Vol 10.2 Feb - Mar 2007

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Dear Friends, Next week in the parish we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation otherwise known as Candlemas, marking 40 days since Christmas Day and the extended Christmas season including Epiphany. It is a turning point for followers of the church year, and the Sundays are referred to as ‘Sundays before Lent’, in the period before Ash Wednesday. There will be many opportunities to observe Lent outside the normal Sunday offering, and of course whether we ‘give up’ or ‘take on’ something for the course of Lent will be another way of marking these special days of penitence and spiritual renewal. Is the way we traditionally conceive of Lent a little off centre I wonder? One person recently wrote, “If Lent is a preparation for Easter, the great celebration of life, then is not gain rather than pain, the focus?” The writer Tom Cahill suggests we should approach Lent more imaginatively. For example, instead of fixating on fasting we might be less critical of food we are served, that we will not leave food on our plate to be thrown out, and that we will not take for granted the goodness of any who prepare our meals each day. Rather, we will thank those who so faithfully prepare meals we eat, and thank God that we have food in the first place, we will arrive on time for our meals, we’ll watch our manners when we eat with others as we will willingly help with the washing up! Food for thought I dare say…. Lent in the Parish Matins will be said daily, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in St Patrick’s from Monday 26th February at 9.30am during Lent (Wednesdays - 10am Holy Communion as usual) and all are welcome. This is a brief service lasting about 10 minutes.

Antrim Rural Deanery News The new Rural Dean of Antrim is the Rev. Paul Redfern of Kilbride parish in Doagh. Rev. Redfern will be in charge of the parish during the vacancy here which occurs in mid April. The Rev. Terence Kerr, formerly rector of Drummaul, Duneane and Ballyscullion parishes, has been appointed the new rector of St Aidan’s, Belfast. We wish him every blessing as he undertakes his new post. Marriage Preparation - February 2007 Antrim Parish Hall 7.30pm - 9.00pm with a tea/coffee break and runs on consecutive Tuesday evenings for 4 weeks. 6th - Introduction to Christian Marriage - Spencer Gilchrist 13th - Finance - Steve Laird 20th - Conflict - Christian Guidelines 27th - Relationships etc. Dr S. McBride & Dr B.Forde A small fee is levied for each married couple in order to offset costs. Lenten Series This year the talks come under the umbrella title of ‘Crisis of the Cross’ based on a book by Bishop John Davies. Services are on Wednesdays at 7.30pm in:- Kilbride - Ash Wednesday 21st Feb All Saints, Antrim - 28th Feb Drummaul, Randalstown - 7th March St Patrick’s, Antrim - 14th March St Patrick’s, Templepatrick - 21st March St Jude’s, Muckamore - 28th March Refreshments will follow each service and collections taken up at the services will be donated to Muckamore Abbey Hospital, a local worthy cause. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to visit your neighbouring churches in the Deanery this Lent and support them in this way. Parish Visitors Mrs Daphne Lucas, Mrs Margaret Walbridge and Mrs Molly Finlay are our commissioned parish visitors. Their task involves consulting with myself, undertaking primarily to visit the elderly in the parish from time to time, as agreed with the Rector, and abiding by the rules of confidentiality as agreed with the Rector.

I trust you will welcome them warmly as representatives of your parish and the wider church community should they be visiting you in your home. I am very pleased and encouraged they have undertaken to carry out this role in the parish as part of expanding lay involvement in pastoral ministry. I commend them to your prayers. Lenten Lunch in aid of The Bishop's Appeal The Ladies Fellowship has been instrumental in organizing the Lenten Lunch and have involved members of the wider parish in providing the food. Every year the lunch is provided to help raise funds for the Bishops’ Appeal. Many thanks to everyone who contributes in whatever way. Envelopes will be made available to make a contribution to this worthwhile charity, administered by the Church of Ireland, helping the church to bring emergency relief wherever the need arises in the world. The lunch takes place in the Parish Hall after the All Age Worship Service on Sunday 4th March. It’s one of the few opportunities in the year which gives you the chance to meet with other parishioners outside the church building over an informal meal. All are welcome, both adults and children, and you are encouraged to attend and give your self a break from all that washing up associated with the traditional Sunday lunch! St Mary’s, Dalmahoy I am to visit our link parish in the diocese of Edinburgh the weekend of 9-11th February. This reciprocates the visit to us last autumn of the Rev. Deryck Collingwood who preached at the St John’s Harvest service and assisted in St Patrick’s that same morning. I will be bringing with me a wall mountable turf celtic cross as a gift from our parish to theirs. The picture of St Mary’s Church sanctuary that we were presented with can be seen in the porch of St Patrick’s where we hope it will hang for the duration of our link. Date of Institution I will officially take over as rector of Agherton Parish in Portstewart on the evening of Tuesday 17th April at the service of Institution that night. More on that later. Yours in Christ, Stephen+

The United Parishes of Templepatrick and Donegore Diocese of Connor

www.templepatrick.connor.anglican.org

THE PARISH DIRECTORY WHO'S WHO AND WHO TO CONTACT

Rector The Rev.Stephen A Fielding B.Sc.,B.Th., M.A.

