Once upon a time there were three lovely parishes called Escot, Feniton and Payhembury. They nestled cosily together in the equally lovely valley of the River Otter. One day the new Vicar said, ‘We need a strapline.’ ‘What’s one of those?’ came a sensible enquiry. ‘Keep up!’ piped another up cheekily, ‘it’s one of those trendy phrases people feel they have to have these days.’ So the parishes talked amongst themselves and said, ‘How about Love, Hope and Faith? What things could be better? – and three to match the three parishes.’ ‘Excellent!’ cried one, ‘Bingo!’ cried another. ‘But we can’t just have three words floating in nothingness,’ a voice protested, ‘we need to do something.’ ‘Grow – that’s what we’re doing,’ came a wise reply. ‘So that’s what it will be, then,’ the parishes concluded. “Escot, Feniton and Payhembury parishes in the Otter Vale team – growing in Love, Hope and Faith.” And so the strapline was born, to nestle down and become a lovely part of the three lovely parishes. (A little poetic licence has been employed in the telling of this tale of the three PCCs’ discussions.)
Once upon another time, many years ago in a land far away, a man stuck a stake in the ground. He strung garlands of love over the stake. As 
nails were driven into the wood through his hands and feet, all people could see were the garlands of love. As darkness fell, the man heaved his tragic final breath. The garlands fell from the stake, all hope falling with them. But the love flowed unnoticed down the hill from where the stake stood and quietly hid in a tomb. It paused for new breath in the earth. Then it burst gloriously out into radiant garlands to festoon the sky. The garlands showered down on the man’s friends, new hope born. Now it was they who stuck a stake in the ground: their stake of faith, rooted in hope, garlanded in love.
Another 2,000 years from now, will the ‘EFP strapline’ still exist? Probably not! Love, hope and faith will very much still be alive, however. As Good Friday and Easter approach, we could do worse than hang our own loves – and hates – on the Cross, and our hopes and fears, our faith and doubts too. And catch the glistening garlands of love as they shower from the sky.
