• Home
  • What’s On Calendar
  • Latest News
  • Important Information
  • About Payhembury
    • Payhembury History
  • Find Us
  • Contact Us
  • 29 June 2022

Payhembury Village

Payhembury life, community, events and information.

  • Church
    • Bell Ringers
    • St Mary’s Church
    • Sunday School
  • Schools
    • Apple Pips
    • Friends of Payhembury School
    • Payhembury Primary School
    • Pre-school
  • Shop
    • Payhembury Provisions
  • Pub
    • The Six Bells Inn Payhembury
  • Clubs & Groups
    • Badminton Club
    • Bell Ringers
    • Cricket Club
    • Motorcycle Club
    • Payhembury Relief Fund
    • Playing Fields Association
    • Sailing and Boating Group
    • Short Mat Bowls
    • Spring Bulb & Flower Show
    • Tea and Bingo
    • Tale Valley Community Theatre
    • Tennis Club
    • Youth Club
  • Events
  • Parish Hall
  • Parish Council
  • Parish Paper
  • Noticeboard
You are here: Home / Church / St Mary's Church / April Message from Rev David

April Message from Rev David

28 April 2019 By Sue

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.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

  1. January Message from Rev David
  2. August Message from Our New Vicar – Rev David Carrington
  3. October Message from Reverend David
  4. December Message from Rev David
  5. November Message from Rev David
Filed Under: St Mary's Church

Latest News

Payhembury Provisions News – July 2022

….Summertime and the livin’ is easy... The sun is shining, the temperature is rising and it is definitely time to get …
[Read More...]

Parish Paper – July 2022

To read or save this issue please click 2022 07 Parish Paper …
[Read More...]

Paul’s Nature Notes May-June 2022

My plea for help with the birds of the Hembury Fort area has borne fruit. David Wall, who lives in Tiverton, has been …
[Read More...]

Rectory-ish Notes – July 2022

Hello, Ruth here, following on from Becky with the Rectory-ish Notes while Dave is on Sabbatical. I do hope Dave and …
[Read More...]

Tale Millers Cricket Club – June 2022

After years in the wilderness, the Millers finally got some silverware under their belt by winning the world famous T20 …
[Read More...]

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2022 payhembury.org.uk