The Vicarage,926 Antrim Road,Templepatrick,Co.Antrim, BT39 0AT

028 94432300 E-mail: templepatrick@connor.anglican.org

CHURCH OFFICE BEARERS

Rector's Churchwarden:(St.Patrick's) Mr S McCollam 33 Carmavy Road, Nutts Corner Tel:94432506 People's Churchwarden:(St.Patrick's) Mrs A Millar 35 Ballyclare Road, Templepatrick Tel:94432066 Rector's Churchwarden:(St.John's) Miss Y Hutchinson 74 Ballymena Road, Doagh Tel:93340613 People's Churchwarden:(St.John's) Mrs M Bell 2 Mossgrove Park, Newtownabbey Tel:90833300 Rector's Glebewarden:Mr D Mawhinney 26 Burnside Road, Dunadry Tel:94433208 People's Glebewarden: Mr M Cooke 44 Rathmore Road, Dunadry Tel:94433183 Supplemental Glebewarden: Mr S Clendinning Tel:94432523 Select Vestry: (meets 2nd Monday in month at 8pm) Mrs R.Barnes, Mrs M Bell, Mr H.Cinnamon, Mr S.Clendinning, Mr M.Cooke, Mrs Y.Hutchinson, Dr C.Lundy, Mr D.Mawhinney, Mr T.Michael, Mrs A.Millar, Mr S.McCollam, Mrs I.McCollam, Mr R.Montgomery, Mr P.McCausland, Mrs G.McCoy, Mr N.Shirley, Mr A.Walbridge, Mrs M.Walbridge. Honorary Secretary: Mrs M.Bell 2 Mossgrove Park,Newtownabbey Tel:90833300 Honorary Treasurer: Mr N.Shirley 23 Kingscourt,Templepatrick Tel:94432597 Honorary F.W.O. Recorder and Envelope Secretary: Mrs I.McCollam, 7 Lylehill Road Tel:94432734 Covenant & Gift Aid Secretary: Mrs P.MacKean, 50 Cherryhill Road, Antrim Tel:9432205 Parish Diocesan Synodsmen: Mr E.Cinnamon, Mr J.Sheldon Diocesan Synodsmen: Mrs M.Bell, Mr R.Montgomery PARISH PANEL:- The Rector; Mrs M Bell; Mr S Clendinning; Mr M Cook

Hall Secretary: Mrs I.McCollam Tel:94432734 Sacristan: Mrs R Barnes Tel:94432183 Church of Ireland Gazette Secretary: Mrs M McConnell Tel:94432560 Bible Study Notes Secretary: Mrs D Lucas Tel:90825737 Christian Aid Secretary: Mrs L Lynas Tel:94433363 Magazine Editorial Team: The Rector; Mrs G McCoy; Mr A Walbridge Parish webmaster: Mr A Walbridge Tel:94432795 alan@walbridge.co.ukMagazine Production: Mrs Gail McCoy Tel:94432782 gail.mccoy@gallahergroup.comPre-service Coffee: rota organizer - Mrs A Millar Tel:94432066

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Parish organisations and their leaders:-

Choir: Practices on Thursdays at 8pm. St Patrick’s, Templepatrick Organist and Choirmistress: Mrs D Martin, 22 The Chase, Parkgate Tel:94433943 St John’s, Donegore Organist and Choirmaster (vacant) Sunday Club: Co-ordinators:Mrs G.McCoy Tel:94432782; Mrs V.Brady Tel:93324513. Helpers:Miss C Lucas, Miss S McCollam, Miss C McCollam Creche: (Sundays) Mrs Judith Collister Tel:90825121, Mrs Julie-Ann Logan Tel:94439451 Youth Group: Mrs Valerie Brady Tel:94433003 Youth Organisations Choir: Practices on Thursdays at 8.00pm Mrs D.Martin 94433943 Rainbow Guides (4-7 years): Tuesday 2.15-3.15pm Mrs D.Reid Tel:94433712 Brownies (7-10 years): Wednesdays 6.00-7.30pm Mrs Elaine Lamont Tel:93341204 Mrs A.Millar Tel:94439370 Guides (10-14 years): Wednesdays 7.30-9.00pm Mrs Ann ForsytheTel:93340709 Squirrels (4-6 years): Thursdays 4.00-5.00pm Mrs C.Michael Tel:94433123 Beavers (6-8 years): Mondays 6.30-7.30pm Miss K Shirley Tel:94432597 Cub Scouts (8-10years): Tuesdays 6.45-8.00pm Mr Alan Martin Tel:94433943 Scouts:(10+ years):Tuesdays 8.00pm-9.30pm Mrs Kim Gleave Parents and Toddlers Group: Wednesdays 10.30am-12.00 noon Mrs H.Cunningham Tel:93323034 Adult Organisations Choir: Practices on Thursdays at 8pm. Mrs D.Martin Tel:94433943 Indoor Bowling Club: Fridays 7.30pm Secretary: Mrs I.McCollam Tel:94432734 Ladies Fellowship: 3rd Tuesday in the month 8pm. Secretary: Miss A.Kerr Tel:94433459 Parish Ramblers: meet occasionally

Sunday Club – SCLUB4 Welcome back to the Children after the Christmas holidays!

