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 16 February           3rd Sunday before Lent

THIS WEEK'S READINGS 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:-
Maureen, John and Shirley, Margaret, Graham.
The long term sick and infirm:-
George, Peter, Diana, Liz, Keith, Rob, Clive.
The recently departed:-
We give thanks for the life of Edwin, Rev’d Sue’s
son-in-law. We pray for Sue, her daughter Kate and
grandson Jake and all Edwin’s family and friends
at this sad time.
The Ministry Team:-
Wendy, Ruth, Fiona, Marilyn and Rhona.

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.

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 16 February        3rd Sunday before Lent
0800 Morning Prayer
Led by Ruth Sayers
1000 Sung Parish Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev’d Sue Nicholas

Wednesday 19 February
1000 Morning Prayer

Sunday 23 February        2nd Sunday before Lent
0800 Holy Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev’d Trevor Filtness
1000 Sung Parish Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev’d Trevor Filtness

WELCOME BACK
To the Rev’d Sue Nicholas at 10am.

PCC MEETING
The next PCC meeting will take place immediately
following next Sunday’s 10am Eucharist.

FIONA’S FOOTNOTES
Our Gospel this Sunday reminds me of the essay
I am currently working on, which is all about
liberation theology. Before beginning this subject
I thought I knew a bit about it already, but in doing
the research needed to write it I have discovered
that my existing knowledge hadn’t even scratched
the surface. One of the main authors of liberation
theology, Gustavo Gutiérrez, talked about it being
a means of showing the love of God to the poor
and oppressed. His particular focus was on the
people of Latin America, but the theories of
freeing the oppressed can be applied to anywhere
where there is suffering.
In this weeks’ Gospel we listen to the words of the
Beatitudes, words which tell us of God’s love for
the poor and the oppressed. Tom Wright, in his
book ‘How God Became King’, argued that
Christianity incorrectly jumps from the birth of
Jesus straight to his death and resurrection, almost
entirely missing out the teaching of the Gospel
message of caring for the poor, oppressed and
marginalised. In the creeds we speak of how we
get to heaven, whereas throughout His life Jesus
teaches us how we should build God’s kingdom
on earth by caring for those who have no voice.
This is the practice of liberation theology. Looking
around at our communities to find those in them
whose voice has been diminished by poverty,
oppression, and exclusion and contemplating how
we can be a vehicle, a facilitator, of God’s love.
Whilst I’m currently researching Latin American
theology, which related to the endemic poverty of
those in the 1960s and 1970s, our own community
isn’t exempt from these struggles. Even in the
Stoke area there are those who experience great
hardships. Jesus teaches us that, as Christians, we
must show God’s love through our actions. Who is
in need in our community? Who might feel
excluded? Who might be struggling? Who might
need to hear how God’s love has changed our
lives? What can we do? How can we take the
proclamation of God’s love which we experience
in the Gospel into our communities and so spread
the message that God’s Kingdom is now?
With this weeks’ news sheet I’ve included a poster
about an open day for SWMTC coming up during
the next residential. If you, or anyone you know,
might be interested in studying with SWMTC
please do let them know about the day. SWMTC
isn’t just about ordination training, you can also
study independently for a certificate, diploma, BA
and MA in theology, ministry and mission. Plus
there are courses in chaplaincy and spiritual
direction too. It’s an amazing community (I would
say that, wouldn’t I!) and is easily reachable for
anyone in Plymouth or the surrounding area. If
anyone would like to know more about studying at
SWMTC I’m happy to share my own experience.
With love and prayers
Fiona


MARILYN'S MEMOS
FUNDRAISING PRIORITIES
We are well aware we have a HUGE shortfall in
capital to pay for the necessary maintenance of
our historic building. How is our congregation
going to raise our fundraising profile and
maintain the impetus on a very regular basis in
order to make the target we need...... and then
there is always more!
Debbie has clearly explained our financial
commitments (running costs) to everyone by
giving details at a recent Eucharist and in a
subsequent Sunday sheet. Christina reminded us
of the benefit to our finances by committing to the
regular giving scheme or raising their donation by
those who are already supporting the church in this
way.
We are all acutely aware of the CONSTANT
demand for money from all angles: our own
homes, our food shopping, family, charities etc.
The list is endless and prices rise all the time. Our
challenge is that the majority of us are retired and
perhaps have less energy and the minority are in
full time employment and simply do not have
spare time. Problems always have solutions so we
have to find a way of succeeding!

Apart from the roof project, another priority is to
pay our COMMON FUND in full.
We simply must be able to do this or our ability
to attract a future incumbent is NIL.

