All are welcome at a service of farewell for Okehampton’s long-standing vicar who takes his last service on his retirement this weekend.

The Prebendary Rev Stephen Cook steps down as team rector of the Northmoor Team Rectory and vicar of Okehampton on Sunday (January 26).

A big send off is planned for Stephen and his wife Fiona at a service at 10.30am on Sunday at All Saints’ Church to which all are welcome.

Ruth Cartlidge, All Saints’ Church parochial church council secretary, said Stephen had made a big impact on the community in his 22 years at the helm of the parish church.

“During Stephen’s time in the town there has been a huge increase in the population, both of young families and retirees or those looking for a more rural lifestyle,” she said.

“Recognising that Sundays have become the only day when some families are able to spend time together, and acknowledging the many pressures and calls on their time, Stephen set up Brick Church on the last Saturday of the month, when children and their parents and carers can meet in the Church Hall and enjoy building with Lego and hear Bible stories whilst enjoying a time of fellowship. This initiative has now been copied across the country.

“One of the defining features of the last quarter century has been the explosion in the use of the internet and social media. During the pandemic, Stephen was one of the first church leaders to use the internet to broadcast a service each Sunday; his service on Easter Day 2020 was especially memorable, being filmed in a field of new lambs, and many found comfort in his talks and prayers and his ‘Moor Thoughts’ podcasts.

“Throughout his time in Okehampton, Stephen has been involved in working with churches of other denominations and has forged close personal relationships with other church leaders, as as evidenced at a recent event at the Inspiration Church.

“Stephen has been supported throughout his ministry by his wife Fiona who is known to many through her work at the medical centre.

“Stephen’s last service in Okehampton will be at All Saints Church on Sunday (January 26) at 10.30pm when a presentation will be made, and all are welcome to say goodbye to a man who has served the church and town faithfully for so long.”

Stephen himself described how much of a joy it had been for him and his wife Fiona, a nurse, to be part of Okehampton.

He recalls that one of the first things he attended on his arrival in June 2002 was the ‘reopening’ of Simmons Park following major improvements.

“I found myself walking up Fore Street beside the mayor, with the band playing, thinking ‘What a privilege; I’ve only been here a week!’ Since then I have walked behind the band and beside different mayors quite a few times on a whole range of occasions and the lovely park has been a feature of our lives.

“All Saints Okehampton is a beautiful church. It’s in the wrong place now because over the centuries the town has moved down the hill, but generations of Okehampton people are buried in its shadow and still people climb the hill to pray, to worship, to celebrate and to mourn. I have taken huge funerals of well-known figures in the town, I have buried people I’ve known and loved, I’ve married people and then sometimes baptised their babies (I always think I’ve done a good job when that happens). Most of all I’ve enjoyed being part of the town through these years of change and growth.

He added: “All Saints is home to a dedicated congregation, who are there every Sunday, worshipping God and praying for the world and for their community. Their generosity with their time, energy and money enables the church to function and the building to be looked after. It has been my privilege to be their pastor and their friend, and we will miss them all very much.

“Both our boys have grown up here through the primary school and the college and the older one, Ben, will be staying here when we move. Many of you will know my wife Fiona through her work as a nurse at the medical centre and will be glad to hear that she is way too young to retire just yet! We will be living down the road in Crediton, so easily close enough to keep in touch with Okehampton news.”