The next couple of months will be quite busy as we approach Lent, Mothering Sunday and Easter.

We are currently counting the monies received, so far, from our UNICEF Jar of Grace, Advent appeal. Look out for the next edition of the magazine, when we will publish the total collected.

If anyone has not yet returned their jam jars, could we ask you to do so as soon as possible please, to any of the Sunday Club leaders.

May we take this opportunity of thanking everyone who contributed to this very worthwhile cause. If there are any Children who are aged 5 years or over and who would like to join the fun and fellowship of the Sunday Club, then please come along, you will be made most welcome. Gail

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St Patrick’s Church – Cleaning Rota

U R G E N T help is required on the cleaning rota.

We would be interested in hearing from anyone male or female, who would be willing, or two to three people who could work together, for one month in the year, cleaning once a week for

an hour.

If you can give this commitment or would like to ask about it please contact the Rector or Mrs I.McCollam.

Thank you.

LADIES FELLOWSHIP In November members and guests enjoyed an evening of fun when we hosted a VIRGIN VIE Party. This consisted of a talk with demonstration on the products available for sale. Also the do’s and don’t of good make up application! There was the opportunity to order jewellery and cosmetics. Of all orders taken, the Ladies Fellowship received 15% of the total sales. A sum of £160.00 was generated for our funds! Our Christmas Celebrations in early December, courtesy of Anne Cinnamon and Eileen Smyth, was another fun evening with supper in Anne’s home. This was a very relaxed evening with a delicious supper. Members were invited to give a donation towards the meal and the amount raised exceeded £300.00. This will be divided between our funds and the CMS (I) missionary, Revd K Scott and family in Kitwe, Zambia. Thank you to Anne and Eileen for volunteering to host our Christmas celebrations. Also thank you to members for their generous donations. As we are now well into January a reminder of what is ahead for the next few weeks. Our February meeting will be a talk about Rathlin Island, supported with a slide presentation by Mr Gilliland. In early March – Friday, 2 March at 8.00 pm. The Women’s World Day of Prayer at Kilbride Parish Church. Sunday, 4 March - Bishop’s Appeal - Soup and Cheese Lenten Lunch As always, offers of help with the catering would be much appreciated and volunteers are invited to contact Ruth Barnes who will co-ordinate the lunch, or a member of the committee. The March meeting is our visitors’ evening when Miss J Millar (our own Mrs Alison Millar’s daughter) will be our guest speaker. Her talk is titled “Travels to India”. Members of the Parishes are most welcome to join us at this meeting when supper will be provided. Ann Kerr(Hon Secretary) Tel: 9443 3459

Safeguarding Trust

In accordance with the recommendations in ‘Safeguarding Trust - The Church of Ireland Code of Good Practice for Ministry with Children’, a Parish Panel has been appointed (operating since June 1998) to implement some of the responsibilities identified in the Code. The Panels responsibilities include: - interviewing persons willing to serve as workers in the parish - advising workers on their responsibilities in respect of the Code - advising the Select Vestry in respect of its responsibilities - being an immediate contact point for workers when a suspicion, complaint or allegation of child abuse is made about a worker or on parish premises in accord with the procedures set out in these guidelines. The Parish Panel Members are:- The Rev. S A Fielding, 926 Antrim Road, Templepatrick Tel:028 94432300 Mrs M Bell, 2 Mossgrove Park, Glengormley Tel:028 90833300 Mr S Clendinning, 14 Kilmakee Road, Templepatrick Tel:028 94432523 Mr M Cooke, 44 Rathmore Road, Dunadry Tel:028 94433183

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Notes for next issue of the Parish Magazine are due on:-

Wednesday 14 March 2007

Contributions from all parish organisations would be very welcome.

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Rotas

St Patrick’s

Intercessor Rota for Parish Eucharist

February A CookeMarch W Brolly

Communion Rota

February Younger ParishionersMarch Mr T & Mrs C Michael

Cleaning Rota

February A Cooke, O Erskine, B Perris March C Michael, G McCoy, W Brolly

Flower Rota

February 4th, 11th, 18th Vacant, 25th Lent March 4 , 11 , 18 & 25 Lent th th th th

