Paignton Parish Church

10/09/2026

💍 THINKING ABOUT GETTING MARRIED?

You could get married somewhere that has been helping people celebrate love for a few hundred years. ❤️ (and looks great in photos)

Paignton Parish Church is a beautiful historic setting - with soaring medieval architecture, beautiful stained glass, music, candlelight and all the atmosphere that comes from standing where generations of couples have stood before you.

Love is pretty much our specialty, from the way we are each loved by our Creator and the Love that holds us in life's big moments, to the love of the community and world and family we nurture. We go deep.

So come and have a chat if you're interested m- no need to be able to recite the Lord's Prayer off by heart or confess your darkest sins (though we can accommodate that too...). This is a place for people, that holds stories, that shares the journey.

Find out more: https://paigntonparishchurch.com and https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding

08/09/2026

🌿 FRIDAY MORNING — A MOMENT TO PAUSE

By Friday morning, the week can feel rather full. There are emails to answer, things to remember, places to be… and probably something you were supposed to have done on Wednesday.

So perhaps Friday morning is a good time to stop.

From Friday 11 September, we’re holding a weekly prayer space at Paignton Parish Church at 9.45am.

A quiet, reflective time with prayer, music and space to simply be.

You don’t need to be “good at prayer”.
You don’t need to know the right words.
You don’t even need to have had a particularly good week.

Just come as you are. Join in, sit on the edges or loiter at the back.

🌿 Fridays at 9.45am
📍 Paignton Parish Church
📅 Starting 11 September

A little time to breathe before the weekend begins.

07/09/2026

🤠 THIS IS YOUR OFFICIAL WARNING…

The Barn Dance is happening THIS SATURDAY.

Which means there are now only a few days left to:

💃 Find your dancing shoes
🕺 Practise looking like you know what you’re doing
🤔 Wonder exactly what a “barn dance” involves

Whether you’re a seasoned ceilidh champion or someone whose dancing normally consists of an enthusiastic head nod at weddings, you’re very welcome.

📅 Saturday 12 September
🕡 Doors 6.30pm | Dancing from 7pm
📍 Paignton Parish Church
🎟️ £8, including a drink and pasty
👧 Children 11 and under free with a paying adult

Bring your friends.

Bring your family.

Bring your best questionable dance moves.

Just don’t blame us when you discover you’re actually quite good at it. 😂

🎟️ Tickets:

Join us on Saturday 28th June for Barn Dancing with music, dancing and dinner! Doors open at 6:30pm with dancing starting at 7 pm. Refreshments will also be on sale. Ticket price is £8 and includes 1 drink, 1 pasty, and unlimited dancing! Free spaces for children aged 11 or under with paying a

03/09/2026

🌿 A little space to pause

Life can be busy. Fridays can be busy. And sometimes, before the week is quite over, it can be good simply to stop for a while.

From Friday 11 September, we’re creating a new weekly prayer space at Paignton Parish Church, beginning at 9.45am.

There’ll be time for quiet, prayer and reflection — a chance to breathe, be still, and perhaps bring to God whatever is on your mind or in your heart.

There’s no expectation of knowing what to say or do. Just come as you are.

Whether you want to wander on your own, sit at the edges or join with others, everyone is very welcome. 🌿

01/09/2026

💃🕺 THINK YOU CAN DANCE? Excellent.😂

On Saturday 12 September, Paignton Parish Church is putting away the hymn books and getting ready for a good old-fashioned Barn Dance!

🎻 Music
💃 Dancing
🥟 A pasty
🥤 A drink
😂 Probably some questionable dance moves

Doors open at 6.30pm, with dancing from 7pm.

Tickets are just £8 and include a drink, a pasty and unlimited dancing. Children aged 11 and under can come free with a paying adult. Embarrassing those children, priceless.

You don’t need to be a brilliant dancer.

You don’t even need to know what you’re doing.

