The Rector Rev Colin McCormack BSc.,BA,Dip Ed.The Rectory Donaghaguy Road Warrenpoint phone 028417 53497

The PoinTer

The magazine of the Church of ireland Parish of Clonallon - Warrenpoint with Kilbroney

in the Diocese of Down and Dromore

The ManchesTer Tragedy in perspecTive The general response to the recent atrocity in Manchester has been more vociferous than has occurred in relation to previous terrorist attacks. This is hardly surprising since it was aimed primarily at young people attending a pop concert. Theresa May opined: “we struggle to comprehend the warped and twisted mind that sees a room packed with children not as a scene to cherish but as an opportunity for carnage!“ Yes, of course, we struggle! “We” are those immersed in the principles and values of a democratically-rooted society. And irrespective of our political, social and religious (or non-religious) affiliations, there exists within our souls a deep revulsion towards the barbarity witnessed on May 22nd in Manchester. Not unexpectedly, the political and media gurus have already had a field day in subjecting the perpetrator, Salman Abedi, to their own particular brand of socio-logical or psychological analysis. Was the primary cause due to poverty? Or racial prejudice? Or was it the outcome as reported in the press, according to his sister, “He saw the explosives America drops on children is Syria and he wanted revenge”. Now all of these posibilities are permissable and therefore open to discussion, within the parameters of our liberal understanding of the human condition. One idea we must not entertain (so we are told) is the possibility that religion in general and Islam in particular, had anything to do with this atrocity. So, why the aversion to following this line of enquiry? Is it because the Western mind cannot comprehend the possibility that any religion would be capable of adversely affecting human thought and behaviour? Or, if we allow for the possibility that religion can make a difference, then (so we reason) its impact must be good and not bad. Or, at a more basic human level, is there simply a widespread fear of questioning the religious precepts that totally absorbed Salman Abedi towards the end of his life. Indeed it may come as a shock to many to accept that he (and many others) would not have seen his actions as the by-product of a “warped and twisted mind” but as part of a moral campaign geared towards the elimination of westernised corruption; not to mention the personal guarantee of a future in paradise! How should the Christian Church respond to this? Of course love must be at the core of our response. How-ever the passive nature of what often passes for Christian love – “don’t question and don’t say anything to offend” – is a distortion, for it denies two forgotten qualities that radiate from the heart of the Gospel – truth and justice. Paul in Athens (Acts 17) was incensed by the idolatry he witnessed in the city. What did he do? He used the existence of these idols in order to expose the barrenness of their meaning and then proceeded to present the resurrection of Christ as the true fulfilment of all human longing. The state has a moral responsibility to deal with the terrorist threat as it sees fit. The Church of Christ however is under the authority and command of Christ to proclaim in word and deed the glorious gospel assurance of salvation through the sacrificial death of our lord Jesus Christ. Such an assurance is the perfect antidote to the conscience that is plagued by spiritual insecurity as to its ultimate destination.

Yours in Christ, Colin McCormack

ChurCh ServiCeSCLONALLON - WArreNPOiNT with KiLbrONey

JuNe 2017

Thursday 1June Holy Communion 10.30 am Warrenpoint Parish Church Sunday 4 June Warrenpoint Parish Church 10.00 am Holy Communion Kilbroney Parish Church 11.30 am Holy Communion

Thursday 8 June Holy Communion 10.30 am Warrenpoint Parish Church

Sunday 11June Clonallon Parish Church 10.00 am Morning Prayer Kilbroney Parish Church 11.30 am Morning Prayer

Thursday 15 June Holy Communion 10.30 am Warrenpoint Parish Church

Sunday 18 June Warrenpoint Parish Church 10.00 am Morning Prayer Kilbroney Parish Church 11.30 am Holy Communion Compline 6.30 pm

Thursday 22 June Holy Communion 10.30 am Warrenpoint Parish Church Sunday 25 June Clonallon Parish Church 10.00 am Holy Communion Kilbroney Parish Church 11.30 am Morning Prayer

Thursday 29 June Holy Communion 10.30 am Warrenpoint Parish Church

Sunday 2 July Warrenpoint Parish Church 10.00 am Holy Communion Kilbroney Parish Church 11.30 am Holy Communion Clonallon Parish Church 3.30 pm Annual Somme Anniversary Service

The bowling club finished up for the season with the finals being played on 12 May. Following the final s everyone enjoyed the meal by caterers Diamonds restaurant. Mrs Sheila Jameson presented the prizes to the successful members.

