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GROUP NEWS
Harvest celebrations for
2007
The summer of 2007 has been a
bit of a non-event. Perhaps as the traditional Harvest season approaches
you feel less inclined to celebrate than last year. But celebrate we will
and recall once more God’s goodness and His promise to provide for
our needs as long as the earth endures. In the middle of our celebrations
this year we will be having one big Harvest supper and concert on Saturday
29th Sept in Kildallon Community Centre – more about the concert
in another article. The following is the schedule of services for our
Group;
| Day |
Date |
Church |
Preacher |
| Friday |
21st Sept |
Kildallon |
Rev Joanne Megarrell |
| Sunday |
23rd Sept |
Newtowngore |
Mrs Hazel Hicks |
| Friday |
28th Sept |
Corrawallen |
Canon Reggie Twaddell |
| Saturday |
29th Sept |
Kildallon Community Centre |
Harvest Supper & Concert |
| Sunday |
30th Sept |
Swanlinbar |
Mr George Taylor |
| Friday |
5th Oct |
Ballyconnell |
Rev Alan Cross |
| Sunday |
7th Oct |
Templeport |
Rev George Browne |
Please do support these services
of thanksgiving for God’s unending goodness and provision. Each
of the services will commence at 8 pm. Do try and make a special effort
to visit a church you have never been to before.
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Harvest
supper and concert
Get out your dancing shoes, brush
up on your joke telling, or start clearing your throat for your rendition
of “Oh Danny Boy”! Saturday 29th September will hopefully
be night to be remembered for long and many a day in our Parishes. We
will be coming together for a big Harvest supper with a variety concert
to entertain us along the way. But we need your help to make this happen.
What can I do? I hear you say. Well perhaps you could tell a joke, sing
a song, play your tin whistle, play the piano, read a poem, act out a
mime, dance a jig!!! The possibilities are endless and no doubt the talent
in our Parishes is just as immeasurable! Please do let Geoff know if you
would like to get up on stage and entertain us, we need to know well in
advance of the night so that we can organise a “Program of events”!
It all sounds very grand when you put it like that, but it basically should
amount to a really good night’s craic. The evening should start
at around 8.30 and be rounded off around 11ish, so please do come along
to Kildallon Community Centre for a night to be remembered!
+++
Newsletter
and Web Site
If you have any news items or
photographs for insertion in future editions of this Newsletter or on
the web site please let me have them.
Please would anyone who has any history or material which should be available
on the new Group of Parishes Web site contact me.
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| Confirmation |
 |
It is intended
that there will be a service of confirmation in one of our Parish
Churches at some stage next year – date yet to be agreed
with Bishop Ken, but hopefully in May 2008. The location of the
service will depend on where the candidates emerge from! Confirmation
is an extremely important stage in an individual’s life
and should not be entered into lightly. Many people rush into
confirmation because they are the age to be confirmed rather than
actually taking it seriously – think about this, you are
proclaiming your Christian faith publicly for all to hear and
you should mean it.
Part of the preparation for confirmation will mean attending our
Youth Fellowship on a Sunday evening - this means that our young
people will naturally move from Sunday School and transition to
Youth Fellowship at around 12 years of age. Then in the last few
months leading up to the service there will be a Christianity
Explored course for young people and a weekend away. All sounds
a bit heavy, but this is an important occasion and going through
the motions is what we need to move away from and growing in faith
is what we need to move towards.
If you would like to be considered for confirmation next year,
then the first step is to come along to Youth Fellowship on a
Sunday evening and let Geoff know what your intentions are.
|
+++
| Attention all budding
Olympians! |
   |
Corrawallen Parish are holding
a sponsored walk/run on Sunday 26th August, leaving the Parish Church
at 3.30pm, returning at some stage the same day! The course is around
10km and is for walkers/runners of all abilities - it should be just
an afternoon for chat and fun, if you have enough breath left. Refreshments
will be available en route and at the end of the course. Anyone wishing
to take part and who would like to obtain a sponsor card should contact
Matilda Hyland on 049 4333082. All proceeds are going towards the cost
of the recent refurbishments to the Parish Church.
