Christmas Eve        

Come to the Stable

        6 pm in
Tomregan Church

Once again this year we will have our special Christmas Nativity service for all Ages on Christmas Eve. This is a very family orientated service celebrating the wonder of the New born King right at Christmas itself. Using songs and drama we will share the story of Christ’s coming, with you the congregation joining in the nativity. It was great having it in previous years and I again encourage families to come along if you possibly can.
In a really informal fun way please come to join the story. If at all possible come with costumes on, or to put on. Come as angels, shepherds, kings - you know the sort of thing! It needn’t be anything elaborate. We ask families to come willing to participate as the congregation join the story around the church. It’s a wonderful way for children and adults to enter the story on this special night. Join us and plant a Christ memory at the heart of Christmas itself
Even if you can’t dress up please come! It's a service that adds greatly to our Christmas memories, helping put Jesus Christ our Lord at it’s heart. Hope to see you there.

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Sunday School Christmas Party

The Sunday school party will be held this year on Saturday 17th December from 3.30 to 5.30pm. All Children who are connected to the group are warmly invited to our usual programme of games, food and fun ending with that visitor in the red suit! Please come along. Due to ongoing work in Tomregan the party will be held in Templeport Community Centre. May I thank Templeport Community for allowing us the use of the hall.

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Emergency Cover

Richard will be unavailable from St Stephen’s Day until Saturday 14th January. If Rev Brendan (0044 78 2585 4947) is not available details of cover will be available on rectory telephone at (00353)(0)499527834.

If you have items for the January Newsletter please send them to the office email address
( )
For security the email address above has been encrypted so it does not attract spam and rubbish mail. If you can not see the link (between the brackets above) please either type the mail address below or enable 'Java' script:
  Please put 'website reply' in the subject line. .

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Ecumenical Carol Service

A service celebrating Christmas with our neighbours will be held in St Augustine’s, Parish Church, Swanlinbar on Thursday 15th December at 8pm. Everyone is warmly invited to this important service. . .

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Mothers Union

There will be no Mothers Union meeting in January 2012. Our next meeting is on St Valentine's day, Tuesday, 14rh February 2012 in Kildallon when the Rev Andrew Quill from Derrylin parish will speak to us on Missionary work.

Please remember Dean Raymond Ferguson’s commissioning service in Kilmore Cathedral this afternoon (December 11th).

The Mother’s Union website may be found at: www.kilmore.mothersunion.ie

May the wonder of the first Christmas remain with you all. God's Blessing & Peace to all. Have a wonderful Christmas season.

Margaret Crawford

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Vestry Meetings

Vestry meetings have been arranged on the following Thursday evenings:

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Breffni Holy Communion Service

The Christmas Communion Service will be led by Canon Steve Clarke on Christmas Eve at 2 pm.
It’s great when other parishioners come along and share in the service with the residents especially at Christmas time.
The next service of Holy Communion led by Canon Steve Clark will be on Tuesday January 24th. The February communion service will be on Shrove Tuesday, February 21st at 2pm.

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Bawnboy Festival Cheque Presentations

The upper photo on the right shows Captain Richard Beadle receiving a cheque for €1000 for St Peter’s Church, Templeport from the Bawnboy Festival committee.

This year over €27,000 was collected for charity. The festival has always supported St Luke’s Cancer Hospital in Dublin. This year they were presented with a cheque for €17,000. The remainder of the profit was distributed between the two churches and many local charities.

The lower photo on the right is of festival organising committee who produced such a marvellous result.

Many more photographs of the presentation of cheques may be found at: www.bawnboy.utvinternet.com/2011-festival/cheque-presentations

The Bawnboy Festival web site for 2011 may be found at: www.bawnboy.utvinternet.com/2011-festival or from the Bawnboy.com home page

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SAMS

Once again SAMS are hosting a special evening sharing the work of the South American Mission Society in Craigavon Civic Centre. You are invited to ‘Friday night Live’ on 3rd February at 7.30pm. The evening will be hosted by Bishop Ken Clarke and will also include among many other items the commissioning of Claire Holmes as she returns to Paraguay. Claire was our harvest speaker in Corrawallen and led the team Richard joined last summer when he visited Beryl Baker. If anyone would like to go please speak with Richard so we can co ordinate transport.

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Congratulations & Joyful Celebrations

Congratulations to Trevor and Sandra Gallagher on the safe delivery of Lee Trevor Gallagher pictured right, a brother for Seán. We pray for the family in this season of celebration and joy and also remember other couples in the joys and trials of starting a family.

