Christmas Services

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 service, but the meaning will be the same. Our younger members may enjoy the "special guest" too. SPOILER ALERT - IT'S NOT SANTA, HE WILL BE TOO TIRED SO SOON AFTER HIS PRESENT DASH!!

It's a time when we will miss our loved ones, and family gatherings may not be the same as usual with other restrictions - but it is still a happy time, no matter what else is going on in the world. We have had two deaths in our parish recently, and we continue to pray for the Parson and Foster families, as well as the Weir family in Maguiresbridge, following the sudden death of their son William in a motorcycle incident.

I hope that you can join us, either in person, or virtually online, for either or both of the services, and look forward to worshipping with you over the coming days.

God bless you always!

Johnny

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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

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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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