St John’s

Communion Rota

February Mr & Mrs Flack March Mr & Mrs Mehaffey

Synod Information Partial Text of Synod Address Presidential Address

MINISTRY in the Church of Ireland Diocese of Connor must be reshaped, the Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Harper, said in his Presidential Address to the Diocesan Synod in Portrush on October 12. Describing this as a ‘housekeeping synod,’ Bishop Harper said that in the four and a half years since he became bishop he had appointed and instituted half of the incumbents of the diocese - 38 out of 77. “More than half of the people now training for ordination are candidates for non-stipendiary ministry and many stipendiary clergy have come to ministry after other employment,” the Bishop said. “These simple facts are immensely significant. They speak of a rapidity of turnover amongst incumbents, fluidity of life in the ordained ministry, much shorter periods of service in Holy Orders, declining numbers of candidates for full time (stipendiary) ministry, and an accelerating rate of change in parish life. All of this already impacts severely upon the availability of stipendiary clergy to staff parishes.” The average time served in incumbencies is decreasing and there are fewer clergy eligible for appointment, the Bishop said, adding that parishes now remained vacant for longer and the workload of archdeacons and rural deans is growing. “Without the hard work and commitment of retired clergy the task of maintaining pastoral care in vacant parishes would be unsustainable,” he said. “Let us not pretend that we can any longer ignore the gravity of the situation. The Connor Strategy for Mission and Ministry has been specifically devised by the Diocesan Council over a period of more than two years to tackle some of the major challenges set out above. I want to commend that strategy to you and to seek support for it.” Bishop Harper said the burdens placed upon clergy should be made more equal, outling a proposal that the diocese should have three archdeacons with each archdeacon responsible for three deaneries.

The proposal is that the Archdeaconry of Dalriada be reconstituted and an additional Deanery, Carrickfergus, be added to it. An Archdeaconry of Belfast should be created with responsibility for the Deaneries of North, Mid and South Belfast. The Bishop urged parishes that need to be grouped to work towards becoming unions. “It seems right that parishes that come together under a single incumbent should seek to work together in such a way that they take council together for the common good of the whole incumbency rather than indefinitely perpetuating separation,” he said. Speaking about sharing ministry, the Bishop said: “What we wish to recognise is that the mission of the Church of God is a shared mission and the ministry of the Church of God is a shared ministry. The rector is team leader and worship leader but she or he cannot be a one person band - not any more. “ Bishop Harper went on to address the issue of vocations. “I am committed to discerning, fostering and encouraging any who may have a vocation to the sacred ministry. We need many more priests and we need especially to encourage younger people to explore whether they may be being called to priesthood. That is why we are setting targets,” he said. “Those targets will not be easy to meet but our job is to remind people of God’s call to ordination and stand with them as they seek guidance.” In conclusion, the Bishop endorsed a recommendation that the diocese’s partnership with the Diocese of Edinburgh be maintained, and also sounded his support for a proposal to create a partnership with the Diocese of Yei in Sudan. “We shall gain from both. We have much to give in return. Let us be wholehearted in our engagements. We need to sustain a breadth of vision and a generosity that permits us sometimes to agree and sometimes to disagree with our friends, both to listen to them and to be listened to by them, for we are fellow pilgrims on the Way of Christ,” he said

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CALENDAR FOR FEBRUARY 2007 - MARCH 2007 2.2.07 (Friday) Presentation of Christ in the Temple called Candlemas 10am Holy Communion Old Testament Malachi 3:1-5 Psalm 24 (1-6), 7-10 Epistle Hebrews 2:14-18 Gospel Luke 2:22-40 4.2.07 Septuagesima 3rd before Lent 8.30am Holy Communion; 11.30am All Age Worship Old Testament Isa 6:1-8, (9-13) Psalm 138 Epistle 1Cor 15:1-11 Gospel Luke 5:1-11 11.2.07 Sexagesima 2nd before Lent 10am Parish Eucharist; 11.30am Matins Old Testament Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-25 Psalm 65 Epistle Rev 4 Gospel Luke 8:22-35 18.2.07 Quinquagesima Sunday next before Lent 8.30am Holy Communion; 11.30am Parish Eucharist Transfiguration Old Testament Exodus 34:29-35 Psalm 99 Epistle 2Cor 3:12-4:2 Gospel Luke 9:28-36, (37-43) 21.2.07 Ash Wednesday 10am Holy communion; 7.30pm Rural Deanery Lenten Service - Kilbride Parish Old Testament Joel 2: 1-2, 12-17 or Isa 58:1-12 Psalm 51:1-17 Epistle 2Cor 5:20b-6:10 Gospel Matt 6:1-6, 16-21 25.2.07 1st Sunday of Lent 10am & 11.30am Matins Old Testament Deut 26:1-11 Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 Epistle Rom 10:8b-13 Gospel Luke 4:1-13

4.3.07 2nd Sunday of Lent 8.30am Holy Communion; 11.30am All Age Worship - Lenten Lunch in Parish Hall following service in aid of the Bishops’ Appeal. Old Testament Gen 15:1-12, 17-18 Psalm 27 Epistle Phil 3:17-4:1 Gospel Luke 13:31-35 or Luke 9:28-36 11.3.07 3rd Sunday of Lent 10am Parish Eucharist; 11.30am Matins Old Testament Isa 55:1-9 Psalm 63:1-8 Epistle 1Cor 10:1-13 Gospel Luke 13:1-9 17.3.07 St Patrick’s Day (Saturday) 10am Patronal Festival Eucharist 18.3.07 Mothering Sunday (4th Sunday of Lent) 8.30am Holy Communion; 11.30am Parish Eucharist Old Testament Exodus 2:1-10 Psalm 34:11-20 Epistle 2Cor 1:3-7 Gospel Luke 2:33-35 25.3.07 5th Sunday of Lent Passiontide begins 10am & 11.30am Matins Old Testament Isa. 43.16-21 Psalm 126 Epistle Phil 3.4b-14 Gospel John 12.1-8

Services on Sundays at 10.00am are in St John’s, Donegore and at 8.30am and 11.30am in St Patrick’s, Templepatrick.