+++
| Northern Ireland Blood
Transfusion Service |
 |
Please note that the mobile
service will be in St Aidan’s High School, Derrylin between
2.30 pm – 4 pm & 5.15 pm – 8 pm on Monday 27th of
August.
|
+++
Holiday Bible Club in
Derrylin
We had a fantastic week in Derrylin
with our Waste Watchers Bible Club. This was an initiative between the
parishioners of Derrylin and our own group, something which we have been
doing for the past couple of years. The children really entered into all
the fun of the occasion, doing a make-over on Erin and Rebekkah! Waster
Watchers each day examined a different aspect of how God transforms things
from nothing to something, from water to wine, from darkness to light,
from death to life and from sadness to joy. Thank you to everyone who
supported the club, especially the leaders.
(Because of child protection regulations
photographs of children are no longer permitted on this web site. If your
child was involved you may obtain the photographs by asking me.)
| Update on work in Churches |
 |
Work is finally
about to commence to the floors in two or our Parish Churches.
St Peter’s, Templeport will see the contractors begin work
on Monday 27th August. This will mean that our there will be no
services in Templeport after Sunday 19th August until the Harvest
Service on Sunday 7th October. As well as renewing the floor in
the church, the Select Vestry have appointed a contractor to install
an oil-fired central heating system which should be commissioned
in time for late November.
Tomregan Parish will commence their work to the floor of the church
approx 2-3 weeks after this. There will be no services in Tomregan
Parish Church after Sunday 2nd September until the Harvest Service
on Friday 5th October.
Services during the program of work will be conducted in the Minor
Hall, Ballyconnell.
We are delighted to be in this position of preparing to commence
work and we appreciate your patience in what has seemed an extremely
prolonged process. Contractors could have been on site much earlier
but this would have meant that substantial grant aid would not
have been forthcoming.
Both churches are also in the process of drawing up applications
for grant aid for work to the roof of the church, applications
to be submitted by early October for work to be commenced in 2008.
God willing, all work should be complete by the end of 2008.
The work in Corrawallen
is nearing completion with just the installation of a Sound reinforcement
system and floodlighting to be carried out. The Church is looking
exceptionally well and thanks are extended to all concerned for
the manner in which this work has been overseen and the presentation
of the Church for regular Sunday worship once more.
|
+++
| Bawnboy Festival
2007
Due to the terrible weather
on the August Bank Holiday Saturday night and Sunday morning this
year’s Bawnboy Festival Vintage display had to be moved to
the car park of the new GAA Grounds because the usual field was
almost completely waterlogged!
Happily the attendance of old cars, tractors, machinery and spectators
were significantly better than expected and the ‘gate take’
was second best ever!
The photographs taken on the day are available
at: www.bawnboy.utvinternet.com/2007-festival
or www.bawnboy.com
 |
|
+++
75th Anniversary Service
in St Paul’s, Kinawley
Just to remind you again that
in February of this year, St Paul’s, Kinawley celebrated its 75th
Anniversary. This is an important landmark in the history of this Chapel
of Ease in a community which has seen many changes down through the years
in what has at times been a difficult area to minister. The Select Vestry
have decided that they would like to mark this occasion with a service
to give thanks for the witness of the church in the community with an
eye to an ongoing and continuing work. This service will take place on
Sunday 9th September at 3pm with tea afterwards. The Bishop will dedicate
a number of gifts at this service. If anyone would like to invite a former
parishioner or family member who has moved out of the area, then the Select
Vestry would welcome such invitations being carried out at a personal
level as official invites will be limited to a small number of individuals
only.
+++
Training evening for people
working with children & young people
Safe guarding trust is something
which the Church of Ireland has been committed to for a good number of
years now. In doing so we ensure that the organisations which meet on
Parish premises or Parish groups which go on visits/trips are providing
the highest level of care for our children and young people. We remain
totally committed to the provision of a safe environment and the care
of the young people, children and adults at risk in our organisations.
In pursuance of good practice, The Panel, consisting of Miss Beatrice
Crawford (Kinawley), Mrs Norma Richardson (Newtowngore), Mrs Linda Lovett
(Templeport) and Mr Kenneth Magee (Kildallon), together with Geoff, have
carried out a complete and comprehensive review of procedures and policies
in place in organisations and on our premises. The outcome of this review
is that a number of matters have been updated and it is intended to brief
all adults involved in work with our young people, children and adults
at risk at a training evening to be held in Ballyconnell Minor Hall on
Tuesday 4th September at 8.30pm. The purpose of this review has been to
ensure that we are caring for all those in our care as well as those who
are responsible for their care. This meeting is extremely important and
records of attendance will be kept, so please make a special effort to
come along if you are a leader in an organisation working with any of
the foregoing groups. If for any reason you are unable to attend, then
please let Geoff know in advance.
