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CARRIGROHANE UNION OF PARISHES CARRIGROHANE UNION OF PARISHES St Peter’s, Carrigrohane St Senan’s, Inniscarra The Church of the Resurrection, Blarney www.carrigrohaneunionofparishes.ie www.carrigrohaneunionofparishes.ie SPAN SPAN Autumn Edition 2009 Autumn Edition 2009 Dear Friends, I’ve been hearing voices during the summer. No don’t get worried, the strain of moving house and parish has not left me unhinged! Thankfully, all the kindness we have received has reduced the stress levels! These “voices” have been gentle but also strong and powerful, saying “look beyond”. The mouth pieces have been two courageous women, Jackie Pullinger and Carol Hathorne. Jackie will be familiar to many, for her remarkable call to the Walled City of Hong Kong and to working with drug addicts and the destitute. In particular her emphasis on the ministry of the Spirit and praying in tongues to help drug addicts face “cold turkey”, has led to nothing short of miraculous changes. Jackie’s voice was akin to an Old Testament prophet at the recent New Wine conference in Sligo, exhorting us to get involved with mission. Her message was powerful and un- equivocal and while she spoke from the authority of experi- ence, it was however difficult to connect it with our Irish situation. But loud and clear the voice came, to “look beyond”. Carol Hathorne’s “voice” came in her book The Accidental Church, a chance buy in the bargain stall at the Footprints bookshop. It tells the simple story of an initiative by an Angli- can church in the Midlands of England to reach out to broken lives in their community. Bathed in prayer that carried them through the highs and lows and equipped them to take on the “enemy”, they opened a drop-in-centre, serving coffee and chip butties on a Wednesday morning, that soon became a safe place for druggies and individuals whose lives had been devastated by their addiction. With the “grace” before their meal developing into a simple act of worship it became “church” for those who wouldn’t have dreamed of attending a Sunday morning service. In fact some of the sternest opposition came from the “regulars” typified by one parish- ioner who; “in his candid opinion, clergy should do what they were overpaid and luxuriously housed to do; namely to take care of the ‘cure of souls’ in their parishes and not leave their church buildings open to the mercy of all the thieves and layabouts of the neighbour- hood”! Undeterred, slowly but surely, lives miraculously changed and The Accidental Church was born because some took a “look beyond”. Here is a story that is an inspiration to even the most feint hearted of believers, all the more so as we are blessed with outward looking congregations. The needs may be different. The means may change– reaching out with chip butties may not be the preferred choice! But God has plans for His church. We just need to hear and be obedient to God’s voice, however loudly or softly, saying to us, “look beyond”. Every blessing in Christ, Yours Ian 1 st Sunday of each month 9.00am, St Peter’s, with coffee in the Parish Centre from 10.30 followed by United Celebration of Worship at 11am in the Centre Other Sundays 9.00am—St Peter’s, Carrigrohane; 10.00am—St Peter’s, Carrigrohane; 11.00am—The Church of the Resurrection, Blarney; 11.30am on 2 nd &4 th Sundays in Inniscarra; 7.30pm—Open to God– informal worship in the Church of the Resurrection, Blarney Our Harvest Celebration this year will be on Sunday 18th October at 11am in St Peter’s, Carrigrohane—and will be followed by a hot dog lunch in the Parish Centre. See elsewhere in Span for details of The Lighthouse—messy church in Blarney on Sept 20th, Oct 18th, Nov 15th & Dec 13th from 4-5.30pm. Any Sunday that you need to confirm the location and time of services, please consult the website: www.carrigrohaneunionofparishes.ie or telephone the parish office on 4877260. We change the answer machine message at the beginning of each week—and in- clude the times of the services for the following Sunday. The Wednesday morning house group plan to meet in the parish centre fortnightly beginning on 9th Sept. Coffee/tea at 11am; discussion 11.30 – 12.30. On the 9 th we plan to discuss “What is the Church for to-day”. The Tuesday evening house group will continue meet- ing at 8pm in Cyril’s house until the middle of September. We’ll then be moving to the meeting room of the Parish Centre. We’re doing a practical and challenging series on Christian Love. The Wednesday evening house group meets in Dean & Mary Venables’ house at 8pm. The Friday evening house group meets fortnightly in Helen Burke’s house at 8pm. Growth Group will be meeting Thursday evenings in the Church of the Resurrection, Blarney beginning on 17th September. New members very welcome! Please talk to Ian, Ruth or a House Group host if you’d like to join a group. PDF Creator - PDF4Free v2.0 http://www.pdf4free.com

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Page 1: sept oct dec

CARRIGROHANE UNION OF PARISHESCARRIGROHANE UNION OF PARISHESSt Peter’s, Carrigrohane St Senan’s, Inniscarra The Church of the Resurrection, Blarney

www.carrigrohaneunionofparishes.iewww.carrigrohaneunionofparishes.ie

SPANSPAN Autumn Edition 2009Autumn Edition 2009

Dear Friends,

I’ve been hearing voices during the summer. No don’t getworried, the strain of moving house and parish has not leftme unhinged! Thankfully, all the kindness we have receivedhas reduced the stress levels! These “voices” have beengentle but also strong and powerful, saying “look beyond”.The mouth pieces have been two courageous women, JackiePullinger and Carol Hathorne.

Jackie will be familiar to many, for her remarkable call to theWalled City of Hong Kong and to working with drug addictsand the destitute. In particular her emphasis on the ministryof the Spirit and praying in tongues to help drug addicts face“cold turkey”, has led to nothing short of miraculous changes.Jackie’s voice was akin to an Old Testament prophet at therecent New Wine conference in Sligo, exhorting us to getinvolved with mission. Her message was powerful and un-equivocal and while she spoke from the authority of experi-ence, it was however difficult to connect it with our Irishsituation. But loud and clear the voice came, to “lookbeyond”.

Carol Hathorne’s “voice” came in her book The AccidentalChurch, a chance buy in the bargain stall at the Footprintsbookshop. It tells the simple story of an initiative by an Angli-can church in the Midlands of England to reach out to brokenlives in their community. Bathed in prayer that carried themthrough the highs and lows and equipped them to take on the“enemy”, they opened a drop-in-centre, serving coffee andchip butties on a Wednesday morning, that soon became asafe place for druggies and individuals whose lives had beendevastated by their addiction. With the “grace” before theirmeal developing into a simple act of worship it became“church” for those who wouldn’t have dreamed of attendinga Sunday morning service. In fact some of the sternestopposition came from the “regulars” typified by one parish-ioner who;“in his candid opinion, clergy should do what they were overpaidand luxuriously housed to do; namely to take care of the ‘cure ofsouls’ in their parishes and not leave their church buildings opento the mercy of all the thieves and layabouts of the neighbour-hood”!Undeterred, slowly but surely, lives miraculously changed andThe Accidental Church was born because some took a “lookbeyond”.

