Aghavea Parish Church

Another Fund Raising Adventure for our Building Fund! Four intrepid cyclists that you may know – Kenny Dunlop, Iain Lendrum, Drew Robinson and Adrian Dunlop - and the Rector, Revd Johnny, have agreed to take on a lap of Lower Lough Erne, starting at Aghavea and visiting many churches on their travels.  The 2-wheel adventure will see the four cyclists accompanied by the rector on his motorbike ( Pushbike? 100 miles? The rector? Haha! Rector ) on Thursday 29th October 2020. We are raising money for the Aghavea Building Fund, and hope that you will consider sponsoring us on our 100 mile journey.  Full details of the trip are available on our webpage, and will be shared on Facebook. The five of us will be adventuring along the route, stopping at each of the Church of Ireland parish churches for a photo opportunity - perhaps you could join us at your church, meet us along the road to encourage us - or simply send us your prayers! We hope that you will join us on our journey, starti...

Hi folks Harvest Celebrations are a vital part of the rhythm of a rural parish - with the evidence of the harvests all around us in the farms and fields.  Aghavea is no different in that respect, with our farmers working hard during the "shut down" that society faced during the year.  There were no furloughs for our farmers and for many others in our communities, and this should have been a celebration of all their hard work - whereas it will be a slightly more muted service than usual! We would like to thank all our farmers and their assistants for everything they do for us, and just because our church won't be as decorated as usual, just because our hymns won't be sung with just as much gusto, just because we won't be packed into the building like sardines - our appreciation and thanks to God will be just as sincere. We are looking forward to our Harvest Celebrations on Sunday 4th October - at 11am in the church and at 4pm in the church car park for a Drive-in H...

Hi folks Once again, our world has changed and the Covid regulations are starting to bite!  Whilst none of our parishioners have been diagnosed with the virus, more than a few can now name those who have tested positively, or are currently under investigation!  While we have long considered this as a "town" virus, it is starting to make its presence known in our own communities! We still have a target of being back in church for our Harvest Celebrations on Sunday 4th October at 11am.  This might change in the coming week, but we fully intend to be back in if we are allowed! Each and every day brings new challenges and changes, but this is how life is at the minute!   We have two options as far as I see: firstly, we can complain and refuse to cooperate with the changes, or do so only reluctantly; or as a second option, we can accept that life is difficult at the moment, but understand that we are only making these changes in order to keep each other safe and acce...

The R Rate of the Covid-19 pandemic - the infection rate - continues to climb, and the Northern Ireland numbers are slowly getting out of control and is currently over 100 people per 100,000 population ( figures released by the NI First Minister, 21/9/2020) .  Our alert level has once again been recommended to be upgraded to Level 4 - Infections rising exponentially, so taking no action at all is no longer an option! We seriously need to be careful how we interact and live with each other.  Please continue to wash hands, wear masks, and keep your distances from each other when we are out!  I have personally witnessed the decrease in the numbers of people wearing masks when out and about - which shows the decreasing level of anxiety towards the coronavirus. The other step we are going to introduce is to limit the exposure we have in church. Whilst we are still going ahead with our services on Sunday 4th October - we are going to limit our exposure by cancelling the Bible F...

Hi folks We will be meeting together for Drive-In church on Sunday 13th September at 11am in the Parish Car Park.   Our Annual Easter Vestry will be held on Tuesday 15th September at 8pm in the Parish Hall.  All are welcome to join us, although it will be held under strict social distancing rules, including wearing masks unless there is a valid reason for not doing so.  It will be a little shorter than usual to ensure that our possibility to exposure is kept at a minimum, and in a break to normal custom, there will be no refreshments afterwards. Please find attached our service sheets for Sunday morning's service. If you can't join us, please feel free to print out the sheets to follow the service - there are no copyrights to worry about if they are for personal or church worship.  As usual, the service will be streamed at 11am on the rector's Facebook page - just  click here .  All are very welcome! Johnny

 We had a wonderful discussion based around our Bible passage in Genesis 27.  In this passage Isaac promised his final blessing to his favourite son, Esau.  Esau was dismissed to hunt game to be cooked and shared with his aging father, following which the final blessing would be presented. His wife Rebekah overheard the conversation, and was determined to obtain that blessing for her favoured son, Jacob.  Be under no illusion - this was Esau's proper place and gift to receive!  He had been tricked out of his birthright, having sold it for a bowl of lentil stew (yuck! Rector's honest opinion).  Having lost his claim to the worldly possessions of his father, this blessing would more than make up for it.  However, Rebekah convinced the younger son to deceive his father - thus obtaining the blessing dishonestly. Taking their own young goats, Rebekah prepared them in a manner that was agreeable for her husband, and dressed her son in their outer skin to foo...

