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

Email:   info@stokedamerel.church                                          
www.Stokedamerel.church
www.facebook.com/StokeDamerelChurch

Please note: Stoke Damerel Church does not divulge
personal information to third parties.

Sunday 27 September        17th Sunday after Trinity

  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:-
Maureen, Margaret W, Graham, John S, Kathy, Mo, Matt,
Bertie, Morwenna, David J.
The long term sick and infirm:-
Diana, Liz & Keith N, Rob.
The Ministry Team:-
Rev'd Fran, Ruth and Marilyn.

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.

SERVICES THIS WEEK
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.

Watch our livestreamed services
Please follow the link to make your way to our YouTube page: 

 STOKE DAMEREL YOUTUBE CHANNEL 

Sunday 27 September         17th Sunday after Trinity
0800 Holy Eucharist
1000 Sung Parish Eucharist

Wednesday 30 September
1000 Said Eucharist

Sunday 4 October                   18th Sunday after Trinity
0800 Holy Eucharist
1000 Sung Parish Eucharist
1130 PCC meeting

HARVEST GIFT DONATIONS
Our Harvest Thanksgiving service this year takes
place on Sunday 11th October.
All Harvest gifts will be donated to the Devonport
Food Club, which runs at St. Aubyn church every
Wednesday morning.

Suggested items could be:
• Baked beans.
• Other tinned foods.
• Toiletries (for men, women, children) –
shampoo, conditioner, deodorants, shower
gel, toothpaste, toothbrushes.
• Toilet rolls.
• Breakfast cereals.
Items do need to be well within sell by / best
before dates.
Thank you.

MARILYN'S MEMOS
APPROACHING CHRISTMAS FAIR
13/14TH NOVEMBER
Seven weeks to go to our two days of Christmas
Fair fund raising.

•If you love baking, please consider baking
now and freezing your cakes etc.
•If you are a big jam/marmalade/chutney
maker please think about starting early so
that we have a large amount to offer.
•Do check your cupboards for "presentable"
objects which could be sold on our bric-a-
brac stall plus any additional unwanted
gifts which would sell.
We will start collecting seasonal raffle prizes
next week.
Many thanks for your early preparation.
Marilyn

ADVANCE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Oct 11 Harvest Thanksgiving Service
Oct 18 St. Luke’s Service
Nov 8 Remembrance Sunday
Nov 13 & 14 Christmas Fair

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN SEPTEMBER
Jim Richmond, John Steere, Debbie Smith,
Kevin Kelland, Ian Gillhespy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN OCTOBER
John Mitchelmore, Craig Miles, William Brown.

HERITAGE OPEN DAY
Last Saturday Stoke Damerel parish church was
opened for five hours to allow visitors interested in
the history of this church to come into the building
and learn something of the many historic figures
associated with the church or the locality.
This was part of English Heritage’s annual event
which we have been involved in for some years
now. There was a steady flow of interested visitors
and, although they were outnumbered at times by
church volunteers, about a dozen people came
through the door.
About 45 information sheets were on display for
the visitors to peruse, and I was on hand
throughout to answer any questions raised.
One visitor was interested in the gravestone of
John Pope, located on the west wall.

This stone is probably well known to many
parishioners because of the unusual inscription.
His name is spelt backwards, and his age is given
in days. This is apparently to ‘confuse the devil.’
Although we no longer know where, in the
churchyard, he was buried, he is reputed to have
been buried vertically, so that he could be the first
to rise, come the resurrection on Judgement Day.
I have to admit that I was thrown by a question
from this visitor. They asked how old he actually
was. I had never thought to convert 31755 days
into years. I have since done so and am amazed to
find out that this equates to exactly 87 years (not
allowing for leap years).
Another lady, called Jan, divulged that she worked
in Exeter Archives. I knew that, from a
conversation I had a few years ago with Patricia
Gray, when researching for her first book about
Stoke Damerel church (The Haunt of Grave-
robbers and Murderers), she spent many hours in
Exeter carrying out her research. I actually learnt
something new from this conversation. Jan said
that she would send me information to show that,
at some time in the past, Stoke Damerel church
was a popular venue for couples who wished to be
married but, for some reason, had been refused
elsewhere. Perhaps this is why Bampfylde-Moore
Carew (self-styled ‘King of the Beggars’ and
‘Noted Devon Stroller and Dog Stealer’) and Mary
Gray were able to be married here in 1733.
Watch this space!

CHARITY ABSEIL

Those who have been attending this church for
some years may be able to cast their minds back to
1989 when the photograph above was taken in the
churchyard. My older son, Philip, was one of the
young choristers in the days when the choir had
junior members. Obviously, he has grown since
then, now living with his partner and their young
son, in South Queensferry, overlooking the Forth
Bridge, and now sporting a dark beard. I can
remember that in his younger years he had no head
for heights. Imagine our surprise then, when we
received an email from his partner, informing us
that he would be abseiling off the Forth Bridge on
Sunday 4th. October.
Having now spoken to him, he stated that he was
doing it “to challenge myself whilst also helping
to make a lasting difference to the lives of young
people by raising money for MYPAS.” This is the
Midlothian Young People’s Advice Service which
aims to improve the mental health and well being
of young people aged 10 to 21, giving free support
through counselling and art therapy. My son’s
partner is one of the Art Therapists.
Obviously, we are sponsoring him. Should anyone
else wish to do so, no matter how small the
amount, please go to: -
https://www.justgiving.com/page/philforthbridgea
bseil?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
Tony Barnard