15th August 2010
You will discover a rich variety of social and spiritual invitations from the wide cross-section of Christian traditions represented within the Exmouth community.
Whether you are a visitor ~ or planning a visit,
or whether you have recently come to live in the area
or been part of Exmouth for ages,
we want to help you to find a Church where you can feel at home as part of the Lord's family in this place.
As in most families, there will be different viewpoints among the members but there is, at the same time, an awareness of having so much in common.
We hope that you will join us and encourage us to grow together in mutual trust and in love for one another and in allowing our Heavenly Father to embrace each one of His sons and daughters as He holds us together in His Heart.
Although a comparative newcomer to Exmouth myself, I recently had the privilege of being chosen as 'Chaplain' to CTE. It is my prayer and my fervent wish that we can identify with the very first Christian disciples who heard Jesus pray for both themselves and for us that we may be one as He and the Father are One.
May the Peace of the Risen Lord be with us all.
Rev Richard Stranack CTE Chaplain
29th August 2010
The service consists of three visits gathering information and creating a workable budget. In addition each client has a support worker from the local church who is the ongoing contact with that church.
These are very hard and difficult times and there are countless numbers of people struggling with debt. Unmanageable debt can play havoc with peoples lives and we have had the privilege of seeing lives changed as people start the journey of becoming debt free.
We have now over 60 clients who are working with us and a few have become debt free. In addition we support some clients who struggle with food for their families by having food banks in our churches. We try to be as practical as we can meeting needs as they arise.
The service is practical, long term and freely available to everyone, regardless of age, race, religion, disability or any other factor. We work with clients until they are debt free, offering a holistic approach that tackles more than just their financial status. Our budgets and plans are manageable and sustainable and we place particular emphasis on saving for the future too. These principles have a proven track-record of empowering our clients to get debt free and stay debt free, breaking the cycle of poverty for future generations to come.
We are working closely with referral agencies such as East Devon District Council, Citizens Advice Bureaux, local housing associations, social services, GP's etc. Click here or the picture above for more.
Rev John Graver, Christ Church Exmouth
Click here to go to the CTE page for Christ Church
5th September 2010
'I will come for you'
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On 18th of July this year it was my privilege to preside over the Exmouth RNLI Sea Sunday Service.
As part of that service I delivered an address which has come to mean a lot to me. So much so that when asked to contribute to this website I decided that I should share it again. |
Adapted from the sermon 'I will come for you':
As I have already mentioned it is a real privilege to conduct this RNLI Sea Sunday Service. My respect for the RNLI goes back to the time when I was a child and we lived in the coastguard cottages on Chesil Beach. Swimming off Chesil Beach is very dangerous due to the undertow at the water's edge.Adding this to my experience of winter nights when, because our house was so close to the sea, the storms would splash the sea spray onto my bedroom window pane it, is easy to see how, for me, the sea was always a place of danger
Ironically it is always from the midst of danger that heroes emerge and for a little boy living by the side of the dangerous sea the crew of the nation's lifeboats were among those heroes. My first memory of the Lifeboat heroes is the story of the overland launch of the Lynmouth lifeboat in 1899 read for me on the television show 'Jackanory'. Later as a teenager, following the loss of the Penlee lifeboat as it struggled to rescue the crew of the Union Star, my father told me the story of the loss of the Longhope lifeboat as it went to the assistance of the Liberian cargo ship Irene. Although these stories were ingrained into my childhood it was not until I served as a Baptist minister in Orkney that the real significance and extent of what the crews of the lifeboat actually do began to sink in.
Living on one of Orkney's outer isles if you were taken ill or had a serious accident getting to hospital was not easy. an easy matter. In such an emergency the doctor would call for the air ambulance but even though the local pilots were incredibly good at their job there were times, because of fog or high winds, they simply could not fly. It was then that the Lifeboat would be dispatched and, for them it did not matter how bad the weather is, they would come for you.