+++
| Sunday
School Prize Giving
I would like to thank everyone
who helped to make our Prize Giving Service and BBQ a great success
on 24th June. Everyone had a fantastic day, especially the kids
on the bouncy castle! We look forward to next year’s celebration
in the grounds of Kildallon Parish Church and Rectory grounds. Our
pictures show some of the parishioners enjoying the day.
(Because of child protection
regulations photographs of children are no longer permitted on this
web site. If your child was involved you may obtain copies of the
photographs by asking me.) |
 |
 |
 |
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Congratulations
 |
To Adam Woods on his recent marriage to Ruth
Gibson in Cootehill Presbyterian Church. Adam and Ruth are currently
living in the Cootehill area while their new home in Brendrum is being
finished.
Congratulations to Norman Graham on his marriage to Olivia Hall in
Drum Presbyterian Church.
We wish both couples every blessing in this new stage of their lives
together.
|
+++
Christianity
Explored 
This is a highly regarded
course which helps people to examine the Christian faith in an informal
setting. In essence it deals with 3 key questions;
- Who was Jesus?
- Why did he come?
- What is involved in following him?
The course is for everyone,
not just people who have not yet committed themselves to becoming
a disciple of Jesus. So if you are retired and a life-long believer,
its for you. Similarly, if you are in your twenties and asking questions
about what life is all about, its for you. And for those who fall
into neither category, its for you too! The course runs over ten
weeks with a day away on a Saturday after week six. There is no
cost involved and no one is put under any form of pressure to talk
about their faith or to pray out loud. It is not a prayer meeting
or a bible study, but it is a means of finding out more about Jesus
through looking at Mark’s Gospel over 10 weeks.
The following is the timetable of events; |
Week |
|
Subject |
1 |
19th Sep |
Introduction to the
course |
2 |
26th Sep |
Jesus – who was
He? |
3 |
3rd Oct |
Jesus – why did
He come? |
4 |
10th Oct |
Jesus – His death |
5 |
17th Oct |
What is Grace? |
6 |
24th Oct |
Jesus – His Resurrection |
Day away |
27th Oct |
The Church, The Holy
Spirit, Prayer, The Bible |
7 |
7th Nov |
What is a Christian? |
8 |
14th Nov |
Continuing as a Christian |
9 |
21st Nov |
Choices – King
Herod |
10 |
27th Nov |
Choices – James,
John & Bartimaeus. |
Each meeting
will begin at 8.30pm with a cup of tea/coffee and informal chat,
a presentation through a DVD and some discussion regarding what
we have seen, heard and read – each evening should end at
10.00pm. This course will take place in Minor Hall to the rear of
the stage in Tomregan Parish Hall but it is for the whole of our
new Group. Abraham Graham from Templeport has very kindly agreed
to assist Geoff with the delivery as facilitation of discussion
is one of the key elements involved.
Please do let Geoff know if you intend to come along as there is
some material which needs to be ordered in advance for each participant.
|
+++
Kidz Club
Parents, please note that our next
meeting of Kidz Club is at 3.30pm on Sunday 2nd Sept in the Parish Hall,
Derrylin. Kidz Club is for all children of Sunday School age and is for
the whole of our Group. In Oct, Kidz Club will meet in Ballyconnell.
+++
| Group Youth
Fellowship
This is something which
has been very much on my heart since arriving in Swanlinbar just
over 3 years ago. Those of you who know me will know that my background
and heart is in youth work but the development of this in our
Group has not been feasible until this time. But commencing Sunday
16th September, there will be a Youth Fellowship meeting in the
minor hall, Ballyconnell from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. A Youth Fellowship
is basically for young people of 12 years and over (2nd year students
in Northern schools and 1st year students in Southern schools).