 Hi folks The recent walk around Colebrooke was a fantastic event, and we were delighted to welcome over 70 walkers who enjoyed a leisurely walk around the estate. By popular demand, we have managed to arrange another event, this time for 30th September, which should be a lovely walk through Ashbrooke estate.  We will meet again at Colebrooke Parish Hall, and the walk will be slightly further than last time, but should still be a leisurely walk.  We are meeting up slightly earlier - 630pm - so that we can get around before it gets too dark.  If anyone gets lost - we should be able to find them on the next morning!  Haha!  Joking! We will still be meeting under the strict guidelines - no toilets or refreshments, but we will be awarding spot prizes on the evening!  Come along and enjoy another lovely evening. See you soon! Johnny

 Hi folks September!  The month when the kids return reluctantly to school, churches restart their Sunday School classes, GFS groups, Bowls, Mothers' Union meetings!  The month we get back into the routine of services after summer!  We start thinking about Harvests, Remembrance, Advent and Christmas!  How life has changed this year! Our kids have been delighted to return to church this year following almost six months of isolation at home.  Our groups cannot meet up at the moment, and there are no plans to start them in the foreseeable future! Harvests and the other memorial events will happen this year - but what form they'll take is still to be decided. In the meantime, our services will be remaining in the car park for the next few weeks, although it is inevitable that we will have to return to church in the near future - although some major decisions still need to be taken on this plan. Please find below the latest service sheets for Sunday 6th Septembe...

Hi folks Please find attached the latest service sheets for our Holy Communion service for our next Sunday morning service.  Our service is Holy Communion - albeit with a twist!  This is our first service in our car park under the COVID19 restrictions.  We will be meeting under the same distancing regulations, following the service printed below.  Unfortunately we will not be able to share both elements of communion - with only the bread being distributed.  This won't make any difference to the blessings that will be received through the Holy Communion. As ever, it will be streamed via the rector's Facebook page - Sunday HC Service Please feel free to join us, and if you're about the area - you can always come along and join us there. Regards Johnny

Celebration of Wholeness and Healing Aghavea Parish Church A CELEBRATION OF WHOLENESS AND HEALING GREETING In the name of Christ, we welcome you. We have been called out of darkness into God's marvellous light. Grace and peace be with you   and also with you.  HYMN The love of God has been poured into our hearts, through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us: we dwell in him and he lives in us.  Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name;  make known his deeds among the peoples.  Sing to God, sing praises to his name; and speak of all his marvellous works.  Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty;  who was and is and is to come.  THE COLLECT OF THE DAY (or the Collect of Healing may be used) Heavenly Father, you anointed your Son Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit and with power to bring to us the blessings of your kingdom.  Anoint your Church with the same Holy Spirit, that we who share in his suffering and victory may bear...

 Hi folks Bear with me folks, please read carefully. Most folks who know me by now know that I really enjoy Science Fiction (also known as sci-fi). Many of the things we now take for granted were originally envisioned as futuristic devices in early sci-fi - such as communicators being used by Star Trek to communicate with each other - now known as mobile phones. They also showed people commanding the “computer” by voice - now commonplace with devices such as Amazon Alexa, Google Hub, and many other smart device.  Digital tablets were first shown on Stanly Kubrick\s fantastic film “2001”, with HAL controlling the main operations of the space craft. Driverless cars, modern aviation, space race, planetary exploration, even summon devices such as ovens that heat food in seconds (microwave ovens anyone?) all have their roots in someone’s dreams. Apocalyptic books and films that depict a desperate future where humanity struggles against a common adversity such as aliens, nuclear hol...

 Hi folks The weeks are just flying in - and we're almost upon another weekend!  Our Drive-In services continue on Sunday 23rd August at 11am in the Parish Car Park. As ever, all are extremely welcome to join us - no matter the weather, David and myself will battle on to bring Morning Prayer to those congregated there!  I have pleasure in attaching the service sheet here - feel free to print it out for yourself to use on Sunday morning, whether you're attending or just following along at home. The service will be streamed live as usual on Facebook via my page at  http://www.facebook.com/johnny.mcloughlin   You don't need to have your own Facebook account, the video is Public, and all can view it anytime.  Feel free to scroll down the Facebook page to other videos (around 250) that are there. See you on Sunday Johnny

 Hi folks I'd like to thank all those who attended our recent Evening Walk, and also to those who forwarded a donation in lieu.  I would also like to thank Lord Brooke for his generous permission to walk past the beautiful grounds and house.  Almost 70 people attended, and we were delighted that everyone made it home safely! The weather didn't look great - we were just on the brink of encountering Storm Ellen - but God granted us a break in the rain, long enough for us to get around the grounds of Colebrooke Estate.  A few ran, a few walked dogs, a few dandered, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the walk! Two ladies decided to run the first lap, and walk a second lap! Fair play to them! We are delighted to announce that we have raised almost £800 towards to Aghavea Building Fund! Thanks to Yvonne, Helen and Rebecca for their organisational skills and handling the admin on the evening - and organising the prizes for the walkers.  Thanks to the gentlemen who shepher...