Here is a story that is an inspiration to even the most feinthearted of believers, all the more so as we are blessed withoutward looking congregations. The needs may be different.The means may change– reaching out with chip butties maynot be the preferred choice! But God has plans for Hischurch. We just need to hear and be obedient to God’svoice, however loudly or softly, saying to us, “look beyond”.Every blessing in Christ,

Yours Ian

• 1st Sunday of each month 9.00am, St Peter’s, withcoffee in the Parish Centre from 10.30 followed byUnited Celebration of Worship at 11am in the Centre

Other Sundays• 9.00am—St Peter’s, Carrigrohane;• 10.00am—St Peter’s, Carrigrohane;• 11.00am—The Church of the Resurrection, Blarney;• 11.30am on 2nd & 4th Sundays in Inniscarra;• 7.30pm—Open to God– informal worship in the

Church of the Resurrection, Blarney

Our Harvest Celebration this yearwill be on Sunday 18th October at11am in St Peter’s, Carrigrohane—andwill be followed by a hot dog lunch inthe Parish Centre.

See elsewhere in Span for details ofThe Lighthouse—messy church in Blarney on Sept 20th, Oct18th, Nov 15th & Dec 13th from 4-5.30pm.

Any Sunday that you need to confirm the location and time ofservices, please consult the website:

www.carrigrohaneunionofparishes.ieor telephone the parish office on 4877260. We change the

answer machine message at the beginning of each week—and in-clude the times of the services for the following Sunday.

The Wednesday morning house group plan to meet inthe parish centre fortnightly beginning on 9th Sept.Coffee/tea at 11am; discussion 11.30 – 12.30. On the 9th

we plan to discuss “What is the Church for to-day”.

The Tuesday evening house group will continue meet-ing at 8pm in Cyril’s house until the middle of September.We’ll then be moving to the meeting room of the ParishCentre. We’re doing a practical and challenging series onChristian Love.

The Wednesday evening house group meets in Dean &Mary Venables’ house at 8pm.

The Friday evening house group meets fortnightly inHelen Burke’s house at 8pm.

Growth Group will be meeting Thursday evenings inthe Church of the Resurrection, Blarney beginning on17th September. New members very welcome!

Please talk to Ian, Ruth or a House Group host if you’d like tojoin a group.

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In how many languages can you saygood afternoon…

Dzien doby; Hola; Kusweele; Labdien; Bonjour; Dobar dan; Naharak;Sawat-dii torn bai... good afternoon !

These are just a few of the greetings you might hear if you were tobe at the Cork YMCA on Tuesday afternoons when Nino’s meets.Nino’s was set up 3 years ago as a place for second level students forwhom English is not their first language to meet, socialize, improvetheir language skills and do their homework. Since its inception overone hundred teenagers have benefited from the 3-hour weekly ses-sions, which start at 4pm with a time for the young people to chillout, have some food and drink, play table football or board games,and of course chat in a myriad of different languages. At 5pm thefocus turns to English, and with the help of about 6 staff and volun-teers everyone breaks up into smaller groups for discussion. Thetheme of the discussion varies each week – sometimes it is plannedin advance allowing the young people to do some research into atopic, sometimes it is spontaneous around a subject that has been inthe media, and sometimes it involves games or crafts. Whatever theactivity however, the only language that can be spoken is English, andeveryone from the newest, shyest arrival to the most outgoing Leav-ing Cert student is encouraged to participate and develop their confi-dence at speaking in a language that is not their mother tongue. Afterabout 45 minutes there is a short break followed by an hour of quiethomework time with support from the volunteers (who often end uplearning things themselves!) or further English instruction from aqualified teacher. Over the years many friendships have developedbetween the young people and the volunteers, and there have been anumber of spin-off activities such as film nights, day trips and contri-butions to local festivals.

Having spent 5 months this year living in a country where I oftenstruggled to communicate in a language that did not come naturallyto me, my admiration for these young people, some of whom arrivein Ireland with no English, has risen enormously. Having been in thissituation myself, I am now so much more aware of the importance ofnot only providing opportunities for improving language skills in thecountry of residence, but also meeting up with others who speak thesame language as yourself. The social aspect of the club is as impor-tant as the educational, and the appeal of Nino’s is such that youngpeople come from a wide area around Cork city, they bring theirfriends, and even when they have left school they keep coming backfor more.

But success does bring with it problems… particularly in guarantee-ing a large enough pool of volunteers to be able to provide suitableactivities for the large number of young people who want to come(typically 30-40 per evening and at times some have been turnedaway). If you feel that you could give up even one hour on a Tuesdayevening on a semi-regular basis then we’d love to hear from you –you don’t have to have skills at Leaving Cert maths and physics, nordo you need to think of activities to do during the discussion ses-sions. The most important thing that you can bring is yourself, yourenthusiasm, your interest in young people and a willingness to en-courage them to grow and develop while they are resident in Ireland.And at the end of the session you’ll go home feeling uplifted and in-spired… and maybe even knowing a few words in another language!

If you would like to know more about Nino’s or would be inter-ested in volunteering please email me at [email protected] or phoneme at 086 2145058.

Fiona Cawkwell

Summer Lunches

The Parish Centre was a lovely venue for thetwo Special Summer Lunches which were enjoyedby about 38 people - and raised 700 euro for Moth-ers' Union. Thank you so much for that generousdonation - which will be very well spent! I've justhad a letter from two young members of Mothers'Union staff who are travelling in Rwanda, Sudan,Uganda and Kenya to meet people who are involvedin the MU Parenting Programme. They say,

'The issue of trust is huge in Rwanda even though it'sbeen 15 years since the 1994 genocide. The trauma andmistrust is still there and in some places is still deeprooted. It is therefore so encouraging to hear how ena-bling people to come together to talk about parentingissues and bringing up children has been such a unitingfactor and a catalyst for renewed trust within the groupsand is enabling reconciliation to be obtained...Many of theparticipants we have met are genocide survivors withmost having lost numerous family members includingspouses and children. One particular woman spoke ofhow she had struggled as a widow to raise her six chil-dren for all these years and had even contemplated sui-cide as she could see no other way out. That was untilshe joined an MU parenting group and met others insimilar situations who were willing to support her andshare her burden. So she said the parenting programmehas literally saved her life!

Thank you too to the two wonderful and efficientteams of helpers—we all had fun!

Questionnaires are being distributed so people cansay what they’d like to happen next! If anyone wouldlike to offer to help in any way, either at coffeemornings or by setting up/clearing up or providingsimple food for lunches, please let us know in theParish Office. Patsy

Just for fun…The stalled car sat dead still at the traffic lights asthey went to red, to red and yellow, to green, toyellow, and back to red.Finally a police motorcyclist drew up and said,‘Pardon me, sir, but don’t we have anycolour to suit you?’

Six year old Margaret asked her father when theirnew baby would talk. He told her that it wouldnot be for 2 years, since little babies don’t talk.‘Oh yes they do!’, Margaret insisted, ‘Even in theBible they do!’‘What makes you say that?’ asked her Dad.‘When the lady read the Bible this morning inchurch, she definitely said that Job cursed the dayhe was born!’