Rosebowl - Pat Murray runner-up Pauline GrillsTankard - John McAnuff runner-up Leo Spence

Cromie Cup - John McAnuff runner-up Theresa BrowneHale Trophies - Pat Murray and Collette Derry

Magill Trophy - Diane McDowell The April competition winners were Colette Derry, Maudie Cumming and Josephine O’Hanlon. To round off the evening the members played novelty bowls which brought a most successful season to a close.

Margaret Dowd

INDOOR BOWLS CLUB

BIBLE READINGS JUNE 2017Sunday 4 June

The Day of Pentecost (Whit Sunday)Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30 Psalm 104:26-36, 37b

1Corinthians 12: 3b-13 or Acts 2:1-21 John 20: 19-23 or 7:37-39

Sunday 11 JuneTrinity Sunday

Genesis 1: 1-2:4a or Isaiah 40:12-17, 27-31 Psalm 8 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 Matthew 28: 16-20

Sunday 18 JuneFirst Sunday after Trinity

Genesis 18:1-15(21:1-7) Psalm 116: 1-10-17 Exodus 19: 2-8a Psalm 100

Romans 5: 1-8 Matthew 9: 35-10:8(9-23)

Sunday 25 JuneSecond Sunday after Trinity

Genesis 21: 8-21 Psalm 86:1-10,16-17 Jeremiah 20:7-13 Psalm 69: 8-11(12-17)18-20

Romans 6: 1b-11 Matthew 10:24-39

Our bereavement walking group runs on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month, meeting at Newry Hospice at 10am.We walk in various locations; however this is a very gentle walk suitable for all. Our gentle walk is always followed by a coffee stop!! This group is for anyone who has been bereaved whether you have been known to Hospice or not. Our members enjoy the company of others who share an understanding of the journey of grief. We would love you to join us!

if you would like more information please contact emily Murray on 0283026771

OBiTUaryMargaret McCoy

Margaret McCoy died peacefully in Bannview Care Home having lately lived in Banbridge. Formerly of Newtownabbey Margaret was the wife of the late Andrew McCoy and sister of Morna and Arleen, sister in law of Keith also a much loved aunt. The burial took place in Clonallon Graveyard.

We express our deepest sympathy to the entire McCoy family circle.

The parochial hall, Warrenpoint

T h e h a l l i n Wa r re n p o i n t h a s b e e n u n d e rg o i n g re f u r b i s h m e n t f o r f i v e m o n t h s d u r i n g w h i c h t i m e i t h a s a l s o b e e n i n u s e f o r t h e u s u a l a c t i v i t i e s . F ro m M o n d a y 1 9 J u n e t h e h a l l w i l l b e c l o s e d f o r t h e s u m m e r p e r i o d w h i l s t M r S t e v e n s o n c o m p l e t e s t h e w o r k .

