sept 2010 2

Harvest Celebration WeekendThis year our Harvest Celebrations are in the Church of the Resurrection, Blarney

Saturday 18th September at 7.30pm—Community Harvest Festival

Sunday 19th September at 11am—United Parish Harvest Celebration

with Guest Preacher: Rev Isobel Jackson (followed by coffee)and also from 3.30-5pm—The Lighthouse

Fed byGod’s Almighty hand...

Here we are in the middle of another harvest season,when the crops of nearly a year’s work are harvested.

In my timeinvolved in harvesting,it has changed radi-cally. Corn crops suchas wheat, oats andbarley grown in theearly 1950s were cutwith a binder pulled bya pair of horses, orpulled by the first oftractors as they werejust becoming morenumerous on farms.

The binder cutthe corn and tied it intosmall sheaves, which

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

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In every area someone owned a thresher and hewent from farm to farm, the whole process involvedaround 20 men, and of course these men had to befed and ‘watered’ so therefore it was a few veryhard days work for the women preparing meals.

Then came the combine harvester whichcut and threshed in the field. This great progresshad a downside as it eliminated the neighbour in-volvement , and a farmers threshing day and nightending in a ’hooley’ was no more.

As all harvests in farming depend on suit-able weather conditions we are very dependent onthe lines of a well known harvest hymn:-

“We plough the fields and scatterThe good seed on the land.

But it is fed and wateredBy God’s Almighty hand.”

Whilst I remember many bad harvests overthe years, they have been more than compensated

“GiveThanks with a Grateful Heart”

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Carrigrohane Union Youth

Youth Café reaches out … running every Tuesday and Friday afternoon throughout the summer.Marg reports that the Café has:

THANK YOU to everyone who was part of the Holiday Club team in Blarney this July. 60 children enjoyedlearning about JUNIOR HEROES! from the Bible. Thank you too if you were praying for us—for safety, fun,the team to grow and work together well, and most especially the children to come and learn more aboutJesus’ love for them. Our prayers were answered!

Autumn plans...

‘Sunday PM’ will begin on September 19th (5.30-7.30pm in the Parish Centre)From October 8th to 10th there’ll be a weekend away in Castletowshend as we launch our leadership develop-ment ‘stream’ for those who are interested, and are in 4th year of secondary school or older.

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

A Summary of the Review of the Carrigrohane Youth Work Project

“The Review Group ( Cesca Tyrrell, Hilary Jenkinson and Ivan Mc Mahon) recognises and celebrates the manyachievements of the Project over the past 30 months. In particular it notes the strong personal commitment of theyouth work staff and the volunteer team to young people. There is lots of evidence that the Project has made asignificant contribution to the faith formation of a generation of young people and the church will benefit from thisfor many years to come. There is plenty of evidence of high quality programmes and activities being offered.The Review recommends that the Parish takes a number of practical steps to improve the support and accountabil-ity structures for the Youth Workers. It recommends that the level of contact between the youth work project andyoung people be informed by best practice guidelines. It also recommends that a training and support strategy forvolunteers be developed and that the pool of volunteers be expanded. It recommends that the Project continues todevelop relationships and contact with external bodies including the Diocesan Youth Council. In developing existing

‘Glow’ is ayouth

group for children in 4th-6th class in nationalschool. It’s in the Parish Centre on Church

Hill where you’ll have lots of fun doing thingslike sports, games, making some food and artythings, playing on the Wii, and also hear about

Jesus, all with your friends!Glow meets on Fridays from 7-9pm

On 24 September, 15 October,12 November, 10 December

‘Glow Max’ is a Youth Café for young people insecondary school, based in the Parish Centre

We have space to chill out as well as doingcool stuff like sports, games, play the Wii,

make some food, arty stuff and hear a shorttalk thinking more about God and Life

—all with your mates!Glow Max meets on Fridays from 7-9pmon 1 October, 5 November, 3 December

• Grown in numbers (and volume!) as the summer progressed• Seen a good number of ‘regulars’; some church, many not• Wonderful to have the Parish Centre to open up to offer for young people to meet,

have fun—and just be• The sun has shone a lot so good use has been made of the outdoor spaces too• Excellent support services from bakers and helpers!



