Aghavea Parish Church

Hi folks Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Another week has flown by, and we find ourselves at the mid-week worship again. This weekend we look at the third and fourth Beatitudes that Jesus shared with his followers at the Sermon on the Mount. Our short service of reflection and worship starts at 8pm, both in-person and online via our Fb page. All are welcome to join us. Blessings Johnny

Hi folks Another week has literally flown by - and we've already started the new month!  This Sunday's readings include the best known passage in the Bible, John 3 - the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. In this passage, Jesus sums up the whole Gospel message of love, salvation and eternal life in one verse, known to us all as John 3:16. Is this the most important verse in our Holy Scriptures? Possibly, but join us on Sunday to discuss the passage, and how it fits into the Christian life as we know it. Our service is Holy Communion Two, and our readings and passages are listed on our service sheets attached. Our service will be streamed on Facebook (all being well) and shared afterwards on our page if you can't join us live. Blessings Johnny

Well folks Happy St David's Day, and of course, the second Wednesday in Lent. Our service this evening considers the second and third Beatitudes as recorded in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5. We consider what Jesus meant by those who mourn, and those who are meek. In our worship we will gather to reflect on the blessings God has granted to us, and hold in our prayers all those who are in need at this time. Our service starts at 8pm, and all are welcome to join us. May God richly bless you. Johnny

Hi folks I hope you've eaten all your pancakes, decided what you're doing for Lent - we have officially started! Kim suggested that I should stop driving cars for Lent, but I started that last week anyway!! You'll be seeing lots of my motorbike in the wake of the accident with the car last Monday! As part of my Lenten observance, I'll be making a concerted effort to make more time for prayer and meditation, and part of that will be in sharing more thoughts both on this blog, and through short services online. I hope you might find them beneficial to your own observance of Lent. Today, as we start, let's consider why we "give something up". Most of us will consider giving up chocolate, sugar, coffee, or something that's bad for us. We might use it as the core of a diet, perhaps in preparation for all the chocolate we'll eat on Easter Day. We will see this as a period of being healthy, of perhaps treating our bodies better than we normally would. We

Hi folks It's been a while since we've been on the blog - having taken to Facebook for most of the news and messages. With Lent almost upon us, I'm going to resort to the "old fashioned" means do getting our news and views out. Lent is a special period of preparation for Holy Week and Easter. Originally a period of preparation for Baptism in to the Christian Faith, these days this is a period of denial and accountability to God. Some will give up something they enjoy - alcohol, chocolate, cake, biscuits - some will take on something else - reading their Bible, spending more in prayer, working for a charity, trying to be more "Christian" in a sense.  Personally, I believe that there are great merits to both sides - giving up and taking on more - but that is a personal choice. What I do ask is that you consider your own hearts and do what is right for you. Each Wednesday, starting on Ash Wednesday 22nd February at 8pm, there will be a short reflective serv

Hi folks Last week was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the 70 year reign of Queen Elizabeth II - both the service and the lovely tea and cake afterwards (and yes, I managed to get two slices of the lovely cake - so much for my diet). This weekend we celebrate another fantastic occasion, on the Sunday after Pentecost which is always Trinity Sunday.  As we transferred our Holy Communion last week, we will celebrate the occasion with a celebration of Holy Communion. As we have now returned to "nearly normal", we now celebrate with both the bread and wine of Holy Communion.  As ever, there is no compulsion for anyone to receive in both kinds. If you feel in anyway uncomfortable with taking a sip from the chalice, just quietly indicate to the server (either the rector or David), and no more will be said about it! Similarly, if you feel that you cannot make it to the Communion rail, please let either Rebecca or Nuala know, and they will direct the server to come to you.  No on

Hi folks it has been almost three years since our last Confirmation in 2019 - partly due to the Coronavirus pandemic, partly due to the vacancy due to the Bishop moving, and partly due to a gap in ages in our young adults. Confirmation is the stage in which our young adults take on the responsibility for their faith, fulfilling the baptismal promises made for them by their parents and sponsors. It is therefore with great joy that we can announce that Bishop Ian has agreed to come along to our parish on 16th October to confirm some of our young adults.  You will find an application form here, or you can pick one up from the church. Please print this form out and bring it with you to church or email it to me at revdjohnny@gmail.com We also encourage you to invite any sponsors who shared with the baptismal promises for your child, as this service concludes the promises they made when the children were young. With the summer almost upon us, we will hold our classes in September and early O