We have come a long way in the eighteen months since the Kilbroney Handbell team were formed! From our shaky and uncertain start, our dedicated group have grown in numbers and self assurance. We now have two competent teams who can perform with confidence and ring well known pieces of music. The handbells are approximately 70 years old. After lying for decades with dust and decay, in Kilbroney tower belfry, they have been restored, with deep affection in memory of Tom and Jean Roberts in October 2015. Our first year highlights included a radio interview with Julie McCullough for ‘Good morning Ulster’, Ringing for ‘Easter song for St Bronach’ and an amazing experience of an Invitation to open the very first ‘Rostrevor Choral Festival’. This was no doubt the most nerve-racking of all! During the Festive season we were extremely active with seasonal tunes at events including an ‘Open Mike’ at An Cuan, Christmas Fayres at An Cuan and Kilbroney Integrated School, a Fundraising afternoon ringing at Tesco store, Newry, and of course our own ‘Carols by Candlelight’ in Kilbroney. In March, we were absolutely delighted to be asked by Tommy Sands to play at his ‘Music of Healing’ concert in An Cuan. We played Ode to Joy, Pachebel’s Canon, and the Hornpipe from Handel’s Watermusic. Alwynne Shanon of ‘Mourne Heritage Trust’, invited us to play at an evening of stories and music relating to St Bronachs bell, held in the Rostrevor Inn. Most recently, we played at ‘Easter song for Bronagh’ in Kilbroney Parish Church. Thank you, to Liz Farnon, our very creative musical director, who has the patience of a saint! Liz also transposes the appropriate music to our range of 12 bells from notes to numbers and I draw the music onto A2 sheets for the group to perform from. I would like to Thank all the Handbellers very much, for their commitment and dedication to their practices. Some of the team travel in from as far as Banbridge, Cranfield and Kilkeel to attend. Practice is held in the Parish Room of Kilbroney Parish Church on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm. New members are very welcome. Shelagh Roberts

KiLBrOney handBeLLers

Nigel Beeton recently lost his father, he writes ‘He died quite suddenly in early March, but, praise God, he was 84, fit and healthy, completely independent until a few days before he died. Nevertheless, I was feeling terribly sad as I washed the car one Saturday morning. It was dirty after a significant number of trips back and forth to Banbury, where he lived, and he always used to pull my leg if my car was dirty. As I wept gently while I worked, I heard the bells of St Edmundsbury Cathedral on the wind as they celebrated a wedding. I live a mile and a half away from the Cathedral, but the wind was blowing from that direction. They cannot possibly realise how much good they did that morning! They blessed far more people than just the wedding party. So this poem is dedicated to all those tremendous people along the length and breadth of Britain who give up their time to keep church bells ringing in praise of God. Thank you!’

It matters not how sad you feelIf eyes, with tears, are dimmed;Your heart will lift to hear the pealOf church bells on the wind. Was e’er a sound that had the pow’rTo touch one feeling grim –To bring relief in gloomy hourLike church bells on the wind? I love that sound upon the breezeWith joy my soul is twinned!And I give thanks upon my kneesFor church bells on the wind. By Nigel Beeton

centenary of the Balfour declaration – some Background Observations Anti-Semitism, with increasing pogroms in Russia and Europe, which killed over 60,000 Jews from 1881 to 1921, was increasing in the latter part of the 19th and into the 20th century, with an increasing wave of desper-ate and impoverished Jews making their way by many

means to the territory of their ancient Biblical homeland, and linking up with small Jewish communities there in places of their continuous settlement such as Safad, Tibe-rias, Hebron, Jaffa and Jerusalem since the 1st century. Theodor Herzl, born in Budapest in 1860, was a journalist in Vienna, and then in Paris, where he covered the Dreyfus affair. In response to the anti-Semitism he witnessed, he started the World Zionist Organization and served as its president. He declared at the first Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897, that the solution to continuous Jewish persecution would be emigration to a land set apart in law as a Jewish home, preferably in Palestine, their ancient Biblical home. As part of WW1, the British forces with Anzac allies were advancing northwards from Egypt, intend-ing to take Jerusalem and Damascus and break the German-Turkish (Ottoman Empire) alliance in order to win the war in the Middle East. Arthur Balfour was MP for Manchester, and friends with Chaim Weizmann, who as an industrial chemist helped in the produc-tion of gunpowder, and was a leading Zionist, as many Jews had found sanctuary in Britain as they fled po-groms and persecution in Russia and Europe. As the War Cabinet met in 10 Downing Street on 31st October 1917 to agree the wording of its declaration to the Jewish community, represented by Lord Rothschild, General Allenby took Beersheba that day and continued on to victory in Jerusalem, dismounting his horse to enter the Holy City humbly on foot at the head of his troops and dignitaries, through the Jaffa Gate of the Old City on 11th December, 1917. The Axis was broken! The Balfour Declaration was sent on 2nd November, declaring that” HM Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people...” This was subsequently ratified by the League of Nations, as were the formation of other new nations in the area, Syria and Iraq, under the Sykes-Picot agreement. Britain was given the Mandate for Palestine, which includes the land occupied by Israel and Jordan, and for Iraq; and France the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. However, the events that followed did not fulfil the original goals set out in the Declaration....... To be concluded in the next edition of the Pointer....

