Magheragall Parish Church

For the Rector and Select Vestry that they may be blessed with wisdom as they work through the business affairs of the Parish on your behalf.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given him.” James 1 v 5 NIV

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1 v 19 NIV

* For those who have lost a loved one that God may comfort and strengthen them in their time of loss.

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth: I will see him with my own eyes.” Job 19 v 25,27

* For the work among our children and young people that Leaders may reflect God’s love in their own loves and be an effective witness to the children in their care.

* For those who have medical appointments this month that they may find peace and assurance that they do not walk this way alone.

* For God’s blessing on our parish as we celebrate the Harvest season, giving thanks for God’s generosity to us and taking the opportunity to enrich the lives of fellow Christians in Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Nepal, by buying craft goods in the “Marketplace”.

Church of Ireland’s
Summer Madness Team invites you to -

The Right Move Careers Conference

Whitla Hall
Queens University, Belfast
Tuesday, 14 October, 2008 10am - 4pm

This conference will be opened by Aideen McGinley, Permanent Secretary of the Department for Employment and Learning.

The Right Move will be a Vocations Conference aimed at all those in secondary and tertiary education wanting to talk about ‘LIFE’ and ‘WORK’ and ‘FAITH’. The event will provide the opportunity to hear from people in all walks of life as they share from their story and experience. There will be a series of seminars dealing with some of the central issues facing us all as we seek real purpose and direction in our lives. Not that a bunch of psychiatrists, doctors and theologians will have all of the answers - but the Conference will give you some space to think and pray for yourself.

Exhibitions
Throughout the day an exhibition of over 20 Christian Agencies offering vocational training or short/long term service opportunities will provide easy access to a wealth of information and advice.

Resources
For further information and all of the related resources. Reviews and links please visit www.summermadness.co.uk/careers In addition all of the seminars and talks will be available as mpa downloads.

Conference free
The conference is free courtesy of the generous support of several business and individual donations.

10.00am Doors Open
4.00pm Final wind up of exhibitions

Make it your goal in life to be there!

Where now?

A teacher was finishing up a lesson on the joys of discovery and the importance of curiosity. "Where would we be today," she asked, "if no one had ever been curious?"

One child quietly spoke up from the back of the room. "In the garden of Eden?"

Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of Ireland advise on H1N1 Flu

The high level of media attention on the H1N1 pandemic has led to expressions of concern as to practice in the Church of Ireland.

These advisory notes have been drawn together following consultation among the Bishops and are offered subject to further approval or other advice that may be considered appropriate as time goes by.

1. Keep a sense of proportion. Infection rates in Ireland are likely to rise if holiday makers come into contact with the virus and bring it home or visitors to Ireland bring it with them.

2. Use common sense. If you feel ill and display influenza-like symptoms stay at home. The symptoms to be aware of in the case of the H1N1 strain of flu include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle pains and gastrointestinal symptoms.

3. Hand to hand contact , as in the normal procedure for greeting people, including Exchanging the Peace at the Eucharist, involves some risks. The spreading of the virus by hand to hand contact is an important risk factor. However, spread is, first and foremost by respiratory means. It is possible to continue to exchange the Peace as long as proper hand and good general hygiene is observed. The same observation applies to all other physical contact including the shaking of hands in greeting.

4. The canonical elements in Holy Communion are bread and wine. Communicants may, if they wish, choose to avoid the Common Cup and receive in one kind only.

5. The practice of intinction involving the use of wafers is permitted under Canon 13(5) but is only envisaged for Communion at home with the sick and housebound where this is necessary.

6. The use of antiseptic gels and tissues may be of some assistance to both celebrant and recipient, but personal cleanliness at all times should be the invariable watchword. In the case of tissues, careful and hygienic disposal is absolutely essential. Thorough hand washing is just as effective and disposal is provided for via the waste disposal system.

7. Arrangements for parochial activities on parish premises should observe the commonsense provisions set out above, especially at note 6.

8. Prayer. Church members are urged to remember in their prayers those who are ill, those who are afraid and those in the caring professions.

(Part of a letter from the Archbishops and Bishops)

Pastoral needs,

please note:

You may have heard me say at one time or another that it is very difficult to remember everything that is said at the door of church on a Sunday morning. If there is a pressing pastoral matter you need to bring to my attention, please give me a wee note if it is at the Church door or phone me through the week.

Thanks for your help

Nicholas

Hospital Visits

Whilst the hospital chaplains are always very good at informing me about parishioners who are in hospital, sometimes the information doesn’t always get through in time. The Hospital Chaplain does his/her rounds and then notifies the relevant parish minister. Often the individual could be home before the relevant minister is even aware that they are in hospital. To help me visit everyone in hospital it would be very helpful if you could let me know of anyone who is in hospital or is going into hospital.

I have also found that when people are in need of a visit they are reluctant to ask, that is what I am here for so please get the message to me.

Nicholas

Petrol prices soaring, food prices up, and education costs spiraling out of sight... while incomes are growing at the slowest rate for a quarter of a century.

No wonder we are all feeling the pinch. So here are ten ways to save some money:

1. Switch to supermarket own brands... it could reduce your bills by a third over four months.

2. Buy your fruit and veg at your local market... where prices are about 30 per cent cheaper than a supermarket.

3. Switch off your TV set at night, and lights when you leave a room. You could cut your electricity bill by 19 per cent.

