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 21 December                   4th Sunday of Advent

  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, David, Bertie.
The long term sick and infirm:-
George, Peter, Diana, Liz & Keith N, Rob, John and Shirley.
The Ministry Team:-
Wendy, Ruth, Marilyn and Rhona.

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.
This week the candle has been sponsored by Jim
and Jeanette Bishop for Olivia in remembrance
of our beautiful granddaughter now and forever
our Christmas Angel.
Love granny and grandad Bishop

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 21 December                4th Sunday of Advent
0800 Holy Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev’d Sue Nicholas
1000 Sung Parish Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev’d Sue Nicholas

Wednesday 24 December        Christmas Eve
1000 Morning Prayer
1800 Build a Crib Service
Led by Rev’d Sue Nicholas
2300 Midnight Mass
Celebrant: Rev’d Dr Sacha Pearce

Thursday 25 December            Christmas Day
Please note there is NO 8am service today
1000 Sung Holy Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev’d Sue Nicholas

Sunday 28 December                The Holy Innocents
0800 Holy Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev’d Sue Nicholas
1000 Sung Parish Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev’d Sue Nicholas

WELCOME BACK
To Rev’d Sue, who will be with us for both of our
services this weekend.
She will also lead our Crib Service, especially for
families with children, at 6pm on Christmas Eve.
Gifts of non-perishable food and toiletries for the
Devonport Food Club will be gratefully received
at this service.

FLOWERS FOR CHRISTMAS
We will be arranging the flowers and greenery on
Monday 22nd December in church from 10.30am
until 12 o’clock. If anyone would like to join us
you would be very welcome.
Donations towards the cost of flowers will be
gratefully received by Ann Pitt and Julia Steere.
Thank you.

MARILYN'S MEMOS
CLEAN UP SATURDAY 13TH DECEMBER
Many thanks to all those who squeezed in a space
in our very busy run up to Christmas to give the
church a first rate clean up and decorate the tree
which had been put together mid-week!

HEARTFELT THANK YOU FROM YET
ANOTHER OCTOGENARIAN 14th December
I was quite overwhelmed on Sunday to be
presented by Rhona with a quite unexpected and
incredibly generous array of gifts from you all!
Thank you very much indeed for my two beautiful
RADLEY handbags (large and small), a most
useful red Moleskine Legendary weekly notebook
diary/planner with STICKERS, delicious M and S
Belgian chocolate biscuits AND a lovely bouquet
of red and pink roses, snapdragons and gerbera.
What a surprise and a wonderful treat.

Rhona, Rev'd Sacha and Marilyn.


Marilyn's fabulous gifts.

NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS
14TH DECEMBER 6pm
Thank you to Wendy for sorting the readers and
our choir along with Robin for leading the singing
with a few choir only items. Mulled wine and
mince pies finished off the evening. Much
appreciation to Rev’d Sue for leading the service.



Some of our bellringers enjoying mince pies and mulled wine
after the service.


Judith and Julia.

REINSTALLATION OF OUR SOUND
SYSTEM 15TH DECEMBER
Chris Shaw duly returned from Yeovil on a wet
Monday morning to reinstall our system, which
had been removed for fear of potential damage by
the roof works above. Better safe than sorry.
Many thanks to Rosanne who had done a
wonderful job on Saturday of cleaning all corners
etc in the choir vestry prior to Chris’s visit.
Good news is that all is reported as present and
correct BUT at some point small creatures with
sharp teeth have stripped some of the grey
covering from important wires in the corner which
were designated for a future possibility of TV
screens etc. No droppings were found but there is
a big hole disappearing into the foundations. It
might be expedient to place small and larger traps
in that corner just in case. Unfortunately the
damage has been done.

CAROL SINGING AT DURNSFORD LODGE
ON TUESDAY 16TH DECEMBER
The manager at the above care home invited our
choir to sing carols with their residents and
families on Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately, for
many reasons, this was not possible. So Oly and I
put together a “scratch choir” with singers and
musicians. I am pleased to report that everyone
enjoyed the fun!


STOKE DAMEREL COMMUNITY
COLLEGE WITH STOKE DAMEREL
PRIMARY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS
CONCERT TUESDAY 16TH DECEMBER
The community college spent the whole day in
church presenting their rehearsal to Year 7 in the
morning, practising in the afternoon and starting
their parents and students concert at 6pm. Stoke
Damerel Primary School stole the show with their
very youngest pupils singing on their own and
along with older SDCC students. Last year around
50 parents attended so what a surprise when every
seat was taken. It was a super concert and they
have already booked a date for next year! Matt,
their Head of School, and Lydia are both music
specialists and their students are going to benefit
greatly from their expertise and experience.

