “real” person ever, but that reality meant that Jesus was a person you needed to meet,  and when Jesus' life connected with the lives of people, their lives were changed. That process made them want to shout about it, tell others about it, share that change in such a way that others would be changed too.

The sight of a life changed in a good and positive way is always very attractive. It drew people to Jesus on a number of occasions. John tells how Jesus called Philip to follow him one day, and the very next day Philip was saying to his friend, Nathanael, “Come and see” when telling Nathanael about the preacher from Nazareth that he had come to know. Nathanael came, he met with Jesus and the first few words which passed between Jesus and Nathanael changed him, too. Nathanael liked what he saw, and became a disciple.

We too can bring others to know Jesus. But it does need what we say and what we are to reflect the life of the Kingdom, to show the change that the life of Jesus has made to us. It isn't about us making a change, but concerns Jesus making a difference in us, as we meet with him in our daily living. Come and see.

Church Clock

You will have probably noticed that the church clock has been stopped recently.  Don’t worry – it’s not broken. The stoppage is due to the clock winders not being able to access the church tower in order to wind it, due to the work being carried out in the church.

As soon as they are able to go up the tower to wind the clock they will be doing so.  When this will be will depend of course, on the progress made by the builder.

Church Reordering

Good progress has been made during January on reordering the church. After removing the pews and raised flooring, work began on laying the sub-floor, ready to receive the stone slabs.

It had been suggested that there may be a burial under the choir stalls in the Chancel, but if there was all traces were removed by the Victorians when they carried out the last restoration. All that was revealed when the wooden floor was lifted was earth and rubble.

Before the floor was lad the electricians and heating engineers were on site to install electrical ducting and heating pipes. As far as possible all wiring and heating pipes will be concealed. The currently ugly and unsightly heating pipes that go up the church walls will be removed, so making the church interior more attractive than it has been in recent years.

It has been decided to remove some of the items from the current phase of the work, for financial reasons. Although we have received grants many very generous donations from parishioners, for which we are extremely grateful, we do not have the money to finance all the work. The last thing we want to do is to saddle the Church with a large debt for years to come. Consequently it was thought better to delay some of the improvements until the money is available. This includes the glass screen to the ringing chamber and work to the main door. These are stand-alone items which can be done at a later date without affecting the rest of the work.

The only large debt we will be left with is a debt of gratitude to Les for sharing our vision for St Peters and for his support in the scheme. Even with the work already done it is possible to see the potential for St Peters for the years ahead. The new spacious and light interior we will have a building that will be able to serve the community in ways that have not previously been possible.  

At the time of going to press the builders are busy plastering and repairing the walls, and decorating the walls. In other parts of the church the heating engineers are busy making changes to the heating system.

Welcoming 2012

It was a great joy to hear the bells being rung by our own team of 9 ringers to welcome in the new year. Many years have passed since the new year was welcomed in this way in Bratton Fleming. We congratulate our new ringers for their dedication in learning this new skill over the past months.

The new year that they welcomed promises to be an exciting and busy one. The first big event has already taken place when Alan was licensed as Team Vicar.  Later this year we will be moving back into St Peters in April, with the official opening taking place in May. In June we will be joining the rest of the country in celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  There are two big events planned for July. At the beginning of the month we will be celebrating 800 years of there being an incumbent in Bratton Fleming, with the first one recorded as being installed in 1212. At the end of the month we will be saying goodbye to Les, who will probably be the last Rector to live in the parish. At the same time of course, the Olympic Games will be taking place.

All in all 2012 appears to be a very busy time, and should prove to be a year to remember.

French Visit

In January we received a visit by a French Roman Catholic priest as part of an exchange visit between the Exeter Diocese  and its companion link with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayeux-Lisieux in Normandy. This bi-annual exchange takes place as part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Fr Paul Emmanuel from Mondaye Abbey visited St Peters to learn more about the unity between the Anglican and Methodist Churches in the village and what has been achieved. He was accompanied by Revd Simon Crittall, the Diocesan Ecumenical Officer and is seen here inspecting the reordering work that is taking place. 

Licencing Service

Members of St Peters gathered with other congregations at Shirwell church for the licencing of Rt Rev Alan Winstanley as Team Vicar to the Shirwell Team and Assistant Bishop of the Exeter Diocese by the Bishop of Exeter.

Alan received a warm welcome from the churchwardens, clergy and representatives from the seven parishes.

We now look forward to working with Alan as he joins Les for six months before taking on the responsibility for the whole Mission Community.

From the January 2012 magazine

From The Parsonage

“New Year” is a funny sort of concept. There is always a thrill to starting something new, and yet the dividing line between 31^st December and 1^st January is an artificial one, man-made and not even universally recognised. There is little difference between the two days in weather, temperature or daylight, no matter where in the world you live. Other peoples' New Years – even amongst English people -  start at different times in the year and number from a different time in history.