Thankfully, during my time in Orkney they never had to come for me, although I heard and read plenty of stories of times when the lifeboat had come and carried folk off to hospital. With all this in the back of my mind I am continually conscious that just as the men and women of the RNLI are willing to put themselves in harm's way when they are called upon to come for you, so does God. Just as there are numerous stories of how heroes of the RNLI have been willing to risk their lives, and sometimes give them up, to save others from the sea, so the Christian story is one of how God gives himself up for us in and through the person of Jesus. The Christian story is one of the selfless acts of God who comes for us even when others cannot or will not. Furthermore, this story is not just about how God comes and saves, it is also a story of how he changes lives. Just as those who have been rescued by the RNLI have a story to tell to their children, a story of the heroes who came for them, so the story of how God comes to those who call out to him, how he gives up his life for us, is passed on from generation to generation. As a Baptist minister it is this story, the story of the God who comes for you, no matter the cost, that I am privileged to tell Sunday by Sunday.
Steve Langford, Exmouth Baptist Church (Victoria Road)
Click here to go to the CTE page for Exmouth Baptist Church
12th September 2010
"Here am I, send me" Christ Church Woodbury
Our mission statement states clearly that Christ Church Woodbury exists for three primary purposes: to Worship God, to Serve Others, and to Introduce People to Jesus. We strive for meaningful worship, occasions for people to feel the presence of Jesus and to create opportunities to serve others as best we can.
To this end 7 members of our congregation recently visited Arusha in Tanzania to meet the children that many of our members sponsor. The visit was life changing for them. So much so that they want to return, but in the interim have encouraged the church to set a target to raise ‘£20,000 in the coming year to help them.
Tanzania, one of the poorest countries in the world, has a predominantly young population with an estimated 45% of the population under 15 years of age. Due to factors including AIDS, it is estimated there are over one million orphans, and this figure rises daily.
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Rebecca Jackson and Wendy Kelley have been living and working in Tanzania since February 2004 to provide a home to orphaned and vulnerable children in Imbaseni village, close to Arusha in northern Tanzania. They run family-style houses, each house managed by a Tanzanian "mama" and assisted by other Tanzanian staff.
The children live as part of the local community rather than being separated and institutionalised. Their homes are safe, and comfortably furnished, providing an environment of peace where hurts can be healed, and hope for a future can be nurtured. Often the children arrive emotionally, spiritually, and sometime physically, bruised. |
And now, with the acquisition of their own land, they are able to substantially increase their effectiveness.
They are committed Christians who work under the banner of Seeway Tanzania (SWTz), who believe, and do, what it says in James 1:27 "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
As an opener, Jeremy Jackson, an elder at Christ Church - and who has been retired for some time! - began on September 1st., a 150 mile walk from Woodbury to Land's End. He's planning to finish on September 14th. His aim is to raise £2,000 towards the target.
Jeremy has been in training for some time and assures us that he is "quietly confident"
Someone wrote recently -
I was going to ask God, "WHY DON'T YOU DO MORE FOR THE WEAK. THE SAD, THE BROKEN & HURTING!!!!!"
Did you ask Him? Well. no. Why?
Because I was afraid He might ask me THE SAME QUESTION!
And in a small, insignificant way a few reply "Here am I, send me"
Henry Fulls, Christ Church Woodbury
Click here to go to the CTE page for Christ Church Woodbury
19th September 2010
"Festival of Brides and Bouquets"
On the last week-end in August All Saints Church put on an exhibition of bridal fashions over recent years, quoting the book of Common Worship: "A wedding is one of life's great moments, a time of solemn commitment as well as good wishes, feasting and joy."
And quoting from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 .... "Love is patient, love is kind; love is not envious boastful or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth; sustains believes, hopes, endures, to the last."
click image for full resolution picture
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Edwardian Bridal Gown
1940's wartime bride
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1970's
1950s - 1960s
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1920s
1930s |
All Saints, Exeter Road
26th September 2010
"Commissioned" means "sent"
 | Our commissioning service recognises our sense of being sent by God to do the things we do. It's much more than kindness or compassion that motivates us, good though those things are. |
The initiative is God's and we act as his messengers in bringing his kingdom into view for the people we work with.
