Social fund-raisers in Tomregan

Just a brief note in relation to two forthcoming events in Tomregan Parish.
There will be another Parish Social on Friday 6th October in the Parish Hall. Music will be provided by Kay & Nashville Sound beginning at 9pm. Tickets are priced at a very reasonable €5, including supper. All proceeds in aid of Church Repair Fund.
And on Monday 6th November the Parish is holding a Fashion Show in The Seven Horse Shoes, Belturbet. Ticket are available at €10 and include a wine and cheese reception. All proceeds in aid of Church Repair Fund.

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Friends of Tomregan Service

It was a real pleasure to welcome parishioners past and present to our Friends Service on Sunday 10th September. A congregation of around 160 gathered for worship and in our greeting at the beginning of the service there was a real buzz as we turned and welcomed one another giving our name and where we had come from. Two former rectors were in attendance, Dean David Godfrey and Canon Jim Sides, along with their respective wives, Heather and Margaret. Dean Godfrey challenged us with a thoughtful sermon on the fact that whilst different cultures and periods in history can bring new insights that throughout this process of ongoing change Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Thank you to everyone involved in the organisation of our service and the refreshments afterwards – it was a great afternoon with a real warmth about it. The collection on the day, together with other donations, amounted to just short of €7000 and will be going towards the Church Repair Fund.

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Teaching appointment

In the last edition of our newsletter we read of the graduation from Stranmillis College, Belfast of Avril Graham, Kinawley. I am now delighted to tell you that Avril has just been appointed as a learning support teacher in Cavan No 1 School. Avril is one of the few in her year to have had any success on the job front. We wish Avril every blessing in her work with children.

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Swanlinbar Parish Annual Supper dance

This event is growing more popular each year, last year over 250 people enjoyed a good night’s entertainment so get your ticket early to avoid disappointment! As usual there will be the splendid cold buffet with dessert followed by dancing to Larry & Co and all this for the bargain price of £10 - if you haven’t been before then do come along. Tickets are available from the usual sources or by contacting Alice Gould on 048 6774 8749.

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Congratulations

To Laura Foster and Helen Graham on their recent success in doing so well in their “A” Levels. Both girls are going to Glasgow to study, Laura to study Dentistry and Helen to study Tourism with French. Both girls will not only be sadly missed by their families but by the wider Group, not least because they were so prominent in the provision of music at our services. We wish you both well and may The Lord’s blessing be upon you both in this new stage of your studies.

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Harvest Gala Evening

This has been organised by The Mothers’ Union for Kilmore, Elphin & Ardagh and will take place in the Slieve Russell Hotel on Friday 27th Oct. The evening will commence at 8pm with dinner followed by dancing and entertainment, all for the price of €35 per person. Tickets are available from Naomi Wilson by ringing (00 353)499521404 . Please advise Naomi of any special dietary requirements when ordering your ticket.

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Bereavement Our sincere sympathies are extended to the family of Emily Storey, originally of St Peter’s, Templeport – Emily passed away on Friday 4th August. Emily had moved to live and work in Enniskillen a good number of years ago but was a frequent visitor given that her brother Bobby and sister Phoebe still live in the Group. Revd Brian Courtney spoke warmly of Emily to a large congregation in St Peter’s on the afternoon of Sunday 6th August. Her remains were interred in the family plot in the adjoining grave yard. Our prayers and neighbourly support are all we can offer Bobby and Phoebe but we do hope that their sense of loss will become less painful with each day and that happy memories of a dear sister will never diminish.

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People often say “I don’t need to go to Church” If you’ve ever said that, then read on! Why Go To Church? A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all." This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: "I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this… They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

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New born babies in Tomregan

Congratulations to Sandra and Trevor Gallagher on the birth of their first child – Shaun William is doing well and has already settled into a good routine in Cavanagh!
And news of another birth in Tomregan. Maggie and Nigel Breiden are the proud parents of a bouncing baby girl. Zara Mary is a gorgeous wee thing and we wish every blessing upon you all.

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Wedding fever continues!

Congratulations to Tara Keyes and Kevin Glancy upon their wedding in Tomregan Parish Church on Saturday 5th August. The happy couple each arrived in a most unconventional manner – Tara in a beautiful horse-drawn carriage and no doubt Kevin would argue that the cab of the lorry he arrived in was just as good!! It was a wonderful day which was enjoyed by everyone. Tara and Kevin have a beautiful new home in Owengallais, Bawnboy and we all wish you every good wish and God’s blessing in your married life together.
And hearty congratulations are extended Alan & Michelle Gould on their recent wedding in Cyprus and subsequent blessing in Swanlinbar Parish Church on on 19th August. May you both know the Lord’s guiding hand in your married life together.

