Church News
On Friday 10th October, 18 young people from Whimple, Talaton, Clyst St Lawrence, with intrepid leaders, headed for Belstone for the Impact Contact annual weekend away.
A particular highlight this year was to have so many school friends join us (nearly half of the total), and it was a pleasure to get to know them over the weekend. It was also great to be joined by Richard Bellamy the senior schools co-ordinator for Initiatives in Christian Education (“ICE”). In our all-together sessions Richard, in his engaging, warm manner, explained the basics of the Christian faith.
Maggie did wonders cooking for such huge numbers, which powered us through our Photo-Quest (look out for crazy photos on display board in church), gorge-scrambling, archery, games, pirate capers and late nights….. The weather was glorious and the weekend was filled with fun.
Thank you to everyone involved in making the weekend such a success from cake bakers and extra drivers, and to all the young people who it was a pleasure to be with. Let’s hope we make up for the lost sleep soon…!
Devon Historic Churches Trust sponsored cycle ride
Whimple was represented by two groups of four in the annual Devon Historic Churches Trust sponsored cycle ride on 13th September - the father and son partnerships of Ian and Charlie Spicer and Phil and Aidan Dominy in one group, and Miranda Burton, Mike Ellingham, Geoff Earnshaw and Peter Bowden in the other.
Thank you to all the participants, their sponsors and those who stewarded the church during the day. Although not all sponsorship money is in at the time of writing, around £300 will have been raised to share between the Trust and Whimple Church.
Our family involvement with the event started in the mid '80s in north Wiltshire when son Tim and a friend, as young teenagers, set off on their own with money in their pockets to regularly phone home from call boxes to report their progress. The lanes were generally wider and with lower hedges than in Devon, and it seemed that there were far more participants at and between churches to keep an eye on each other. Soon after, Annabel joined him and when we moved to Devon she palled up with Emma Freegard and continued to take part. One year a call from a 'phone box in Feniton resulted in a quick dash in the car with a puncture outfit.
Annabel moved away for her training in 1993 and the following year I started taking part. Then in 2005 when Miranda was only seven, she wanted to see how many churches she could cycle to. Three years later she is still the pace setter, but now rather more quickly, but the frequent stops at churches make it an achievable activity for most people who feel comfortable on a bike if only for short periods on the flat! 
25 miles and 16 churches later we arrived in Whimple - sore it had to be said, but with the enthusiasm to get on a bike more frequently and to chose a route for next year avoiding the hills between Feniton to Talaton.
In all these years I can only remember one in which we got really wet (two years ago) and even light showers have been rare. It is always interesting looking inside the various churches, even those frequently visited, and comparing the welcomes received. Most churches provide refreshments and one even combines a parish ploughman's lunch with the event and offers it free to cyclists, and Whimple parishioners have always been most generous with their sponsorship. All in all it is a wonderful and worthwhile way to spend a delightful September day which hopefully many others will enjoy in the future.
Mike Ellingham
Church Fete—Saturday 14th June
The Garden Fete at Hindstrete was, once again, a wonderful occasion when many people came and enjoyed all that was on offer in the beautiful surroundings of Mike and Avril’s home. The weather was ideal for the occasion and a few heavy rain drops just before the fete opened thankfully came to nothing.
A highlight of the afternoon was the maypole dancing by children from Whimple School when, under Sue Wilson’s expert guidance their dancing was a delight. Sue even persuaded some adults to try the dance but they soon realised it was more difficult than it looked! The many stalls and attractions and delicious teas enabled in the region of £1745 to be raised for church funds.
Thanks to all who helped or gave in any way and to all those who came and supported this event; special thanks to Mike and Avril for welcoming us to their home and gardens.
SClub11 outing to Escot on Sunday 8th June
We couldn't have picked a better day! The whole day was gloriously sunny and warm (just as the weatherman had predicted!).
In the morning 16 children and 5 leaders enjoyed a noisy and active SClub session - including some outside games and laughing at Branco dressed up as Elijah, acting out the wind, earthquake, fire, and whisper! We rushed home to get our picnics then met up at Escot - parents and families included.