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Carrigrohane UnionYouth“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were cre-

ated… all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things and in Him all things holdtogether.” (Colossians 1.15-17 Emphasis mine)

Kicking off the term from Sep 13th, SUNDAY PM will start a series looking at Colossians, anamazing, inspirational, challenging and practical letter written to support a community of believers newin their faith. Halfway through the first chapter we find these stunning words above describing the

supremacy of Christ.I feel that sometimes we can slip into a view of Jesus that is just too small. Yes, Jesus was a

helpless baby, meek and mild, but he is also the creator and king over all creation. It is worth re-reading these verses slowly, remembering that all things includes me, you, the kids, the house, the cat,dog, the cliffs of Moher, whatever! Go on, no seriously, have another look!

Read again? Great! We worship an awesome God, who Jesus reveals in his fullness(Col 1.19), lets keep reminding each other of these great truths as we seek to live our lives as acommunity of believers in Cork in 2009.

Dates for Glow and Glow MAXOur Youth group nights for national school (3rd to 6th class), called ‘Glow’,and the nights for secondary school age, called ‘Glow MAX’ will meet onFridays as follows:

‘Glow’ - 11th Sep - 2nd Oct - 6th Nov - 4th Dec

‘Glow MAX’ - 25th Sep - 16th Oct - 20th Nov (Trip out TBC!) - 18th Dec

A BIG THANK YOU for all the cakes supplied for the Youth café overthe summer, it was lovely to be able to provide some real baking for agenuine ‘café feel’.Over the 2 months the café ran we had over 50 young people, many whoare not regulars to any of the groups above, thank you for your prayers.

A BIG THANK YOU AND WELL DONE to everyone who helpedus with ‘Pyramid Rock’. I was so impressed particularly with the teenagers(you know who you are), who did really well at getting alongside the kids inthe group times and generally providing the energy that the club needed tomake it work. Hats off to you!!

Matt’s mobile:085 1080067Katie’s mobile:085 1080030

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‘Sunday PM’ is our church youth fellowship group for young people in secondary school.We do a few crazy games, drink some coffee (or tea if you insist), look at a bible passage ortopic and discuss whatever comes up. Fellowship just means ‘intentional community’, or‘meaningful friendship’ we do this by having a meal together, sharing any news and praying foreach other.Dates - Starting on Sep 13th we meet every Sunday from 5.30-7.30 in the Parish Centre onChurch Hill. We won’t meet over half term on 25th Oct or 1st Nov.

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- ‘Messy Church’Sunday 20th September 4.00-5.30pm

in the Church of the Resurrection, BlarneyEVERYONE, of all ages, WELCOME

Adventurers starts up again for a new term on September 13th.We look forward to welcoming back our lively gang of kids ofprimary school age and a bit beyond!! We plan to continue ourexploration of Mark’s gospel , looking at the theme of Jesus asKing. We may also take on another fund raising project andwould love to welcome some more visitors from the congrega-tion. This involves coming down to the parish centre with ussome Sunday morning, joining in our activities and telling the kidsa little about yourself. No prior preparation is required, but weusually agree a few questions in advance that we can ask you andif you have a talent for teaching silly songs, playing with puppets,or doing cartwheels (as some of last year’s visitors had!) we aremore than happy to let you loose! If you came already and wouldlike to come again, or if you’d like to be our guest this term,please contact Patsy or Ruth.

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This is a family friendly event which will include crafts, games, stories, songs and refresh-ments centred around a biblical theme or story. It is much the same as Holiday Club but forthe whole family. It will take place on Sundays in the Church of the Resurrection, Blarneyfrom 4-5.30pm. The dates for this term are: Sunday 20th September, 18th October, 15thNovember and 13th December. Children must be accompanied by adult(s).The Lighthouse is being organised by a small group headed up by April Gunn, but help willbe needed on each of the Sunday afternoons.Perhaps you have a craft or other skill that you would like to share or you like to welcomepeople or sit and chat while playing games, serve refreshments, the possibilities are just end-less. Maybe you are not sure, would like to give prayer support or would just like to hearmore about it all. There will be a meeting for anyone who is interested in helping at theseevents on Monday 7th September in the Church of the Resurrection, Blarney at 8 - 9.30pm.

As I write this I have just finished working on the holidayclub in Blarney. One of the memory verses we did thisweek was; 'For I know the plans I have for you. Plans forgood and not harm.' Jeremiah 29 v 11. It is so good toknow that God is in control and he has a plan and life isnot some chaotic mess. It might seem like that sometimesbut verses like this remind us it is not.A long while ago, when on a Scripture Union training day, Ifelt God was telling me that He wanted me to take thework I did with children in the church further. At the timeI didn't have a clue what that really meant, but I wanted todo what God wanted me to do. Since then I have done lotsof things with children, Sunday School, holiday clubs,camps, but there was still that feeling of wanting to dowhat God wanted but not having a clue what that was.Then at the beginning of November 2008, at the UnitedService in the Parish Centre, God spoke to me. I don'tthink I have ever experienced anything like it ever be-fore. Basically, God was saying take a year out and work inthe church in Blarney. It was quite strange really and myresponse at the time was to question myself as to whetheror not I had the courage to do something like that. I didn'tsay yes straight away but talked to some friends andthought and prayed about it lots. Well I thought about itfor a few days and just knew it was the right thing to do, sothat was it I had made the decision, but hadn't told anyone.I think it was the next Sunday and I was playing at 'Open toGod' and all the way through the last group of songs all Icould hear was God saying tell someone, it will make itmore real. So that is exactly what I did. After the service Itold Ruth Jackson and if I needed confirmation that I wasdoing the right thing well then Ruth's reaction gave it tome. Since then I have had more situations like that whichhave definitely confirmed that this is exactly what Godwants for me at this moment in time. I know it is but it islike He keeps giving me things which re-affirm it for me.At the moment I will be involved in: heading up the grouporganising the Lighthouse, helping at Toddlers and Glow,organising an activity for children during the United Ser-vice, and continuing to do Holiday Club and the Ark. I mayalso be involved with other activities but I don't know yet.I have to say I am excited but at the same time a little ap-prehensive about the year but I do know that God will bewith me in all I do. Please pray that I will continue to hearGod and that I will really be able to discern what Godwants me to do and that I will be able to say no (I'm notvery good at that!) when that is the right thing to do.April

33 children cameto the PyramidRock Holiday

Club which wasplanned and run by April, Katie andMatt—and ‘manned’ by a team of vol-unteers, including a great band of teenagers from the parish.Special guest, ‘Captain Ketchup’ (who made a surprise appear-ance in church in Blarney the next Sunday!), was a favouritewith children and team! Along with Matt and some video clips,Captain Ketchup helped us all learn about the story of Jo-seph—and about how God had a plan for his life, helped him inall situations, forgave him and helped him forgive others andwas the King of his life—and the world! We thought abouthow God had plans for our lives too—how he helps us—howhe forgives us and helps us forgive others—and how he can beOUR King! It was a busy week—we sang and danced, we didcrafts and bible study, we prayed, we played (even soccer inthe rain!)—and how we laughed! All under the watchful eye ofCharlie, who seemed to enjoy the week as much as the rest ofus. At the end of a busy morning one ‘customer’ was horrifiedthat the time had gone so fast—’it feels as if we’ve just beenhere five minutes’, he declared!Thank you to Rosemary and Joan for the refreshments everyday, and to the staff of Scoil Mhuire gan Smal for looking afterus so well. Thank you so much April, Katie and Matt—and allthe team of volunteers—and thank you Lord!

