Fairtrade
Fairtrade guarantees
a better deal for Third World Producers. We all know and understand
the pressures of reducing margins and the challenges which they
pose in our lives as we think of the way things used to be in
the farming community. But even with ever decreasing margins,
our children and families still benefit from free education
and health care in 21st Century Ireland.
This is not necessarily the case in Third World countries where
much of the tea and coffee we enjoy is produced at prices which
mean that the producer is not getting a fair price for their
produce. Fairtrade however, ensures that all products bearing
the Fairtrade trademark have been produced in an ethical manner
and the producer has been paid a fair price for a fair product.
At our recent Diocesan Synod in October, a motion was passed
that wherever possible, only Fairtrade products will be used
at Parish functions and on Parish property. This means that
we should be using only tea and coffee which bears the Fairtrade
mark, readily available in all large supermarkets - a more limited
supply of Fairtrade biscuits is also available.
I am not expecting that we will all change our way of thinking
overnight, but by engaging with the concept of Fairtrade in
this small way we can gradually begin to understand the challenges
faced by others in a world which is far from equal and do something
to bring about change.
+++
Ireland/UK Exchange
Our Youth Officer Mike Edwards has obtained
grant aid to take 16 young people to England for a week during
the Easter holidays (6th to 14th April). The group will meet
with a group of young people from the Cambridge area and will
be looking at the issue of Rural Isolation and how our different
contexts vary. The cost for participants will be €140.
Contact Geoff if you are interested.
+++
Informal Praise
Our next informal praise service will
be at 8pm on Sunday 11th February in Tomregan Parish Church.
Everyone is welcome to come along.
+++
WWW.
WWW. is just around the corner with
its first event on Saturday 3rd Feb at 8pm in Kilmore Hall,
Co Cavan. What is it? An event for our young adults (18 and
over) which will offer a time for Worship, Word and Worship
(WWW!!) followed by tea/coffee and chat. So often I have heard
people say that there is nothing for our young people in the
Church, well this is for young adults who would like to meet
up with other young adults in an informal, comfortable environment
and be fed both spiritually and physically. Perhaps you feel
that coming to Church once in a while is good enough for you
but we cannot expect to grow in our faith if we continue to
feed spiritually now and again!
Our Bishop will open this new venture as the speaker on the
subject of Word and Worship and what it should mean to us. If
you are 18 or over and would like to go along to the first night
to see what it is like then please contact Geoff as he will
be going along to lend support and encouragement to the young
adults who have organised this event. Kilmore is only 40 minutes
away from the Rectory, it is not the other side of the world!
+++
Congratulations
To Dr Anne Foster, formerly of Tomregan
Parish, Ballyconnell. Anne has recently qualified as a consultant
Radiologist from the Royal College of Physicians, Dublin and
will take up her new position in Cappagh from June of this year.
We wish Anne well in her new post.
And congratulations to Gail Foster, of
Knockadoose, Derrylin on her recent appointment to a temporary
teaching position in Kingscourt, Co Cavan. Gail has been “subbing”
in Liverpool for the last couple of years, it is great to have
her back in our midst once more.
+++
Holy Week Bible Club
Music Arts & Drama, in conjunction
with Alliance Youth Works, will be running another Bible Club
for 6-12 year olds in Tomregan Parish Hall during the whole
of Holy Week this year. This club is a joint venture between
Derrylin Parish and Swanlinbar Group of Parishes, but is open
to absolutely everyone who would like to bring their child along.
More details will follow in the next edition of the Newsletter.
And if you are 14 or over and would like to be a part of the
team who will run this club then please give Geoff a ring.
+++
Kidz Club
Our next meeting of our Kidz Club will
be on Sunday 4th February in Tomregan Parish Hall (please note
venue). The Kidz Club has been very well received by our children
and parents alike and we are delighted with the support we have
received. The new model we have adopted regarding the venue
will be to alternate between Tomregan Parish Hall and the Parish
Hall, Derrylin. In this way we hope to encourage children from
a little further a field to come along and be a part of club,
particularly with the proposal going before Diocesan Council
to amalgamate Kildallon Group and Swanlinbar Group of Parishes.
Please do continue to support the club wherever it is being
hosted and try to encourage others to bring their children along
also.
