St Mabyn Church Summer Fete

Ignore all rumours to the contrary – the St Mabyn Church Summer Fete is definitely on! It will be held on the village green on the afternoon of Saturday 16^th June, and there will be the usual stalls, activities and entertainments, plus a few new ones. Save the date in your diaries!

We will be contacting all the people we have details for who have helped in previous years, but if you don’t hear from us in the next week or two, or if you have not been involved previously and would like to join in, please contact:

Jan Fisher: jan-fisher@uk2.net

Jill Campbell: jill@campbell.it

As ever, there will be lots of work to do on Friday evening and Saturday morning to set up on the green, and after the fete to clear it all away again, as well as manning the various stalls and activities. All volunteers will be very welcome.

We are really looking forward to this much-loved event, and hope you will support us as novice organisers!

Best wishes to all,

Jill Campbell

Bible Study

In the past two years the St Mabyn Bible Study group has completed a number of courses including:

1. The Bible
2. Church and Kingdom
3. The Eucharist
4. The Creeds

These are part of a series of Pilgrim courses ‘for the Christian journey’, (from Church Publishing House) 

As we get older we do know that there is probably more road behind us than is ahead of us. 

So what difference does being a Christian make? Well, the journey that ends in death becomes a holy pilgrimage that ends in life. We set our sights on understanding more of God’s kingdom of justice and peace and the way before us. 

The courses are designed to help discover this Christian way of life. It unpacks the basic message and teaching of the Christian faith

We have also completed a number of York courses including:

1. The Psalms, prayers for today’s church
2. So what are you waiting for? Eternity to time
3. Build on the Rock; faith, doubt – and Jesus

And two Truro Diocesan Lent courses; the Bishop’s Lent challenge (2017) and Responding to God’s Grace (2018). These courses have enabled us to better understand how God reaches out to every one of us with love

We are due to start another York course ‘Tough talk” on Tuesday 24^th April, gathering at Trelowarth, Watergate Lane St Mabyn from 10.15 am and starting around 10.30; with lunch at the pub for those in need. 

 AKH

St Mabyn Church Children’s Corner

Warmest thanks to Jan Fisher and Jenny Coltart for re-establishing, and refurbishing the Children’s Corner in Church. It is now a delightful and inviting space and has already met with great approval from visiting children as well as those who attended the special Mothering Sunday Service. Why not pop into church and have a look?

St Mabyn School PTA Spring Fayre, and B-B-Q

Do come along to St Mabyn Village Hall on Sunday 29th April from 11am til 4pm, enjoy a barbecue and ice cream and enter your own homemade goods – or admire those of others! Classes include Children’s

Growing a bulb in an unusual receptacle, Portrait of your favourite person/pet (A4 size) Lego model, Decorated wooden spoon, A poem and a photo of Easter/Spring....... Or Snow! For adults there is 

Photo of the Cornish countryside, a handicraft item, Jam/chutney/homemade produce and also showstopper bakes for both adults and children too! Ready..... Steady........ Make (or bake!!!)

Church Services

Holy Week started with an inspiring service of Holy Communion for Palm Sunday conducted by the Reverend David Seymour and continues tomorrow, Thursday 29 March, with the Maundy Thursday Agape service and meal in the church at 7.30pm, led by Steve Williams, and Steve will also lead the Good Friday Meditation at 2pm in the church. We look forward to welcoming back the Reverend David Pollard who will conduct our service of Holy Communion for Easter Day at 10am. A very warm welcome to all at any or all of these services.

Spring comes to St Mabyn Church

After last week's snow, it was a relief to see St Mabyn Church bathed in sunshine, as the new vicar for our cluster, the Rev David Seymour with his wife Wendy, came here for the first time on a Sunday.

The service, which was attended by 30 villagers, got off to a great start with the music group leading a joyful rendition of 

' Vagabonds'

 Come all you Vagabonds

 come all you don't belongs

 Winners and losers

 Come people like me'

 It is fantastic --- after many months of waiting --that we now have a permanent priest in our cluster and we are thankful that David and Wendy chose to come to N.Cornwall.

David, who immediately comes across as a very genuine and friendly person, used his strong voice to make his words both easy to understand and interesting.

His challenging sermon which was engaging,  inclusive and filled with hope, gave us a timely reminder to consider what are the most important values in our lives.

We are looking forward to his next visit and getting to know Wendy and David better.

The Installation of a New Rector

When a new rector is appointed, and subsequently installed in a new parish or cluster of parishes as it is now, there are thoughts of new beginnings amongst the parishioners.  On 17th February such feelings were evident in St Mabyn church as Bishop Chris Goldsmith and Archdeacon Audrey Elkington conducted the service which saw David Seymour installed in the newly appointed Camelside Cluster. There are five parishes and seven churches that David now has to minister to and all were well represented as David was first legally appointed and then welcomed by members representing the parishes. A full team of the bell ringers had played to welcome everyone to the service beforehand and then after his installation David Seymour, assisted by bell ringer David Coltart, tolled a bell as the sign of his new ministry.

There were representatives from the Deanery and the Cathedral, local clergy and including those who have helped by taking services at the various churches over the eight months of the transition since Sherry Bryan said her final farewells. There were Church Patrons and members of the respective congregations with hearty singing of five hymns from all and an anthem from the Cluster choir, conducted by Jenny Trethewey. The St Mabyn Music Group, led by Steve Williams, played for the two more “modern” hymns and organist Les Field for the more traditional ones. St Mabyn Church is a very large building and it was a joy to have it filled to capacity, and the various clergy robes made for an unusually colourful sight – especially those of Bishop Chris!

As the clergy processed out led by the churchwardens everybody seemed to feel great anticipation for the way ahead. We welcome David and Wendy and the family to the cluster and hope their stay will be a long and happy one.  The service over we all left for the Village Hall where a superb spread was laid out that had been donated by all parishes and beautifully prepared by the St Mabyn team. The evening was an undoubted success and went extremely smoothly thanks to Rob Turner, Churchwarden, of St Mabyn.