 Hi folks We'll be together in the Parish Car Park for our next Drive-in Church experience on Sunday 16th August. at our normal time of 11am.  We will be streaming live on Facebook as usual, but you are always very welcome to come along and join us for the occasion. I've attached the service sheet for the morning, using the Lectionary readings and following the structure for Morning Prayer Two, which works very well for such an occasion.  If you've any questions, comments or complaints, please let me know and we will address them immediately. Regards Johnny

Hi folks Thanks to those who joined me in church recently for the resumption of our Bible Fellowship.  Our lectionary has been re-telling the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, so to learn more about the tribes of Israel, we have delved back into the Old Testament Book Genesis - looking at chapter 25.   Abraham had been promised by God that his ancestors would number like the stars, and in this chapter we start to see the fulfilment of the promise.  We admired his stamina in taking on another wife after Sarah had died, and having six more children to Keturah!  We saw that they each created their own tribes - and in preparation for his death, he gave a gift to each of his sons, sending them off to the east, away from Isaac.  This ensured that they would not contend his inheritance when Abraham died. At the "ripe old age" of 175, Abraham died and his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him with his wife. Ishmael fathered 12 tribes who would move to live i...

Please find the text of the service Late Evening Office from the Book of Common Prayer, p162 A LATE EVENING OFFICE   Blessed be our God for all time, now and for evermore. Amen . Glory to you, our God, glory be to you, Holy Spirit, Comforter, treasure of all goodness and giver of life, come and dwell in us, cleanse us from all sin, and in your love bring us to salvation. Holy God, holy and strong, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.   Psalm 134 (or another suitable psalm) 1   Come bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, „ you that by night stand in the house of the Lord. 2   Lift up your hands towards the holy place „ and bless the Lord. 3   May the Lord bless you from Zion, „ the Lord who made heaven and earth. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.   A READING followed by a MEDITATION   NUNC DIMITTIS    The Song of...

Hi folks We have been granted permission to host a walk through the grounds of Colebrooke Estate to raise some funds towards our Building Fund.  We will therefore be hosting an Evening Walk through the estate (hopefully including past the front of the house) on Wednesday 19th August.  We will meet at the front of Colebrooke Parish Hall at 7pm for registration and moving off at around 715pm. We will be enforcing all social and physical distancing rules as required, and you can feel free to bring along you dog - as long as you are prepared to lift up any "accidents" during the walk.  As with everything else these days - we cannot supply refreshments, and everyone should bring along their own water for the walk.  Unfortunately, this also means that there will not be any toilets available either - so don't be drinking your water too quickly!! If you would like to come along, everyone will feel very welcome.  We are asking for a donation of £7 per adult, and £3 for t...

Hi folks It’s well known in the parish that Reuben and his “two babes” are the photographic team providing the high quality photos for the website and Facebook. Incidentally, for those that don’t know - his “two babes” are his cameras, nothing sinister going on!! However, we do have another very skilled photographer in our midst, who specialises in close up and find detailed work. Ronnie Graydon has been sending photos to me of insects and flowers, and his recent set are unbelievable! I thought you might like to see them.  We are so blessed to have the talent in Aghavea!

Hi folks Another month in this crazy year is over, and although things are slowly getting back towards normal, the world still isn't the way it should be!!  We are still in peril from the dreaded coronavirus, and it still poses a threat.  Please do not become complacent in your habits - keep washing your hands, wear masks if you can, keep distanced from each other, and be aware of those around you. We are still aware of the inherent dangers of coming together indoors, and as a result our Sunday services will continue as Drive-in Church throughout August.  We will make a decision later in the month regarding September - and inform everyone when we do. August sees the start of our Bible Fellowship - this time meeting in the church building under the appropriate distancing measures.  We won't have the pleasure of enjoying tea and coffee together as yet, but the craic will still be the same.  We will still meet to examine and learn from God's Holy Word, and find str...

Hi folks This is very urgent!  I ask you to read this carefully and consider helping. Our Mothers' Union have been contacted - as with the other groups - to ask for help!  The hospitals are desperately short of teddy bears and blankets.  These knitted items are given to children and babies who arrive in to the Emergency Department and the Neo-Natal unit to comfort them in their distress, and to distract them from the emergency situation they find themselves in. I have downloaded a simple pattern for a teddy bear - but if you have a better pattern, please share it with me and I'll share it with the wider community!  Please do not use Angora wool - or any related "flavour" as the young children put them in their mouths, and we do not want hairs coming off in their mouths. If you need any materials (wool, stuffing, etc), please send your receipts and I'll ensure that you are reimbursed ( even though our Treasurer doesn't know it yet, haha ). If you have...