+++
TOP
Massive Christian
Book Sale
The Evangelical Bookshop,
Enniskillen, will shortly be undergoing substantial renovations
and in order to reduce stock in preparation for this the bookshop
will be having a Massive Sale commencing Saturday 20th Jan to
Saturday 27th Jan inclusive. The shop opening hours are 9.30am
to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday (including Wednesday) so pitch
your tent early for any bargains to be had!
+++
Ash Wednesday Service
Our Lent services will commence on Wednesday
21st February 2007 in St Paul’s, Kinawley. More details
regarding Lent services will be included in the next edition
of our Newsletter.
+++
Gospel Concert
Make a note in the diary and come along
to our Group Gospel Concert in the Community Centre, Templeport
on Friday 9th February 2007 at 8pm. Those of us who were at
our last Gospel Concert will remember the quick wit of our compère
Gary Wilson and Gary has very kindly agreed to host for us once
again. Artists on the night will include Robbie Pearson, Florence
Given and Kenny Archer. Tickets are priced at €10/£6.50
which includes supper. All proceeds will go to Group Funds.
+++
Emergency cover
Geoff will on a Leader’s teaching
retreat in Belfast commencing Monday 22nd, returning Friday
26th Jan. Any emergencies during this period should be directed
to George Davison who can be contacted by ringing 0044 2867748994.
+++
Monthly Holy Communion in
the Breffni
Due to Geoff being away during the week
commencing Monday 22nd January, the Service of Holy Communion
in the Breffni Centre will now take place on Tuesday 30th January
and not the 23rd as announced earlier. The service will take
place on the 4th Tuesday of each month thereafter, commencing
Tuesday 27th February.
+++
TOP
How
about a smile?
Here are some (apparently)
genuine GCSE English answers:
Ancient Egypt was inhabited by
mummies and they all wrote in hydraulics. They lived in
the Sarah Dessert and travelled by Camelot. The climate
of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live
elsewhere.
The Greeks were a highly sculptured
people, and without them we wouldn't have history. The
Greeks also had myths. A myth is a female moth
Actually, Homer was not written
by Homer, but by another man of that name.
Socrates was a famous Greek teacher
who went around giving people advice. They killed him.
Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his death,
his career suffered a dramatic decline.
In the Olympic games, Greeks ran
races, jumped, hurled the biscuits, and threw the java.
Julius Caesar extinguished himself
on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March murdered
him because they thought he was going to be made king.
Dying, he gasped out: "Tee hee, Brutus."
Joan of Arc was burn to a steak
and was canonised by Bernard Shaw. Finally, Magna Carta
provided that no man should be hanged twice for the same
offence.
In midevil times most people were
alliterate. The greatest writer of the futile ages was
Chaucer, who wrote many poems and verses and also wrote
literature.
Another story was William Tell,
who shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his
son's head.
It was an age of great inventions
and discoveries. Gutenberg invented removable type and
the Bible. Another important invention was the circulation
of the blood. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure
because he invented cigarettes and started smoking
Beethoven wrote music even though
he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took
long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling
for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died of this.
During the Renaissance, history
began. Christopher Columbus was a great navigator who
discovered America whilst cursing about the Atlantic.
His ships were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa
Fe.
The sun never set on the British
Empire because the British Empire is in the East and the
sun sets in the West.
"Monotony means being married
to the same person for all your life."
A Little bit of Holy Humour
There was a very gracious lady
who was sending an old family Bible by registered post
to her brother in another part of the country.
"Is there anything breakable in here?" asked
the postal clerk.
"Only the Ten Commandments," answered the lady.
A minister parked his car in a
no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of
time and couldn't find a space with a meter. Then he put
a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have
circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll
miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses."
When he returned, he found a citation from traffic warden
along with this note "I've circled this block for
10 years. If I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job.
Lead us not into temptation."
There is the story of a pastor
who got up one Sunday and announced to his congregation:
"I have good news and bad news. The good news is,
we have enough money to pay for our new building program.
The bad news is, it's still out there in your pockets."
While driving in Pennsylvania ,
a family caught up to an Amish carriage. The owner of
the carriage obviously had a sense of humour, because
attached to the back of the carriage was a hand written
sign:
"Energy
efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass.
CAUTION: DO NOT STEP IN EXHAUST" |
|