Marylyn McCormack

shOrT prayers Prayers don’t need to be long to be acceptable to God. For instance, consider:

Peter (Matt 14.30): ‘Lord, save me!’ A Canaanite woman (Matt 15.25): ‘Lord, help me.’ (1 Sam. 3:10): ‘Speak, for your servant is listening’. Psalm 43.3: ‘O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.’

Christians in later years have adopted the same form. Why not practise saying a simple sentence prayer each day

– and simply mean what you say?

Michelangelo: ‘Lord, make me see your glory in every place.’Gladys Aylward: ‘O God, give me strength.’

William Barclay: ‘O God, keep me from being difficult to live with.’Francois Fenelon: ‘Teach me to pray. Pray yourself in me.’

John Wesley: ‘O Lord, let us not live to be useless, for Christ’s sake.’

AND THEN IT IS WINTERYou know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.It seems just yesterday that I was young, and embarking on my new life. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like. But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change...Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant..but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d be.Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! Taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it’s mandatory! Cause if I don’t on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!So...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!At least I know, that though the winter has come, and I’m not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it’s over on this earth..it’s NOT over. A new adventure will begin! Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in a lifetime.So, if you’re not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don’t put things off too long!Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past! “Life” is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY! HAVE A GREAT DAY! REMEMBER:.... “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. “LIVE HAPPY IN THIS YEAR AND EVERY YEAR! LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE SO - ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS. ~Your kids are becoming you...... ~Going out is good...coming home is better! ~You forget names....but it’s OK, because other people forgot they even knew you!!! ~You realize you’re never going to be really good at anything.... especially golf. ~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don’t care to do them anymore. ~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It’s called “pre-sleep”. ~You miss the days when everything worked with just an “ON” and “OFF” switch.. ~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... “what?”...”when?”... “what?” . ??? ~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it’s not safe to wear it anywhere. ~You notice everything they sell in stores is “sleeveless”?!!! ~What used to be freckles are now liver spots. ~Everybody whispers. ~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear. ~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!! Stay well, “OLD FRIEND!” Show this to other “Old Friends!” and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!!

iT’s nOT WhaT yOU gaTher, BUT WhaT yOU scaTTer ThaT TeLLs WhaT Kind Of Life yOU have Lived

To forget a wrong is the best revenge. -Anon

The last ten years of life are the best, because we are freest from illusions and fullest of experience. - Benjamin Jowett

The evening of a well-spent life brings its lamps with it. - Joseph Joubert

No wise man ever wished to be younger. - Jonathan Swift.

Grandmother-grandchild relationships are simple. Grandmas are short on criticism and long on love. -Anon

“Apparently the new member of the bell ringing team is a gymnast”

Pentecost took place on the well-established Jewish festival of Firstfruits, which was observed at the beginning of the wheat harvest. It was exactly 50 days after the Passover, the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. A feast day to celebrate the country’s wheat harvest does not sound exactly world-changing, but that year, it became one of the most important days in world history. For Pentecost was the day that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit - the day the Church was born. Jesus had told His apostles that something big was going to happen, and that they were to wait for it in Jerusalem, instead of returning to Galilee. Jesus had plans for his apostles – but He knew they could not do the work themselves – they would need His help. So the apostles and disciples waited in Jeru-salem, praying together for several days. And then on that fateful morning there was suddenly the sound as of a mighty rushing wind. Tongues of flame flickered on their heads, and they began to praise God in many tongues – to the astonishment of those who heard them. The curse of Babel (Genesis 11: 1- 9) was dramatically reversed that morning. That morning the Holy Spirit came to indwell the apostles and disciples of Jesus: and the Church was born. The Christians were suddenly full of life and power, utterly different from their former fearful selves. The change in them was permanent. Peter gave the first ever sermon of the Christian Church that morning: proclaiming Jesus was the Messiah. His boldness in the face of possible death was in marked contrast to the man who had denied Jesus 50 days before. And 3,000 people responded, were converted, and were baptised. How’s that for fast church growth! Of course Pentecost was not the first time the Holy Spirit had acted in this world. All through the Old Testament there are accounts of how God’s Spirit guided people and strengthened them. But now, because of Christ’s death and resurrection, he could INDWELL them. From now on, every Christian could have the confidence that Jesus was with them constantly, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

9 June CoLuMBA of IonA (C. 521 -97) – MISSIonAry To The uK

2013 marked the 1450th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the UK. It was brought by St Columba from Ireland to Iona – a tiny island off Mull, in the Western Highlands.