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Advent Service Revisited

Many thanks to all who took part in our Welcome to Advent service. With much drama we can safely say we saw some parishioners as we have never seen them before.

Sadly we haven’t a picture of everyone who took part and we would want to say a special thank you to the children and young people who sang so beautifully.

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Sustentation / Free Will Offerings

We really value the gifts from all our parishioners and friends of the various Parishes in our group - without your giving the work of the Church would not be possible. Recently we have gently encouraged people to ensure that their offerings are with the various Parish Treasurers by the last Sunday of the year, this year it’s Christmas day so it really would be ideal if gifts could be received before next Sunday - 18th December. If we can accomplish this the Treasurers will have opportunity to bank your gifts before the end of the financial year, 31st December and will enable them to produce a set of accounts based on the balance in the account at that date.
Once again can we publicly share our appreciation of the work of our various money counters, recorders and the Parish Treasurers, and would ask you to get your gifts to them rather than them having to come to you, a task which is difficult, time consuming and embarrassing for all concerned. New Charities legislation tightens recording procedures and your gift must be banked before 31st December to appear in the 2011 accounts. Thank you all once again for your support in giving to the Church.

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Christmas in Baghdad

Known as the Vicar of Baghdad Canon Andrew White leads the Anglican church, the small Christian community in Iraq which has known many trials and experienced much danger and loss. Here Canon Andrew White shares a little about Christmas in Baghdad.

The Western world is already preparing for the great day on 25th December. Presents are brought copious amounts of food will be brought in preparation for the party to begin. Decorations are prepared in the home and the towns for the great day to begin.
For us though here in Baghdad things could not be more different. Our Christian people know that the Big Eid (Celebration) is coming. They know that we are about to celebrate the coming of the Christ Child. There is no razzmatazz; the only decoration will be the Christmas tree in the church. Presents, well there simply are not any apart from what we get for the children and the boxes given by Samaritans Purse. For the Children we will work at bringing them some joy and fun. We will dress somebody up as Papa Noel (Santa Clause) as we give children their presents. The reality is that this celebration here is totally different from the festivity elsewhere in the world.
Here despite the media no longer showing our existence we still live in violence and terrorism. I still move around my parish surrounded by hoards of soldiers and police yet we are still happy and for us there is total joy. Christmas for us is first and foremost a time of spiritual celebration. We may have nothing, we may live in total turmoil but we celebrate this Christmas the coming of the Christ Child. For us Christmas is simply a celebration of God coming to be amongst us in Jesus the Christ Child.
I never forget the day several Christmas’s ago when I told the children I was going to tell them about Bethlehem where I used to live and where Jesus first came. A little boy Yousif put his hand up and said “Jesus did not first go to Bethlehem he came first to Iraq”. When I asked why I was asked if I remembered that when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego where in the flames there was another person with them and it was Jesus and I was told that happened just down the road in Babylon. So I was seriously put in my place and each time I sing “oh little town of Bethlehem” I think to myself Jesus was indeed here first and he still is here.
So for us Christmas is simply about our Lord amongst us. We celebrate the fact of his incarnation. There is no food or parties but real celebration of faith. Christmas is simply a time of spiritual renewal a time when we remember that the Lord is indeed here and His Spirit is amongst us. These words from the Eucharist we say at the beginning of every service in Arabic. Allah hu ma ana, Baruch ha qudos ma ana athan. For us Christmas is simply a celebration of the fact that: “The lord is here and His Spirit is with us”.

Canon Andrew White

You may learn a lot more about the Vicar of Baghdad and the Anglician Church in Iraq at these web pages:
Facebook: http://en-gb.facebook.com/apbw2/posts/10150477862931369
Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East: www.frrme.org

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Why Jesus is better than Santa!

Santa lives at the North Pole ...
JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh ...
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year ...
JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies ...
JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited ...
JESUS stands at your door and knocks,
and then enters your heart when invited.

You have to wait in line to see Santa ...
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap ...
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is
"Hi little boy or girl, what's your name?" ...
JESUS knew our names before we were born...
Not only does He know our names,
He knows our addresses too.
He knows our history and future and
He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly ...
JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO ...
JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry" ...
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."

Santa's little helpers make toys ...
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts,
repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but ...
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree ...
JESUS became our gift and died on a tree....
The cross.

Put Christ Back In Christmas... Jesus Is Still The Reason For The Season!

