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Senior’s Dinner in Kinawley

We had another great evening on Mon 11th Dec when the seniors from our Group gathered for a festive meal and entertainment. Our picture shows the same two candidates who danced the HOSEPIPE at last year’s function – I don’t think that either Mackey or John had put in any practice since then!! Music on the evening was once again provided by Robert Wilson of Florencecourt ably assisted by Sean McGuire of Enniskillen.

A bit of a do!

’Twas last December
As we all can remember
We had Aa bit of a do.
There was almost fifty
Who were over sixty
Some with maybe a year or two.

But now this December
Some will prefer not to remember
Sixty plus a year or three.
So we go forward together
Regardless or whether
We are sixty or one, two or three.

Just a small group from near and far
Ballyconnell, Templeport, Swanlinbar
Once a year get together
Whatever the weather
For food and crack
Accordion, banjo or guitar.

To you who organised a bit of a do
Senior Citizens we say thanks to you
We all wish we were twenty two.
But tonight we are the privileged few
Thank God for
Nice people like you.

So here’s Happy Christmas to you
And a very good New Year too
And we all will remember
That come next December
There may be A Abit of a do!

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	Swanlinbar / Kildallon Regrouping At meetings held in each of the above groups last week the Kilmore Diocesan Review Committee made the following proposals: The existing Swanlinbar (Swanlinbar, Tomregan & Templeport) and Kildallon (Kildallon & Newtowngore / Corrawallen) groups be amalgamated to form a new team ministry; The Revd Geoff Wilson be appointed Rector of the new group (subject to the approval of the parochial nominators), continuing to live in Swanlinbar Rectory; A full-time stipendiary curate be appointed to the group, to be resident in Kildallon rectory; The two clergy share fully in the work of the new group, each exercising ministry throughout all the parishes, including regular shared leading of worship, alongside the existing team of parish & diocesan readers, helping all parishioners to discover and use their own God-given gifts. That the existing pattern of shared worship in Swanlinbar / Kinawley & Newtowngore / Corrawallen is extended to include Tomregan and Templeport. These proposals will be put before the Diocesan Council for approval early in 2007 and if agreed will then be forwarded to the Representative Body in Dublin for it’s approval also. The intention would be to bring the new grouping into being around June 2007.
	Bishop Ken Clarke (right) and Archdeacon George Davison (left) presented the proposals at meetings in Ballyconnell and Kildallan on Thursday 14th December

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Swanlinbar Sale of Work

Just a short note to thank folk for supporting us at our recent Sale of Work in Swanlinbar. To date we have raised in the region of €2600 with donations still coming in. Thank you to everyone concerned.

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Advent Carol Service in St Peter’s, Templeport

At the time of writing these notes we have only had one Advent Carol Service in our Group. The children from Ballyconnell Central National School delighted us in the service with The Christmas Alphabet and their singing. The children reminded us that the MESSIAH came with a MESSAGE into a world in an awful MESS and that the message was LOVE! They were fantastic, as was everyone who took part in the service. Thanks also to all who came along and supported us in the re-telling of this story and to the teachers, Lavinia Tilson and Susan Corrigan, for all of the hard work which went into preparing the children.
Photographs of the children performing are available to those involved but are not published here because new Anglican org recommendations to protect children suggest that photographs should not be used on Church websites.

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Informal Praise Service

This little service certainly seems to have struck a chord with many people in not only Derrylin Parish and our Group of Parishes, but further afield as well. The service is very informal and accessible to all age groups with a blend of contemporary and traditional music and multi-media presentations. Our next service will be at 8pm on Sunday 14th January 2007 in Derrylin Parish Church – our theme will be . . . . New Year. . . . New Start! Everyone is most welcome to come along to this service so please do give it a try!

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Monthly Holy Communion in the Breffni

Someone commented to me at our last service on Tuesday just past that they thought that this service had really taken off! I agree wholeheartedly, but intend to keep my feet firmly on the ground!! This service has fallen on the second Tuesday of the month, which can be an extremely busy week for Geoff, so we have decided to shift it to the fourth Tuesday commencing Tuesday 23rd January 2007. Everyone is more than welcome to come along, indeed I would encourage the more mobile members of our Church family to get involved in this highly significant ministry by simply setting aside one hour in the month for Holy Communion followed by a cup of tea.

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Christianity Explored

This continues in our Group of Parishes on Thursday 11th Jan 2007 following the Christmas break. We have had a great time looking at the Gospel of Mark and finding out more about Jesus, who He is, why He came and what it means to be a follower. Each evening begins at 8pm in Tomregan Parish Hall with a cup of tea and a chat.

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A thank you from Lilian Willis, Derrylin

SAMARITAN’S PURSE – OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD – SHOE BOX APPEAL
I would like to express my sincere thanks to all those involved in preparing and filling shoe boxes for the above appeal. It was a wonderful effort especially from the children. The boxes were very well decorated and filled with plenty of treats and gifts.
Overall in this area we managed to send 1700 boxes away, a very worthwhile effort.
I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year and once again thank you very much for a marvellous effort. Lilian Willis
I would also like to add my thanks to those of Lilian. This is a very worthwhile appeal and will make such a difference to children in other parts of the World this Christmas. Please spare a thought and prayer for those less fortunate than ourselves as we celebrate the Peace which came down that first Christmas.

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Fairtrade

Fairtrade guarantees a better deal for Third World Producers. We all know and understand the pressures of reducing margins and the challenges which they pose in our lives as we think of the way things used to be in the farming community. But even with ever decreasing margins, our children and families still benefit from free education and health care in 21st Century Ireland.
This is not necessarily the case in Third World countries where much of the tea and coffee we enjoy is produced at prices which mean that the producer is not getting a fair price for their produce. Fairtrade however, ensures that all products bearing the Fairtrade trademark have been produced in an ethical manner and the producer has been paid a fair price for a fair product.
At our recent Diocesan Synod in October, a motion was passed that wherever possible, only Fairtrade products will be used at Parish functions and on Parish property. This means that we should be using only tea and coffee which bears the Fairtrade mark, readily available in all large supermarkets - a more limited supply of Fairtrade biscuits is also available.
I am not expecting that we will all change our way of thinking overnight, but by engaging with the concept of Fairtrade in this small way we can gradually begin to understand the challenges faced by others in a world which is far from equal and do something to bring about change.

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Forthcoming youth events

Our newly appointed Youth Officer, Mike Edwards, has written to inform me of some forthcoming events for our young people.
Dublin on Ice on Saturday 13th January 2007 – a day coach trip to Dublin with January Sales, 10 Pin Bowling and Ice-skating. The cost is €25 with a discount for families of 3 or more. Contact Geoff for more details and booking forms.
Youth Weekend at Share Centre from Friday 16th Feb to Sunday 18th Feb – this was what we took our confirmation candidates on last year and is open to all our young people. Contact Geoff for more details if interested.
Ireland/UK Exchange – Mike has applied for a grant to take 16 young people to England for a week during the Easter holidays (6th to 14th April). The group will meet with a group of young people from the Cambridge area and will be looking at the issue of Rural Isolation and how our different contexts vary. The cost for participants will be €140. Contact Geoff if you are interested.

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WWW.

Some advance notice of a new and exciting initiative which is beginning in the New Year. WWW. is for young adults (18 and over) and will offer a time for Worship, Word and Worship followed by tea/coffee and chat. It will a monthly event beginning Saturday 3rd Feb 2007 in Kilmore Hall. I will say more about it in the next edition of our Newsletter but keep the date free until then!

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