4. Go shopping for food after 7pm, when you will find that perishable goods are cut by as much as 70 per cent. Buy them – and freeze them until needed.

5. Beware expensive branded medication. For example, own brand paracetamol costs 39p, as opposed to the cheapest branded alternative – at £1.59.

6. Change all your light bulbs to energy-efficient ones. Each one reduces your electricity by £7 over a year. So ten bulbs could save you £20 in four months.
7. Only EVER boil as much water in the kettle as you will need. Kettles use a large amount of electricity.

8. Never buy your favourite magazine off the shelf. Take out a subscription – and save up to 80%!

9. Cancel your credit card’s payment protection plan, and take out cheaper protection, which you can find on paymentcentre.co.uk

10. Keep your tyres properly inflated. Lower tyre pressure means higher petrol consumption.

It ’ s simple, really. Need more strength or energy? Just ask. Need creativity to finish a project or squeeze a meal our of leftovers? Just pray. Find it hard to balance priorities? Call on God. He ’ s the power source, the master of time. For any need, let God be your provider.

Extract from Prayer Moments for Busy People published by ‘ inspirio ’

YOUR LIFE YOUR CHOICE - HURRY SICKNESS

Every day we are pressured to cram more and more activities into fewer and fewer hours. This has been described as ‘ hurry sickness ’ and it ’ s something we can all identify with. For example, when did you last attempt to join the slowest checkout queue at the supermarket? Hurry is an enemy of our spiritual life, as most things connected with the kingdom of God cannot be done in a hurry!

We should draw a distinction between being busy and being hurried. Busyness has to do with our outward condition, while hurry is all about the state of our souls. It arises from having too many competing priorities at any given moment. Jesus was often busy but never hurried! We can train ourselves to be less hurried in the following ways, which will help to be more in tune with God’s priorities.

Slowing Down:- To break the hold of a frantic pace of life why not deliberately slow down eg walk more slowly or stand at the longest check-out queue in the supermarket?

Saying No:- How do our decisions help or hinder our ability to love God and others? Looking at your diary, what do I need to do differently?

Balancing Rest and Work:- Although we complain about working long hours, many of us secretly love it! We associate busyness with importance and too much free time indicates that we are not needed. What is a helpful rhythm of work and rest in our lives? How can we take seriously the Sabbath principle of having one day a week to rest and not work? We might do something we don ’ t usually give time for eg taking a long walk or having an unhurried conversation with a friend, as well as avoiding more regular activities eg checking emails!

De-cluttering: - The more stuff we accumulate, the more time and energy are required to maintain it. What could we live without in order to live more simply? Go through your wardrobe, loft or garage and give away what you don ’ t use.

Using Leisure Time Creatively:- When we actually take a break we often end up simply watching TV, surfing the net, shopping when we don ’ t need anything or eating when we are not hungry! Why not choose leisure activities that really refresh you. It ’ s not a case of more leisure time, but using the time we have more creatively.

The sound of music

Joe's wife joined the church choir and practiced while she was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Whenever she would start in on a song, Joe would head outside to the back garden. His wife, with hurt feelings, said, "What's the matter, Joe? Don't you like my singing?" Joe replied, "Well, put it this way, if I stay outside, the neighbours won’t assume that I’m beating you.”

Money

One day a small boy started pulling handfuls of money out of his pockets – several notes as well as many coins. Bewildered, his mother asked, "Where on earth did you get all that money?"
"At church, of course," the boy replied, surprised. "They have bowls of it there."

Always on a Sunday

The irate customer called the newsagents, loudly demanding to know where the Sunday edition of her newspaper was. "Madam,” said the newsagent patiently, “We have not delivered your Sunday newspaper because today is Saturday. The Sunday paper is not delivered until tomorrow, on Sunday."

There was quite a long pause on the other end of the phone, followed by a sigh of wakening understanding. "Well, now ... so that's why no one was at church today."

Say it slow

On a beautiful late summer's day, two American tourists were driving through Wales. They reached Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogoch (yes, that place in Wales) and stopped for lunch.

Still gazing in fascination at the place name on the sign outside, one of the tourists approached the waitress and said: "Before we order, I wonder if you could settle an argument for us. Can you pronounce where we are, very, very, very slowly?

“Sure,” the girl shrugged. She leaned over the counter and said: "Burrr gurrr king".

Senior Citizens’ Club

The Senior Citizens’ Club will commence D.V. On Wednesday, 9 September, 2009.

You are invited to arrive at the church hall from 12 noon onwards. Lunch will be served at 12.30 p.m. so if you intend to come for lunch (main course meal, pudding, tea or coffee and biscuits) please ring

Joan on Tel. No. 9261 1984

before 10 a.m. on the Tuesday morning.

After lunch you will be invited to choose between two activities, one in the Main Hall and one in the Committee Room. In the Main Hall from 1.45 p.m. until 3.45 p.m. initially the activity will be bowling. In the Committee Room from 1.45 p.m. until 3.45 p.m. The Senior Citizens’ Club September programme is printed below.

9 September Captain John O’Neill and Karen Webb

16 September Age Concern/Help the Aged

Aid Call, Mr. Vincent Day

23 September Ulster Scots - culture, history and music

Matthew Warwick

30 September Bee Keeping

Canon John Bell

We look forward to welcoming back former members and extend a warm welcome to parishioners and non parishioners who have reached the mature age of 50 plus.

Margaret