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Year of Mission

Last month we mentioned the Bishop’s outline for the Diocese. Prayer was the focus for 2011. 2012 is a year where we are encouraged to look at mission. It was a great joy to see Killeshandra Parish host a super week focused on mission which no doubt got some of you thinking and dreaming. We would encourage you to continue to pray and dream and in January we will have a couple of meetings for anyone interested to begin to explore in real terms what we might be able to do.

On Sunday 15th January we will be looking at MISSION 4 ADULTS
On Sunday 22nd January we will be looking at MISSION 4 CHILDREN
Meetings will be held in old Ballyconnell School at 3.30pm

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Midweek Lent Services - Going For Growth

While the Bishop is encouraging us to look at mission many of you will be aware Bishop Ken has written a book on Peter called “Going For Growth”. We will therefore use the book as a background to our Lent services. A number of you have already got the book and I am encouraged by the fact that it’s quite an easy read, though with some substance. Peter is one of the characters in the Bible who many folk like me are easily drawn to. Was it because he kept making mistakes?!

Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes in Sussex commented 'This is a fantastic book by a great Christian leader. Powerful insights into the life of Peter will warm your heart, challenge your soul and fix your eyes on Jesus. Essential reading for every Christian who wants to grow. I loved it!”

You might wish to get your own copy of the book (price £8.99) from the Christian Bookshop in Enniskillen by telephoning 048 66322400 or by contacting Richard who will get a copy for anyone wanting one.

Lent begins with our service on Ash Wednesday, 22nd February and continues on the following Wednesdays at 8pm.

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Children’s Pancake Party

To mark the coming of Shrove Tuesday and the start of Lent we are planning a Pancake Party once again. The party will be from 3.30 - 5.30pm.on Sunday 19th February. Mums and dads please put this in the diary for the new year. There will be a special meeting on Tuesday 31st January in Kildallon Rectory at 8.30pm to plan the event.

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Time for a Smile!

• Liquid, Fragile or Perishable?
  When a woman decided to send the old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country, the post office assistant asked her if there was anything breakable in the package.
  "Only the Ten Commandments," she replied.

 

• The Three Wise Women
  You do know what would have happened if it had been three wise WOMEN instead of men, don't you?
  They would have asked for directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought disposable diapers as gifts!

 

• Christmas Sermon
  
Andrew was watching his father, a rector, write the sermon for the Christmas service.
'How do you know what to say?' Andrew asked. 'Why, God tells me', the father replied. 'Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?'

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Schedule of Church Services until early February

Date

Time

Location

Service

Leader

Thursday 15th December

8 pm

Swanlinbar

Ecumenical Carol Service

Brendan & Fr Hannon

Sunday 18th December

10 am

Swanlinbar

MP

Richard

11.30

Ballyconnell

MP1

Mervyn & Brendan

11.30

Templeport

MP

Richard

3 pm

Newtowngore

Carol Service

Richard & Brendan

Christmas Eve

2 pm

Breffni

HC1

Canon Steve Clark

6 pm

Ballyconnell

Family Nativity

Richard

8.30

Swanlinbar

HC

Brendan & Richard

10 pm

Ballyconnell

HC

Brendan & Richard

11.30

Templeport

HC

Brendan & Richard

Christmas Day

9 am

Corrawallen

HC

Brendan & Richard

10.30

Kildallon

HC

Brendan & Richard

Sunday 1st January

11 am

Ballyconnell

United HC

Brendan

Sunday 8th January

10 am

Kinawley

MP2

Brendan

10.30

Corrawallen

MP2

Margaret

11.30

Tomregan

HC2

Brendan

Noon

Kildallon

MP2

Margaret

Sunday 15th January

10 am

Swanlinbar

MP1

Richard

10.30

Newtowngore

HC2

Brendan

11.30

Templeport

MP1

Richard

11.30

Tomregan

MP1

Mervyn

Noon

Kildallon

HC2

Brendan

Sunday 22nd January

10 am

Kinawley

MP2 Family Service

Richard

10.30

Corrawallen

MP2 Family Service

Brendan

11.30

Tomregan

MP2 Family Service

Richard

Noon

Kildallon

MP2 Family Service

Brendan

Tuesday 24th January

2 pm

Breffni

HC1

Canon Steve Clark

Sunday 29th January

11 am

Ballyconnell

United

Richard

Sunday 5th February

10 am

Swanlinbar

MP2

Brendan

10.30

Newtowngore

MP1

Richard

11.30

Templeport

MP2

Brendan

11.30

Tomregan

MP1

To be advised

Noon

Kildallon

MP1

Richard

1 after Service type indicates Traditional    2 after Service type indicates Contemporary

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