News & Diary
1. CURRENT NEWS ITEMS
GREAT NEWS – TEAM VICAR APPOINTED (Posted 28th January 2025)
Great news – the Reverend Alexandra (Alex) Holmes has been appointed Team Vicar in the Dart & Avon Mission Community, to serve alongside the Team Rector with a special focus on ministry in Buckfastleigh and Dean Prior.
Alex was ordained in 2016 and her ministry to date has been in Somerset, most recently as Vicar of Westbury sub Mendip in the diocese of Bath & Wells.
She will live in Buckfastleigh and will serve in the Dart & Avon Team on a half-time basis. In the other half of her time, Alex plans to continue her work towards a PhD in theology at the University of Exeter. The focus of her research is the fourth mark of mission as received in the churches of the Anglican Communion: transforming unjust structures of society, challenging violence of every kind, and pursuing peace and reconciliation. Alex will move to Buckfastleigh later this spring and, subject to the completion of all legal formalities, she will be licensed by the Bishop of Exeter on the evening of Tuesday, May 6th during a service in St Luke’s, Buckfastleigh, at which all will be welcome.
Please keep Alex in your prayers as she prepares to join us here in the Dart & Avon Team and for this new stage in her life and ministry as a priest.
PROPOSALS FOR SAME-SEX COUPLES (Posted 19th January 2023, latest update 28th January 2025)
The Church of England bishops issued proposals for allowing prayers of thanksgiving, dedication and blessing, to take place within normal church services, for same-sex couples in partnerships and marriages, but not allowing churches to hold stand-alone blessing services or to conduct same-sex marriages. These proposals were approved by General Synod in February 2023. Since then the debate has slowly ground its way forward. Further work is to be done before the next General Synod debates in February and July 2025.
In the meantime as a church we at St Luke’s are committed to welcoming all, and many of us want to see change to a far more accepting position in the Church of England for gay people generally and for those in a same-sex partnership or marriage.
A helpful video on the current position nationally is here
2. ARCHIVED NEWS ITEMS
GENERAL NEWS and INFORMATION
Support and care for people in our community continues to be a priority, both for those who are church members and for those who aren’t. So do get in touch for practical or pastoral support, or with requests for prayer, via the details on the Contact page.
The FOODBANK is now operating mainly on Fridays, from the hall door at the rear of the church for collection of food, and upstairs through the front entrance of the church to the lounge for the Foodbank cafe and for help from our CAB worker. However, please phone 01364 644485 or email beforehand to arrange for food collection. For further details for the Foodbank click ♦here♦ or see the Foodbank section on the Activities page.
We need your support – the present situation is putting a strain on many people, and we as a church are glad to offer help.
But it is also putting a strain on our resources, and we would welcome any support you can give – click ♦here♦ for how to give to St Luke’s online.
Funerals – services can be held in St Luke’s, or in local crematoria, etc.
Contact Rev Gina Radford on 07903 400480 for support and help in your time of loss.
Problems with the church roof and with Holy Trinity Church
Unfortunately we are experiencing problems with our church roof being prone to leaks.
These have been evident for many years but are now getting worse.
A small committee was set up to examine the cause of the problem and to consider possible future action. The committee undertook initial engineering study work, which indicated the current roof technical design is unsuitable, requiring complete renewal of the roof covering to a new specification.
Committing to this would require a major financial investment but we are actively considering how best to proceed, and have set up a building committee to work on this, and our PCC (Parochial Church Council) is actively pursuing various options.
Further details will be released as they become clear. In the meantime we have completed necessary work on firmly securing some loose roof panels.
In addition in late 2019 it was found that the top of the walls of the ruin of Holy Trinity Church are unstable.
Until repair work can be done, signs have been erected to stop people entering the main part of the ruin, though the tower is safe and so the bells can continue to be rung.
Wildlife haven at Holy Trinity Church
For information about work in Holy Trinty churchyard to make part of it more eco-friendly, see the Holy Trinity page
CURATE LAURA MOVING ON (Posted 7th July 2024, updated 11th September)
Laura McAdam, who has been curate in our Mission Community and based at St Luke’s Buckfastleigh since 2019, has now moved to a new post as Associate Priest in the parish of Paignton, with a particular focus on pioneer ministry in that parish. (See photo with Bishop James of Plymouth, following the “Inauguration of a New Ministry” service). We give thanks for all that Laura has done, including her work in the local community and especially with families. She will be greatly missed.
We pray for Laura as she and her son Trace make this move, and settle into a new home, new neighbourhood, etc.
GINA RADFORD INSTITUTED AS TEAM RECTOR (Posted 5th November 2023)
Gina Radford was instituted as Team Rector in a warm and inspiring service at St Luke’s Church on 5th November 2023. She is already of course well-known to us in her role as team vicar, and is thoroughly immersed in the work of all our churches, including St Luke’s. She has in effect been acting team rector for the last two years, but has now officially stepped into that role. She will continue living in South Brent, and will still serve on a half-time basis.