Kingdom Engage …expressing “the kindness and love of God our Saviour …” (Titus 3 v 4)

Prayer Focus for September: Bill LaneOver the years one of the factors that has motivated me is to see Christians of all flavourscoming together to grow in their faith and service of the Lord Jesus Christ. This has led tothe two main ways I believe God has called me to serve His Kingdom. Firstly, within alocal context I lead (with Ruth) the mid week Growth Group in Blarney where we have agreat group of people, anywhere from 9-19 from several churches around on any givennight, coming together to grow in discipleship. We have always tried to have an outwardlooking focus and our members either host or help with the Alpha’s in Carrigrohane or inneighbouring churches (Whitechurch RC, Aherla Cof I). The other arena is at The Haven,where I am one of the founding Trustees. The focus of The Haven has always been to serve the wider communityof Cork, acting as a focus point for people of faith to reach out in creative ways. My role has been largely assistingwith the organisation and administration, but I thoroughly enjoy just being down there and talking with those whocome in to the Footprints bookshop, the CityGates Cafe or any of the other activities (Toddler groups, church meet-ings, ministry teams, etc.). Prayer points:

• On-going finances & increased service/ministry focus for The Haven• Future directions for Growth Group to encourage continued outward focus

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Seniors’ LunchLunch Dates for your diary….

Wednesday 20th OctoberWednesday 15th December

(Christmas special)Each lunch will be served at 12.45—and places can

be booked by telephoning the parish office as soonas you know you can come! (4877260)A suggested donation of €3 covers thecosts for the lunch!

Please feel free to invite friendsalong too.

If you’d like to join a team preparing or serving alunch, or by delivering a dish ready to serve, pleasering Patsy in the office and let her have your name.We make a small charge and so expenses are cov-ered. Just let us know if you’d like to be part of thisministry of friendship.

Life after separation/divorce- a four week course run by M.R.C.S. (Marriage & Relation-ship Counselling Services), facilitator: Deirdre Whitley.

This course aims to help people pick up the pieces follow-ing a break-up by giving them information on separationand divorce from an emotional perspective, with a view tohelping them re-build their lives. The objectives of thecourse are as follows:• Establishing in a non-threatening way, what stage you

are at in the grieving process• Understanding the emotions of loss & separation—

denial, anger, bargaining, letting go & acceptance• Moving on and re-building—identifying what has

relevance for you

The course will be held in the Parish Centre, Carrigrohane,on Thursday evenings: October 21st & 28th & November11th & 18th, beginning at 7.30 and ending at 9.45 with ashort break.The course fee is €75 (which is subsidised by MRCS). Toreserve a place, please contact: Pauline Keane on: 01-6443901 or by email: [email protected] and thencomplete an application form & return it with a cheque for€75 made payable to MRCS. Alternatively you can ringwith credit card details.Application forms are available in the Parish Office, andshould be sent to: Pauline Keane, MRCS, 38 UpperFitzwilliam St., Dublin 2.

We’re delighted toreport that Bishop Ken& Helen Clarke arecoming to lead us in atime of Mission in the



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Wednesday 8th September8pm—Book Club—Ghost Light by Joseph O'Connor atFiona's

Friday 10th September10.15-11.45am Toddlers—Parish Centre, Carrigrohane

Tuesday 14th September10am-12 noon Toddlers in Blarney church5-6pm—hour of prayer in Inniscarra—come & go as you can

Friday 17th September10.15-11.45am Toddlers– Parish Centre, Carrigrohane

Saturday 18th September7.30pm Community Harvest Festival in The Church of the Res-urrection, Blarney

Sunday 29th August9.30am Service of Wholeness & Healing, Carrigrohane

11am Service of Wholeness & Healing, Blarney

Sunday 5th September9.00am Holy Communion, Carrigrohane

Followed by refreshments in the Parish Centre11am United Celebration in the Parish Centre

Sunday 12th September9.00 am Morning Prayer, Carrigrohane

10.00am Holy Communion, CarrigrohaneAdventurers are back!!!