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SPANSPANBlarneyToddler group

Blarney Toddlers is due to re open on September8th and run for 7 weeks until the half term break

in October, closing for Tuesday 27th Oct. Can you believethere are only 7 weeks after that till we close for Christmason Dec 15th?!! In between, we hope to welcome back oldmembers and new and to have lots of busy times together,chatting, playing, singing and enjoying refreshments and goodcompany. We have a few mornings,especially in Septem-ber, where it looks like we may be missing team members,so if you might be free even for one Tuesday to help set upand clear up or serve teas and coffees, please let me know.No long term commitment required, unless you find youlove it and want to keep coming regularly!! Please pray forus, for safety and energy and for God’s blessing on all whocome along. Thank you.

Ruth Hockey.

CarrigrohaneToddler Group- will be back in action on 11th September.

A Big Thank You!A smile, a list, a prayer, a plastic policeman’shat, a chat, a song, a smile, a list and a prayer.Who am I describing? Anyone on the Carri-grohane Toddler Team would know that thisis Janet Lane on Friday mornings. She hasbeen there for the past 12 years to greet herteam with a smile before all the activity starts.After everything is set up, Janet pulls out oneof her characteristic lists, and makes sure that we have for-gotten nothing. One of her primary concerns is for thesafety of the group, and this shows through her thoroughorganization. After all is checked, she leads us in the prayerfor the day, and then dons the plastic policeman’s hat tomake sure that the cars park in an orderly fashion and thatall are safe. When the gate has to be shut because thegroup is full, she comes in and chats with the mums, dads,grannies, care givers and children, looking to see that thereare no new faces that we have missed, and that all are happyand not left on their own. Later, we have a quick ‘tidy up’and she pulls out her guitar and the magic starts. All thechildren, and most of the adults, join in songs. It is now timefor all to go, and Janet is there again with her smile, sayinggoodbye. She has made sure that the team all know whattheir tasks are, and we all pitch in to put the Parish Centreback in order. We then gather, while Janet checks anotherlist to make sure that we have left no task undone. We dis-cuss the day, and then she leads us in prayer, covering anyneeds that have come up during the morning. As you cansee, Janet has been a great leader of the Toddler Team.

This has not been her only legacy. If you look around theParish Centre you can see physical evidence of Janet’s lead-ership. Did you ever wonder how the Changing Table sud-denly arrived? Janet saw the need for a safe place to physi-cally change the Toddlers and came up with the solution.Always concerned with safety issues, she also noticed thatthe cars were parking randomly, and that lines were neededin the car park. She organised her own team and got the jobdone! Finally through applying for grants and doing research,she was responsible for getting a safe play area for the chil-dren that is not only used by the Toddler Group, but by therest of the Parish as well.

I have served with Janet for ten years, and during that time Ihave seen her grow from strength to strength as a leader.She has always been very supportive of the whole team, andall those that enter the door of a Friday morning. I for onewill miss her terribly as part of the team, and a mere thankyou does not really seem enough for all that she has done.

Janet , thank you so much, you will be truly missed. Godbless you, Leigh.

Past and present team members want to say:

It is clear that God called Janet to make a positive differencein many lives. Janice

Thank you for taking the responsibility and making it somuch easier for all us volunteers to do our tiny bits. Mary

You are an inspiration to all who meet you. One of ourLord’s true angels on earth. Thank you. Brenda

Janet—I learned so much from your leadership and organ-isational skills—and I am sure you will be greatly missed!Julie Rutledge

Janet was a great team leader and will be missed by us all.She was always enthusiastic and had a warm welcome for usall. Sarah

Janet’s cheerfulness, her smile and words of welcome wereinfectious and set the tone for our mornings at Toddlers. Avery caring person, her interest in and concern for each ofus uplifted us on many occasions. The ‘Tea Ladies’ hadmany laughs and an occasional tear as we shared with her inthe kitchen. An eye for detail and proper practise—shewas always gracious in her leadership and it is a tribute toher that, as we finished each morning, we felt the better forhaving been with her. The ‘Tea Ladies’!

I was part of the Toddler Team when Janet took over theleadership. Each leader has their own attributes, andamongst Janet's are her organisational skills, taking care ofevery detail; her musical ability when, towards the end ofeach session she led us all in song; and her concern for eachmember of the team, whether in the hall or in the kitchen,as well as those who came for the morning.Janet put her whole heart into the Toddler Group, with thesupport of Bill and their two girls, and as this chapter of herlife closes, we give thanks to God for her commitment andpray for a well-deserved rest as she waits to see what theLord has in store for the next chapter. Viv

Janet has done such a fabulous job leading CarrigrohaneToddlers. When I think of her leadership, the sort of wordsthat come to mind are energy, enthusiasm, commitment,excitement, laughter, new ideas, team building, prayer, faith,attention to detail, lists! and love. I loved working on theteam with her and really appreciated the way she releasedme to go and start Blarney Toddlers and gave me and thenew team such support and encouragement on an on-goingbasis. Well done Janet, for your pioneering work and yourprayerful persistence and faithfulness. May God bless you inall you do. Ruth

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...usually meets on the 2nd Wednesday ofeach month. We meet in oneanother's homes and each memberof the group gets a chance to suggest books for discus-sion. Our autumn schedule begins with:‘My Life with John Thaw’, Sheila Hancock at Ruth’s houseon Wednesday 9th September at 8pm.Further details contact Fiona Giles 4383089/0872220419See news-sheets & calendars for Oct & Nov books.

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10 years or so ago the Parish CateringCommittee consisted of 5 members. These people shared thejob of organising the catering for various events. For a variety ofreasons this dwindled to just Jean Patterson and Marion Murphy.It has worked well because they always called on the membersof the M.U. and Ladies Guild to bake, make sandwiches, preparethe room, serve and clear up afterwards. Along with a generalrequest for people to bring some food it has been a verysuccessful formula.

BUT, all the M.U. and Ladies Guild members are now10 years older ! There are also fewer active members and fewyounger parishioners have joined – a problem shared by manysuch groups. Therefore we often find ourselves on our feetproviding refreshments from 7pm to 11pm. As you will realisethis is just too long for many of us. Also fewer gifts of cakes andsandwiches have arrived so one or two people end up makinglarge quantities, this is OK until the day comes when one ofthose contributors is away !

The Solution. We believe that there are willing helpersin the Parish but they see everything apparently running well anddo not feel they are needed. A rota on these occassions wouldbe ideal.

Maybe 3 or 4 to arrive early, about an hour before aservice, to switch on the water, put out the tables with cups etc,accept food as it arrives and prepare mixed plates of cakes andsandwiches. The food is normally left covered and ready on thelong tables.