So the stories we tell are the outworking of his story, the story of a God who reaches out in love to his world.
But we are also sent by the churches of Exmouth as representatives of the people of God in the town. We are able then to transcend denominational differences by working together as 'the church in Exmouth'.
That's why CTE is included as part of this act of commissioning. It's so good to see the wider Christian Community of Exmouth acting together to make a difference in our town.
Thank you for being part of this! 
David Ley, Open Door Centre
Click to visit Open Door website
4th October 2010
Changes at Holy Trinity
Rev Ian Morter, the Rector of Holy Trinity Exmouth and St Margaret & St Andrew, Littleham has moved to Exeter, leaving Bill MacKenzie as team Vicar. Bill was chair of Christians Together until the summer; from CTE we all wish him well in his new role. The following are some excerpts from his article in their parish magazine …….
| ""It is with sadness that we say farewell to Fr Ian who has led us these last 10 years with great skill and commitment. Solid foundations for continuing mission are very much in place across the Mission Community and we have a very exciting and challenging time ahead....... |
""On Sunday I preached about the wonder of the vision and mission Jesus has given us to make disciples of all nations! Not in all nations, though that is hard enough, but to make every nation a disciple! It is the work Jesus has commissioned for the Church and he will come to complete the task.......
""We have just had the visit of Pope Benedict XVI ........ It was refreshing to hear a church leader speak forcefully about the biblical truth we have inherited and rightly proclaim in the public square. Religion is not something that is private, but essential for informing public thought and direction. It is public truth, whether it is accepted or not.......
11th October 2010
History of Point in View Chapel
A Chaplain was also appointed to 'deliver Sunday Service, preach and play the organ'. The organ, which is still used for all Services, is believed to be unique in Europe in that it was designed to be both a Lectern and, upon lifting the lectern book rest, instantly converts to a delightful, but rather tiny, 'Choir Organ' of limited range but which suits the size of the chapel admirably. Many organ enthusiasts frequently come to visit this unique instrument.
In 1811, the accommodation for the Chaplain was (incredibly) confined to, what is now, the Vestibule of the Chapel. In 1829 the Chaplain was provided with a fine Grade 2 Manse which the position surely deserved. During the latter half of the last century the four former Alms Houses were converted (because of modern housing standards ) into one full-sized Alms house and a Community Room/Kitchen and Vestry. The Trustees authorised the building of three modern bungalows to compensate for the loss of the 'original' Alms Houses and, ten years' later, a further two bungalows were built.
During this period, the Trust's Constitution was also modified to allow any single lady 'in need' to apply to be a 'Beneficiary of the Mary Parminter Charity' regardless of any faith or background. All references to 'Jewish spinsters' were removed as they were thought to be inappropriate in the light of modern history.
Thus the spirit of the 'Mary Parminter Charity' has prevailed. Almost 200 years since the institution of the Charity, the intentions of the Cousins Parmiter have been faithfully followed.
Point-in-View is interdenominational and is affiliated to the United Reformed Church.
Sunday morning Service is at 11 a.m.
It is open every day of the year and has beautiful gardens with breath-taking views of the western aspects of Lyme Bay with Berry Head as its focus.
The Chapel is sited in the middle of a wild flower meadow and a warm welcome awaits."
When you doubt the power of God,
look out to sea
We live in a beautiful part of the world. One of the particular aspects of this area is the beautiful coastline and in particular the sea views which we can all enjoy. It seems that every day the sea offers a different aspect; it can be beautifully blue and quiet or choppy with white caps on the waves and sometimes almost black with foreboding. It can be quiet and calm and then wild and stormy, but always it is full of interest. As a child living in the Midlands we lived about as far from the seas as is possible in the British Isles and a very important time for us and particularly for my Mum was the summer holiday and the first sight of the sea meant the holiday had really begun. Often we would wonder how it would be to sit on a boat out at sea and watch us on the beach. How would the land look from the sea? This is something I have often wondered about and for many years did not find an opportunity to find out.
