Bishop John McDowell

They say that one person's gain can be another person's loss - and that feels just like the situation that the Diocese of Clogher feels today! As we lose our Bishop to the Archbishopric of Armagh, we will lose a great bishop and pastor, whereas we will gain an excellent archbishop for the wider church!

I have witnessed Bishop John at his best recently as he dealt with the death of our esteemed colleague, Revd Canon Mark Watson. He comforted the grieving family, he gave direction and support to a bereaved parish, and conducted one of the most appropriate and sensitive funerals I've ever had the privilege to attend. He has been a supportive bishop since my appointment to the parish of Aghavea, and I have found him to be very approachable and encouraging. In short, he has been a good friend and pastor to the clergy and people of the diocese.

His appointment on Wednesday to the diocese of Armagh has been welcomed by everyone - and deep down, we all wish him well as he takes up his new post. Armagh has got a worthy successor to Archbishop Richard Clarke, and the 146th Bishop of Armagh.

We will welcome a new bishop to Clogher Diocese, and will welcome him or her to the post, and support him or her as well as we have supported Bishop John. I am certain that they will support and encourage us as much as he has, and will provide the support and direction that we will need.

Please pray for Bishop John and his family as they start rounding up their work in the diocese and start making plans to move to the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland, Armagh.

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AccessNI Check process

Hi folks Please see the following pages for the process of getting our AccessNI accreditation for our Sunday School and GFS leaders and helpers. You will need to print out the pages and keep a special note of the long number provided to you by email and let me know as soon as possible. We require an Enhanced check for everyone - and use the PIN number 918066 as detailed on the first page. The second page details the forms of identification you will need to provide - one from the first group, and two from the second group. The quicker we can all get the checks completed, the sooner we can get everything back to normal and put this whole process behind us for another three years! If you can photograph yourself (by smartphone or tablet) and email (revdjohnny@gmail.com) or WhatsApp (07488371680) them to me, that'd be great. I will also be available at the Parish Hall on Monday evening from 7pm to 8pm to help you with anything you would like assistance with! If you need any help at all

Back to the BCP!!

Hi folks It’s been a long time since the pandemic started and the lockdowns - and Covid hasn’t really gone away! I had the dubious honour of getting Covid for the second time just before Holy Week, giving me the chance to think about ministry direction, both my own and in the parish. One of the original responses to the pandemic was to limit our use of the hymn books and our Prayer Books. At the beginning I produced a service sheet with all the relevant liturgy - which we used in the car park and when we returned to the church. Our “temporary measure” lasted almost three years - and it’s time to move on! Our Book of Common Prayer contains our unique identity - in fact the word “Common” doesn’t mean ordinary but that it shows our unity - the liturgy we hold in “common”. We will be returning to our BCPs from this weekend, the Second Sunday of Easter. We will be using Morning Prayer Two - and we will guide us through the service. We look forward to seeing you in church or online via Fb

Second Sunday in Lent

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

Aghavea Parish Church

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