1 or 2 to leave the church just before the end of theservice to go ahead to uncover food and 2 or 3 more to arrivequickly after the service to serve tea.

3 or 4 more to be ready to collect cups and plates,wash up and leave the kitchen clean.

1 person would need to ‘supervise’ so nothing getsoverlooked.

Now that we have a dishwasher the final job is mucheasier, but it is tiring if you have already done everything else!

Catering for services and events in Blarney andInniscarra are organised and run by folk who are based there.In Carrigrohane, regular refreshments on Sundays - the UnitedCelebration in the Parish Centre, and between the morningservices in St Peter’s are already looked after by June and IvanMcMahon and other helpers. There are teams that dorefreshments for the Toddler Groups and food for the MarriageCourse and Alpha Course is looked after by those running thecourses. Catering for youth events is organised through Katieand Matt. This leaves the following events (when they are inCarrigrohane/Parish Centre) being covered by “The CateringCommittee”: Harvest, the Carol Service, ‘Leaving Events’, andother special events such as Institutions.

If you would be willing to give your name as someonewho is willing to help with the work and/or willing to bake, makesandwiches, provide the milk, bring some chocolate biscuits orcrisps etc (it does not have to be home baking) please contactJean, 4304812 or Marion, 4385632 or the ParishOffice, 4877260. It would be wonderful to havea longer list available to us, knowing that thoseon it are happy to be asked.

Thank You!

SeptemberOpening Service of Holy Communion—Monday 21stSeptember at 8pm in the Parish Centre

Sunday 27th September—Women’s Mini Marathon—members walking in aid of Mothers’ Union Away FromIt All holiday scheme in the diocese.

October9th-11th October visit to the diocese of Mothers’Union link diocese of Kilmore.9th—Festival Service in St Mary’s, Carrigaline at 8pm10th– Dinner at The Trident, Kinsale at 8pm followedby entertainment (€30 a ticket)11th– the visitors from Kilmore Diocese will come to10am worship in St Peter’s, Carrigrohane. We willsupply a simple lunch for them in the parish centrebefore they head home.

Chair of Ladies’ Guild this year: Helen Burke 4873101Committee: Jean Patterson, Marion Murphy, Olga Dooly,Jane Sullivan & Pam Wood.

Ruth Hockey will be entering the minimarathon on Sept 27th in aid of Tear-fund’s children in need project.

Voluntary Help in St Luke’s Home…Volunteers are needed to help the residents and staff at StLuke’s Home. If you have time to spare, please contact EugeneBrown at 021-4359444 to find out more details.

Opportunities to help…The cleaning of St Peter’s is done on a rota basis andthere are a few slots available to help. If you’d like totake on helping for a month or just a week or two,we’d love to hear from you. Some help is particu-larly needed in October, December, January , Marchand July.Please contact the Parish Office.

If you’d like to help with other practical tasks in theparish—on buildings/maintenance or gardening—please contact the Office or John French as GlebeWarden (4885498)

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“Cadbury Dairy Milk takes Fairtrade further into mainstream”

Cadbury Dairy Milk has launched its new Fairtrade-certified chocolate bars, becoming the first mass market chocolate to gaincertification from Fairtrade Mark Ireland. “Cadbury has committed to offering the new Fairtrade bars at no extra cost to con-sumers, and with no change to the taste.” See www.cadbury.com for more more information.“About the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership. In January 2008, the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership was established together with theUnited National Development Programme, local governments, farmers and communities. This ground-breaking partnershipaims to secure the economic, social and environmental sustainability of around a million cocoa farmers and their communitiesin Ghana, India, Indonesia and the Caribbean. Over 10 years €52 million will be invested through the partnership, €35 millionof which is allocated to Ghana, to improve farmer incomes, develop communities and build partnerships.

Fairtrade Facts:• In Ireland last year Fairtrade sales reached an estimated retail value of €30.5 million, a 33% increase on 2007• The current value of Fairtrade chocolate sales in Ireland is €1.3 million. (Cadbury’s move will add at least €13 million in

sales!)• The current value of Fairtrade coffee sales in Ireland is €14.6 million.

10th Birthday Fairtrade Spiced Chocolate & Almond CakeBy Andrew Rose, Mezzo Restaurant, Conran Group, London

300g Fairtrade dark chocolate; 100g ground almonds; 175g butter (softened); Fairtrade cocoa powder for dusting; 175g sugar;1 tbsp mixed spice; 25g plain flour (sieved); 6 eggs (separated)

• Preheat oven to 170c. Grease a 8-8 1/2 inch cake tin and dust well with Fairtrade cocoa powder.• After separating the eggs, cream together the egg yolks and 130g of the sugar until they become light and fluffy.• Mix together the ground almonds, flour and mixed spices.• Whisk the egg whites and remaining sugar to stiff peaks.• Melt the chocolate with the butter and leave to cool.• Mix the melted chocolate and butter with the egg yolk mixture.• Then fold in the whipped egg whites, starting with 1/3 of the mix followed by the rest.• Finally, gradually fold in the flour mix, making sure that the batter remains light and aerated.• Pour the finished batter into the cake tin and bake for approximately 1 hour or until the cake becomes firm and springy to

the touch, when lightly pressed in the middle.• Once left to cool, slice and serve with cream.• To use as a birthday cake, simply dust with icing sugar and arrange candles around the top.

Fairtrade Chocolate Cake By Jane AsherFor the cake mixture: 150g butter; 150g caster sugar plus another 50g for meringue; 7 eggs, separated; 175g dark Fairtradechocolate, melted; 125g self-raising flour, sifted

For the buttercream: 100g butter, softened; 175g icing sugar, sifted; 1 tablespoon Fairtrade ground coffee or 1 1/2 teaspoonsFairtrade instant coffee

• Preheat oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.• Greas & line the base of a deep 23cm/9 inch round cake tin.• Cream butter & sugar until light & fluffy & beat in egg yolks one at a time, and then stir in the melted chocolate.• Whisk egg whites until stiff and then fold in sugar to make meringue.• Alternately fold in flour and meringue to the chocolate mix.• Transfer to tin and bake for 45-55 mins, or until firm to touch.• Leave to cool in tin and then transfer to rack until cold.• Split in half and fill with Fairtrade coffee buttercream.

For buttercream:• Infuse the coffee in a tablespoon of boiled water & then strain, or dissolve instant in

1/2 teaspoon boiling water.• Beat the butter till light & fluffy.• Add icing sugar a little at a time & gradually beat in coffee.