NB: Rural Deanery Lenten Services are on Wednesdays at 7.30pm (see Rector's letter for more details). Saints' days are as announced. Matins is said in St Patrick's every Mon, Tue, Thurs, and Fri each week during Lent at 9.30am beginning Monday 26th February until Holy Week.

Teach Me

Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve;

to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds;

to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to seek reward,

save that of knowing that I do your will. Ignatius of Loyola (c1491 – 1556) Founder of the Society of Jesus

Parish Evening with Supper

Friday 23 March 2007

at 7.15 pm in the Parish Hall.

All Welcome.

St Patrick’s & St John’s Bowling Club The Bowling Club continues to meet on Friday evening from 7.30 pm

until 10.30 pm and on Monday evening from 8.00 pm until 9.30 pm.

Our outing to the Waterfront in December was very enjoyable with an excellent meal in the Templeton Hotel before travelling by coach to the Waterfront.

We had our Christmas party night on 22 December, with a visit from our ‘resident Santa’. The winner receiving a turkey and a gift for everyone else from ‘Santa’s sack’.

Our visit to the Baker Stadium on Tuesday 9 January was once again a great success with 24 members in attendance.

The concert which the Bowling Club organises will be in March, date to be finalised.

New members would be made most welcome. Isobel McCollam (Hon Secretary)

O r g a n i s i n g y o u r W e d d i n g

Weddings are very special occasions in the life of any family and in the

life of the church. When considering getting married please check possible dates with the Rector before confirming arrangements.

It is expected that couples will make a regular commitment to the life of the church in preparation for marriage.

An annual Rural Deanery marriage preparation course takes place every year in February which ‘intending’ couples are asked to attend.

Becoming a Registered Vestrymember Notice is hereby given that the Register of General Vestrymen is open for revision from Sunday 28th January until Sunday 4th February, 2007. Persons wishing to qualify as Registered Vestrymembers should complete the necessary form, available from a Churchwarden, and return it to the Churchwarden(s) NOT LATER THAN 12th February, 2007. Forms of Declaration may be had, upon request, from the Churchwardens. Persons already registered do not need to re-register. Please check the existing list of Registered Vestrymen in the church porch if you are in any doubt. Revision will be completed and the list closed by the Select Vestry at its meeting on Monday 12th February 2007 in the Minor Hall at 8.00pm. Signed: Stephen Fielding Rector

To qualify you must be: A member of the Church of Ireland Over 18 years old A parishioner or accustomed member - (and not on any other parish register of vestrymembers) A Subscriber to Church funds Registering your name on the Register of Vestrymembers entitles you to be elected to the Select Vestry and to a vote at the Easter AGM when, from among the members, the Select Vestry is elected for another year. Registering does not mean that you will automatically be a member of the Select Vestry, which meets monthly and whose terms of reference are furnishings, fabric and finance. Your presence at this meeting is valued and expresses your support for the Select Vestry’s work throughout the year.

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Fabric / Maintenance Fund Monthly Envelopes The Select Vestry, in view of the ongoing increasing maintenance costs and any future development costs to our properties, has taken several measures to ensure an income that will provide for these. Among the initiatives is the introduction

of monthly Fabric/Maintenance Fund envelopes. Each household unit in the parish has been issued with a set to be used at your discretion and as with the Free Will Offering scheme a similar record of contributions will be kept. Anyone who has inadvertently not received a set of these envelopes and would like to have them please contact Mrs Isobel McCollam on Tel: 02894 432734 and we’ll happily see that a set gets to you. Thank you. Rector & Select Vestry

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Kitchen Fund - Parish Hall

The Kitchen fund account is now on going. All contributions would be most welcome.

Anyone wishing to contribute please contact Isobel McCollam

or the Hon Treasurer Norman Shirley.

