THE PARISH CHURCH OF STOKE                
DAMEREL (ST. ANDREW & ST. LUKE)

For the 10.00am Parish Eucharist  for today click here

Email:   info@stokedamerel.church                                          
www.Stokedamerel.church
www.facebook.com/StokeDamerelChurch

Sunday 19 May                        Pentecost

THIS WEEK'S READINGS Please ring for support:-
Wendy: 218432

Merciful God,
we entrust to your tender care
those who are ill or in pain,
knowing that whenever danger threatens
your everlasting arms
are there to hold them safe.
Comfort and heal them,
and restore them to health and strength;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

PLEASE PRAY FOR:-
The sick:-
Janice, Alex, Liz, Clive,
Mo, Maureen.
The long term sick and infirm:-
George, Peter, Diana, Keith, Rob.
The Ministry Team:-
Wendy, Ruth, Fiona and Marilyn.

BLESSED SACRAMENT CANDLE

If you would like to have the candle lit for a week
for a particular prayer / thanksgiving /
commemoration, etc., please send a £5 donation to
Debbie Smith, clearly marking your donation as
being for the candle. Details of your intention can
be emailed to:- sarah.lundstrom@virginmedia.com
so that a mention of the commemoration, etc., can
appear in the Sunday Sheet. 
This week the candle has been sponsored by
Maureen Wilson in memory of her granddaughter,
Brooke.

SERVICES THIS WEEK
Stoke Damerel Parish Church is a hybrid church
open for public worship and private prayer and all
services will be live streamed.
By attending a live streamed service, you give
implied permission to have your image captured
on CCTV and to be broadcast as participant in the
liturgy.

In order to watch the livestreamed services please
‘click’ on this link to
make your way to YouTube site:
https://www.youtube.com/c/StokeDamerelChurch

Sunday 19 May           Pentecost
0800 Morning Prayer
Led by Ruth Sayers
1000 Sung Parish Eucharist
Celebrant: Fr David Watson

Wednesday 22 May
1000 Said Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev Brian Wood

Sunday 26 May            Trinity Sunday
0800 Said Holy Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev Preb Jennie Appleby
1000 Sung Parish Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev Sue Nicholas

WELCOME
To Fr David Watson who will be leading our
10am Eucharist today.

PCC MEETING
There will be a meeting of the new PCC
immediately following the 10am Eucharist next
Sunday 26th May.

THANK YOU
My Sister Marion has asked me to thank everyone
for their prayers over the last year for her husband
Alex, also your prayers for Alex and the family
after he passed into the Lords safe keeping. Marion
said it has been a comfort knowing so many people
who don't know them have been praying for them.
Alex was diagnosed with Leukaemia about a year
ago. Marion and Alex were both praying Alex
would make it to their Golden Wedding
Anniversary last December.
Once again Thank You to all those who have
been praying for them.
Maureen Wilson

FIONA’S FOOTNOTES
I must start this week by saying thank you, to Rev
Sue for all her support last week, and to everyone
who shared Holy Communion last Sunday, for
your encouragement and support, and the speed
with which many of you completed a feedback
form for me for leading and preaching. That was
one of the last tasks for the academic year... the
end is in sight!!
This week I have enjoyed a rather more quiet time,
both at home and at work. The sun shining on a
few occasions I’ve managed to get outside for a
stroll through Central Park to enjoy the beautiful
blossoms in the garden there. I love Spring in part
because we finally get to enjoy sunnier and
warmer days and also because the flowers finally
begin to blossom.

In the chaplaincy we planted some lavender during
the week, in tubs which will greet visitors as they
walk in. We planted some already flowering
French lavender, and some English lavender seeds.
The smell from the French lavender was amazing.
It’s my favourite flower I think. The seeds I
planted of lavender at home are continuing to
grow, as are the poppy seeds Ross planted some
time ago. Since we had a packet of poppy seeds
left I am tempted to take them in to the chaplaincy
and plant those too. Come Summer, hopefully
we’ll have a lovely, aromatic garden on the patio
outside which will encourage visitors of both the
human and insect variety!
This Sunday is Pentecost, the final day of
Eastertide and the day when the disciples received
the power of the Holy Spirit to go out and make
new disciples. As modern day disciples we
continue this work today. Although our modern
world would astonish those early disciples, their
experiences live through us and our rich diversity.
Indeed, this diversity is evidence of the Spirit
guiding us to discover more about God. I pray that
we all have the opportunity today and through the
week to make new discoveries about God in our
own lives.
With love and prayers
Fiona.

MARILYN'S MEMOS

LEGACY CHOIR CONCERT
As I explained in last week’s Sunday sheet, the
Legacy Choir Concert on Sunday afternoon is very
popular indeed. So much so, we have had to put
some of the chairs out in advance, but obviously
not in the central worship area. I understand a great
many tickets have already been sold. This concert
is specifically to raise funds for travel expenses as
they are in demand all over the UK and beyond!
The 2nd concert in June will be raising funds
specifically for our church, so we hope to get a
good attendance.