SPANSPAN

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‘The Shack’ by Wm PaulYoungWilliam originally put me on to this book, not so much

when he mentioned it during a sermon, but when I was ago-nising about how difficult I found it to really let God love me.This being a second recommendation from someone I deeplyrespected, I thought I'd better give it a go, got a copy as soonas possible, and absolutely tore through it. I've re-read itsince, more than once, because although as a story it's a fastread, it is also packed with deep insights on just about everyaspect of our relationship with God and his with us. Some-thing that is on my mind a lot just now is how often we asChristians manage to shoe-horn God into a nice manageable,human-sized package so that he remains well within ourcomfort zone. Also fascinating to me is how virtually everydenomination, every church, at some point in its history, hasmanaged to preach as acceptable Christian practice some-thing which is almost 180 degrees from what Jesus mighthave intended.This book tackles both of those points head on. If you wantto find God in a normal, conventional package, you'll have aproblem finding him/her. If you want affirmation and approvalfor all the ways that we Christians do our business, youmight find problems with that too. What it is absolutelysoaked in is the absolute love and mercy and justice of God.The story is one of almost unthinkable pain and loss, and theauthor brings to life the ways in which these experiences candrive a wedge of distrust and fury between us and God. Inthe life of the chief protagonist, Mack, self-condemnation andmisunderstanding has eroded any chance of a real relation-ship with God, although he is a church-goer, and it is madeclear that only marriage to an exceptionally loving person hasredeemed him from a life of isolation and distrust. The au-thor has clearly read widely and thought widely, about Godin all his aspects, about the world we live in and how Godinterfaces with that. You may not like this book. The corestory is brutal, it is not particularly well written, but what itstrives to do, in my view very successfully, is to free Godfrom the box of our limiting expectations. The way in whichthis expansive God picks through Mack's emotional and intel-lectual responses to deep pain and injustice, restoring to himthe possibility of love and freedom, was deeply moving tome. Anyone who has struggled with their own relationshipwith God, with His relationship with us, with how Churchfits into our relationship with Him, or who cannot under-stand how a loving God can preside over a world so filledwith in just ice and pain, read this book.Judith Monk

Coffee morning,Cake and country produce stall

in aid of the Hosford Foundationfor eradication of Poverty (Uganda)at the home of Alex and Eleanor Hosford:

Copper Beech, Ballygroman, Ovenson Saturday 3rd Oct from 10.30 - 12.30

Please bring a friend. Enquiries phone no. 021-7331253.

SPANSPAN

‘Loving Our Kids On Purpose’by Danny Silk (Pub: Destiny Image)

I picked up this book at New Wine—yet another parent-ing book—but one I found particularly helpful. Certainlyas I read, I felt this guy understands a parent’s strugglesand desires for their kids. Danny silk is family-life pastorat Bethel Church, Redding, California. He and his wifehave 3 children and incredibly have parented over 70teens as group-home house-parents and foster par-ents...so clearly they enjoy kids!‘Loving our kids on purpose’ is aptly named. It’s aboutparents being intentional in seeing they build a lovingheart-to-heart connection with their children which willcarry them through the teenage years and beyond.Great emphasis is put on offering kids a variety ofchoices—the response to each one you are happyenough with— but they actually get to decide, thusgiving them a measure of control over their circum-stances. This promotes contentment and certainly dif-fuses many a potential battle! Actually, control is a verysignificant idea in the book. Danny suggests the external

governing system of treats and pun-ishment belong to the old covenant,but in the new covenant, God relatesto believers in a new way ‘writing thislaw in our hearts and minds’ so con-trol is to come from within. This iswhat he suggests we should promotein our children—rather than us asparents constantly being the control-

lers—that we should foster and promote wise decisionmaking which allows them to take control and responsi-bility for their own behaviour.There is much more in the book than can be covered inthese few lines—but as a tool, it works (especially withour No. 2).Wise words are included about not responding to angerwith anger. Kids so easily make us lose the rag andtherefore end up controlling us—and boy do they knowhow to press those buttons! Keeping a heart-to-heartconnection with our children, knowing that whatever lifebrings their way—that they can come to us, knowingthey are utterly loved and will be for eternity is at theheart of this book—just as it is at the heart of ourHeavenly Father for us.Pam Wood

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I first heard about the Oberammergau Passion Play at SundaySchool when I was only eleven. Even at that early age, I wasprofoundly moved by the idea of the Passion of Christ beingre-enacted on stage. Such was its impact that I promised my-self to go and see it one day: in 2000 my ambition was fulfilled.Oberammergau is a small village, some 840 metres above sea-level, in the Bavarian Alps, which came to fame at the start ofthe 17th century. The Black Death was sweeping throughEurope, killing thousands of people. This remote village had sofar escaped the plague because it was protected by guardswho kept a watch-out for any strangers that might be infected.However, a local man returned to the village, unknowinglycarrying the disease, and within a few months 84 villagers(almost a fifth of the population) had died. The terrified villag-ers crowded into the church where the elders prayed for de-liverance. On 27th October 1633 they made a vow that if noone else died they would re-enact the Passion Story every tenyears as a sign of repentance and also as an act of thanksgiving.As no more deaths occurred, the villagers fulfilled their prom-ise and the first performance took place the following year atPentecost. Later it was moved to the start of each decade andsince then, there were only two years when it was not per-formed (in 1770 when it was prohibited by the church andstate, and in 1940 due to the 2nd World War).The Passion Play has its roots in the Medieval Mystery plays,which were liturgical dramas designed to communicate biblicalstories to poor, uneducated people. The Oberammergau Play,with a specially written text and musical score (there is also achoir and an orchestra) lasts just under six hours with a three-hour lunch break. It takes place in a huge auditorium(resembling an airplane hangar), whose open stage has a back-drop of snow-covered mountains, fir trees and a constantlychanging sky. The faith and commitment of the villagers is suchthat they view each performance as an act of worship, andalso as a proclamation of the good news of God’s saving lovethrough the death and resurrection of Jesus.The German text is interspersed with Old Testament refer-ences including the Servant Songs, to show just how steepedJesus was in the Jewish tradition to avoid any anti-Semitic per-ceptions. Jesus’ godliness, as well as his humanity, is stronglyportrayed throughout, particularly in the mocking and scourg-ing scene. The entire audience was so caught up in the wholeperformance that after the first half we were left wonderinghow we would have reacted in that situation – on whose sidewould we have been? The play ends with the Resurrectionscene and the choir breaks into a final hymn of praise basedon the words from Revelation.There is a strict rule that, in order to participate, one must beborn and brought up in the village or to have lived there for aminimum of twenty years. No one receives a salary, though themain actors are given an allowance to compensate for theirlack of earnings. Drama, music and arts form an important partof the school curriculum and consequently there is a hugeimpact on the local community as most are involved in someway or other, be it as actors, musicians, costume-makers, car-penters (who also make the three life-size crosses) or hostsfor all the visitors (some 4700 spectators attend each per-formance!). Up to 600 people are on stage at one time. Themen playing parts of Jews have stopped cutting their hair sinceAsh Wednesday of this year in preparation for next year’sperformances! Many of the houses are decorated with fres-

coes depicting biblical scenes, some echoing the Play

itself, or of saints’ lives. The local museum has a wonderfuldisplay of Christmas cribs and also a couple of Easter cribs.

The next season of the Play is in 2010 when

there will be 103 performances from

May 15th to October 3rd.

Viewing is highly recommended!

I end with the words of the Assistant Director of the 2000production:

“Mostly we look with the eyes of our head, not of our heart,but after nearly six hours of speech and music, the PassionPlay helps us to see with the eyes of our hearts, to get afeeling of what Jesus felt that would be a reality of our rela-tionship between our heart and the eternal God. If peopleget a little feeling of this eternal God, then they will get thefeeling that this God loves us. This is a God with a big heartand our hearts should grow – this is my aim.”