T h e F u n d n o w s t a n d s a t £ 1 3 , 3 1 3 . 2 7

Scott Family December 2006

Greetings to you all from Zambia,

Well after our all too brief sojourn in Ireland and Britain we are all safely back and settled in Zambia. Our trip “home” was a very packed and busy time. The day we were packing to leave Zambia Lyn’s father ‘phoned to say that her mother had had a fall, and was in hospital. Fortunately we had already arranged a two week stay in Nottingham, so we were able to spend a good deal of time visiting her and Lyn’s Dad. She has now been diagnosed as suffering from Parkinson’s disease, and as we write is still in hospital. She is waiting for some skin lesions to heal, and then hopefully, she will be discharged, although she will need a lot of support. We did also manage to catch up with many of our friends in England and take some time to see around Nottingham, and even a visit to Alton Towers, which Adam especially enjoyed. We also managed to spend time with Keith’s mum, who is well and settled in her nursing home at Ballyclare. At the end of August Lyn and the children headed for Zambia and the beginning of the school term while Keith stayed in Ireland to visit our link parishes. The only visit we managed together was to Ballina, where we thoroughly enjoyed “western” hospitality for a weekend. Keith enjoyed the rest of the parish hospitality, and was greatly encouraged by the support. We are all very grateful for everyone’s interest, and we would like to encourage everyone to keep it up, as we are entering a really important phase in the development of the seminary. Back in Zambia the water tower project has now been completed, and is a real help. The water pressure in the houses is almost up to Western standards, and the students are able to use the showers and flush the toilets upstairs in the accommodation block without having to wonder if there is any water in the system. The only problem has been the M.E.F has suffered some difficulties with the maintenance of the water system, and sometimes has had to stop supplying the seminary. Even then the tanks have helped us smooth out the bumps, giving us a reserve when things have been difficult. Again we are deeply grateful for the support of the Bishop’s Appeal, the St. Augustine’s foundation and the parishes who have so generously donated money towards this project. In fact we have had a little extra money, which we have been able to use towards other maintenance in the seminary. We especially needed some new pipes and hot water tanks, as well as some work at the staff housing. All the money is being carefully spent and will really help to improve life at the seminary for both staff and students.

The big news at the seminary is the development of the project with Canterbury University. We are now working in partnership together to develop a degree programme for our students. It is a truly important project, building the institution of the seminary, developing and clarifying training needs for the Zambian church and in the end offering an internationally recognised qualification which will give at least some of our students the chance to go on to further training or higher degrees and eventually become qualified and capable of taking positions as teachers in the seminary. It is a really huge step forward for the Zambian church. Keith and some of the Zambian Bishops have already visited Canterbury University and a team from the University has visited St. John’s twice. We would welcome your prayers as Keith and Francis Mwansa, our next door neighbour, will be working together as the key people in this project. There will be a lot of late nights in front of a hot computer screen!

The family are all well, although we are just about to go through a really big change. When Lyn, Adam and Hannah settled back to Zambia they found that school life was disturbed. Standards at the school had slipped and we were all getting concerned that the education being offered was not as good as it should or could be. With the support of CMS Ireland we decided to think about a change of school. We found a very lovely Christian ethos school in a beautiful rural setting. When we all visited we were most impressed with the professionalism and enthusiasm of the senior staff. Adam made his own carefully thought out decision to move, which is a big step for him as he was probably better settled at Lechwe. He saw advantages in a bigger sixth form and an ethos more like a sixth form college. Hannah, who already knows some people at the new school was just anxious to get on with it. She is particularly attracted by an emphasis on outdoor pursuits, which she loves, and the biggest of all attractions: horses. We all feel a great deal of peace about this move, but it will be quite a big upheaval for us all. The school is 300 km away, and so both Hannah and Adam will have to board. It will be quite a shake up for Lyn and Keith to find both children having “flown the nest” at once, and a good deal sooner than expected. Lyn is, as usual, busy with almost everything really important. As well as homemaker she is teaching some English at M.E.F and preparing for the new students coming in January. They will, as usual, need all the help they can get adjusting to the demands of third level education in English.

One of the things that is beginning to concern us all in Zambia at the moment is the weather. We need rain, desperately. The rainy season has been really slow in starting, and the rainfall has been nothing like enough to give a good harvest. Zambians all depend to some extent on their little allotments and subsistence farms. A slender harvest means hard times and hunger for the next year. Pray for us.

Well it is time to finish. We thank you all once again for your gifts, interest, prayers and support. We truly appreciate you all. We wish you all God’s blessing over Christmas and the coming year, and ask you to continue in prayer for us all here. The Scott Family

The Annual General Vestry meeting is being provisionally arranged for

Thursday 29th March 2007 at 7.30pm in the Minor Hall.

Notices confirming this date will be posted on the main

doors of both churches and printed in Pew News.

United Parishes of Templepatrick & Donegore

Select Vestry

presents

G l a r r y f o r d Y F C

in

“Off the Rails” by John Waterhouse

in the Parish Hall, on Saturday 10th February 2007

at 8.15 pm Doors open 7.30 pm

Tickets - £6.00

So what’s so special about Lent, anyway? Lent begins on 1st March. It begins with Ash Wednesday, which always falls in the seventh week before Easter. Lent is widely observed by Christians around the world as a time of fasting or meditation.

Why ‘Ash Wednesday’? What do ashes have to do with anything? This goes right back to the Old Testament custom of putting ashes on one’s face or clothing as a symbol of repentance or remorse. (e.g. Esther 4.1; Jeremiah 6.26). When the early Church began to observe Lent as a period of preparation for Easter, repentance and remorse played a key part. Therefore the wearing of ashes was adopted as a proper external sign of this inward attitude of remorse or repentance.

So the early Christians, especially during the Middle Ages, used the first day of Lent to impose ashes on the heads of the clergy and the people. Nowadays, these ashes come from the burning of the palm crosses that were handed out on Palm Sunday during the previous year’s Lent.

