Saint Paul's Church, Landkey

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Changes to Services

Since 1st September 2019, we have made some changes to our services. The main change is to the start time which is now at the slightly later time of 10:45am rather than the previous start time of 10:30am.

We will also be holding a service of Morning Prayer on the third Sunday in the month rather than a service of Holy Communion by Extension.

These changes are being made, in part, to allow Revd Shaun to be able to recover from his recent period of poor health. They aim to enable the members of the clergy who have responsibility for leading services in our Four Ways Mission Community, to be present as often as is possible in these churches, all of which are several miles from each other.

These changes will apply for a period of 4 months during which we will listen to the views of congregation members in order to assess whether the 10:45am start time makes any difference to the ease with which they can attend services.

There will be no change to the midweek Holy Communion service which will continue to start at 9:30am.

Whilst we have had to make changes to our Sunday services, churchgoers can be reassured that there is no change to the warm welcome on offer at St Paul's!

Harvest Service

On Sunday 22nd September, we will be holding our Harvest Service and we hope that it will be led by the Achdeacon of Barnstaple, the Ven. Dr Mark Butchers. There will be a Bring-and-Share lunch afterwards. 

All will be welcome to come along to join us as we give thanks for the this year's harvest.

Looking further ahead, our Remembrance service will be held on Sunday 10th November at 10am in the village hall.

Holiday-makers welcome!

The school holidays may soon be drawing to a close but, if If you are taking a vacation in North Devon you will be very welcome to visit Paul's Church for Anglican Christian worship.

If you would like to join us, you might like to know that, on the first Sunday in the month, we hold a Family Service which is structured with families and young children in mind.

On other Sundays, Holy Communion is usually offered or a service of Morning Prayer is held.

Feel free to get in touch with us via the "Contact Us" page on this website if you would like more information before attending a service or visiting our church.

St Paul's members at Landkey Village Show

Many of St Paul's church members were to be found at the Landkey annual village show on 27th July 2019.

Opened by Chair of Landkey Parish Council, Richard Halliday, at 2pm, the show included many attractions for visitors. Foremost among these was the ever-popular Dog Agility display which featured dogs negotiating a range of challenges including ramps, pipes, jumps and slalom poles.

The Millennium Green Trust stall offered lanyards for dog walkers, postcards and a treasure map while, nearby, a tent offering thoughtfully arranged second-hand books attracted a great deal of interest.

Many people who regularly occupy the pews in church were to be found taking responsibility for stalls, such as the tombola or the WI, or simply coming along to offer support to our traditional village event.

Volunteers in the school's canteen were kept busy making cream teas for visitors who could inspect the entries to the flower, fruit and vegetable competitions while they were there.

Outside, a colourful display of vintage tractors, including Nuffields, Massey Fergusons and Internationals, provided a talking point for many people. Church members Christian and Ella Delacour entered tractors into this display.

The weather proved ideal, being sunny and warm but not too hot, enabling the many other attractions, including ice creams, burgers and music to be enjoyed.  

Garden Party - an enjoyable occasion

The forecast had been consulted often in the weeks and days beforehand. Would the wet weather continue until the end of the month, or might the heatwave afflicting much of Europe make it just too hot?

When the day of the Garden Party arrived on 29th June 2019, though, it was clear that conditions would be ideal: warm and dry but not too hot.

The event had been advertised widely in advance and, from the moment of "gates open" at 2pm, visitors flowed into the beautiful garden at The Old Manor, Landkey, in a steady stream.

Helpers at the many stalls and attractions suddenly found themselves in demand. Perhaps having forgone prior refreshment, many visitors headed for the tea-and-scones stall where Hazel and Annemarie energetically conveyed filled cups and laden plates from the kitchen to eager consumers. For those with a larger appetite, the hot dog barbecue, run by Joshua, proved such a draw that supplies ran out ahead of time! Liquid refreshment was on offer by Louise at the Pimms-or-elderflower stall where a queue was almost a permanent feature.

A great deal of fun was to be had in the games area. Revd Shaun was, unfortunately, unable to attend but that appeared not to be an impediment to participants keen to throw wet sponges at a man's head poking through a wooden board at the "Soak the Vicar" attraction. The "man" in this case was either Tom or Charles, who took turns to be on the receiving end. Young girls showed themselves to be the most enthusiastic, with one even stretching out her arm and squinting marksman-like over her fingertips in order to find the best trajectory for her throw! Others clubbed together so that their money ensured that each of them had as many throws as possible. Mini-golf and Splat-the-Rat had many takers with serious competition taking place.

There were many other stalls and they all seemed to receive a fair share of custom. By 4pm, though,  it was clear that the tide of visitors was showing the first signs of turning. Taking this as a cue, Angela began announcing prize-winners for the various competitions.

As she left, a mother of one of the sponge-throwing girls expressed her thanks for providing the opportunity for her daughter to tire herself out! She probably spoke for many, as a good time seemed to be had by all.

It is believed that a little over £1000 was raised, a significant sum which will help to keep the church’s accounts solvent. Thanks go to all who helped in any way with running the party as well, of course, to the many visitors who came along and willingly spent their money.

Finally, appreciation is extended especially to Mike and Josie Foster for hosting this event at their home and for all the effort that they and their family members went to ensure that the stalls and attractions functioned properly. Thank you, Mike and Josie!

Garden Party

All are welcome to join us for a summer-themed garden party this coming Saturday, 29th June.

It will be held at The Old Manor, Landkey (behind the church) from 2pm (until around 4:30pm), and entertainments will include the popular "Soak the Vicar" attraction as well as stalls offering garden plants, cream teas, raffles and more.

Please come along and help us to make this an enjoyable afternoon whilst raising funds for our church.

More information is available on our Garden Party flyer.