Saint Paul's Church, Landkey
In Brief
Next Service:
Holy Communion
(Fourth Sunday in Easter)
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Are you taking a holiday in North Devon? Is a house move likely to bring you to Landkey? Do you want to try a different church or to come to church for the first time?
A Warm Welcome
Whatever reason you might have for seeking Christian worship in Landkey, you are assured of a warm welcome at St Paul's Church. You will find the members of our congregation friendly, but also respectful of your likely need to discover for yourself whether our style of worship suits you. You need not fear being persuaded to do anything other than share our company for the duration of the service. Join us afterwards for refreshments if you wish!
Profile of Revd. Shaun O'Rourke
Our new vicar, Revd. Shaun O'Rourke, was Licensed at a well-attended evening service at St James' church, Swimbridge, on 12th June 2012. Shaun comes to us from Stockport in Cheshire where he has been the vicar of St Mary's church, Reddish. He will be living at the Rectory in Swimbridge with his wife and three children, to all of whom we extend a warm welcome.
Shaun writes, "If I may, I would like to share a little about myself with you. I am married to Debbie, have four beautiful children, Milina who is 32, Kieran who is 12, Lewis 8 and Aimee who is 5. Milina has left the nest and has a wonderful partner, Michael, and I have a fantastic granddaughter Maisie, nearly 2.
Both Debbie and I are fom Manchester. We met while I worked offshore. I had just returned from working in America for two years. I was a freelance marine engineer at the time, we married, and Debbie settled into a maritime wife's life, not seeing me for long periods.
I have always been an active Christian and have been involved in the church all my life, and Debbie was the same, her mother being Brown Owl, and a long-standing member of the Church Council, so worshipping together as a family was a natural part of of our life together. I had always felt drawn to something else in life and I always had a deep sense that I was being called. Thankfully, after a long period of challenging myself and building the trust in God that I had always needed, this became a reality.
I have served thankfully in inner-city environments where rectories have bars on windows and doors, to the suburbs and semi-rural parishes where life was so much different. I have always had a desire to serve in a rural setting, there is something about the sense of creation and rebirth, the following of the seasons, the love and respect of the land that I find deeply spiritual. The gifts of the land, the animals and crops that sustain us, the beauty, and even the hardship is the eternal thread of Life into which God has blessed us.
I look forward to becoming part of the communities in which I serve, my door always open, a welcome always given. Thank you each and every one of you for the opportunity to live, pray and share God's ministry."
Shaun's arrival brings to a close a period of almost two years since our former Rector, Revd. Peter Bowers, retired. During this time we have been without a stipendiary vicar and we are grateful for the efforts of Revds Geoffrey Squire, Bruce Dixon, Reader Peter Rozzell as well as all the churchwardens for ensuring that services have been held routinely at all of our churches whilst a new vicar was sought.
July 2012
Common Worship
Our services are based on the Church of England's "Common Worship" order of service format. If you would like to read a small excerpt of the liturgy (or "wording") typically used in our church, click on this link: CommonWorshipExcerpts.pdf. The pdf file will open in a new window.
Holy Communion, also known as parish Eucharist, is central to our services. Holy Communion services take place every Sunday, except on the third Sunday in the month when we hold a Family Service. Fuller details may be found on our "Service Times" page.
Members of the congregation (or "lay" people) play a significant part in the life of the church. Scripture readings, with the exception of those from the Gospels, are provided by lay readers and the intercessional prayers are frequently led by a member of the congregation. We are fortunate also to have an organist and a choir. Our hymns are chosen mainly from the "New English Hymnal" but we also use "Mission Praise" on occasions.
The Love of God
By holding regular church services at St Paul's, we hope to spread the love of God through "word, deed and sacrament".
We believe that the love which comes from God is available to everyone and that we can play our part in sharing it through dignified services of worship in which the word of God may reach all who wish to listen to it. It is our belief that the "word" of God is expressed through the teachings and prayers of our services, while those who partake of Holy Communion ("the sacrament") commune directly with God and with each other.
If you would be interested in more details of the functioning of our church, our Annual Report for 2018 is available to view (in pdf format) by clicking on this link: Annual Report and Financial Statement for 2019.
Mission Community
St Paul's cooperates in matters of worship with two other churches and one chapel which are located nearby. These churches are St James, Swimbridge including the Chapel of the Holy Name Gunn and St Peter's, West Buckland. We refer to our group of churches as a Mission Community. More information on these churches is available on our "Mission Community" page.