Our group will meet on the 1st, 3rd & 4th Sundays each month
for a time of sharing and learning, fellowship and fun. The program
will include video nights with pizza, nights away bowling, nights
in learning something about how the Bible can help us to deal
with situations teenagers face today. The whole idea of a Youth
Fellowship is to provide an environment for our young people where
they feel welcome and safe; a place where they can ask those difficult
questions and talk about stuff that they are facing in school
or in life in general; and a place where they can grow in their
faith and develop loving relationships with their peers. That
all sounds rather formal, but it will be really good fun, believe
me. This Youth Fellowship is for all of our Group, and beyond,
so please do come along and give it a try. |
+++
Some humour
Outgoing Answering Machine Messages
This is not an answering
machine. This is a telepathic thought-recording device. After
the tone, think about your name, your reason for calling and
a number where I can reach you, and I'll think about returning
your call."
* * * *
*
"Hello, you've
reached Jim and Sonya. We can't pick up the phone right now,
because we're doing something we really enjoy. Sonya likes doing
it up and down, and I like doing it left to right ... real slowly.
So leave a message, and when we're done brushing our teeth we'll
get back to you."
|
+++
Prayer points for August September
Let us continue to listen
to God in prayer and develop a daily routine of praying for the
following on the day of the week indicated;
| Monday: |
For our organisations as they resume
their meetings; |
| Tuesday: |
For our leadership team as they seek
to lead the Group Forward! ; |
| Wednesday: |
For those bereaved by the loss of
family members, friends and loved ones; |
| Thursday: |
For our Youth Fellowship as it begins
to meet in September; |
| Friday: |
For Christianity Explored, for growth
in faith ; |
| Saturday: |
For farmers in what has been a difficult
year ; |
| Sunday: |
For young people preparing for confirmation.
; |
+ + +
|
+ + +
Service Schedule for September
|
|
Day |
Date |
Time |
Church |
Service |
Leader |
|
Sunday |
2nd |
10.00 |
Kinawley |
HC
1 |
Geoff
Wilson |
|
|
2nd |
10.30 |
Corrawallen |
MP
2 |
George
Browne |
|
|
2nd |
11.30 |
Ballyconnell |
HC
1 |
Geoff
Wilson |
|
|
2nd |
12.00 |
Kildallon |
MP
2 |
George
Browne |
|
Sunday |
9th |
11.00 |
Corrawallen |
United |
Geoff
Wilson |
|
|
9th |
11.30 |
Ballyconnell
(Minor Hall) |
MP
1 |
Hazel
Hicks |
|
|
9th |
3.pm |
Kinawley |
75th
Anniversary Service |
Geoff
W / Hazel Hicks |
|
|
9th |
8.pm |
Derrylin |
Informal |
George
Davison |
|
Sunday |
16th |
10.30 |
Newtowngore |
MP
1 |
George
Browne |
|
|
16th |
11.00 |
Swanlinbar |
United |
Geoff
Wilson |
|
|
16th |
12.00 |
Kildallon |
MP
1 |
George
Browne |
|
Friday |
21st |
8.pm |
Kildallon |
Harvest |
GW /
Joanne Megarrell |
|
Sunday |
23rd |
10.00 |
Kinawley |
MP
2 |
George
Taylor |
|
|
23rd |
10.30 |
Corrawallen |
HC
2 |
Geoff
/ Hazel Hicks |
|
|
23rd |
11.30 |
Ballyconnell
(Minor Hall) |
MP
2 |
George
Taylor |
|
|
23rd |
12.00 |
Kildallon |
HC
2 |
Geoff
Wilson |
|
|
23rd |
8.pm |
Newtowngore |
Harvest |
Geoff
/ Hazel Hicks |
|
Friday |
28th |
8.pm |
Corrawallen |
Harvest |
GW /
Reggie Twaddell |
|
Saturday |
29th |
8.pm |
Kildallon
Community Centre |
Harvest
supper & concert |
Geoff
Wilson |
|
Sunday |
30th |
11.00 |
Kildallon |
Group
United |
Geoff
/ Hazel Hicks |
|
|
30th |
8.pm |
Swanlinbar |
Harvest |
Geoff
/ George Taylor |
|
'1'
after Service type indicates Traditional '2' after Service
type indicates Contemporary
After the United Services there will be a cup of tea in the Church
or local hall |
+++
+ + + |
