Parish News
Christmas 2023 at the Parish of Paignton
The Parish of Paignton celebrated Christmas and the coming of Jesus with several Christmas-themed events and services.
It was great to see so many individuals at the events and services this year in the Parish.
The festive season began with an advent service at St Boniface and a series of ‘Breakfast with the Bible’ meetings in the Coverdale Centre each Sunday morning to discuss and explore the gospel as we prepare for Christmas.
Events such as the ‘Wine and Wisdom’ Christmas Quiz (7th December) and Christmas Fayre (9th December) provided great excitement for the Christmas season, with lots of laughter, fun for all, and even an appearance of Father Christmas at the Fayre.
From the 16th December until the 29th December, the parish presents the annual Christmas Tree Festival, where businesses, organisations, and individuals sponsor trees displayed around St John’s (Paignton Parish Church).
We also held many services this year at both St Boniface and St John’s, all offering sharing the light of Jesus and spreading the message of hope. Services included a live-action retelling for all the family, carol services by candlelight, and a crib, carol, and communion service. St Boniface had a door to door carols with some of the messy church congregation traveling to different houses in the Foxhole area sharing the good news of the coming of the Christ child.
Thank you to all those who helped us to make this Christmas season special this year. To see more of our Christmas celebrations check out the photos below.
From all the ministry team and the PCC of Paignton Parish may we wish you, and all those whom you love and care for, a most joyful, prosperous, and peaceful Christmas season, with every blessing for 2024 and safe travels for those visiting family.
We will remember them…. Remembrance Event and Service at the Parish
On Saturday 28th October, the Parish Branch of the Royal British Legion held their Royal Poppy Appeal Concert at St John’s (Paignton Parish Church). The concert was well attended with 110 people enjoying the live music.
On Sunday 12th November, the Parish of Paignton held a Remembrance Sunday Service at St John’s to commemorate those sacrifices and those in service. Joined by members of the Paignton Branch of the Royal British Legion, active and retired service personnel, and the public, the congregation united with people and congregations across the nation through the 2-minute silence at 11 am.
The service also included readings from two individuals, a father and son, one currently in active service and the other retired from active service. Around the church, displays were created specifically for Remembrance Sunday.
It was wonderful to see so many people at the Poppy Appeal Concert and the Remembrance Sunday Service and thank you to everyone who was involved in making this commemorative time so special. If you missed joining us at these events, there are a few photos of the events and displays for you to view in the photo gallery below.
Harvest Festivals and Celebrations
The Parish of Paignton celebrated this October with two harvest-themed events, the Harvest Thanksgiving celebrations at St John’s and a Harvest Fest at St Boniface.
On Sunday 1st October, the congregations from St Boniface and St John’s came together at St John’s to celebrate the harvest with an all-aged service at Paignton Parish Church, with worship and music led by St Boniface. The church was filled with beautiful harvest-themed flower displays at St John’s, which provided an excellent atmosphere and space of worship for the Harvest Thanksgiving. During the service, the congregation has the opportunity to bring up food items to donate and share.
Following the service, the Coverdale Centre hosted many of the parish’s congregation for a two-course lunch including a crumble for dessert and accompanied by a selection of wine or juice. The lunch was a great celebration, full of good food, chatter, and fellowship.
On Saturday 14th October, St Boniface continued the celebrations with a Harvest-themed festival from 1 pm-4 pm with a live magician, various stalls including jewelry, cake, and face painting; as well as games and activities including a ring toss, an apple pie contest, and flowers on the clock (flower arranging race). There was also food available including soup and jacket potatoes with fillings including cheese and beans and tuna mayo.
It was great to see so many people at our different events this harvest and thank you to everyone who was involved in all the different events, services, and displays at both churches. If you missed joining us at these events, there are a few photos of the events and displays for you to view in the photo gallery below.
To see more information on future events by the Parish of Paignton, check out our event page or our Facebook page.
24th September 2023
Father Neil becomes the new Chaplin for the Paignton branch of the Royal British Legion
The Paignton branch of the Royal British Legion joined us at Paignton Parish Church to celebrate the inauguration as their new Chaplin.
It was a delight to see so many of the legion join the Parish for a special service on Sunday 24th September, as Father Neil was welcomed as the new Chaplin for the Paignton branch of the Royal British Legion. Following the regular Sunday Eucharist, a short notice by Major Ron Goodwin, branch president was read by Branch chairman Ged Sarsfield at the end of the service to inaugurate Father Neil as the new chaplain with the blessing and presentation of a new stole. The service then followed with cake and conversation to celebrate.
Men’s Breakfast
On Saturday 8th July, the Men’s breakfast was held at Paignton Rugby, Football, and Cricket Club, a great opportunity for men across Torbay from different Christian denominations to get together over a fantastic English Breakfast. After breakfast, the group heard from a guest speaker who talked about how God works in prisons, and it was very insightful to hear how the light of Christ can shine into the darkest areas of human life.
The next men’s breakfast is scheduled for October, so keep an eye on our event calendar for future details.
Fantastic Fun at the summer fayre!