11am A Service of the Word, Blarney11.30 Holy Communion, Inniscarra

7.30pm Open to God, Parish Centre

Monday 20th September8pm , meeting of the Select Vestry, Parish Centre

Tuesday 21st September10am-12 noon Toddlers in Blarney church7-8pm—hour of prayer in Blarney—come & go as you can

Friday 24th September10.15-11.45am Toddlers—Parish Centre, Carrigrohane7-9pm ‘Glow’ in the Parish Centre

Monday 27th September8pm Ladies’ Guild/Mothers’ Union evening with Sylvia Helenfrom Clonakilty, ‘Relationship not Rules’! Parish Centre, allwelcome

Tuesday 28th September10am-12 noon Toddlers—Blarney church7-8pm—hour of prayer in St Peter’s—come & go as you can

Thursday 30th September8.15pm in the Parish Centre—Celebration Alpha Meal andlaunch of small groups for the season ahead. Everyonewelcome—please phone the parish office to say you cancome

Friday 1st October10.15-11.45am Toddlers— Parish Centre, Carrigrohane7-9pm Glow Max, Parish Centre

Sunday 26th September9am Holy Communion, Carrigrohane

10am All-age Service of the Word, Carrigrohane11am Holy Communion, Blarney

11.30am Morning Prayer, Inniscarra5.30-7.30pm Sunday PM

7.30pm Open to God, Parish Centre

September

Sunday 19th SeptemberSunday 3rd October



SPANSPANminister, combining a pastoral heart with a thoroughunderstanding of the missionary context, springing froma deep and radiant witness to Christ in Word and Spirit.Within those roles she is a people person, fun to bewith, and an able communicator who has won thehearts of everyone in the Union and will therefore besorely missed.

At the same time we are delighted for Ruth and assureher of our continued love and support as with Alan theysettle into this new stage in their lives. We pray thatthey would find new streams of ministry which bringblessing to others and deep satisfaction for themselves.

For details of the special farewell service and Ruth’sinstitution (19th October), please look up the websiteand check weekly newsheets.

Looking back….In the lovely weather we’ve enjoyed all the specialsummer events: the Youth Café opened every Tuesdayand Friday; ‘Junior Heroes’, this year’s holiday club inBlarney; the special summer edition of the Lighthouse;the summer Seniors’ Lunch in the parish centre; parishpicnics in Blarney and Inniscarra, and the Rectory waspainted! Thanks to everyone involved in all these activi-ties.Every blessing, Ian

Looking ahead …

Celebration Alpha Meal…and launch of small groups for

the season ahead

Thurs 30th September 20108.15pm in the Parish Centre

All welcome….come and hear aboutthe last Alpha course and consider

signing up for meeting with a group ofother Christians in the autumn.

Please ring the Parish Office if youwish to come.

Ian writes…‘ Life Sucks—Pioneers needed!’

Recently losing my one and only car key has left meunderstanding those who feel “life sucks”! Life hasmany irritants, but this one reigns supreme! With thecar purchased with only one set of keys it has been anaccident waiting to happen. And yes, of course Ishould have bought another one, but the cost is ridicu-lous! However, If I had known the hassle of losing anelectronic key as I do now, it would have been a goodinvestment!

Of course it is all very trivial compared to what ishappening In Pakistan with floods affecting 14 millionpeople, and the battles that so many have with illnessetc. Most of us get a better perspective on life’s irri-tants when we look at the bigger picture - the power ofpositive thinking. But for the Christian it goes deeper –the role of faith in God takes us beyond just the mind.Faith brings trust and “the assurance of things un-seen” as the writer to the Hebrews puts it (chapter11).There he introduces the great heroes of faithwhose lives were just as much of a challenge as ours,if not more so. And yet they found a way through, withfaith in God. So Hebrews encourages us to “fix oureyes” on Jesus who is the “pioneer and perfecter” offaith. In short from new birth to glory in heaven, God ispresent in our lives through Christ..... And that goesfar deeper than some positive thinking, as helpful asthat is.

Pioneers of Faith

Faith is the way we please God for life’s journey,even if for me it has been key-less and therefore car-less! However, the roll call of faith goes beyond ourpersonal concerns. Those shining examples of faiththat Hebrews tells us about, are also a challenge toconsider how we can be used by God for His pur-poses. While Jesus is the pioneer of faith, many of thewitnesses in Hebrews were pioneers of the new thingthat God wanted to do.

