St Andrews Church in Colyton will join other churches in Branscombe, Musbury, Northleigh and Southleigh to hold a 24-hour prayer vigil for Ukraine.

Parishes in the Holyford Mission Community will be coming together for a 24-hour prayer vigil in St Andrew’s Church, Colyton to mark the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

The vigil starts on Sunday 26th at 11am. Following the parish Eucharist there will be a bring-and-share lunch in the Church and we shall be providing hospitality for local Ukrainian guests. Linda Joy, our Children and Families Worker, will be organising activities for children.

The vigil will continue in the church, interspersed with short services. The three mediations will be short services of psalms, a reading and a hymn (20 minutes). The Dawn Eucharist will be a traditional, candle-lit service. The Vigil will end with a final service of commitment and dedication at 11.30am on Monday.

Schools will be getting involved by coming in for their own assembly and producing prayer doves which will be arranged in the church for the vigil.

The vigil is not only for Ukraine, but for peace in all places currently experiencing war or conflict. It will also be an opportunity for the community to come together, and for people to come and offer prayer for themselves, families and communities, and whatever may be preventing or disturbing their own peace at this time.

Like every church throughout Devon, the churches exist to facilitate and encourage prayer: they are spaces where people—no matter who they are, how they feel, or where they come from—can come and feel welcome.

There is a programme of services—the information can be found on the website, Holyford.org or on the Facebook page, @holyfordmission.

For further information please contact our Administrator, Mrs Caz Jefferies 0ffice@holyford.org. or the Rector, Fr Steven rector@holyford.org