There will be a caller apparently. So there’s really no excuse. Unless you are particularly rebellious and refuse to be TOLD WHAT TO DO in which case, freestyle, just safely. No neckerchief related injuries.

Come on your own, bring friends, bring the family — just bring your dancing shoes (or something vaguely resembling them).

📅 Saturday 12 September
🕡 Doors 6.30pm | Dancing 7pm
📍 Paignton Parish Church
🎟️ £8

Come for the pasty. Stay for the dancing. Leave wondering why you agreed to that particular move.

Book tickets

Join us on Saturday 28th June for Barn Dancing with music, dancing and dinner! Doors open at 6:30pm with dancing starting at 7 pm. Refreshments will also be on sale. Ticket price is £8 and includes 1 drink, 1 pasty, and unlimited dancing! Free spaces for children aged 11 or under with paying a

31/08/2026

🏰 **THINK CHURCHES ARE BORING?**

Challenge accepted.

Come on a guided tour of Paignton Parish Church and discover:

🎨 Beautiful stained glass
🚪 A medieval door with a rather romantic nickname
📖 A 16th-century Bible with an unfortunate reputation
🎵 A magnificent organ
…and several centuries’ worth of people doing surprisingly interesting things.

Join us for a guided tour of Paignton Parish Church and discover medieval mysteries, strange monuments, beautiful stained glass, fascinating characters, hidden stories and at least one monument that has acquired the nickname “Creepy Fred.” 👻

📅 Every Thursday 10am (excluding 10th Sept, future exceptions will be on our website)
Completely free, donations gratefully received

Come and find out what you’ve been walking past all this time!

29/08/2026

A Blessing for Tired Parents and Guardians

May those who have crawled through the past six weeks
feel the nourishment of routine just around the corner.

May those who have been released from the daily school-based battles be strengthened and restored, ready for their return.

May those whose young ones need both routine and novelty,
structure and freedom, the familiar and the unexpected,
and often all at the same time, be filled with divine patience.

As those who need to, shake off the lows of these months
may they hold onto the high points, however far off the ground,
and pin them into the albums of what is possible.

May there be more things to look forward to than to dread.

May those who hold such precious souls in their care
have gentleness and understanding, even through gritted teeth.

And be blessed with the courage to admit when life is really hard,
and ask for help.

And may those who need it be assured,
in practical and tangible ways, that they are not alone.

May we each find, in the midst of the noise and exhaustion,
small moments of grace, unexpected laughter,
and enough strength for a few more days.

Or in some cases TEN more days. God help us.

Amen.

28/08/2026

There once was a priest who fully expected that summer holidays would provide plenty of time to get the church’s social media “content” and “strategy” under control.

After all, there would be more working from home. Surely August would be the perfect opportunity for thoughtful planning, scheduling posts and generally becoming a much more professional presence online. And then it was nearly September.

Somehow, there has been considerably less time spent on “content strategy” and considerably more time spent on rather more urgent things. Which led to an important question:

“Do I need to make us look more professional?” Or…

“Do I need to put my energy into being professional offline and simply hope that everyone understands that the online stuff is going to be a bit… human?”

So, after a great deal of deep theological reflection, she has decided on a third option:

Write an endearing post about how I have failed to get our social media presence under control and hope that covers the bases.

(photo of priest's desk complete with muffins left by administrator out of encouragement and pity)

29/06/2026

Today we remember Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and their inspiring examples of faith, courage, and transformation. Peter, one of Jesus’ closest followers, showed that through stumbles and weaknesses, people can grow through trust and dedication. Paul’s life changed dramatically from one persecuting the early church, and he became a powerful voice spreading hope and the message of Christianity across the world. Both faced hardship, rejection, and danger, yet they remained committed to their beliefs. Their stories remind us that ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference through perseverance, compassion, and the courage to follow what they believe is right.

24/06/2026

Bit hot? Our church is open throughout the day Tuesday - Saturday and is nice and cool! Please feel free to stop in and rest.