How can we add to what we do: with your
suggestions and input.

Grants: Rhona is already on the case and has
numerous grant applications in the pipeline.

More book sales/table top sales/coffee
mornings: can anyone commit to being in church
on a Saturday morning to be part of a team to run
such events...... even if takings are small every
little helps. Two members of our PCC have already
volunteered to run a coffee morning at the
Blockhouse café.

Use EASY FUNDRAISING: Craig and I started
this years ago and it has fallen by the wayside.
Next week I will clarify how to help our funds by
purchasing items through this scheme.
It is very easy!!

Renting the church and parish centre: Concerts
are all fund raisers! We rent the church space and,
as a rule, provide interval teas and coffees. The
parish centre is sadly empty in the daytime.

Do you have any contacts who might be interested
in hiring it?
OVER TO YOU: any ideas PLEASE!

CONCERTS IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH
Sunday 23 February:
Craig Ogden:
(almost a sell out)
Sunday 9 March: Helen Porter
(with singing workshop at 12.30)
Sunday16 March: Duncan Honeybourne
Piano Recital (Plymouth Concert Series)
Sunday 30 March: Piano and cello concert
(All concerts start at 3.00pm)
ESTIMATED INCOME FROM THE ABOVE:
Rental £400
Potential Beverage minimum income £200

THANKS FOR HELP
My request for help last Sunday will result in
replacement electric plugs on a Burco Boiler and a
vacuum cleaner plus reprogramming of the timer
in the church store cupboard (parish centre) as the
exterior light on the north porch has been on
during the daytime.
Thank you to Ian who was the first of volunteers.
This has saved us having to call in an electrician.

CHURCH BOILER
There was a fault on the boiler which has now
been rectified by Jon, our engineer. He has reset
the temperature to 18 C.

PLEASE BE VIGILANT IN OUR LOCAL PARKS
There was a very unfortunate altercation in the
lower churchyard last week, when a dogwalker
with two aggressive pets got into an argument with
another dogwalker, who was concerned for the
safety of his pet and requested that the two dogs be
put on leads.
This resulted in a nasty situation and the latter was
attacked, pushed over and threatened with a knife.
He suffered a heart attack and was admitted to
hospital. The police were called. I have not had
any updates. Thank you to Anne for spotting this
on her social media newsfeed.
Sadly, there has been another recent attack of a
different nature in Devonport Park.
Marilyn

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN FEBRUARY
Ruth Jordan, Tony Barnard, Father Keith,
Christina Richardson.

WHERE ARE THE OLDEST PARTS OF
STOKE DAMEREL CHURCH?
Last week, when I checked Historic England’s
online Grade II* listing of this church, I realised
that, although the “... 3-stage W tower...” is
described as being constructed in the 15th. Century,
parts may be later. The website adds that the tower
was “...otherwise heavily remodelled or rebuilt in
1751 and later altered and restored.” Without any
further information we cannot be sure which parts
of the tower are original, especially when reading
“...or rebuilt...”
The north porch and 4-centre arch in the north wall
are both noted, by Historic England, as being 16th.
Century but they may have both been re-located
further north from their original locations during
the first 18th. Century extension of the church.

Looking through the old maps again, I came across
the 1643 Wencelas-Hollar Civil War siege map of
Plymouth. Stoke church was outside the siege lines
but, as drawn, appears to be depicted relatively
accurately in the original form of a one-aisled
church and in-line tower.
I also noticed that the well-known 1797 drawing of
the gibbet also shows Stoke Damerel church
viewed from the east, drawn after both 18th.
Century extensions were finished. The tower, in
the background, could line up with a semi-circular
apse on the eastern wall, as can be seen below.

This apse was demolished many years ago but one
of the old drawings still hanging in the church
shows part of the interior, which is probably this
same apse, located where the Organ Loft now
stands. There are large panels around the walls
which would have shown the Ten Commandments,
there for all worshippers to see and read.

An arch can just be seen at the top of this drawing
with, off-centre, a ‘downstand’ with a finial to the
underside. If this apse was centred on the probable
original building line, then both the arch and
‘downstand’ still exist. The downstand, without
finial, can be seen in the photograph below. The
arch is also still there but now hidden from view
by the decorated organ pipes in the photograph.

So, another part of the original church (not
mentioned in the Historic England listing) may
still exist, but out of sight nowadays.
However, had an 1887 proposal to re-build the
church, on the same site in Paradise Road, come to
fruition (this was prior to the 1901 drawings for
the nearby, never to be completed Cathedral), we
would all now be worshipping in the building
pictured below and none of the older construction
would exist anymore.


Tony Barnard