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 February 2019
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 |
|
February 3 Presentation of Christ Gold/White |
Bratton Fleming Shirwell East Down Loxhore |
09.30 09.30 11.15 15.00 |
Holy Communion Morning Worship Holy Communion Evening Prayer BCP |
|
February 10 Fourth Sunday before Lent Green |
Bratton Fleming Shirwell Stoke Rivers Challacombe |
09.30 09.30 11.15 11.15 |
All Age Worship Holy Communion Morning Worship Holy Communion |
|
February 17 Third Sunday before Lent
Green |
Bratton Fleming Shirwell Kentisbury East Down Loxhore Shirwell |
09.30 09.30 09.30 11.15 11.15 14.30 |
Holy Communion M All Praise CL Holy Communion All Praise Holy Communion BCP Remembering Service |
|
February 24
Second Sunday before Lent Green |
Bratton Fleming Shirwell Stoke Rivers Bratton Fleming Challacombe |
09.30 09.30 11.15 15.45 18.30 |
All Praise CL Holy Communion Holy Communion Messy Church Evening Prayer BCP |
Stoke Rivers Community Meeting
Please note that the postponed meeting from Thursday 31 January will now be held on Monday 4 March.
Curate's Ramblings - March 2019
Forgiveness
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.” One author has suggested that this line of the Lords prayer has “made liars out of more people than any document in human history”!
In our workplaces, homes, neighbourhoods and country, we tend to want mercy for ourselves and for justice to be served on others. We identify problems that need to be “fixed”. The truth is often that we think that there are other people who need to be corrected. It is less likely that we ourselves will want to be corrected by other people!
Forgiveness is needed in our troubled communities, troubled nation and troubled world. The Bible says that this requires something more than just saying “live and let live”, or to turn a blind eye to problems. There is pain and deep hurt in people’s lives and in all our shared lives. In this “season of Brexit” it may be an appropriate time to reflect more deeply on how we might respond to the deep divisions of opinion and emotions in our lives and our country.
Forgiveness is perhaps like the “oil” of relationship. Without it we cause harm when we encounter each other. The example set by Jesus is to extend total forgiveness in relationship. Yet it seems an impossible task. I know I certainly fail to forgive. The total forgiveness that Jesus tells us about can only be extended out of our relationship with our forgiving Father in heaven. The Bible promised that new patterns of forgiveness would begin in us, if we accept the Holy Spirit promised in Jesus’ name. Then we can begin to learn to “be merciful as our Father is merciful” (Luke 6 v 36). In the quoted line from the Lords prayer there are two certainties. First, we will fail, and secondly, those around us will fail. Jesus instructs us that our failures should prompt us to seek forgiveness and that we are also to offer forgiveness towards others.
In this month ahead, all of us face difficulties both in our own lives and in our shared lives as a nation of divided communities. Brexit approaches bringing uncertainty and the likelihood of further divisions and serious changes. Perhaps we ought to consider an uncomfortable question that may just begin to help us: have we forgiven others, and have we sought our own forgiveness?
Martyn