Friday 26th June 10.15am 

w/c Sunday 28^th June 2026

Dear Friends,

We are in Ordinary time in the church’s year.
This refers to the fact that there are no major festivals over the coming weeks.
It’s an opportunity for us to focus on Jesus’ teachings and life, to explore what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
Inevitably it means we will come across things that raise questions for us, when we have to admit that we don’t always understand everything about our faith.
This can be very liberating; it can also be confusing.
I came across this prayer by John Pritchard which I hope will help us as we explore what it means to follow Jesus.

 Living God,
daily you create the world, remake it,
and fill it with possibilities.
When it comes to faith,
help us to appreciate what we understand,
to enquire about what we don’t understand,
and to enjoy the journey in between…

Thought for the week

In Matthew 10 over the last few weeks, we have listened in to Jesus preparing His disciples for mission.
It begins with the giving of authority and power, for without the Holy Spirit we can do  nothing.
Jesus reminds us that the very hairs on our head are numbered and we need take nothing with us because the labourer deserves their wages.
Being a disciple can be challenging.
There is a lot of talk about spirituality today but what does that word mean? Different things to different people of course, however for Christians it’s a shorthand for “life in the Spirit” which Paul talks about in Galatians 5 and 1 Corinthians chapters 12 to 14 for example.

For us as disciples there is of course no “spiritual bit” of our being, we don’t compartmentalise our faith.
Faith is who we are in Christ, which is truly the person you and I are.
Ours should be a practical faith too. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self- control.
This isn’t just about being a nice person and doing good. It is about living our life in God and with God.
The fruit comes from that relationship, when the tree is well nourished and watered.
So how do we sustain life in the Spirit? How do we practice good discipleship?

For me, making time for God each day, each hour is essential.
A time of stillness and quiet, a time to listen and be aware of how I am, about simply connecting; being aware of God’s Presence .
Real prayer has stillness at its centre. I was reminded of this last Sunday when we prayed together in church for various situations and people, silently and together.
It has often been said that the problem with prayer is the absence of us.
When we are present in prayer then God is Present too and we remember and know ultimately who we really are.
Matthew 10 v 40 reads: “anyone who welcomes you, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the One who sent me”.

It’s a continuous flowing and growing closer to the One who gave His all for us.
David Harwood

Notices and Diary

• Year of Prayer – informal communal prayer times:-

2^nd Sunday           Rattery during Morning Worship at 11.15

3^rd Sunday          St Petroc’s at 8.45 (8.30 coffee)

                                                                        Dean Prior during Morning Worship at 9.30

                                                                        Staverton during Morning Worship at 9.30

St Luke’s during Morning Worship at 11am

Littlehempston during Holy Communion at 11am

4^th Sunday          Landscove during Holy Communion at 9.30am

• National Emergency Briefing film show in South Brent Village Hall Sun July 5 – 5 to 7pm. An eye-opening film featuring Chris Packham and ten leading UK scientists. To book https://www.itsorted.org.uk/neb

Tues 30^th June                    St Luke’s Funeral at 1pm (Gladys Watts).

Wed 1st July                       St Petroc’s Morning Prayer at 8.30am

Thought for the week at 10am by zoom and telephone

St Petroc’s Parish Lunch 12.30-1.30pm

St Petroc’s Funeral at 1pm (Dr John Halliday)

Fri 3^rd July                              Morning Prayer at 9am by zoom and telephone

 Know you are in my heart and in my prayers.
Rev Gina