Saint Paul's Church, Landkey

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Farewell to Shaun

There was scarcely an unoccupied pew in St Paul's as members of the five churches of the Four Ways Mission Community gathered on 29th January to say farewell to Revd Shaun O’Rourke, who had been our Priest-in-Charge since 2012.

The service was led by Revd John Ewington but Shaun gave a talk in place of the sermon in which he thanked his former congregations for their support over the years of his ministry. His theme was "New Beginnings" as he explained that he would now be embarking on a fresh chapter in his life, just as we would also be seeking a new direction.

Shaun had provided pictures from his earlier life which were displayed on the screens and showed him progressing from a baby to schoolboy, than as an offshore engineer. Ordination followed, and he showed images of the churches in Gorton, Manchester, at which he officiated before moving to North Devon.

Shaun and his family will be relocating to West Devon so it is possible that he will occasionally be seen in Barnstaple.

A New Year

We are now at that point in the year when Christmas is behind us, New Year wishes have been given and we look ahead to what the forthcoming months might bring.

Services resumed after the festive period with Morning Prayer on 1st January, followed by Holy Communion led by Revd John Ewington on 8th January when we celebrated the Baptism of Christ.

The period of Epiphany, which began on 6th January, has continued to be the focus of our Holy Communion services on 15th and 22nd January. The final service of the month, on 29th, will be held as Candlemas and will also be led by John. Just a reminder that this service will be for all of the churches in our Mission Community and will begin at the earlier time of 10:00 am.

In the coming months, we will be keen to know how the post of Priest-in-Charge will be filled for our Mission Community now that Revd Shaun has formally retired from this position.

Sunday's service - change of plan

There has been a change of plan with respect to the Candlemas service which it was intended would be held on 29th January.

Instead, this service will mark Revd Shaun's departure as our vicar, a position he held from June 2012 until 31st December 2022.

Our Candlemas service will now take place on Sunday 5th February and will be led by Revd John Ewington.

Happy New Year!

We wish all visitors to our website a very happy New Year!

Our Christmas services were well supported and seem to have been appreciated by the many who filled the pews. They began with Carols by Candlelight on 15th December at which familiar carols were sung enthusiastically, interspersed with Bible readings and poems. Mulled wine and mince pies were equally enthusiastically consumed afterwards!

Our Nativity on 18th December was ably led by Angela Bellamy who assembled a cast of willing members of the congregation to play the various roles. It was unrehearsed,  but came together well to provide an enjoyable retelling of the events which took place at the time of Jesus's birth.

Two more services on 24th December completed our Christmas schedule. At 3pm, we held our Christingle service which was attended by as many as 80 people. Christmas Mass followed at 10pm providing a quiet and reflective means for congregation members to consider the imminent arrival of Christmas Day.

Services continue in January as we celebrate Epiphany followed by Candlemas at the end of the month. Fuller details are shown on the Service Times page. As always, all are welcome.

Happy Christmas!

We wish all visitors to our website a very happy Christmas!

Our Christmas services have been well supported and seem to have been appreciated by those who filled the pews. They began with Carols by Candlelight on 15th December at which familiar carols were sung enthusiastically, interspersed with Bible readings and poems. Mulled wine and mince pies were equally enthusiastically consumed afterwards!

Our Nativity on 18th December was ably led by Angela Bellamy who assembled a cast of willing members of the congregation to play the various roles. It was unrehearsed,  but came together well to provide an enjoyable retelling of the events which took place at the time of Jesus's birth.

Two more services on 24th December completed our Christmas schedule. At 3pm, we held our Christingle service with Christmas Mass following at 10pm.

Services continue on 1st January with Morning Prayer at 10:30am.

Christmas services

Our Christmas services began with Carols by Candlelight on 15th December. There were at least 50 of us in the church and it proved to be a very enjoyable occasion, reminiscent of pre-Covid times. Mulled wine and mince pies were consumed enthusiastically afterwards.

This was followed by our Nativity on 18th December which proved to be a great success with many people taking part, including children. A photo has been uploaded to this page which captures some of the enjoyment of the occasion.

Our services now continue with:

• Christingle on 24th December at 3pm
• Christmas Mass at 10pm on 24th December. 

All will be welcome to join us.