Rectors news | Crediton Parish Church

Rector’s News

JANUARY 2012

A Lively December!

I feel that we have a lot to celebrate at the moment having just witnessed the amazing Christmas Tree Festival at Holy Cross. We were grateful not to have the snow to contend with this year, although my sons still hanker after some! Attendance at the Festival was over 4,000, a remarkable total, and that is testimony to the huge popularity of the event. I would like to thank Glenda Hills, the organiser, and to everyone who helped with setting up and clearing away, with the stewarding and providing refreshments and with the other numerous tasks involved in putting on such a great show. The Festival reminded me what a powerful thing community cooperation can be. Such cooperation and mutual support is one of the heartening features of Crediton and our surrounding parishes and I do feel that it helps to makes this community much stronger than many. This strength of community will no doubt be tested in the years ahead, but I believe it will stand us in good stead and I hope it will help to sustain our local businesses and organisations through what may be lean times ahead.

We also had a very happy celebration when Bishop Bob came to dedicate the new wiring and lighting at Holy Cross at our morning communion on December 4^th.

I would also like to thank the numerous people who led services around the benefice during the Advent and Christmas season and many others who decorated and cleaned the churches, contributed to music and the ringing of bells. Thank you all.

New Year and Epiphany Carols

The West Gallery Choir will be leading a candlelit New Year Carol Service at St. Lawrence Chapel on Sunday January 1^st at 6pm. A week later Holy Cross Choir will be leading an Epiphany Carol Service at 6pm on Sunday 8^th January at Holy Cross. Do come and support and enjoy these special services if you can.

Evening Worship

We are also planning some varied evening worship at 6pm on the other Sundays of January. On Sunday 15^th Compline will be sung followed by a short talk by me using art works which relate to the Epiphany season. On Sunday 22^nd the excellent series of Talkback ‘This is my story’ will continue with a talk at St Boniface Church by Terry Nott, who is a leader at Morchard Bishop Methodist Church and an insurance salesman. It seems to me that the Church has not always been effective in helping to relate faith and working life and this series is helping to address that. Finally on Sunday 29^th January there will be Taizé Evening Prayer at Holy Cross with reflective music and readings.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

We will be keeping the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with a series of short ‘Midday Prayer’ services on the weekdays, listed below. A minister or member of one of the Churches in Crediton will be leading the prayers, but not usually in their own church. I would like to encourage you to come along and pray for unity among our local churches and the worldwide Church.

All the dates are in January at 12.30pm and the prayers will last no more than 20 minutes.

Monday 16^th at Crediton Congregational Church

Tuesday 17^th at Crediton Methodist Church

Wednesday 18^th at Holy Cross, Lady Chapel

Thursday 19^th at St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church

Friday 20^th in the Market Square

Parish Lunch

The Parish Lunch has become an enjoyable event in the calendar and Crediton PCC is hosting another one on Sunday 12^th February at 12.30pm. It will be a chance to give thanks for the generosity of those who support Holy Cross, and our other benefice churches, and also to look ahead to the challenges which face us. I will be writing to all Crediton electoral roll members about the lunch but any members of the parish and Benefice are welcome to attend. Please contact the Parish Office if you would like to come to the lunch.

Farewell to The Reverend Anthony Freeman

Anthony retired from his work in publishing at the end of 2011 and he and Jacqueline will soon be moving back to Chichester where they began their married life. Anthony has made a large and distinguished contribution to the life of our benefice for many years now. He has given very generously of his time and energy, taking services and preaching throughout the Benefice Community. But those comments don’t really do justice to what Anthony has shared with us. His knowledge of the bible and Christian theology is quite exceptional and he also has that rare ability to make his understanding clear and comprehensible to us mere mortals! I can honestly say that Anthony has preached some of the best sermons I have ever heard and I remember listening with awe to his exposition of part of St John’s Gospel at a Talkback. I will miss his ministry very much and I know that he and Jacqueline will go from here with our sincere gratitude and with prayers and good wishes for a very happy retirement. We will be saying goodbye to Anthony at the 9.30am Sung Eucharist at Holy Cross on Sunday 29^th January when he will preach here for the final time.

With every blessing for the coming year to you and yours.

Nigel Guthrie

Rev. Prebendary, Crediton Parish Church.

Crediton Parish Church