Our theological outlook is mainly traditional with modern elements. We have modernized the worship area and have chairs instead of pews which has increased flexibility and increased the use that can be made of the church.

We are firmly committed to the understanding that our faith has to be expressed in our daily living, and so we are deeply integrated in the life of our community, both individually and as a Church. Our members are enthusiastic, and work hard to provide activities and opportunities for the villagers.

Our setting:

• Cheriton Fitzpaine is an active, friendly Mid-Devon village with a strong community spirit.

• There is one village shop and post office at the heart of the village. The villagers recently campaigned successfully for the post office to remain open, which makes it more viable for the shop to remain open.

• Isolation can be a problem, as can travel. We only have a few daily buses, none of which run in an evening. Many families have commuters among their number, though some are engaged in farm work.

• We have a number of new transit traveller sites in the process of being set up on the outskirts of the village. We have not yet had an opportunity to make contact, but we would wish these communities to be included in our outreach and invitations to church and community life. A possible source of introduction to the site leaders to enable this could be through the Traveller Liaison Officer at Mid-Devon Council.

• There are a number of immigrant workers on a local farm, and we have already enjoyed a social event with them to introduce ourselves and get to know each other. Most are Polish workers from Roman Catholic backgrounds. There is a Roman Catholic church in Crediton.

Activities for children:

• Our Activity Days are run by members and friends of Chapel for any children between 5 and 11 years, with older children invited to help. We usually have 3-5 St. Johns Cadets who come as assistants, too. Normally, attendance is in the region of 18 – 20 children. We take a bible story and  depict it in drama; collage or other creative way;  include first aid appropriate to the theme; and a kitchen group making perhaps cookies for the party held after someone`s recovery. At the last Activity Day in May the theme was the story of Jesus appearing to the disciples on the beach after they had been fishing all night. We made fishing pots, fish, octopuses and boats.
  The day usually runs from 10am - 3pm, and in the last half hour we invite parents and families to come and share a cup of tea and a biscuit/cookie, while watching the drama enacted. That part is very well supported.
  We nearly always hold a family service as a follow up the following Sunday, but rarely do any of the children or families come to it.

• We hold an annual parade service for the Brownies and Rainbows, and would like the help of the Children and Young Families worker to see whether these could be more frequent.

Other activities offered by the church:

• We hold a weekly fellowship meeting on Thursday mornings for Bible study and prayer.

• A popular monthly Breakfast Club run by volunteers from this church, the parish church and the community providing families with a cooked breakfast to order. This actively practices inclusion for all. The Breakfast Club has been running for some time, and recently we set up a prayer centre in the church where people are invited to spend some quiet time if they wish.

• To help the elderly of the community, we are a part of the Welcome Club, which once a month provides cooked mid-day meals in the chapel, and an opportunity for the older and more infirm people to socialize.

• Friendship Club for men meets during the day-time once a month. It is led by a member of the church but is secular in nature and open to all men from the village. They have a variety of activities from walks, visits to historic places and visiting a pub for a meal or just a chat. This initiative has been warmly received by men of the village.

• We welcome the Light of Peace from Bethlehem in Advent. This is run by the Guide Association, and once it arrives in Great Britain the lit flame is carried from church to church across the country.

• We host some of the many events during the annual Folk Festival each March, especially a very popular Sunday morning folk service when worship is informal and includes some folk music and input from visitors. 

Other organizations using our premises:

• Mother and Toddler group.
• The Out of School Group, an after school group.
• Other community based lettings: Lace class, Yoga, Ladies Evening Group (a popular alternative to WI.), children`s parties, Drama Group.