Some churches continue this theme of repentance by the symbolic use of purple clerical dress during Lent.

What about the custom of giving up things for Lent? In the past, Lent was a time for fasting, because it is based on the period of 40 days spent by Jesus in the wilderness before the beginning of his public ministry in Galilee. Jesus fasted for 40 days, and so his followers were encouraged to do the same thing. The early Church recommended a fast of two or three days, but by the fourth century, people were encouraged to fast for the full 40 days.

The precise nature of this ‘fasting’ varied. In general, the western church understood ‘fasting’ as a reduced intake of food, and eating fish rather than meat. It encouraged Christians to spend time in devotional reading or attendance at church rather than fasting.

But what about the length of Lent? The numerically able reader will have worked out by now that the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Day is actually 46 days. So why not the 40 days that Jesus fasted? Again, we go back to early church tradition. In the early Church, every Sunday was regarded as a celebration of the resurrection of Christ. So fasting was forbidden on a Sunday! So the period of 46 days thus consists of 40 days of fasting, plus the six Sundays which fall between Ash Wednesday and Easter Day. Finally, just before Ash Wednesday, we have Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday. This custom comes from the many thousands of Christian housewives down the centuries who cleared out their larders immediately before the fast of Lent. The simplest way of using up all their eggs, flour and milk was to make pancakes. In some countries the day is known as Mardi Gras, and is marked by major carnivals, most famously in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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The Internet www.templepatrick.connor.anglican.org Technology - Phishing & Pharming Phishing Phishing may sound like an enjoyable countryside pursuit, but don't be fooled by the cute name. Phishing attacks are those that use spoofed emails and fraudulent websites to trick people into giving out personal financial data. Phishers hijack brand names of banks, web retailers and credit card companies and send emails that ask the recipient to click on a link to update their details on a fake website. Since the instructions to create the opening page of your banks website are sent out every time somebody logs on to it, it is a trivial matter to recreate a site that looks identical to your bank’s. When you click on a link in an email you are simply clicking on a button, what the button actually does need not relate to what is written on the button. Most browsers will now check that what is written on the button or hyperlink is the same place as you are being sent. So you click on a link that looks like it will connect you to your bank and you arrive at a site that looks like your bank – and then you start typing in passwords! The damage caused by phishing can be anything from not being able to access your email to losing all the money in your bank account. All they need to do this is to have your personal information that you use for authentication purposes. When you reveal this to these phishing sites, they get your personal secret information and can handle it any way they want. They might even prevent you from accessing your own accounts. The bait that the phisher has used could well be an email telling you that there has been a suspicious looking withdrawal from your account and asks you to contact them. How can you avoid being caught?

• Remember that it is highly unlikely that a company will have lost your account information.

• Always remember that banks will never write to you asking for your password or any other sensitive information by email.

• If you receive a dubious email do not click on links or attachments and contact a bank or company immediately. Always type the bank or company's address in yourself, but read the next section about pharming.

• Check there's been no fraudulent activity on your account by checking it when it arrives, or raising a query if it is late.

• Phishing emails often contain grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. It is estimated that between May 2004 and May 2005, approximately 1.2 million computer users in the United States suffered losses caused by phishing. The estimated total of the losses is approximately $929 million. Furthermore, U.S. businesses lose an estimated $2 billion a year, as their clients become victims.

Pharming Phishing is to pharming what someone with a rod and a reel is to a Russian trawler. Phishers have to approach their targets one by one. Pharmers can scoop up many victims in a single pass. The problem is due to the way the Internet works. When it was designed it was to enable the transfer of information between academics, who probably knew each other. It was not designed to run a secure worldwide financial operation. Every website on the Internet has a unique address (IP address) that is a series of digits such as 140.254.85.2, similar to a telephone number with its country code, exchange code and number. But not many would know the IP address of any but a few sites. We rely on what are effectively telephone directories. When you type in the name of a website, e.g. amazon.co.uk, your computer automatically looks it up in the directory to find its IP address; just as you convert surnames to telephone numbers with your telephone directories. The “telephone directories” of the Internet are called DNS (Domain Network Service) Servers. With the continual creation of sites around the world these directories are usually updated every four hours. As you can imagine “directory enquiries” is kept very busy, so to speed things up, when you visit a website, Windows XP places the DNS information about that site into a DNS file on your PC. Similar to your having a list of useful numbers written down somewhere. So what is the problem? Imagine that someone broke into your house and changed Aunt Maud’s number in your personal directory to that of Pharmer George. Every time you tried to phone Aunt Maud you would look up her number, dial it in but connect to Pharmer George. On your computer you would type in the correct Internet address for your bank but be connected to a fake website. This fake website, having the same look and feel of the original website, can be used to "phish" or steal a computer user's passwords, PIN number or account number. Whilst this would only affect your computer imagine the consequences if the DNS Servers were attacked. Every attempt to connect to say amazon.co.uk could lead to a connection to ripoff.com. Every internet request has to go through a DNS server, and malicious hackers realized a long time ago the profit potential in hacking DNS records. This is such a major problem that the DNS Servers are well protected, unlike your machine. So what can you do?