However when he was younger, my son learned to sail a dinghy. On one occasion a friend of mine offered to take my son and I sailing in his boat which he kept moored at Brixham Marina. Now I have been to sea on ferries and even on a little motor boat once and suffered no ill effects, but today was going to be different. As we sailed across in front of Goodrington Sands I began to feel a bit strange. As we passed Paignton pier I felt dizzy and by the time we reached Torquay harbour I was very pale and feeling very ill. All I wanted to do was get onto dry land and so I was left in Torquay and watched as the boat sailed away.
It was not a nice experience. But before I had begun to feel ill I had looked at the coastline from the sea and I had looked out to sea from that little boat and been made more aware than ever of the power that the sea holds. As I bobbed about in the boat I felt very small and at the mercy of the sea.
In Psalm 93 we read about the power of God who is mightier than the great waters. As I sat looking out at that vast mass of water I understood in a new way what it was that the psalmist was trying to describe. The God who loves us is bigger than anything we can every understand, bigger and more powerful than all of the seas, and yet he loves and cares for each of us. Sometimes we feel tossed about by life and can be left feeling queasy and dizzy by things that happen and change all around us. Then it is comforting to know just how powerful God is. When you doubt the power of God, just look out to sea.
Robert Jennings, Glenorchy URC
All Saints Day and All Saints-tide
The book entitled "Exciting Holiness" contains Collects and Readings for Festivals in the Church of England. It describes All Saints Day as a "Principal Feast".
Then is printed the following:
"From its earliest days, the Church has recognised as its foundation stones those heroes of the faith whose lives have excited others to holiness and have assumed a communion with the Church on earth and the Church in Heaven."
"Celebrating the Feast of All Saints began in the fourth century. At first it was observed on the Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost: this was to link the disciples who received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the foundation of the Church, with those who were martyrs, giving their lives as witness for the faith.
In the eighth century, a chapel was dedicated to All Saints in St Peter's, Rome, on November 1st. Within a century, this day was observed in England and Ireland as All Saints Day".
In the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 1 we read "With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we should keep running steadily in the race we have started". All Saints-tide is an Octave ~ a period of eight days ~ in which we are bidden to be especially mindful of the Saints of God and their witness. The Octave concludes on 8th November with Feast of the Saints and Martyrs of England.
It is appropriate, therefore, in November to be extra mindful of the Saints of God; to give thanks for their examples of faith and for their continuing intercession for us. In the Apostles' Creed, we profess our faith in the "Holy, Catholic Church and the Communion of Saints". In the Nicene Creed, we declare our belief in the "one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church"; in Baptism "for the remission of sins" and we look forward to "the Resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come".
When contemplating the phrase "Communion of Saints", the word "Communion" is of vital, central, importance because it reminds us of the fellowship that exists within the Church of God ~ of which our link and association with the Saints plays an important part. The word "Communion" in this context means, of course, a "common union", a "fellowship". A fellowship of the Saints of God with us ~ and we with them.
We believe in and share in the fellowship that is the Communion of Saints. We may have our particular favourite Saints, we may invoke the prayers of the Saints, and we may acknowledge Mary as pre-eminent of all God's Saints. In all of this we need to remember ~ and remind ourselves daily ~ of the fact that the Saints of God ~ all His Saints ~ are not merely historical figures to be remembered and admired. Above all they are people with whom we share a Communion ~ a Fellowship.
"Almighty God, you have knit together Your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Your Son Christ Our Lord:
Grant us grace so to follow Your blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living that we may come to those inexpressible joys that You have prepared for those who truly love You; through Jesus Christ Your Son, Our lord, Who is alive and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever" (Collect for All Saints Day)
Father Trevor Smyth, Vicar of All Saints Exmouth,