THE PARISH CHURCH OF STOKE
DAMEREL (ST. ANDREW & ST. LUKE)

For the 10.00am Parish Eucharist  for today click here

Rector: Revd Keith Robus RN
Telephone No: 01752 509724

Email: keith.robus@btinternet.com
www.Stokedamerel.church
www.facebook.com/StokeDamerelChurch

Sunday 26th June               2nd Sunday after Trinity

 

THIS WEEK'S READINGS IF YOU ARE ILL OR NEED TO GO INTO HOSPITAL
Please ring for support:-
Revd Keith: 509724
Wendy: 218432
Liz: 509852

Merciful God,
we entrust to your tender care
those who are ill or in pain,
knowing that whenever danger threatens
your everlasting arms
are there to hold them safe.
Comfort and heal them,
and restore them to health and strength;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

PLEASE PRAY FOR:-
The sick:-
James, Jean, Claire, Maureen, Yvonne, Tim, Thea, Pat, Andy.
The long term sick and infirm:-
Terry and Pat, Revd Peter Warland, Janet, George and Audrey, Michael.
The Ministry Team:-
Father Keith, Ruth and Wendy.


BLESSED SACRAMENT CANDLE

If you would like to have the candle lit for a week
for a particular prayer / thanksgiving /
commemoration, etc., please send a £5 donation to
Debbie Smith, clearly marking your donation as
being for the candle. Details of your intention can
be emailed to:- sarah.lundstrom@virginmedia.com
so that a mention of the commemoration, etc., can
appear in the Sunday Sheet.

RECTOR’S RAMBLINGS
Stoke Damerel Parish Church is a hybrid church
open for public worship and private prayer and all
services will be live streamed.

By attending a live streamed service, you give
implied permission to have your image captured
on CCTV and to be broadcast as participant in the
liturgy.

Sung hymns and organ music
The Church of England, working with St Martin
in-the-Fields and the Royal School of Church
Music, is delighted to be providing a resource of
rights-free music for use on streamed services.

In order to watch the livestreamed services please
‘click’ on this link to
make your way to YouTube site:
https://www.youtube.com/c/StokeDamerelChurch

Sunday 26 June                        Trinity 2
0800 Holy Eucharist sadly this service has had
to be cancelled.
1000 Sung Distribution of the Holy Eucharist –
We welcome today the Revd Pat Brenton and Ray
Brenton to conduct today’s extended distribution
of the Holy Eucharist.
Pat is a Distinctive Deacon and serves as part of
the Chaplaincy at Derriford Hospital and Ray is a
Licensed Reader in Southway. With Fr Keith down
with Covid we welcome Pat and Ray with joyful
arms.
As instruction, the Liturgy of the Word is as per
normal and with the Liturgy of the Sacrament Pat
will distribute the pre-consecrated hosts (one kind
only). Please do welcome Pat and Ray as they
minister to the parish.

Wednesday 29 June
1000 Morning Prayer
St Peter the Apostle

Friday 1 July Summer Fair set up – times to be
announced

Saturday 2 July
Summer Fair 1100-1515
Please would EVERYONE make it a priority to
attend!

Sunday 3 July                        St Thomas the Apostle
0800 Holy Eucharist
1000 Sung Holy Eucharist

Quinquennial Inspection
For those not familiar with the term, we as a parish
are required to have a five yearly inspection of the
church (not the Parish Centre) by the Diocese. The
inspection report was issued earlier this year. We
are now in discussions with our architects as to
how much it will cost for them to prepare a
specification to form part of a tender document to
send out to prospective builders. Once we have
that costing and the PCC agree, we may then
obtain a rough costing for the work to be
undertaken. (Sorry to be so convoluted).
In essence, all the work will centre around keeping
the building watertight. This will include an
overhaul of all gutters, downpipes and soakaways.
It will also include securing and replacing loose
slates on the main roof (there are six aspects of
these). It is imperative that a new roof is provided
for the Choir Vestry. The most expensive part will
be a new roof on the tower with improved access
from the stairs onto the roof. The tower will need
to have scaffolding placed around it. It would be
prudent to take advantage of this and replace the
louvers in the bell chamber, clean the
pinnacles and do other inexpensive work which
would require expensive scaffolding.
All work undertaken would require the permission
of the PCC and a faculty from the Diocesan
Advisory Council (DAC) for the Care of Churches.
It will also need funding – which is where each
and everyone one of us need to play a part. We
have before us a time of hard work in raising
funding as well as applying for grants etc. We each
will have a part to play and I am asking you all to
begin praying for God’s help with this. As the
psalmist says “EXCEPT the Lord build the house:
their labour is but lost that build it”. Ps127

Cakes for the Summer Fair
We would be immensely grateful if you are willing
to bake something for our Summer Fair, which is
such an important fund-raiser for the church.
In October 2021, Natasha’s Law came into force,
following the tragic death of a young lady due to
undisclosed allergens in food. In order to comply
with the law, we would ask that you kindly please
list the ingredients you have used, so that these
can be displayed.
In the Diocesan Roots and Shoots there was an
article about providing cakes for the Devon Show
and the use of special safe cake recipes. If you wish to
use one of these recipes, please follow this link:
https://exeter.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Baking-for-Devon-County-Show.pdf

Running repairs – thank you!