• Run up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software. • Exercise caution over which programs you decide to run. • Install a personal firewall.

Some places to seek help are: Bank Safe Online (www.banksafeonline.org.uk) is the UK banking industry's website for helping online banking customers stay safe online. You can also forward suspect scam emails. (www.antiphishing.org/consumer_recs.html) has advice on spotting phishing and pharming emails and invites you to report suspect messages. If you take sensible precautions you should really have nothing to worry about.

Alan alan@walbridge.co.uk

Saints of the Church

Brigid, Abbess of Kildare 1 February -- Festival

Brigid (also known as Bride) was born in the latter part of the fifth century, of humble origin just five miles from Kildare. She was to become first a nun in the monastery there and then its Abbess. She is believed to have been baptised by and the stories of her portray a woman of great compassion. She is even said to have been consecrated a bishop by Bishop Ibor, because of her resemblance to the Virgin Mary, but this may have been put abroad to support the claim of the primacy of the Abbey of Kildare. By her prayers and miracles, she is reputed to have strongly influenced the formation of the Church throughout Ireland, where she is, with St Patrick, the patron saint. She died in about the year 525.

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Candlemas) 2 February -- Principal Feast -- Gold or White

This day marks the completion of forty days since the birth of Jesus, when Mary and Joseph took the child to the Temple in Jerusalem. The requirement in Levitical law was for Mary to be 'cleansed', the completion of her purification following the birth of a male child. Until that day, she could touch no holy thing nor enter the sanctuary. Yet on seeing the holy family, Simeon praised God and acclaimed the infant as 'the light to enlighten the nations' and the prophet Anna gave thanks and proclaimed him her Redeemer. The image of Christ as the Light has led to the celebration of light countering darkness, with candles often taking a central place in the observance.

George Herbert, Priest 27 February -- Lesser Festival -- Pastor -- White

Born in 1593 into the aristocratic Pembroke family, George Herbert went up to Cambridge in 1614, eventually becoming a fellow of Trinity College. At the age of twenty-five, he became Public Orator in the University and then a Member of Parliament, apparently destined for a life at court. To everyone's surprise, he decided to be ordained and, after spending a time with his friend Nicholas Ferrar at Little Gidding, he was made deacon in 1626. He married in 1629, was priested in 1630 and given the care of souls of the parish of Bemerton, near Salisbury, where he spent the rest of his short life. He wrote prolifically, his hymns still being popular throughout the English-speaking world. His treatise, The Country Parson, on the priestly life, and his poetry, especially The Temple, earned Herbert a leading place in English literature. He never neglected the care of the souls of Bemerton, however, and encouraged attendance at the weekday recitation of the daily office, calling to mind the words of his hymn, 'Seven whole days, not one in seven, I will praise thee'. He died on this day in 1633.

Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland 17 March -- Missionary -- Festival -- White

Patrick was born in Celtic Cornwall around the year 390 and was captured by Irish raiders when he was sixteen years old and taken to Ireland as a slave. After six years, he escaped and seems to have gone to the Continent. He eventually found his way back to his own

family, where his previously nominal Christian faith grew and matured. He returned to Gaul and was there trained as a priest and much influenced by the form of monasticism evolving under Martin of Tours. When he was in his early forties, he returned to Ireland as a bishop, and made his base at Armagh, which became the centre of his See. He evangelised the people of the land by walking all over the island, gently bringing men and women to a knowledge of Christ. Although he faced fierce opposition and possible persecution, he continued his missionary journeys. Despite being unsuccessful in his attempts to establish the diocesan system he had experienced in Gaul, his monastic foundations proved to be the infrastructure required to maintain the faith after his death, which occurred on this day in the year 460.

Joseph of Nazareth 19 March -- Festival -- White

In the gospel of Matthew, Joseph is depicted as a good man, a working carpenter, who trusted in God. He received God's messenger who shared with him God's will for him and for Mary, to whom he was engaged to be married. Luke's gospel describes how Joseph took the new-born child as if he were his own. He was with Mary when, on the fortieth day after the birth, Jesus was presented in the Temple, 'where every first-born male is designated as holy to the Lord'. The adoption of Jesus by Joseph also established Jesus in the descent of David, to accord with the prophecy that Israel's deliverer would be of the House and lineage of David.

The Annunciation of our Lord to the Blessèd Virgin Mary 25 March -- Principal Feast -- White or Gold

The story of the announcement of the coming of God made flesh in the person of his Son, Jesus the Christ, the Anointed One, is heard in today's proclamation of the good news from the gospel of Luke. The feast marks the conception of Christ in the womb of Mary and has been celebrated in the Church at least since the late fourth century. The perfect humanity and the complete divinity of Jesus is affirmed, following the controversies around those orthodox assertions, which themselves led to the acknowledgement of Mary as Theotokos, God-bearer, which in the West became translated as Mother of God. The celebration thus took on strong associations with the person of Mary, and became known in England as Lady Day. In recent years, the Church has re-affirmed the day as a Feast of our Lord, on which his virgin- mother has a unique place of honour and veneration.

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