Can the church become a pioneering community, witha new and deeper passion for the Kingdom of God fora world where for so many “life sucks” constantly? Asour church Programmes crank into gear this autumn,let’s make sure we aren’t just going through themotions, but ask God what new thing He wants us topioneer.

Ruth—a Pioneer! Our usual pattern of Autumn Services will be:



SPANSPANComing soon...Services of wholeness & healing on Sundays 29 Augustat 9.30am in St Peter’s & 11am in Blarney.and 31 October at 10am in St Peter’s & 11am in Blarney.

Toddler groups begin again in the Parish Centre,Carrigrohane at 10.15 am on Friday 10th September (0857758511 to book a place) and at 11 am in Blarney churchon Tuesday 14th September.

‘Adventurers’ is back on Sunday 12th September!

‘Glow’ (4th-6th class of primary school) begins again on 24th

September from 7-9pm in the Parish Centre, and ‘GlowMax’ (secondary school age) on 1st October from 7-9pm inthe Parish Centre.

Sunday PM (secondary school age) starts again on Sun-day 19th September and meets weekly from 5.30-7.30pm inthe Parish Centre.

The Lighthouse (Messy Church) – is in Blarney churchfrom 3.30-5pm on Sunday 19th September (and continueson the 3rd Sunday afternoon every month).That’s a busy day in Blarney as we’ll celebrate our UnitedParish Harvest Festival that morning at 11am, with visit-ing preacher Rev Isobel Jackson.

Life after separation & divorce course in the ParishCentre on Thursday evenings for 4 weeks beginning Oct21st—see elsewhere in Span for more details.

The Ladies’ Guild/Mothers’ Union meets on 27th Septem-ber in the meeting room of the Parish Centre at 8pm – andlooks forward to welcoming Sylvia Helen from Dunmanway– speaking on ‘Relationship not Rules’.

Everyone’s welcome to come along.

The Book Club meets on the 2nd Wednesday of eachmonth—8th Sept at Fiona’s & 13th Oct at Joan’s

Celebration Alpha Meal …and launch of small groups forthe season ahead on Thurs 30th September at 8.15pm inthe Parish Centre

‘Alpha’ - an exciting opportunity to go out into the commu-nity offering Alpha as an evening course in Scoil MhuireGan Smal, Blarney from 8-10pm beginning 7th October

Wednesday 20th October will be the next Seniors’ Lunchat 12.45 in the Parish Centre

Ruth writes…One of the features of this year in

Blarney village has been theregular events on Blarney Square.Doug and Olwyn Venn were part of

the organising team for the car rally on August 2nd and itwas a great success. We had the Church open thatafternoon and there were about 120 people through thedoor to have a look round and a chat. There are manypeople who have never been through the doors of theChurch although they have lived in the village for manyyears.

There will be anotherFamily Fun Day onSeptember 12th and we will have theChurch open that day. Gail is organisinganother Giveaway that day as well and if you would liketo be involved please get in touch with her.The next weekend, Blarney hosts the parish HarvestFestival when the Rev. Isobel Jackson (Crosshaven)will be our preacher at the 11am service on Sunday the19th. Since it is the third Sunday in the month,Lighthouse is on that afternoon. We are also planning torun a community Harvest Festival (similar to the Com-munity Carol Service) on the Saturday night at 7.30pm.Help with biscuits and tray bakes would be muchappreciated.

In October, an Alpha course (led by Bill Lane andTherese Curran) will begin as part of the Blarney eve-ning classes at Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal. Co-sponsoredby our Church and the Church of the Immaculate Con-ception, Blarney, it is a great opportunity to make thiscourse that has helped so many available to a widergroup of people. We acknowledge the support of Blar-ney Community Council who have made the facilitiesavailable at no cost since we are not charging for thecourse. Please pray for the organising of the courseand that it will be a real opportunity for people to have aspace to learn and to discuss.

People: Sadness & HappinessSympathy: Family and many friends and neighboursgathered for the funeral service, giving thanks for thelife and witness of Jimmy Wood, in St Senan’s, Innis-carra 2nd July. Our prayers are with Mary, Richard &Pam, Doris & Edgar, the grandchildren and the widerfamily.Congratulations: We congratulate Irene Helen andWilliam Morrissey on their marriage in Blarney with a



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sept 2010 2