Welcome
The Shirwell Mission Community comprises eight Churches in seven rural parishes in North Devon:
Bratton Fleming; Challacombe; East Down & Arlington; Kentisbury; Loxhore; Shirwell and Stoke Rivers.
The Mission Community
Services during September
and October 2018
The Mission Community lies within the Shirwell Deanery and covers an area of just under 50 square miles with a population of approximately 2600.
The parishes extend north east of Barnstaple to the Exmoor National Park and the Somerset border.
The Rector is Revd Rosie Austin, who lookes after the seven parishes. She is assisted by a curate Revd Martyn Tyrrell, two retired clergymen, Rev Chris Tull from Challacombe and Rev Mike Miller from South Molton.
Rosie lives in Bratton Fleming, the largest of the parishes and placed centrally within the Mission Community.
Martyn lives in Shirwell, the second largest parish.
All enquiries for weddings, funerals and baptisms should be made to Rev Rosie Austin:
Telephone 01598 711962
Email: rosieaustin@live.co.uk
|
Date |
Place |
Time |
Service type |
|
September 2
Trinity 14
Green |
Bratton Fleming Shirwell East Down Loxhore |
09.30 09.30 11.15 11.15
|
Holy Communion Morning Worship Holy Commuion Holy Communion BCP |
|
September 9
Trinity 15
Green |
Bratton Fleming Shirwell Stoke Rivers Challacombe
|
09.30 09.30 11.15 11.15
|
All Age Worship Holy Communion Morning Worship Holy Communion |
|
September 16
Trinity 16
Green |
Bratton Fleming Shirwell Kentisbury East Down/ Arlington Loxhore
|
09.30 09.30 09.30 15.00
18.30
|
Holy Communion All Praise (Celtic Liturgy) Holy Communion Harvest Service
Harvest Service |
|
September 23
Trinity 17
Green |
Bratton Fleming Shirwell Stoke Rivers Bratton Fleming Challacombe |
09.30 09.30
15.45 18.30 |
Morning Worship Holy Communion NO SERVICE Messy Church Harvest Service
|
|
Monday September 24
|
Stoke Rivers |
18.30 |
Harvest Service
|
|
Tuesday September 26 |
Challacombe |
19.00 |
Harvest Supper at the Methodist Chapel |
|
Saturday September 29 |
EXETER CATHEDRAL |
16.00 |
Ordination of Priests
|
|
September 30 Trinity 18 Green |
Loxhore |
11.00 |
Team Holy Communion |
|
October 7
Trinity 19
Green
|
Bratton Fleming Shirwell East Down Loxhore Shirwell Kentisbury |
09.30
11.15
15.00 18.00 |
Holy Communion NO SERVICE Holy Communion NO SERVICE Harvest Service Harvest Service |
|
October 14
Trinity 20
Green |
Bratton Fleming Shirwell Challacombe Stoke Rivers |
09.30 09.30 11.15 11.15 |
Harvest Service Holy Communion Holy Communion Morning Worship
|
|
October 21
Trinity 21
Green |
Bratton Fleming Shirwell Kentisbury East Down Loxhore |
09.30 09.30 09.30 11.15 15.00 |
Holy Communion All Praise (Celtic Liturgy) Holy Communion All Praise (Celtic Liturgy) Holy Communion |
|
October 28
Last Sunday after Trinity
Green |
Bratton Fleming Shirwell Stoke Rivers Bratton Fleming Challacombe
|
09.30 09.30 11.15 15.45 18.30 |
Morning Worship Holy Communion Holy Communion Messy Café Evening Prayer BCP |
Parishes within the Shirwell Mission Community
Curate's Ramblings for September
Harvest
Twelve months and the full season of the year have now passed since our family started living here amongst the local community. When we first moved, the fields and woods were abundant green with the damp summer fuelling growth. As the seasons changed they ripened into autumn colours, faded into the winter bleakness and froze into the white blanket of snow! This summer has brought the baked brown of the midsummer heatwave, completing the annual cycle of colours.
As we approach autumn, Blackmoor Gate market will be at its busiest with thousands of sheep being bought & sold. Another school year will start for young families and, as the tourist season fades the pattern of traffic on our roads will go back to “normal”! Hopefully this summer’s tourism will have provided important income for our many local businesses. It is in the midst of this season that Harvest Festival will be celebrated in services across our parishes.
The Bible speaks a lot of the imagery of planting and harvesting. It is curious though that the imagery of planting seeds is more often associated with God alone, while the imagery of harvesting more often involves people working together for God. The Bible tells us that God’s people ought to be a people of harvest; harvesters who benefit from seeds that have already been sown, life that has already grown and work that has already been done.
Jesus gave himself the name “Lord of the harvest”. God’s word invites us to be the harvesters of the good things he has planned and to do so in the way he has planned. The Bible shows us what harvests looked like in the first community that was formed by the Holy Spirit. People encouraged, shared, supported and enabled each other. At the heart of these communities, past and present, is costly forgiveness and difficult restoration of relationships in Jesus.
I believe that there is a harvest that can begin now in our lives, which will bring the life God intends in place of the one we find ourselves in. The Bible says that we are called to equip ourselves with the forgiveness given in Jesus, to turn and choose to participate in community of harvest as the Holy Spirit works change that starts in our hearts. Jesus said “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into Hisharvest field.”
Martyn