Viv Squire

SPANSPAN

Music review!

The Hockey family attended a brilliant ‘Celebrate’ festival inIlfracombe, Devon, last Easter. This was organised by Catholicchurches and prayer groups from around the UK, and wasattended by approx 1500 Christians from various denomina-tions. The programme included worship, teaching, seminarsand workshops, concerts and great children’s group times.One of the concerts was given by Dublin band ‘Emmaus’, ledby Ronan Johnston, who did a gig in Blarney during the year ofoutreach in our parish in 1995! They are still producing greatmusic, in fact, I think it gets better all the time! The ‘Mountaintop’ album, which came out just in time for Celebrate shouldsoon be available to buy in the Haven. It’s a great worship al-bum, which I have found uplifting, inspiring and fun. You couldborrow my copy for a taster (but not fort long as I would missit too much!) or better still, invest in one for yourself.

Ruth Hockey

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SPANSPANDear friends,We are starting an exciting new phase in Carrigrohane Un-ion of parishes as the new rector settles in and we begin tobe able to move on. It is great to be able to focus more ofmy attention back on Blarney and developments there.When the Church was renovated in 1996, part of the visionwas that the building could be used for community activities.This has been brought into being by the regular Parents andToddlers group as well as marriage and parenting courses.Earlier in the year, we were approached by the volunteercommittee of the newly formed Footlights Drama Groupapplying to use the building for their weekly drama work-shops. These workshops, facilitated by a qualified drama in-structor, would be open to all under 18s in the area and areto be run on a ‘not for profit’ basis. After much discussionamong people from the Blarney congregation as well as theSelect Vestry, we applied to the Bishop, who agreed to allowa trial period for the group in the Church. They are happywith the necessary conditions that we have put in place andwe will have a church representative present at all work-shops in the autumn term. The proposal at the moment isthat these would begin on September 23rd from 6-9pm.Blarney is an area where there are few if any communityresources for young people and this proposal comes out ofresearch done among the schools in the area. These work-shops will provide low cost, safe personal development foryoung people. It also allows us another connection with thewider Blarney community.Another exciting development this term isthe beginning of The Lighthouse. This in-formal time for all the family, once amonth on Sunday afternoons, to exploreBiblical themes or stories through activitiesbuilds on our regular Parents and Toddlersgroup as well as the recent successful Holiday Club. We had45 people at our ‘test run’ back in June and it was a real en-couragement as well as a learning opportunity. More detailsare available elsewhere in Span.Another real encouragement in Blarney is the wonderfulopportunity to have April Gunn, with her many skills, to vol-unteer with us. April’s obedience to what she believes isGod’s call is inspirational and we pray that this will be a realtime of growth and blessing for her as well as the widerchurch community. April will be leading The Lighthouse aswell as being involved in other regular activities. Her role willdevelop over the year as opportunities develop. It is impor-tant that what she develops will be able to continue after shehas returned to paid employment and it will be brilliant thatshe will have the time to really resource the developmentphase of The Lighthouse. She is also planning to work withcommunity groups.These new developments build on the wonderful work, overmany years, of many people, particularly through the Parentsand Toddlers, Growth Group and the Holiday Club. Thecommitment of so many volunteers week in and week out isawe inspiring and we deeply appreciate their work.This is an exciting time for the community of the Church ofthe Resurrection, Blarney. However, we know that ‘unlessthe Lord builds the house, the labourers labour in vain’(Psalm 127: 1). Therefore, we began regular prayer times inthe run up to the summer and these will resume soon as theonly fitting context for the process of discernment as to howwe believe the Lord wishes our witness and life in the com-munity to grow.Yours, in Christ, Ruth

New WineAbout 23 people from Carrigrohane Union, including fami-lies with teenagers and children, went to the New Wineconference in Sligo in July. We all enjoyed it—even thoughour experiences of it and the things that we liked best variedenormously!There was something for everyone. Some of us went to allthe main events and some of us dipped in and out and spentmore time relaxing and ‘chilling-out’ with friends.Together, and as individuals, we are continuing to thinkabout the experience, what we learnt, how we were chal-lenged and encouraged—and how that might contribute toour life here in Carrigrohane Union.Here are a few comments/reflections to give you a taste:

Something for everyone, from the seeker to the disciple who hasbecome ‘long in the tooth’!

‘Challenging’ ‘Gutsy’ ‘Disturbing’ ‘Encouraging’

‘The highest form of Christian worship is service.’

The importance and value of random acts of kindness.

Our existing ministries are to be encouraged—but how can weextend the boundaries to include others who are in need.

We were challenged about injustices in Ireland. Many of us don’tknow the extent of peoples’ needs, issues and problems in ourown local area.

Great choice of workshops.

Appreciation for children being spiritually fed.

Appreciation by young people of prayer ministry.

Great Bible teaching about the Kingdom of God—the Open King-dom.

How do we ‘do church’? Labels and buildings can be barriers.Can church life be simpler to be more welcoming and open?

Everyone seems to want to go again—encouraging morepeople from the Parish to come along with us. So watch outfor the flyers for next year which will be out before Christ-mas—and consider coming to New Wine 2010.

Summer MadnessA few young people from the parish joined a bigger groupfrom the diocese at Summer Madness in July:

'Fantastic time! I really enjoyed it from beginning toend. Great worship, fun, meeting new people, workshops andan excellent chance to meet with God - it had it all'.

'I really enjoyed Summer Madness, definitely one of the bestthings I've done all summer! I felt that all the youth ministryand worship were amazing, as I've never experienced anythinglike that before, with thousands of people my age who were asenthusiastic about God. I really felt that my relationship withJesus grew. And the camping (although sometimes wet!),meeting up with old friends, the different workshops were allfantastic - I look forward to going back next year.'

At the time of writing Ruth J has just returned fromGreenbelt, a big Christian Festival in UK...so ask herabout that when you see her! She didn’t need wellies!

