THE Archbishop of Melanesia, The Most Reverend George Takeli, will be visiting St Eustachius’ Parish Church, Tavistock tomorrow (Thursday) where he will preside and preach at a Eucharist for the Feast of St Matthew.

The service starts at 6pm and all are welcome to attend and stay for refreshments, which will be served afterwards.  

Archbishop George and his wife, June, have travelled to England to attend meetings with the Archbishop of Canterbury and fellow bishops in the Anglican Communion. He will be travelling to Devon because the first Bishop of Melanesia, John Patteson, came from Feniton (near Ottery St Mary).

Archbishop George will visit St Andrew’s Church, Buckland Monachorum, earlier in the afternoon to view the Patteson memorial window there.  

While in Tavistock, Archbishop George will meet the Tavistock branch of the Companions of the Melanesian Brotherhood, which has been active there since two Melanesian brothers (the late Father George Elo and Bishop Leonard Dawea) trained as curates with the Venerable John Rawlings during his time as Vicar of Tavistock.

The current assistant curate at St Eustachius’, Father Steven Martin, will be travelling out to the Solomon Islands in October to visit and work with the Melanesian Brotherhood and other religious communities there.