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Skills to Lead

Congratulations to Margaret Crawford, Kinawley who has successfully completed the Diocesan "Skills to Lead" course. The course helps to gain or develop skills such as communication, group leadership, chairing meetings, teamwork, managing conflict and identifies strengths and weaknesses. Margaret attended the Celebration dinner for the skills to lead participants in Riversdale Guest House Ballinamore on Friday 3rd June where she was presented with a certificate by Bishop Ken Clarke.

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Ready Steady Cook

Ok who’s the best cook? Seán Cassidy or Brendan? I’m not sure we ever discovered the answer but we did have a great nights fun and many thanks to Pauline, Jennie, Seán and Brendan and the Tomregan hall committee for a great nights entertainment. As well as being a fabulous night the evening raised €435.00 for Tomregan hall renovation.

Click on the thumbnails on the right to download larger picures which should open in new windows.

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Trip to India

When I first suggested a visit to the House of Peace orphanages in Salem, India a few months ago I had hoped that perhaps ten to a dozen parishioners and friends might be interested in going. I am absolutely delighted that on the 21st July twenty three of us will be flying from Dublin to Bangalore and then onwards by train to Salem. While there we will take part in voluntary work aimed at improving the health of the orphans and enhancing their living conditions.
The House of Peace orphanages are exceptionally well run by Revd Dr Jayaraj Krishnan and his team which includes his wife and daughter (who is a doctor) as well as his two adult sons. The orphanage has grown from two children that Jay and his wife, Christy, rescued from the streets more than twenty years ago to around 2,000 children today. When I first visited the orphanages in 1999 they were in the middle of a busy and crowded city. Living conditions were cramped and many basic facilities were lacking.
Today most of the orphans live in recently built accommodation in a wonderful rural site known as 'The Promised Land'. Jay now runs a number of schools for the orphans and other village children as well as training colleges for teachers and nurses. He runs a weekly outreach programme to some five hundred people with leprosy as well as supervising five village churches. The man, his family and the work that he does are truly inspirational.
The orphanages and other programmes face a continuous battle to remain open. Jay has done much to try to make the orphanages self-sufficient in food by running a farm, but there is always a shortfall in provision. All orphans receive free education, food and lodgings from the orphanage and the cost of this constantly rises as the Indian economy expands. The challenge now is to ensure that the orphanages and other ministries are kept going .
I hope that our team will not only be of help to the orphanages while we are there but that all the team members (as well as those who are unable to be with us this time) will catch a vision for sponsoring children, supporting Jay's work and encouraging him, his family and his team of workers.
I am delighted that we have been able to arrange for Jay and his daughter Neva to visit Ireland in November this year so everyone in our parishes will have an opportunity to meet them. In the meantime, may I thank everyone who has contributed to fund-raising for the orphanages so far and may I ask you to pray for the team as we travel and work together.
Bishop Ken will be with us for a special commissioning service in Templeport Parish Church on Sunday 17th July at 11am. This will be a very special occasion and I hope that as many parishioners as possible will be able to join in this united service and give the India team a great send-off.......I can hardly wait!

Slan agus beannacht

The people with confirmed bookings are:
Alison Bayliss, Florence Bayliss, Kathryn Chambers, Gary Crawford, Gethin Duggan, Avril Graham, John Jordan, Linda Kells , Lorraine Kells-Duggan, Hazel Kells, Ross Kingston, Gail Lovett, Brendan McCarthy, Erin McCarthy, Hilary McCarthy, Michael McCarthy, Anthony Millington, Lorraine Morton, Jessica Patterson, Jodie Simms, Patricia Tribelhorn, Roy Woods, Andrew Young.

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Sunday School Prizegiving

May I thank everyone who supported a great day. Even the weather turned out grand after the wind and rain of the week.
As always it is great to recognise the time and energy children and leaders put into the life of the Sunday School through so much of the year. Thank you to the Forward group who helped organise the food and refreshments. After the prize giving service and food many children and a few adults took part in some fun games including favourites like sack races and tug of war.

On the right are only a few thimbnails of the many photographs taken on Sunday May 29th.
All these and a great many more photographs taken on the day may be found at:
www.swanlinbar-kildallon.kilmore.anglican.org/group-news/prize-giving-swanlinbar-11 or click here to open the index page in a new window

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Time for a Smile!

Church Needed Painting

It seems that there was a little church painted white and with a high steeple. One Sunday, the rector noticed that the church needed painting. He checked the local newspaper advertisements and found a paint sale. The next day, he went into town and bought four gallons of white paint. He went back out to the church and began the job. He got done with the first side and back. It was looking great. But he noticed he had already used more than two gallons. He didn't want to drive back in town and being the creative person that he was, he found a gallon of old paint thinner in the shed behind the church, and began to thin his paint. It worked out great. He finished the remaining two sides and even had a little paint left over. That night, it rained; it rained hard. The next morning when he stepped out of the rectory to admire his work, he saw that the first side and back were looking great, but much of the paint on the other two sides had washed away leaving streaky marks. The pastor looked up to sky in anguish and cried out, "What shall I do?" A voice came back from the heavens saying, "Repaint, and thin no more!"

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Sunday 19^th  June

Sunday 26^th June

Sunday 3^rd July

Sunday 10^th July

Sunday 17^th July

Sunday 24^th July

Sunday 31^st July

Sunday 7^th August

Sunday 14^thAugust