• Home
  • What’s On Calendar
  • Latest News
  • Important Information
  • About Payhembury
    • Payhembury History
  • Find Us
  • Contact Us
  • 18 May 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 / Reverend David’s August 2021 Message – Becoming our true selves

Reverend David’s August 2021 Message – Becoming our true selves

17 October 2021 By Sue

I sat down last week at a low table in Feniton school hall. Nervously yet excitedly, individual children showed me in turn a portfolio they had compiled. It contained their evidence of activities they’d completed: active citizenship in the school, citizenship in the community, an active hobby and a non-active hobby, adventure training and charity work. This was their assessment for the Torbay and Devon Civic Award, rather like a Primary school Duke of Edinburgh Award. Us adults, socially-distanced across the hall, were their assessors. The children were remarkable in what they’d done, especially in this pandemic year. They warmed to their themes and exuded delight. It was a joy to see their growth as young people.

Last night I was on Zoom with twenty-five adults starting out on a journey of training and study to become licensed church ministers. We were covering skills of academic study at university level. Many have not studied since school (many years ago for some!). They too are excited yet nervous. There
will be some steep climbs ahead, but they will reach the summit.

The training job I have for the Church alongside my parish responsibilities, and which occupies half my week, overflows with the privilege of seeing people grow. Gifts blossom, hidden potential is discovered, vocations are realised. And what’s more, these flowering gifts are focussed on the wellbeing and service of others. We’ve just finished interviews for a lighter-touch one year course. Every candidate brings a unique story and individual gifts and perspective. I tingle every time! This year joyfully four from these parishes will be doing the course.

Training over this past year has had to be remote. Like for many other people, Zoom has been the universe for students and staff alike. There’s a whole cohort of one-year students I’ve never met in the flesh. Yet God’s presence has transcended this. His Spirit, his inspiration, his drawing together of people in community has been no less. As has the growth.

So may we all – whether young or old – discover the learning, growth and
encouragement that still lies ahead for us. A prayer (adapted from George
Appleton):

Give me a candle of the Spirit, O God,
as I go down into the deeps of my being…
take me down to the wellspring of my life
and tell me my nature and my name.
give me freedom to grow,
that I may become that self,
the seed of which you planted in me at my making

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

  1. Reverend David’s August Message – Becoming Our True Selves
  2. September Message from Rev David
  3. Reverend David’s September Message
  4. Reverend David’s July 2021 Message – Settledness
  5. Reverend David’s August Message – Journeys, Archbishops and Planets
Filed Under: St Mary's Church

Latest News

Paul’s Nature Notes March-April 2022

For me this winter has been cold and, at times, quite wet and so it has been a welcome relief to have become involved …
[Read More...]

Yellingham Farm – April 2022

Every month is a special month in the farming calendar, but May is one of the months for reflection on the early Spring …
[Read More...]

Reverend David’s May 2022 Message – Sea, Sand and Sabbaticals

On May 1st, I will set my Out-of-Office and answer-machine, press the Pause button on my parish life, and step into a …
[Read More...]

Parish Paper – May 2022

To read or save this issue please click 2202 - 05 Parish Paper. …
[Read More...]

Payhembury Provisions News – May 2022

When I moved to Devon I asked a joiner when he could replace a window on our house and he said May. May came and went …
[Read More...]

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2022 payhembury.org.uk