Aghavea Parish Church

 Hi everyone As we prepare to mov from 2021 to 2022 I hope you can find a few minutes to slow down and finish the year with a short service of Thanksgiving.  I will be streaming from home at 930pm, and you are all very welcome to join me either live, or at some other point in the new year!! Wherever you are, I pray that you go into the new year with God, and enjoy his blessing and protection throughout the coming year. Regards Johnny

 Hi folks The vast majority of people will know the day after Christmas Day as Boxing Day - but in the Church's liturgical calendar it is St Stephen's Day.  This morning (Sunday 26th December) we are looking at the wonderful character of St Stephen and why he is remembered on the first day after Christmas. Our service will fall between Morning Prayer and a short Bible Study, as detailed on the following attachments. Happy Christmas. Johnny

5. 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that ...

4. Luke 1: 67–79 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:  ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty saviour for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give ligh...

  3. Luke 1: 26–38 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he ...

  2.   Isaiah 9: 2–7 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined.  You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of ho...

  1.   Genesis 1: 1-20 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gath...

Our Advent Challenge this year is to read one of the Sunday readings each day and to use the Advent collect as one of our daily prayers.  In order to help, I have prepared some thoughts about each of the readings, and they presented it on our website and shared via Facebook. I invite you to join us each weekday throughout Advent, and remember that Advent is a time of preparation for Christ's return. Blessings Johnny

Hi folks Please find the service sheet for the 18th Sunday in Trinity season.  I hope you can join us either in-person or virtually online. Blessings Johnny

Good morning everyone This morning’s service will be online and in-Church at 11am. All are welcome to join us for fellowship and worship.  Next Saturday will be our annual Tractor Run - join us for a laugh and to raise money for our Building Fund. We leave the Parish Hall at 12pm. If the weather is kind, I hope to join the run on my motorbike, as I don’t have a tractor, and if you fancy taking out your special vehicle for a quick run, you’ll be very welcome! God bless you all Johnny Click on this link to download or open the service sheet: Service sheet Trinity 17

Hi folks This evening’s service will be Holy Communion from St John’s Church, Fivemiletown - starting at 815pm.  All will be welcome to join our celebration of Holy Cross Day (Tues 14th Sept) as we read and pray for God’s people. Please find attached the service sheet for the service. Blessings Johnny Aghavea, Clogher

Hi folks Our service of Holy Communion sees the start of September and the start of a very busy period between now and Christmas! I hope you can continue to join us, either in person or online as we travel through some beautiful seasons together.  Please find the service sheet, hymns and a colouring page for today’s service.  Regards Johnny

Hi folks This Sunday brings the third reading from John 6, continuing the theme of Jesus as the Bread of Life.  Please continue to keep safe, both in-Church and out - and please pray for Amanda and Kyle as they get married on Thursday 12th August. Please find the sheet for Sunday’s service, with the hymns attached. Regards Johnny

 Hi folks Sunday has come around again - this week bringing a continuation of our Gospel lesson in John 6, following the feeding of the 5000 people. Our service is Holy Communion Two, and all are welcome to join us either in-person or online. With respect to the masks situation in churches - while the NI Executive have recently announced that masks can be taken off during services, the risks are still there! The Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Officer have both strongly recommended that masks should continue to be used moving in and out of the service, and while singing!  The Church of Ireland has taken the advice of the CMO and CSO and advised that masks should continue to be used for the foreseeable future - and in Aghavea we will following that advice - unless, of course, you should be have a condition that prevents you from using one. See you all on Sunday! Blessings Johnny

Hi folks Saturday 21st August 2021 Keep this date in your diaries!!  Aghavea Parish Church are hosting a Fantastic Family Fun Day!! There’ll be plenty to keep everyone occupied - Craft stalls, Refreshments, Vintage cars, tractors and motorbikes, some of the rector’s snakes and lizards (weather permitting), refreshments, bouncy castles, pony rides, and so much more!! What do you need to do?  Come along to the fair at Aghavea Parish Church, admission is £5 per adult, and the children are free.  There will be a nominal cost for the rides/bouncy castle and refreshments. All proceeds raised are in aid of the Aghavea Building Fund. Looking forward to seeing you all there!! Blessings Johnny

Hi folks Another lovely summer week is almost over - and what a complete swelter of a week it was!  It's no secret that your rector (me) doesn't really like the sweltering heat!  While I've been doing the rounds, the windows of the van has been completely down all the time - or I've been on the motorbike! Anyway, this Sunday sees the 9th Sunday in the Trinity season, and in our readings we have the fantastic passage from John 6:1-21 - the beautiful passage telling of Jesus feeding the 5000 men, women and children.  We also have a very controversial passage from 2 Samuel 11, the start of the relationship between David and Bathsheba. I hope you can join us either online via our Aghavea Parish page on FaceBook or, even better, you could join us in person at the church at 11am!  Here are the service sheets for the service, hope you are blessed through our singing, reading, preaching and prayers. May God bless you always. Johnny

Hi folks We talk about “love” all the time, and yet if we were asked to describe it, I wonder what we would say.  Here’s an article that I came across, when some young people were asked that question.  Take a few moments to read and marvel at their answers.   A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader, deeper, and more profound than anyone could have ever imagined! 'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore... So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca - age 8 'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4 'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5 'Love is when you go out...