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‘Rebuilding Business and Financefor the Common Good’

An article from the London Institute ofContemporary Christianity

The Western economic model stands humbledby events. Seldom have our financial marketsbeen so close to collapse, or our institutions lostso much value and trust.Recent events have taught us that we are not asclever, as rational or as trustworthy as we hadhoped. ‘Shareholder value’ has been exposed as aflawed concept, and we’ve realised that themarket won’t save us. The lessons we’ve learnedhave rocked the foundational economic and phi-losophical assumptions on which Westerncapitalism has operated for the past 25 years.However, even as we wrestle with the challengesposed by these seismic shifts, we find ourselvesin a season of unprecedented opportunity. Wenow have the chance of achieving nothing lessthan the re-laying of the foundations of globalfinance and business.It may well prove that more shrewdness inregulation is required; but increased regulationwill not solve the problem. Instead, what isneeded is a robust examination of the humanfactor, and of the values that drive our busi-nesses. We must look closely at the personalshortcomings and structural dysfunctions thatlocked us into a system that did not deliver. Wecan no longer allow the system to drive ourvalues. Our values must now drive the system.For confidence in our business and financialinstitutions to be restored, we must rediscoverour confidence that ideas matter, and that goodvalues are a good idea.Over the long-term, the economy of a countryor business whose behaviour is based on soundvalues will be significantly healthier than that of acountry or business whose behaviour lacks astrong, values-based approach. It is on the foun-dation of positive values that wealth creation,fairness, sustainability and communal well-beingflourish…….we must address the question ofhow best to deliver business for the commongood; business that prospers through focussingon service rather than self, based on mutualitynot individualism, and on creativity not specula-tion.We have no divine right to a comfortable future.Indeed, what is the point of Christ’s parable ofthe talents (Matt 25:14-30) if not that true disci-ples are faithful risk-takers for the sake of thekingdom and its values? Christians seeking to besalt and light in the arena of business and financehave a biblical mandate for endeavour and entre-preneurship. The challenge that faces them isvast, but building on the foundation of values thatunderpin business for the common good, we canhave hope that is so much more than misplacedoptimism.Author: James Featherby.www.licc.org.uk/engaging-with-work/white-swan/

SPANSPANIn Memory…On Saturday 10th August we drove to Dublin to the funeral of Mrs JeanGood. Jean was the Rector’s wife when we first came to CarrigrohaneParish more than 30 years ago. Her husband, Raymond, died on NewYear’s day this year. He was in his 90s and Jean was 84.For me as a 21 year old who had emigrated away from a big family—andthen as a young first-time mum when Katie was born—Jean was a veryimportant person. She was loving, encouraging and affirming.Everyone at her funeral service was in agreement—this was one godlyand lovely woman. She raised 6 great kids—and had 20 grandchildrenand 4 great grandchildren. Rosemary and I had tea with Jean in Sligo atthe New Wine conference in July and we asked her if she ever got themall confused. ‘Never’, she replied. ‘Each one is such an individual—andso special.’Her youngest son, Nigel, spoke about his mum at the service. He saidshe was always the same person—in private or in public—and everyonewas remembering her kindness, her interest in people, her humour, herlove of life and her love of God. She had touched the lives of so manypeople for God—and was still doing so at New Wine and even in thehospital in her last few days. Nigel said she was both Martha and Mary—she loved to sit at Jesus’ feet, to worship him and talk to him—and thenthat love overflowed into her relationships with everyone else in serviceand care.I guess attending the funeral of someone like that—celebrating a life sowell lived, with a passion for God and a passion for other people—wasbound to make me think of my life, and inspire me to want to live moreas she did—the Jesus way.The readings the next day in church were wonderfully fitting. In theGospel reading Jesus was talking about eternal life for his followers, andthe reading from Ephesians began, ‘Be careful how you live. Don’t livelike fools, but like those who are wise…’ encouraging us to be filled withthe Holy Spirit and be thankful people. Patsy

Working with children and young people –Safeguarding Trust

If you work with children or young people or are considering doing so,you need to have undergone the Church of Ireland Child protectiontraining, Safeguarding Trust. As the procedures can be slow, because ofthe need for Garda vetting, we would like to hear from you as soon aspossible. So please have a chat with the clergy as to what’s involved, andget in touch with the office for an application form.

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BackgroundAs a parish we recognize that all the resources we enjoy have been

given by God and we are accountable to Him for how we use them. Wecontinue to have many reasons to be thankful. As good stewards, it is ourresponsibility to seek to ensure that resources are used to build and extendthe Kingdom of God in our generation.

We make our offering to God through time and talents as well as throughmoney. The amount we give is a personal decision. Giving in proportion towhat we have – sitting down and working out what we ought to give basedon what we have – is the challenge to each of us personally arising fromChristian Stewardship and Discipleship. Please see the leaflets availablein the churches, and on the website, for the different ways of giving.

We endeavour to regularly provide transparent and clear information onthe Parish’s finances, so we can all understand the financial requirementsfor the running of the parish and how this relates to each one of us asparishioners and subscribers.

Outlook for 2009 - SummaryFor 2008 we had an operating deficit of €15k at the end of the year. Due

to a tight control on spending and continued steady support from parishion-ers, this was significantly less than the €30k deficit that had been forecastduring 2008.

Our 2009 budget predicted difficult challenges for the year and an operat-ing deficit of €30k. The Select Vestry has operated tight financial controland close monitoring during the year. At this stage, I am pleased to reportthat for the first half of 2009 we have performed significantly better thanpredicted with a full year deficit estimated now at €15k rather than €30k.The main reasons for the improved performance are: tight control on ex-penditure; higher tax rebate than predicted (€38k versus €32k); and ESBrefund of €3.5k

The current level of planned giving and plate collections is about €10kless than our assessment charge. This and additional parish expenses arecovered by the tax rebate, other donations and investment income. At thecurrent levels of giving it can be anticipated that we will have a significantchallenge to meet expenditures to support the three churches and deliveron the planned programs and initiatives. This is an area of continued focusfor the Finance Sub-Committee and the Select Vestry.

The number of church-goers in the combined parishes aged 18 or over isestimated at 185. The assessment bill for the parish includes (among othercharges) a levy of €283 for each church-goer over the age of 18.The number of individuals contributing to the parish in a planned way isabout 100.

Breakdown of 2009 ExpenditureThe forecast for 2009 expenditure is €202,000 plus an additional €40,000for our youth programme. This is inline with expectations. It can be sub-divided into 5 main categories: Assessment, Building Maintenance & Run-ning Costs, Office & Other Expenses, Charitable Giving and Youth Work.In addition our land rental income is used to repay the Parish Centre loan.The breakdown is detailed below:Category 2009 SpendAssessment & Priorities Fund €134kBuilding Maintenance & Running Costs(includes electricity, oil, insurance & maintenance) €27kOffice & Other Expenses(includes salary, music, liturgical resources,clergy expenses & miscellaneous) €27kCharitable Giving €14kChildren & Youth Work €40k

Breakdown of 2009 Income

The current projected income for 2009 is €227,000. This is €15kmore than originally estimated at the start of the year and in-cludes €40k from the Bequest to cover the youth programme.The total income can be broken down into the following catego-ries: Planned Giving, Plate Collections, Donations, Tax Rebates,Rental & Investment and Bequest. The detail is outlined below:

Category 2009 IncomePlanned Giving(includes stewardship, sustentation, standing orders) €103kPlate Collections €18kDonations, Graveyard & Special Income €14kTax Rebate €38kRental & Investment €14kBequest €40k

If you have any questions please contact the ParishTreasurer, Mick O’Dea or the Rector and/or please see theleaflets about giving available in each of the churches.

BuildingMaintenance

& RunningCosts11%

Office &Other

Expenses11%

CharitableGiving

6%Children &Youth Work

17%

Assessment55%

Planned Giving45%Plate

8%

Donations &Special

6%

Tax Rebate17%

Rental 7Investment

6%

Bequest18%

SPANSPANUnderstanding our Parish Finances and Christian Giving

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