CITY COLLEGE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL 18TH DECEMBER
If you had ventured into church today, you would
have been amazed! Mike Dugdale and team have
worked for weeks to put together a fabulous array
of musical talent, plus dance routines and choir
items. The skills development students display an
array of challenges which are wonderfully handled
by their dedicated staff. As well as the “main
stage” being in church along with many Christmas
delicacies for sale, the parish centre was
transformed into a Christmas grotto with all sorts
of crafts and decorations also for sale. The
buildings were packed with family members and
there was such a great seasonal buzz everywhere.


BURNS SUPPER
FRIDAY 23RD JANUARY
Having checked that we have a shopping/table
laying/preparing/cooking/waiting/clearing up
TEAM available, please keep this date in mind for
late January. More details to follow.
Burns Night is, of course, on January 25th but this
date does not suit our schedule!
Should you wish to attend, Marilyn will take
names as from now!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN DECEMBER
David Bailey, Russell Baynes, Judith
Mitchelmore, Gerry Turner, Alison Burgess,
Mary Jago, Alfie Richmond, Graham Dear.

CHRISTMAS’ PAST AT
STOKE DAMEREL PARISH CHURCH
Last Sunday we held our annual Carol Service, and
the event was attended by a good number of
people, who were able to enjoy the rich sounds of
our small choir. Small in number maybe but
always able to produce a large sound. I am sure
that Jenny’s solo was much appreciated, as was
Ian’s quick changes of crowns in order to sing the
solos of all three kings in ‘We Three Kings.’ Nor
should the organist be forgotten. Organists tend to
be in ‘short supply’ nowadays and we are fortunate
to have Robin in this role, a quality musician,
whose playing is much appreciated.
Thinking back, before Covid, when we still
published a monthly parish magazine, my last
article, before lockdown was imposed and stopped
the production and distribution, looked at
Christmas’ past at Stoke church. I do not intend to
reproduce the whole of that fifteen-page article
here but will make use of some of the content.
January 1878 saw the first publication of a Stoke
Damerel church magazine and that issue included
a report by the new rector, Reverend William St.
Aubyn, who had only been in post for three weeks.
He was eventually to serve as rector for seventeen
years and became known as ‘the good St. Aubyn’,
unlike his uncle, Reverend William John St,
Aubyn, who was previously in post for nearly fifty
years and became known as ‘the bad St, Aubyn’,
often being at odds with the church P.C.C. It is
interesting to note that in the 1878 magazine, the
rector’s report included “A word of praise is due
to our young organist for the skill with which he
accompanied the Services, and the Anthem in
particular” This organist, Harry Moreton, was
fourteen years old in 1878 but had held the
position since 1874 when he was only ten years
old. He went on to be the Plymouth City organist
for 62 years.
In 1877 three services were recorded as having
been held on Christmas day, which fell on a
Wednesday, with 50 hardy souls rising early
enough for the 8.00am communion and 90 more
attending the mid-day service. No information is
given about the 6.00pm Evensong service, nor the
Christmas Eve Vigil of the Nativity (presumably
this was equivalent to Midnight Mass?). In
addition, on Christmas Day, there were also four
marriages. Another four marriages had been held
on Christmas Eve, and a further marriage would be
held on Boxing Day. There was also a funeral held
on each of those two days, as well as 11.00am
Matins on Boxing Day and the normal three
Sunday services three days later. However, the
rector did have the assistance of Reverend Maule
Cole, his only curate at that time. Two Sunday
Schools were also held each week, with 18 Sunday
School teachers listed and normally attended by
more than 150 children each week.
Few parish magazines still exist for most of the
following years, but we can fast-forward to 1924
when there is a report, on 12th. January, of a
Nativity Play as well as a “Tableaux depicting the
life of Christ from babyhood to...the age of
twelve.”
which “...saw the ‘Dinkies’ at their best...”
Presumably ‘The Dinkies’ were cast from Sunday
School attendees. In addition, Mrs. Harris’s Ladies
Choir, together with other solo acts, performed “...
a charming musical programme...” The result of
all this was that both the ‘Church of England
Waifs and Strays Society’ and the ‘Society for
Propogation of the Gospel’ benefitted to the tune
of £3 10s 0d. each, which would total over £400 in
2025.
In the week before Christmas 1951 Carol Singers
from the church went around the parish to collect
money to put towards the Sunday School
Christmas parties. In a report in a later magazine, it
was noted that the Carol Singers went out for eight
nights and raised enough money to pay for three
parties in January 1952.
Through the 1960’s annual pantomimes were
performed. In 1960, Mrs. Browning’s Stoke
Damerel Young Wives’ Drama Group performed
‘Cinderella’ in the Parish Hall, which then stood
on land now occupied by the small block of flats
behind King’s House, to the north of the
churchyard. In 1961 the pantomime was ‘Humpty
Dumpty.’ In 1962 ‘Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs’ was performed, followed by ‘Babes in the
Wood’ in 1963, ‘Dick Whittington’ in 1964, and
‘Mother Goose’ in 1965.
The Christmas season in years past must have been
very busy.
Tony Barnard