There is in use within the church a small (and of
course perfectly formed) chalice and paten (plate
on which the sacred host rests). Over the decades
there have been times when the paten has been
dropped and, as a result, has been damaged. In
wishing to keep all items in good order, I
discovered a local silversmith and took it to him
for repair and restoration. This has now been
completed and the piece returned and is now back
in use. The cost of the repair was £40.
Thank you to the donor who has covered the cost
of this repair.

Farewell to Bishop Nick
As you may be aware, Bishop Nick will retire in
August. There will be a farewell Choral Evensong
in the Cathedral on Sunday 24 July at 1500 (3pm).
I intend to attend and have some spare seats in my
car.
There has also been opened a collection in
appreciation for +Nick’s work among us. If anyone
would like to contribute, please do bring your gift
to Marilyn, Debbie or to me.

Sunday 10 July
This Sunday requires extra assistance as a key
number of people will be away. I am requesting
help with the running of the church on that Sunday
when we will have with us the Venerable Nick
Shutt LLM, Archdeacon of Plymouth, to be our
principal celebrant and preacher.
Volunteers to me please.

Father Keith

CHURCHWARDEN'S WARBLINGS

Summer Fair: Next Saturday 11am – 3.15pm
Unfortunately and unusually, we have a very low
take-up on stalls this time and I am a bit concerned
the Fair will look rather sparse!
I am still trying to attract other stall holders and if,
by chance, you know of anyone who might like to
sell good quality bric-a-brac or have a nearly new
clothing rail, then please do encourage them to
contact me. I sent out at least 50 adverts to stall
holders without much response I fear. We will
move the café into the church which always looks
cheerful and perhaps during the week a few more
people will come forward. We should have four
tables with our own selection of: edible produce,
books, plants and bric-a-brac plus the raffle table.
We are still very short of items for both of the
latter. Please try your best over the weekend to
give up some precious possessions and place one
of our posters in your front window if you live
nearby! Many thanks!

City College Cafe

Thursday was the final session of the community
college cafe for this academic year.
Claire’s Homity pies have been going down a treat
as well as cheese scones and savoury puff pastry
items. Your support, even if just produce purchase,
is much appreciated and gives these young people
a chance to experience work and responsibility.
Thank you.
Marilyn Goldsbrough

CONCERT : SATURDAY 2ND JULY 7.30PM
The Callington Community Gospel Choir are
performing a concert next Saturday evening in
Plymouth Methodist Central Hall. Entry is free
and there will be a retiring collection in aid of
Plymouth Foodbank.
For further information, please go to:
www.ccgc.org.uk

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN JUNE
Lesley Morris, Dawn Brazier, Terry Hewitt,
Marlene Schuster, Margaret Wright.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN JULY
Eric Farrar.

A VARIETY OF AVIAN VISITORS
It must be possible to see some birds wherever you
are in the country, although the range of species
that can be seen will vary depending on where you
are. In an urban environment, with few trees and
wild areas, the different types can be limited.
Sparrows, Robins, Blackbirds, Wrens, Wood and
Feral pigeons, and members of the Crow family
[like the one below] are often present.

All of these birds seem to have adapted reasonably
well to living alongside humans and their pets,
although domestic cats are responsible for
reducing garden bird numbers. We always enjoy
watching the local keen-eyed Blackbirds pulling
up unsuspecting worms from the lawn, but they
themselves have to be on their guard in order avoid
becoming a meal for one of the many local cats
which regularly pass along the ‘cat highway’ next
to the lawn. Larger birds of prey are also always
on the lookout for smaller birds, especially at this
time of year when they all have young to feed.

Living near to the sea adds to the variety of birds
which can be seen, although we find that the only
ones that will come the short distance inland are
the opportunist Herring Gulls. They are listed as
endangered, but we all see far too many of them in
the South West, sneaking up and stealing
someone’s food at any seaside town. Although far
too big, there is always one which tries to fit in
below the low roof on the bird table. As long as
they don’t come any closer than the roof of our
home [like the one below] and don’t start nesting
we can appreciate these intelligent characters.

Many years ago, before the oil industry arrived
there, we holidayed in the Orkneys and were
mesmerised by many inquisitive Fulmars and
Kittiwakes hovering only a short distance in front
of our faces whilst we sat on top of a very high
cliff. We were only a few feet above a large mixed
sea bird nesting colony. None of them seemed
worried by our presence.
Back to the garden and, this week, we were
thrilled, after a couple of years absence, to see a
large family of Long-tailed-tits rush into and then
out of the Magnolia tree, on two different
occasions, constantly chattering quietly to each
other. They rarely settle but on a previous visit, I
was very lucky to be able to grab my camera and
snap the one below, perched on top of a garden
cane, before it flew off again.

On another holiday, also quite a few years ago, we
stayed for a night at the Devil’s Bridge Hotel in
Wales. There is a spectacular waterfall, and this
was then about the only place in the country that
Red Kites could be seen. They were then
extremely rare and endangered. It was very
rewarding to see them circling above the gorge.
Little did I think I would ever see one again.
However, only a few days ago, four Herring Gulls
were overhead loudly mobbing a large bird. This
happens frequently if a Buzzard comes hunting.
Looking up, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was the
very obvious outline of a Red Kite. When I
checked the Web, I discovered that up to 20 have
recently been seen on the Lizard, passing through.
Unfortunately, my camera was not to hand.
Hopefully, next time!

Tony Barnard