In glorious sunshine, the Parish of Paignton (St John the Baptist and St Boniface) held their summer fayre from 11 am to 4 pm on Saturday 25th June. The fayre kicked off at 11 am with the bells being rung by our fantastic bell ringers, and various stalls for people to explore including toys, plants, books, the Outlook Shop, and crafts. Games and activities included the golf game, splat-a-rat, horse racing, an egg and spoon race, a tug of war, a treasure hunt, and throwing wet sponges at people in the stocks - a great idea if you were looking to cool down! There was also a range of food and drink available throughout the day including hot dogs and burgers from the BBQ and of course ice cream, fantastic for a hot summer’s day!
It was great to see so many people attend the event, and a big thank you to everyone who made this year’s Summer Fayre a wonderful event, it would not be possible without your support! We raised just over £2,000 before costs for the parish funds which is fantastic and we hope everyone enjoyed this event as much as we did!
To see more of the event, check out the images below!
The South Devon Choir At Paignton Parish Church
On Saturday 10th July, South Devon Choir hosted a singing workshop and concert at Paignton Parish Church and was in aid of Rowcroft Hospice. The rehearsal and workshop was attended by approximately 50 individuals from a couple of different choirs as well as members of our own congregation. The evening concert was well attended with over 120 people enjoying the singing and music from the church and organ.
4th June 2023
Celebration of St Boniface Patronal Festival
The Parish of Paignton celebrated the patron saint of St Boniface today with an all-ages service followed by lunch at St Boniface.
To celebrate the Patronal Festival of St Boniface, the Parish of Paignton held an all -aged service followed by lunch at the daughter church, St Boniface in Foxhole. Attended by many members of the parish congregation from St John’s and St Boniface, the all aged-service was led by Captain Jeff Hill and Father Neil, and included live music from the music band at St Boniface.
After the service, the congregation headed outside to bless the new Vegetable Garden and the Rose Memorial Bench Planters. The Vegetable Garden Team is currently led by Ken, with two gardening groups running on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It was great to see so many different vegetables in the garden which they will be harvesting and eating in the coming months. The new rose memorial bench planters are situated near the newly growing orchard by the peace garden is a great space for reflection.
Following the service, the celebrations continued with lunch of jacket potatoes with different toppings and a selection of desserts! It was wonderful to see so many people join in for the celebration and the lunch finished with a presentation on the recent changes in St Boniface. A big thank you to all of those who helped create such a fantastic celebration.
Today’s event also marked the final service performed by Captain Jeff Hill, who has led St Boniface for several years now and brought new life and renewed passion into the ministry up at St Boniface. He and his family have made a huge difference to the parish and we wish them all the best for the future. For those who would like to wish them luck and say goodbye, Captain Jeff and his family will be attending the 10 am service at St John’s on Sunday 2nd July.
To see more of the event and the work which has been taking place at St Boniface, have a look at the pictures below.
9th May 2023
Celebrations for the Coronation of King Charles III
With a Garden party and a brunch worthy of a King, the Coronation celebrations at the Parish of Paignton have been a fantastic weekend to bring people together and mark this joyous and special occasion.
The Parish’s celebrations of King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s coronation started at 2 pm on Sunday 7th May with a garden party in the Vicarage Garden. Tables and the garden were decorated with Union Jack flags, people brought their own picnics, gathered in groups around the garden, and could also enjoy some refreshments with a special Coronation cake cut with a sword by the Vicar! Live music and a coronation quiz were available throughout the afternoon which finished around 5 pm.
Following the garden party, the Parish also held a King’s Brunch at St Boniface on Monday 8th May with an all-you-can-eat breakfast for £4 for adults and half-price for children. It was great to see so many familiar and new faces at both of the events and a big thank you to all who were involved in the events on Sunday 7th and Monday 8th.
To see more of the event, have a look at our pictures below.
12th April 2023
For He is Risen Alleluia! Holy Week and Easter with the Parish of Paignton
Waking up before dawn is not what everyone does on the Easter Weekend, but for those who attended the Parish of Paignton Easter Dawn Service, the early start begins at 6 am on Paignton Beach by Paignton Pier….
For several years, the Parish of Paignton Easter Sunday has started before the sun rises with members of the congregation as well as members of the public coming together for a dawn service on Paignton Beach in celebration of the Lord Jesus’ resurrection. The service continued the celebration and fellowship with breakfast at the Coverdale Centre, with cooked breakfast, hot and cold drinks, and friendly chatter. The Easter Sunday then continued with services at both St John’s and St Boniface to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord and life everlasting.
In the run-up to the Easter Sunday services, the Parish of Paignton also held several different services and events including Compline and Reflection services at the start of the week, followed by the Maundy Thursday service and the watch. On Good Friday, the Parish of Paignton came together for the stations of the cross service, the walk of witness around Paignton town center, and then the Last Hour service in the afternoon. This was then followed by the first Eucharist of Easter on Saturday evening, the Easter Vigil, Service of Light.
It was great to see so many people at the events and services this year in the Parish and a big thank you to all of those who helped us make this Easter season special this year. To see more of our Easter and Holy Week services and events check out the photos below.