After lunch, most of the parents continued chatting while the children got lost (& found) in the maze, before venturing up to the woods. Here there was a brand new gigantic slide, about 2 meters wide and 10 meters tall. At the top it drops off vertically, before levelling off further down. Although its nickname is the 'death slide', we all survived unscathed, apart from an odd burn from going so fast!
After watching the otter feeding, some of us stayed to watch an exciting birds of prey show. By this time we'd all had too much sun, so we returned home for a well-earned rest!
Phil
On a sunny Monday morning on the 2nd June 12 Members and their friends met in the Boniface Centre at Crediton for Coffee and then went into the Church to enjoy the Flower Festival featuring the theme “A Celebration of our Quirks and Customs”.
There were 19 beautiful exhibits covering England, Wales and Scotland, but mainly the South West of England. The first display was the Merry Month of May depicting the Obby Oss, (Padstow) and the Floral Dance (Helston). Others included were Bonfire Night, Tar Barrels at Ottery St Mary. Easter Traditions, religious as well as Bonnets and Eggs. Well Dressings. Harvest Festival – We Plough the Fields (this display was created by the Sunday School Children) and the exhibition finished with We Will Remember Them – the poppy symbol. All the 19 displays were excellent and it would be difficult to have singled out any one exhibit.
Lunch was taken in the Boniface Centre and was excellent, it was then onto Bickleigh Mill for a refreshing cup of tea before making for home.
Thank you Margaret for organizing the trip and also too thanks for Margaret and Heather for transporting us in their cars. I was not able to go on this outing so I would like to say a big “Thank You” to Lin Carder for giving me some notes so I could include them in the July edition of the Parish Magazine.
Our next meeting is a Social Gathering and Tea at Mill End. We shall be having a Raffle and a Bring and Buy to raise money for our funds, so we would be pleased to receive any prizes and items to sell. Due to unforeseen circumstances we have had to change the date of the meeting from the 9th July to Wednesday the 2nd July. We look forward to seeing our members before we have a break in August.
Church Weekend Away 9-11th May;
What a gloriously sunny weekend we were blessed with, as 33 members of Whimple Church travelled down to the Park Hotel in Paignton for our first ever weekend away!
Some of us having enjoyed such weekends at previous churches came with great and anticipation and excitement for the two days ahead, others who were new to such an experience were rather unsure as to what they had let themselves in for! But by all accounts none were disappointed and we had such a great weekend.
The weekend gave the opportunity to relax and spend unrushed time together, to an extent not possible on our usual church gatherings. Soon after arrival we were really tested on how well we really knew each other, as we had to match which personal fact related to which individual. It was an education indeed to learn that amongst our number we had someone who had exhibited art work at the Royal Academy and someone who has had a private meeting with Prime Minister on an subject of national importance...guess who!
Our speaker for the weekend was Will Donaldson, who took us through various passages in Acts looking particularly at the role of the Holy Spirit in the life and mission of the early church, and in our churches today. A particular highlight was the second session on Saturday when we looked at the hallmarks of the early church - being a worshipping church, a learning church, a loving church, a praying church and a growing church. It was encouraging to recognise how these priorities are already embodied in our Mission Action Plan, and we were challenged to be working out these priorities more and more in the life of our churches.
Please do pick up a copy of the CD / MP3 recordings of the talks, which are available to take from the back of Whimple, Talaton, Clyst St Lawrence and Clyst Hydon churches.
Saturday afternoon provided the opportunity to spend time with others at the beach, on a coastal walk or on the steam railway. The highlight for many however was the Saturday evening entertainments when young and old together had an absolute hoot!
It is hoped that weekend away will become a regular event in the life of our United Benefice - do join us next time!
Candlelit Valentines Dinner - Thursday 14th February 2008
A huge thank you to Sarah Smith and her team of cooks, waiters & waitresses, flower-arranger, washer-uppers, Sarah’s chickens (who produced all 72 eggs for those fabulous puds!), assorted and miscellaneous general helpers and of course to everyone who came who together made this such an enjoyable evening!
