Aghavea Parish Church

Hi folks Please find our Prayer and Healing service, first streamed on 30th December 2020.  We continue our mini study on Jonah chapter 2 - Jonah in the belly of the great fish! Service starts on page 458 in the Book of Common Prayer. Regards Johnny

Hi folks This evening's service is Evening Prayer Two, BCP p101.  Tonight we start a short series of studies on the book and character of Jonah, as per our Lectionary schedule. The service is attached below, if you have any issues at all, let me know. Blessings Johnny    

Hi folks Well, now that Advent is behind us, a new season of Christmas has appeared - at lesat until 6th January, when we enter Epiphany. In the meantime, we will work through some of the implications of the first Christmas, looking at how the Scriptures explain and link the birth of Christ to our Salvation. We started this evening with the memory of the Holy Innocents, those young boys who died in the aftermath of Herod being deceived by the Wise Men.  Thankfully an angel had led Joseph, Mary and the baby to Egypt, well out of danger.  We remember the unfortunatel sacrifice of the young boys in our readings each year, safe in the knowledge that "Rachel's children" are in Heaven with their Saviour! The service is attached below, if you have any issues at all, let me know. Blessings Johnny

It is with deep regret and sadness that we announce the death of our dear brother William Rutledge, of Gardner's Cross Road, Maguiresbridge.  The rector, Select Vestry, and all members of our parish wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the whole family in this difficult time. The funeral will be restricted to close family due to the current restrictions.  The funeral will leave the family home around 1230pm, to be at the church around 1pm. Please continue to keep Edna, Linda, Kenneth, Carol and the family in your prayers over the coming days and weeks. Donations in lieu of flowers are going to the Aghavea Building Fund.

Hi folks Please find the Service Sheet for the First Sunday service of Christmas.  The service will be streamed live on Facebook, and then will be added to this post shortly afterwards. You'll meet my friend Timmy - and he will be helping me with the sermon. Please keep safe in the coming days.  Our postcode (BT94) has now been confirmed as the most C19 active in the country - not a great recommendation at all - so please only go out if absolutely necessary. Remember: Hands - Face - Space.  Only visit homes of those in your support bubble.  Don't take any risks at all, and please do not come out to church at any time if you are feeling unwell. I know that Church is a very important reason to be out - but not at a risk to your health or to anyone else's.  If you do test positive, and have been in church recently, please let either the rector or one of the church wardens know immediately. Finally - thank you for your continued patience and support during these difficult days.

 Hi folks This is the Christmas Day Family Service, first streamed at 1030am on Christmas Day, 26th December 2020. Service sheet is attached for your information. Special thanks to Katie for sharing her presents with us during the service!! Regards Johnny      

Hi folks The First Holy Communion of Christmas. This service was first streamed at 11pm on Christmas Eve, 24th December 2020 in Aghavea Parish Church, Clogher Diocese. The service sheet is also included for your reference. Regards Johnny

 Hi folks In case you missed the Carol Service on Facebook - I've uploaded the video to Youtube and shared it here. Thanks again to all the readers, Myrtle, churchwardens and all who made it a fantastic morning. Just a pity Maguiresbridge Silver weren't there - next year!! Blessings Johnny

Christmas Eve Service on Facebook - now linked direct to our webpage - hopefully!  Facebook recently changed their viewing requirements - so I'm trying to share the service on our webpage from now on! Johnny

 Hi folks! Well, it has almost happened overnight - but Christmas is finally upon us.  This evening we will celebrate the First Communion of Christmas in Aghavea Church at 11pm.  This is a very special service, which sets up the whole of the Christmas period for many, including myself.  This year, as with everything else, C19 has put its stamp on our celebrations, but apart from our hygiene, spacing and only receiving bread - nothing else will change!  It is still very much a celebration! Tomorrow, Christmas Day, we will gather in our Parish Hall to worship the new-born Saviour at our Family Service at 1030am - NOTE THE TIME - and we have told our children (and big children) that they may bring one or two of their presents along!   On Sunday, our celebrations will only be online, as we are not able to use the church buildings so soon - but we will still gather under Jesus' name, and worship the Saviour in our readings, prayers and teachings. Again, it may be a slightly different se