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Christianity Explored This is a highly regarded course which helps people to examine the Christian faith in an informal setting. In essence it deals with 3 key questions; Who was Jesus?     Why did he come?     What is involved in following him? The course is for everyone, not just people who have not yet committed themselves to becoming a disciple of Jesus. So if you are retired and a life-long believer, it’s for you. Similarly, if you are in your twenties and asking questions about what life is all about, it’s for you. And for those who fall into neither category, it’s for you too! The course runs over ten weeks with a day away on a Saturday after week six. There is no cost involved and no one is put under any form of pressure to talk about their faith or to pray out loud. It is not a prayer meeting or a bible study, but it is a means of finding out more about Jesus through looking at Mark’s Gospel over 10 weeks. The following is the timetable of events;   Week Date Subject    1 12th October Introduction to the course   2 19th October Jesus – who was He?   3 26th October Jesus – why did He come?   4 9th November Jesus – His death   5 16th November What is Grace?   6 23rd November Jesus – His Resurrection   Day away 25th November The Church, The Holy Spirit, Prayer, The Bible   7 4th January What is a Christian?   8 11th January Continuing as a Christian   9 18th January Choices – King Herod   10 25th January Choices – James, John & Bartimaeus   Each meeting will begin at 8pm with a cup of tea/coffee and informal chat, a presentation through a DVD and some discussion regarding what we have seen, heard and read – each evening should end at 9.30pm. This course will take place in our newly renovated room to the rear of the stage in Tomregan but it is for the whole of the Group. Beatrice Crawford from Kinawley has very kindly agreed to assist me with the delivery as facilitation of discussion is one of the key elements involved and I would be unable to do this on my own. Please do let me know if you intend to come along as there is some material which needs to be ordered in advance for each participant.

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Mr & Mrs Competition With all of the weddings we have had in the last year or so, and indeed coming up in the near future, it seemed natural enough to have a night based around Mr & Mrs. What a great night it turned out to be with 4 couples surprising us all by showing just how much they knew about one another! Bishop Ken and Helen ran out as winners, but the real winners were each one of us who were there and were entertained by couples who were game for a bit of a laugh, usually at their own expense! Andrew Forster kept the whole thing moving along with his quick wit and rapport – I think that he might be sent to some remote part of the Anglican Communion as a result!! Thanks to all the couples who took part; to Andrew for being such good fun; to Kieron Smith and Sharon O’Neill who had the tears running down my face at their antics in a short sketch based on a young married couple in rural Ireland of yesteryear; to the Forward steering group for their energy, enthusiasm and organisational ability; and to the ladies of our group who provided a wonderful supper on the night. Approximately €2000 was raised for Group Funds and Bawnboy Playground Fund. Many more photographs including some of the audience may be found under the Parish News Latest index then Mr & Mrs Competition

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Kinawley classes
Class name	Commencing	Time (pm)	Cost
Beauty therapy	Tue 19th Sept	7.30-9.30	£38/£29 (concession)
Basic introduction to computers	Tue 19th Sept	7.30-9.30	Part-funded by Fermanagh Council
Fly tying	Wed 20th Sept	7.30-9.30	Part-funded by Fermanagh Council
Keep-fit	Thu 21st Sept	8.00-9.30	£29/£21
Contact Roisin on 04866349936 or 00447919001312 for further details.

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Tomregan Rectory update

Parishioners in Tomregan may be aware of the extensive work being carried out to the Rectory at the moment. Some work has been done in recent years but by and large the interior has had no monies spent on it and consequently it now requires a major face-lift. We have already re-roofed and re-wired the building and are at present carrying out the following work;
  Replacing the kitchen units in part;
  Re-tiling the kitchen, porch, bathroom and toilet;
  Removing all fireplaces and replacing the fireplace in the lounge area;
  Replacing the bathroom suite;
  Replacing the garage door;
  Re-decorating the whole of the house;
  Replacing all floor coverings;
  Installing blinds on all windows.
Of course many of you will know that the Rectory has been let in more recent years and the vestry have decided to fund this work through a bank loan which will be paid through the rental income from a new tenant. It is our hope to have a new tenant in situ by November and we are confident that this work will make our Rectory a most attractive property to prospective tenants.