Columba was born in Donegal of the royal Ui Neill clan, and trained as a monk. He founded the monasteries of Derry (546), Durrow (c.556) and probably Kells. But in 565 Columba left Ireland with twelve companions for Iona, an island off southwest Scotland. Iona had been given to him for a monastery by the ruler of the Irish Dalriada.

Why would a monk in his mid-40s go into such voluntary exile? Various explanations include: voluntary exile for Christ, an attempt to help overseas compatriots in their struggle for survival, or even as some sort of punishment for his part in a row over a psalter in Ireland. Whatever the reason, Columba went to Iona and spent the rest of his life in Scotland, returning to Ireland only for occasion-al visits.

Columba’s biographer, Adomnan, portrays him as a tall, striking figure of powerful build and impressive presence, who combined the skills of scholar, poet and ruler with a fearless commitment to God’s cause. Able, ardent, and sometimes harsh, Columba seems to have mellowed with age.

As well as building his monastery on Iona, Columba also converted Brude, king of the Picts. Columba had great skill as a scribe, and an example of this can be seen in the Cathach of Columba, a late 6th century psalter in the Irish Academy, which is the oldest surviving example of Irish majuscule writing. In his later years Columba spent much time transcribing books.

shOrT prayers Prayers don’t need to be long to be acceptable to God. For instance, consider:

Peter (Matt 14.30): ‘Lord, save me!’ A Canaanite woman (Matt 15.25): ‘Lord, help me.’ (1 Sam. 3:10): ‘Speak, for your servant is listening’. Psalm 43.3: ‘O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.’

Christians in later years have adopted the same form. Why not practise saying a simple sentence prayer each day

– and simply mean what you say?

Michelangelo: ‘Lord, make me see your glory in every place.’Gladys Aylward: ‘O God, give me strength.’

William Barclay: ‘O God, keep me from being difficult to live with.’Francois Fenelon: ‘Teach me to pray. Pray yourself in me.’

John Wesley: ‘O Lord, let us not live to be useless, for Christ’s sake.’

Before Christ sent the Church into the world, He sent the Spirit into the Church. The same order must be observed today. John Stott

Celebrating our 999 serviCe The 999 emergency service was introduced 80 years ago this month – on 30th June 1937, in the London area only. It was the first service of its kind in the world, and a notice in the Evening News suggested that the public should use it only if “the man in the flat next to yours is murdering his wife, or you have seen a heavily masked cat burglar peering round the stack pipe of the local bank building”. For less urgent matters, such as a lorry coming to rest in their garden, people were advised to “just call up the local police”. The first call resulted in the arrest of a would-be burglar, but not all were so serious. Of 1336 calls made in the first week, 91 were prank calls. One of the more unexpected results of the 999 service was its effect on telephone switch-rooms, where a “raucous buzzer” sounded when someone dialled 999. It was reported that “a few of the girls found the situation too much and had to be carried out”. Despite that, 999 was a big success, but it wasn’t until after World War Two that it reached most other parts of the UK. It became available to the entire country only when all the telephone exchanges were automated in 1976. The idea for an emergency number came after operators couldn’t be reached to alert the fire brigade to a fire that killed five women in London’s Wimpole Street in 1935. The number 999 was chosen because it was easy to dial, even in the dark, on old-style phones. The US waited until 1968 to introduce its own emergency number, 911. More than half of genuine 999 calls ask for police assistance. The next most requested is the ambulance service, followed by the fire brigade and, finally, the coastguard. Some churches have used the idea of an emergency service for people in need of various kinds of help – though in those cases the number 999 is replaced by a series of Scriptural references.