Hi folks As our Carol Service arrives, it is probably one of the strangest services we will have held!   Firstly - because of restrictions in spacing, etc, we haven't been allowed to ask our friends in Maguiresbridge Silver Band to lead our Carol Service!  As everyone knows, I am the most disappointed person in the church - I even played with the silver band in my last parish at our carol service!!   Secondly - the readers will be reading from their seats, as they are not allowed to process through the congregation to the front. Thirdly - we won't be singing all the verses of the carols, but most of them.  I've decided to start with an Advent carol, and we will be connecting the birth of Jesus with his return in glory - a most appropriate stance for any service at this time of year. Fourthly - we will be streaming the service online!  We will also include all the words of the carols and readings on the projections screens, so although you will have a service sheet tomorrow,

Hi folks We are now through the first two full weeks of Advent - and already bearing down on Christmas!  Advent weekdays 11 - 15 see our readings from the Gospel according to Luke.  Please join us as we continue through the wonder passages of healings, teachings, miracles, power and sacrifice - all in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. As before, our lessons this week will be: Monday - Luke 1-5 Tuesday - Luke 6-10 Wednesday - Luke 11-15 Thursday - Luke 16-20 Friday - Luke 21-24 Our services start at 530pm, and will take the following format: Introduction Prayer Reading Pause for Thought Prayer (including Collect of the Day) The Lord's Prayer and Grace   Our weekly service of Celebration of Wholeness and Healing will be on Tuesday morning at 1130am.   

 Hi folks With Covid19 still running rampant through the world, we haven't been able to bring our Sunday School, but they are still very important to our parish.  We were delighted that they were able to help with our Nativity Service this morning by colouring in some pictures for our presentation. They were all brilliant!  As the rector - I am absolutely amazed with the standard of the pictures that were sent back from our Sunday School, and I was delighted to have many of our children with us this morning in church. I have attached the different pictures here, and I hope you think they're as great as I did! Regards Johnny Rector      

Hi folks We are already through the first week of Advent - and already well on our way through December!  Advent weekdays 6 - 10 see our readings from the Gospel according to Mark.  Please join us as we continue through the wonder passages of healings, teachings, miracles, power and sacrifice - all in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. As before, our lessons this week will be: Monday - Mark 1-3 Tuesday - Mark 4-6 Wednesday - Mark 7-9 Thursday - Mark 10-12 Friday - Mark 13-16 Our services will take the following format: Introduction Prayer Reading Pause for Thought Prayer (including Collect of the Day) The Lord's Prayer and Grace   Our weekly service of Celebration of Wholeness and Healing will be on Tuesday morning at 1130am.  Also note - Thursday evening's service will be at the slightly earlier time of 430pm, to allw me time to take my motorbike for its annual MOT - to keep me mobile on my favourite form of transport!!    

Hi folks The Second Sunday of Advent falls on the first Sunday of December this year, and also falls within the Circuit Breaker lockdown being used by the NI Executive as a means of controlling the infection and treatment of Covid-19.  It is an important means of controlling the number of people being admitted to hospital - and, as such, we must be careful to avoid unnecessary travel and opportunity to contract or transmit the virus that has disrupted so much of our life this year!  Part of the restriction has been to close all religious gatherings in churches throughout the country - and not just in the main denominations, but throughout the whole of the Christian communities. Anyway, as we gather on Sunday 6th December, we will be celebrating Holy Communion.  Despite our obvious physical separation, we have God's assurance that He will send his Holy Spirit to join our hearts and minds as we worship together.  In this way, depite the fact that we cannot all receive the elements of