THE RECTORY
New tenants are scheduled to move into the
Rectory on Friday 17th May, for an initial short
term tenancy of 6 months. Let’s hope there will not
be too many extensions.

THE TWINNING WEEKEND
On Thursday 9th May, 24 guests from our twin city
of Brest arrived at Millbay Docks. It was the start
of a very busy weekend and to set the ball rolling
we hastened to the Lord High Admiral for an
impromptu music session. On Friday morning, the
group was invited to meet our Deputy Lord Mayor
Kathy Watkins in her chamber, generously
welcomed and served with tea, coffee and biscuits
by Steve and Kevin, our city mace bearers. The
visit was immensely enjoyed and the group came
away with many historical insights related by
Steve and were even shown the Astor diamonds!

In the afternoon, there was an invitation from
Martin Bush to view his colourful and varied art
work. The evening was spent at the Westward Inn
at Lee Mill, where 60 people enjoyed an
outstanding meal, followed by lively skittles and
darts matches, then dancing to the Breton
musicians. On Saturday it was suggested the group
might like to join the fun at the Callington
MayFest, which proved a great success.

On Sunday a coach was hired for a visit to the
most interesting House of Marbles at Bovey
Tracey and from there to Buckfast Abbey for a
super carvery lunch in the Grange Restaurant, with
an hour or so free to take in the Abbey and
gardens. A light supper followed in Stoke with a
sing song in French and English, just before the
departure on Brittany Ferries. The fabulous
weather really helped to make the weekend a
memorable experience. The return visit to Brest
will take place in mid September and anyone
interested can contact Marilyn on 07890165524.

CALLING ALL KNITTERS
Karen and Fiona Evans of The Conscious Sisters
are looking for keen knitters who use 5 steel
needles to “reclaim” the Plymouth Gansey: a
seamless traditional fisherman’s jersey, which was
originally worn in the 19th/20th century by local
fisherman until the 1950s. The knitters will work
to order and get paid for doing so. Please contact
hello@theconscioussisters.com

LOOKING FOR A GOOD READ?
We have a published author in the area!
Rev. Tim Buckley of St Michael’s and St Aubyn’s
started writing novels some 10 years ago and has
since had “The Drumchester Diaries” published
in 2022. “From Whom No Secrets are Hidden”
appeared earlier this year and features a young
detective called Adam Pennycome.
Tim aspires to publish a series of novels about this
engaging character. Both books can be found on
Amazon. Some of you might remember a joint
concert we had some years ago when we
discovered that Tim was an accomplished pianist.
Marilyn

PLANTS FOR SALE
This week Ann tells us we have tomato plants.
Cherry and salad tomatoes.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN MAY
Fiona Lang, Diana Cooke, Lorna Bartlett, James
Bridgwater, Peter Harrison, Margaret Bibby,
Elaine Cresswell, Ruth Sayers.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Jul 13 Summer Fair
Sep 7 Devon Historic Churches Open Day
Oct 13 Harvest Thanksgiving
Oct 20 St. Luke’s Thanksgiving
Nov 22/23 Christmas Fair

NEW LIFE IS SPRINGING UP EVERYWHERE
Perhaps the weather has not been brilliant this
week, but with the dryer and warmer weather of
the previous week, we finally managed to spend
more time in the garden. We are well behind with
many of the jobs needed to be undertaken at this
time of the year but have now managed to start
digging over some of the flower beds which are
mostly overgrown with rampant Forget-me-nots.
They are one of the early flowers which herald the
welcome onset of spring. They then spread their
seed for next year’s blooms. However, the ground
needs to be prepared for this year’s new plants.
Therefore, the Forget-me-nots have to go.
Once you get close to the earth you realise what
else is growing apace, mostly unwanted. New
shoots of Bracken can be seen everywhere and
would soon take over if left, so each one is
carefully pulled up, hoping to get all of the root
and prevent re-growth. The removed fronds and
leaves will be chopped up and added to the
compost bins to take some advantage of the
goodness therein. Not so with the many Brambles
though, which can set root anywhere and certainly
don’t go for composting.
We recently visited Enys Gardens. The day we
chose, their website indicated that the Bluebells
would be at their best. They certainly were, but it
is difficult to do justice in a photograph. They
cover the large field for as far as the eye can see,
and further.

In their orchard some of the Apple blossom is
starting to appear but is not yet at its height. Just a
few pink and white flowers showing themselves,
ready to be pollinated and produce apples later in
the year.

Down on the lake was a mother Moorhen and three
very small youngsters, eagerly picking at morsels
in amongst the pondweed.

Back in our own garden the last two Azalea bushes
are now in full bloom, white and red, one each side
of a narrow path which has disappeared for now.

We also have other new life as well. A Garden
Spider has a nest on top of a short dead twig in an
otherwise empty flowerpot outside the Lounge.
The hundreds of tiny yellow baby spiders have just
hatched, each one less than a millimetre in size. All
are now heading around the garden to practice
spinning their tiny webs.

Tony Barnard