 Whoosh!! As I’m writing these notes, it’s absolutely roasting hot - and if it’s like this on Sunday morning, I might well consider sitting outside for the service! Anyway, during the summer holidays, the Gospel reading shows Jesus and the disciples heading away on a break - only for the crowds to follow him.  Our service is Morning Prayer, but we will include our birthday box - it being the third Sunday in the month. As ever, our service starts at 11am, and will be streamed on our Church webpage on Facebook - Aghavea Parish.  You are always welcome to join us, either in person or online. God bless you always. Johnny

 Hi Folks Sunday came around again - it seems like no time at all since last week!  Anyway, tomorrow sees an important set of readings, from David relocating the Ark of the Covenant to the death of John the Baptist - all connected by the beautiful epistle to the Christians at Ephesus.  I hope you can join us either in person at 11am in Aghavea, or online via the Church Facebook page. God bless you always Johnny

Hi folks This Sunday sees the Sixth Sunday in Trinity, and the first Sunday in July.  As this is the first Sunday in the month, our service is Holy Communion. In our Gospel, we are reminded of Jesus sending out his disciples to start their public ministry.  This passage is a powerful reminder of our public ministry for God - and that goes much further than simply for the clergy, which we will explore further through the service. As usual, our service will continue to be streamed online via Facebook on our parish page, Aghavea Church.  If the livestream doesn't work, or stalls, we will record the service and stream it via our YouTube channel later. The other important factor to mention this week is the Village Treasure Hunt during the week - Wednesday evening at 7pm, starting in the Play Park.  It'll be a great night - wear clothes for the weather, and good sensible shoes! Everyone welcome, £5 per adult, all proceeds towards Aghavea Church Building Fund. All are welco...

Hi folks This Sunday sees two fantastic stories about Jesus' miraculous powers - the healing of the woman with the heamorrhages for over 12 years, and the raising of Jairus' daughter.  Either story would provide enough material to preach on for a long time - but both are interlinked and should rightly be seen together. Our service of Morning Prayer Two will be live-streamed (DV) and will be recorded in case that fails. We hope you can join us for worship at 11am, and afterwards online. God Bless Johnny    

Hi folks This Sunday is the 4th Sunday in Trinity season - the third Sunday in June.   This Sunday also marks the start of our new initiative - the Pink Wheelbarrow.  This is for our local Foodbank, and I hope that our congregation can get the same sense of urgency and that we can fill it regularly! In the meantime, please find attached the service sheet and hymns for the service. Regards Johnny

Hi folks This Sunday is the Third Sunday in the Trinity season - and we have a wonderful set of readings in our lectionary for our service.  As ever, our service will be open and welcoming to all - and the service sheets are attached here. To ensure the integrity of the video file, we will record the service and post it shortly afterwards.  We hope you will all enjoy the service, and look forward to worshipping with you soon. Regards Johnny

Hi folks It's amazing to believe that we are in June - and apparently that marks the start of Summer!  Weather-wise, it seems that the season is right, temperatures have been great in the past week, and there has been lots of sunshine at times. My only concern is that the rain at the weekend might signify the start of autumn, summer over already! I certainly hope not! Anyway, as we are at start of another month, so our service on Sunday is Holy Communion.  Please find the service sheet attached to this post.  The theme this week is "the family of God" - and as always, all families are welcome to our celebration.  Our table is open to all believers, and all will be afforded the same welcome and inclusion in our particular branch of the Christian family. Join us at 11am in church, and afterwards the service will be streamed online via YouTube and linked to our Facebook page.  Enjoy your weekend! Regards Johnny

Hi folks Please find the planned readings and hymns for the Sunday Morning services throughout June and July.  Well, I'll be the first to admit it - I'm rarely that organised as we approach the summer!   With God's help, we will still be in-church for the services, and we are looking forward to the physical distancing advice being lifted!  Until then, we are abiding by the C-19 rules, wearing our masks, and entering and exiting responsibly. Look forward to continuing our worship together. Blessings Johnny

 Hi folks As we approach Trinity Sunday, we start the period of "Ordinary" Time in our Liturgical Calendar - but only in the sense that we are no longer celebrating a festival period. Whilst we hope to stream the service live via Facebook, we must warn you that we had a catastrophic failure at a recent funeral - which turned out to be on the internet (Facebook) side - and we lost the recording.  While steps will be taken to protect the recording, we cannot guarantee that it will feature live. Hopefully it will!!  Either way, it will be available afterwards on Youtube, and shared via our social media. Anyway, please find the service sheet attached - see you all soon. Thanks Johnny

Hi folks Please find a link to YouTube for the funeral service for Amanda McManus, held on Sunday 16th May, following her sudden death on 12th May.  Her death sent shock waves through our parish as she and her family are very much part of the life of our parish. Our parish team came together for our friends - doing their best work ever in tribute to a wonderful sister in Christ.  They orgsanised careparking, found room for the ERGS Honour Guard, and shared the burden of leading the tributes to Amanda. I would also like thank Bishop Ian Ellis and Fr Canon Jimmy McPhillips for taking part in the service, and their wonderful words of condolence to the McManus and Hall families. We do not grieve as those without hope - we know we will see Amanda again in glory! Regards Johnny

Hi folks This Sunday is the Sixth Sunday in Easter, and our Gospel lesson continues the study of John 15, while Jesus was speaking to the disciples at the Last Supper. Please find attached the service sheet for Sunday's service at 11am, please feel free to join us either in person at the church (with all social distancing rules in place) or virtually via Facebook live! Regards Johnny