Yet it is good to have the chance to “begin again”. To refresh the system, and enjoy the thought that the new year can be different, with a changed emphasis or a new focus.

Surely that picture of change and opportunity is true for the Shirwell Team in 2012. On the 23^rd January, we look forward to welcoming Alan and Viv Winstanley as members of the wider Church in this place, and Alan taking over as the new Team Leader during the year.

With Team leadership changing infrequently in recent years it will seem like a big change. With Alan's recognised expertise in training for leadership and teaching, he will bring new skills and emphases to the life of the Church in our villages, skills which we very much need, and which will build on what has gone before. That expertise will place new demands on everyone who is taking a full part in the life of the Church, and it will open new avenues of work and of possibility for all of us involved in that Church life.

Looking back over many magazine articles from past years, I find that change has been a constant theme. Perhaps that is because change seems to frighten many people, and it is thus often avoided or regarded as harmful or wrong. But change is the only feature of life that is constant. So those who seek to do God's will in a world that is changing need to change and to embrace change, so that they can continue to be effective for Him in leading those swept along by change to the safety of His love shown in Jesus. May you know his blessing in the New Year.

Christmas Tree Festival

The church interior was transformed into a magical forest when we staged our first Christmas Tree Festival.  The St Peters Flower Arrangers were joined by village organisations and businesses to decorate 38 trees in an imaginative style.

A steady stream of visitors came to view the spectacle on the Saturday and Sunday, despite the weather. Many who visited on the first day came back again, bringing others with them.

At the back of the church visitors took the opportunity to write the name of a loved one on a card and hang it on the tree.  Together with the rest of the trees, the Memories Tree will remain in church until Christmas Day, when special prayers will be offered for all those whose names are on the tree.

Teas were served during both afternoons in the extension, giving visitors a chance to view the new extension.  This new facility was certainly extremely well received by those who went into it for refreshments, with many wishing that their own church could have something similar. Without the extension it would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to stage the event.

The extension also came into its own in the evening when refreshments were served during the interval during the concert.

The Festival was extended to the Monday morning, when it was visited by children from the Pre-School and Primary School. The bell ringers were also on hand, much to the delight of the schoolchildren, who were able to see how the bells are rung, before going into the extension for their refreshments.

With several people already expressing an interest in having a tree next year, it seems certain that there will be another Festival in 2012, when we will be inviting families to decorate a tree.

We are very grateful to everyone who were involved in any way in making the Festival such a success.

Please click here to view photos of the Festival.

January Services

Until Easter church services will be held either in the church extension, or in the Village Hall. Please check the notice boards for the venue of that week’s service.

On 1 January there will just be one service in the Team. This will be at Shirwell, at 11.00am

On the third Sunday (15 Jan) we will be holding our annual Covenant Service. Due to the number of other Team Services in January, this one will not be, unlike in recent years.

On Monday 23 January we will be welcoming Alan and Viv to the Shirwell Team, when the Bishop of Exeter will licence Alan as Team Vicar at Shirwell at 7.30pm.

As there are five Sundays in January, we will be finishing the month the same way as we started it, with a Team Service. This time it will be at Bratton Fleming Village Hall, at 11.00am.

The Wesley Suite

In recognition of the source of funding for the new extension, the Church Council has made the decision to call it The Wesley Suite.

Plans are in hand for an official opening of the extension later in the year, on a date convenient for the Chairman of the Methodist District and the Bishop.

Church Interior

As already mentioned in previous editions of this magazine, the church will be closed from the beginning of January until early April. This is to enable building work to be carried out. The nature of the work will mean that sections of the floor will be removed and replaced, together with a complete re-wire. As well as holes in the floor, there will be ladders and scaffold towers etc around the church.  All materials - timber, flooring slabs etc, will be stored in the church as required.

Although the closure of the church is regretted, it is unavoidable. It will also mean that the builder will be able to complete the work with minimal interruptions.

The keys to the church will be handed to the builder on 3 January, whereupon he will have complete control of the building. The only part that we will be able to use is the extension, at weekends only.

We apologise for any inconvenience that this closure may cause.

Las Posadas

This year Bratton Fleming staged its own version of the traditional Latin American Las Posadas, when members of the congragation, and wider community, enacted the role of innkeepers by providing accommodation to Mary and Joseph during the 23 day run-up to Christmas, Fortunately this time enough people were prepared to offer accommodation, unlike 2000 years ago. During the 23 days Mary & Joseph visited many homes and events. At the services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, photographs depicting their journey were shown.

For more photographs please click here.

Village Christmas Trees

Seen here with Ped Dunbavin are Mark and Josh when they collected the Christmas Trees for the Festival, and the Community Trees, from Parkham.

We are very grateful to these three volunteers for collecting the trees and distributing them around the village.

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