Aghavea Parish Church

 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

Hi folks As I post this, it's hard to believe that we are already in May! While I know that many people started back to work on Friday 30th April - I hope that they'll get to enjoy a long weekend with Monday off. Monday sees the centenary of the state of Northern Ireland following partition, and we will celebrate that more on Monday - in the meantime, we will celebrate Holy Communion on Sunday 2nd May at 11am in Aghavea Parish Church. You are very welcome to join us either in person or online - and we hope that you can enjoy fellowship with us. As ever, all are welcome at our Communion Table, whether physically or virtually. God bless you all. Johnny

Hi folks This weekend is marked by many of the sporting organisations boycotting all forms of social media in an attempt to highlight the abusive comments directed at the players and staff of many of the world's most supported teams. It seems that abuse and accusations have become the ""norm" on social media in the recent years. I detest the fact that people (whether anonymously or not) feel that it is appropriate to share their opinions and prejusdices online, especially when their views hurt or offend others.  Let me make my own view very clear - I DO NOT FIND ABUSE ACCEPTABLE IN ANY WAY! It is also inappropriate to use an anonymous account that hasn't been verified - and in this respect, the platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram - and so many others) should change their rules to be able to track every user on their systems. I'm not suggesting that they should track everyone, but there should be a mechanism that they could track everyone!   I...

Hi folks This Sunday sees the third Sunday in Easter.  Unlike the world, which has moved on rapidly from Easter, we continue to celebrate the Easter Resurrection until the Ascension, 40 days later.  It is very appropriate that since we spent 40 dys of Lent in preparation for Easter, the season of Easter should continue for the same period - after all, it was the greatest event in human history, ever!! We continue to remember that great event, gathering in His glorious name, and celebrating that magnificent day of Resurrection, confirming the end of eternal death, once and for all.  You'll find the service sheet attached, and I hope you consider joining us - if not physically in church, then virtually online.  Either way, you'll find a warm welcome, and hope that you feel like a family member before you leave. We are trying a slightly different approach to the stream tomorrow - and we hope that it will bring a better sense of belonging to the congregation.  Let u...

Hi folks Please find the service sheet for the Morning Prayer Service for the Second Sunday in Easter.  In our readings we continue to celebrate the Easter Story, with the Risen Lord meeting his disciples on the evening of the first Sunday. We will also remember the death of HRH The Prince Philip - who died on Friday.  We will continue ro remember him in our prayers, and will also give a short tribute to him during the service. We are also hosting a walk (or run for the more energetic) around Ashbrooke on 28th April, the last Wednesday in April - starting at 7pm - a lovely Spring Walk through the beautiful estate, and we have ordered lovely weather for the event too!!  Adults £7, Teenagers £3 - and all proceeds will be donated to the Aghavea Building Fund.  All welcome to join us! Our service will be in Church at 11am, and streamed online via Facebook.  We would love your fellowship and company either way - and you can join us afterwards on our YouTube channel....

Hi folks It is with great sadness that we mark the death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip.  In our prayers, we will remember Her Majesty the Queen, now widowed by her husband of over 73 years - a lifetime in anybody's books.  We will remember their family, and continue to ask that God grants them the peace and strength they need in the coming days and weeks. You didn't need to be a "royalist" to understand his contribution to the royal family.  He brought the "Firm" into the 21st Century, updating ancient procedures, and opening the workings of the Crown to the world.  It was his influence that brought the live coverage of the Coronation to television (the first live broadcast of its scale anywhere).  It was his idea to set up the "royal.uk" website in 1999 - long before we took the internet for granted, As a passionate conservationist, he loved nature, and set up many programs and plans to support wildlife and flora and fauna over the w...