Welcome to St Thomas Parish Church, Exeter
Our Mission is to be a church community that is welcoming, outward-looking and outward-reaching, rooted in prayer and worship.
We are an inclusive Anglican Church in the liberal Catholic tradition on the west side of the River Exe in Exeter. You are very welcome to join us at any of our services and events — please find more details about upcoming events here and meet our team here.
The church is open from 10AM–3PM, Monday to Friday for anyone who would like to light a candle or say a prayer.
Location
St Thomas Parish Church is at 54 Cowick St, St Thomas, EX4 1AP.
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The St Thomas Centre, our church hall, is just behind the church, where we also have a private car park (accessible off Church Rd).
Our Worship
We meet for a Sung Eucharist service at 10:30AM every Sunday. (Please note that currently, from late November until the end of March, our Sunday morning services are held in the church hall.)
There is also a traditional service of Holy Communion every Wednesday at 10AM.
More information about these services, including prayers and readings for the day, can be found on the weekly pew sheet here
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Our new Rector!
The Rev'd Hannah Alderson will become the next Rector of St Thomas
The Archdeacon of Exeter Andrew Beane led our service at St Thomas on the 17th May, and we were so delighted that as part of his visit he was able to announce publicly that the Rev'd Hannah Alderson has been appointed as our new Rector.
Following our sadness last week saying a truly grateful goodbye to the wonderful Sarah Mounoury who has been our interim Vicar since the autumn, we were delighted today that Hannah's appointment was announced and we now look forward with hope and excitement about what God has in store for us and for this community under Hannah's leadership.
Hannah has served for the last 10 years first as St Luke's Chaplain and then Lazenby Chaplain at the University of Exeter. We are looking forward to welcoming her and her family to St Thomas towards the end of the summer, and are so excited about this new chapter in the life of our church and our work in this community.
This Sunday
Join us on Sunday 24th May as we celebrate the feast of Pentecost
This coming Sunday we will be very pleased to welcome the Rev'd Dr Joel Love, our Diocesan Director of Ordinands, to lead our service.
Pentecost (also traditionally known in the UK as Whitsunday or Whitsun) is the day that the Church celebrates the sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Disciples of Jesus after his ascension into heaven. Jesus told his friends that he would not leave them alone to do the work of spreading the gospel message but that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, who would be for them like an advocate and guide in his absence.
The New Testament book of Acts tells of a gathering of all the disciples at a house in Jerusalem. It says that a sound like a great rushing wind whipped through the place, that tongues of fire appeared around them and rested on them, and that they were filled with the Spirit of God and suddenly became able to speak new languages.
Just as the Spirit was given to those Apostles who built the early Christian movement and they received gifts symbolising their work of sending out a message that was for all people—a message that would thereafter spread around the world and be shared in thousands of languages—so we have also received God's spirit and are equipped for the work that God has for us.
A Statement from St Thomas Church
As a church, we regret having to make this statement but feel it is important to do so.
We have printed posters of this statement and are displaying them on the church notice board and in the church hall.
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"Jesus taught his followers to love and to welcome everyone, especially those who others shunned. We absolutely reject any use of Christian symbols or language to demonise and scapegoat refugees, immigrants, Muslims, Jews, people of colour, LGBTQ+ people, or any marginalised group."
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Worship
We hold a Eucharistic service every Sunday at 10.30AM, as well as a more traditional Mass each Wednesday at 10AM.
Weddings, Funerals & Baptism
If you would like to know any more information about Weddings, Funerals, or Baptism, please see more info here
What's On?
We have a number of regular events each month, various that happen annually, and some that take place every now and then. Details of what's coming up can be found here.
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Finance & Fundraising
The church receives no central funding, so we are grateful for all forms of support, including financial.
To donate online please follow this link to our fundraising page.
You can find details of contributing to the restoration of St Thomas Church by joining the 200 Club monthly draw
Safeguarding Information
The Parish of Exeter: St Thomas is committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults.
We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies.
Our Parish Safeguarding Officers are:
Carolyn Bryant (contact on 07780 707183) and Jane Vowles (contact on 07759 263410)
This is our parish safeguarding prayer
The Diocese of Exeter’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor (DSA) who advise our PSOs.
If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the DSA.
If you have immediate concerns about someone's safety, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Services. If you are a young person and you feel unhappy about something happening to you, you can call Childline on 0800 11 11
We would like to highlight the following service for people experiencing Domestic Abuse
Devon Domestic Abuse Service Tel: 0345 155 1074
