News

On Sunday 27th October, we all made our way to Berkeley Vale for the final service of the United Reformed Church with Trinity Baptists. We have had a long association with the congregation there, and in recent years the links have grown closer. Of course, the building was a Methodist Church before the URC moved there, so there was a sense of great nostalgia for that occasion. In addition, the love we all had for Pat Whittaker, who died in the Spring, was in our minds throughout.

Don't forget, there's no service at FMC this Sunday. We are all going to our friends at the URC Church at Berkeley Vale, up the road, for their final service before closing. It's at 10.30am, same as our usual time.

Our next services will be on Sunday 3rd November, when there'll be the usual pattern for the first Sunday of the month with a traditional service as well as Café Church. Breakfast will be served from 10.00am, whichever congregation you want to join!

Our annual Harvest Festival had an additional dimension of celebration this year, because the service was led by Rev Dr Ed Kimes. Ed, who is a minister in the United Methodist Church in the United States, was minister at Falmouth for twelve months ten years ago. He and his wife, Faith, are very fondly remembered, and it was a joy to welcome them back to Cornwall.

Ed took as his harvest theme 'Thanksgiving'. Amongst other things, he showed pictures of their time here a decade ago, and reminded everyone of the people who had made their time here so special.

Our annual Harvest Festival will be celebrated on 15th September at 10.30am. We are delighted that a former minister, Rev Ed Kimes, will conduct this service. Ed is a minister from the USA, and was here for a year about a decade ago. We will be a joy to welcome him and Faith back to Falmouth, and to have him lead our worship.

After the service, we will be enjoying our monthly Church Lunch. However, on this occasion it will be pasty and dessert - but still for the amazingly good price for just £5. 

Please join us if you can!

Sunday 11th August was celebrated as ‘Harvest of the Sea’, and we were joined this year by our friends from the nearby URC Church. Traditionally, this has been a service of thanksgiving - to God, for the wonder of creation and provision for us, and to workers on the sea. This year we added an extra dimension, as we considered what the unintended harvests of the sea are like.

On Saturday 22nd June, Stithians Ladies Choir performed along with their guests, Barnstaple Ladies Choir. Each sang a varied programme of songs, from traditional choir favourites to religious music, to songs from the shows. They were very well received by the audience, who greatly appreciated all the hard work that had gone into producing such an enjoyable evening.

In the New Year, we finally saw some signs of activity, as the fire safety requirements were resolved in our building. It is good to report that the fire curtain is at last working properly. The new fire doors on the top floor and to the office have been well-received, and are a definite improvement on the old doors.

However, the lack of signs of activity prior to that hides the fact that a group of people have been working hard to bring about the Regeneration Project.

In 2019, for the first time, FMC marked the six Sundays of Lent with a Lent Cross Liturgy. On each Sunday, a short reading and prayer were accompanied by singing a couple of songs, and a new item was added to the cross. Over the season, the following items were added to the bare cross:

Bowl and towel (representing Jesus washing his disciples’ feet)

Money bag (representing the money Judas received)

Whip (representing the cruelty of the torture of Jesus)

Bread and wine (representing Last Supper)

Early in the new year, FMC was contacted by the locally-based charity Shelterbox to ask if we would be one of a group of churches piloting their new initiative ‘Give a Tent for Lent’. The Leadership Team considered it and thought it would be worthwhile. The challenge of raising enough money to provide for a tent (£317) seemed within reach. The slogan ‘a tent for Lent’ seemed to have a good ring to it, and it made a change from giving something up (like chocolate!) for the 40 days before Easter.