^^^^^I I I I I‘Shock’ as one in five species of

tree are found to be at riskAt least one in five species of trees across the world are in danger of extinction. Such are the findings of the first com-prehensive global tree audit carried out at Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). Of the 20,000 species assessed for their conservation status, almost half, 9,600, are threatened with extinction.

David Pickup has been puzzling about the best time to give out church notices…

iMpOrTanT nOTice – BUT When dO We TeLL yOU?

“Then the Curate shall declare unto the people what Holy-days, or Fasting-days, are in the week following to be observed. And then also (if occa-sion be) shall notice be given of the Communion; and Briefs, Citations, and Excommunications read. And nothing shall be proclaimed or published in the Church during the time of Divine Service, but by the Minister...”

“Are there any notices?” the minister asks after welcom-ing everyone to the service, and sometimes someone shyly explains that the Tuesday meeting is now on Wednesday of this week, and the Wednesday meeting is now on Monday and…oh well.. it is all on the notice sheet. Then another person jumps up to say there is a mistake on the notice sheet!

Ever wonder when this all started? The above quotation is taken from the notes to the prayer book service written in the Seventeenth Century. It is interesting that even then there were notices to give out.

In those days, Notices could only be announcements of holy days, days of fasting or celebration or what was ap-proved by the bishop or monarch. A “brief” was a letter to a community on a point of discipline and a citation was news of a court case probably a church court case. Notices were for important church or state business only. These were the days before newspapers, so church notices would be the main source of news.

So when is the best time to have them today? If you have them at the beginning of the service, it can be a bit of a let-down, welcoming people to your service of praise and thanksgiving - but don’t forget the fish and chip supper next Saturday is at 6 pm not 8 pm, in the village hall not the church hall, and also, the flower arranging has been re-arranged, and Mrs Boggins’ leg is much better.

Or you can have them at the end, just as some folk are shooting off to see if the roast has burnt (only to find they forgot to put oven on), and everyone is dying for a cup of tea.Of course you could read the info in ‘The POINTER’ !!!

Bible translators show incredible courage in spending years working in unstable countries, all in order to bring the people a Bible in their own native tongue.

BiBLe sUccess in nOrThern iraq A team of Bible translators in Kurdistan, northern Iraq, working against the backdrop of civil unrest and religious persecution, have completed the first ever translation of the whole Bible into the Central Kurdish Sorani language. For the last eight years, Church Mission Society mission partners have been an integral part of the team, working alongside indigenous Kurds and other foreign nationals drafting text, checking names, terminology and style, and finally checking both the Old and New Testaments so they could be published together for the first time as the com-plete Bible. The whole translation of Old and New Testaments took 28 years to complete, and will enable six million native speakers of the Sorani language to hear and read the Bible in their own language for the first time. As well as physical copies, the new translation is available digitally, both through the YouVersion app and a newly designed Kurdish app called Pertukekem (‘My Book’).

WiTh TriniTy sUnday in MindIf asked to define the Trinity, we can only say that it is not this or that. - Augustine

No wonder that the doctrine of the Trinity is inexplicable, seeing that the nature of God is incomprehensible. Our faith must assent to what our reason cannot comprehend, otherwise we can never be Christians. - Francis Burkitt

The Trinity is the basis of the gospel, and the gospel is a declaration of the Trinity in action. - J I Packer

Tell me how it is that in this room there are three candles and but one light, and I will explain to you the mode of the divine existence. - John Wesley

David C McCabe & SonFuneral Directors

Formerly W.J.McCabe Warrenpoint (Est 1949)

For a caring and professional service028 3883 2988 mobile 07595 600777

Designed by Maurice McCabe on a Mac using Adobe In Design and printed by Clanmour Printing Warrenpoint Co Down. To receive a digital copy contact the Editor slemish005@gmail.comMany thanks to all our advertisers and those who contributed to this month’s issue.

some simple tricks to help you eat less this summer

Drink more water – especially a glass about 20 minutes before each meal.

At home, keep as much food as possible out of sight – ‘out of sight’ can really help with keeping food ‘out of mind’.

Use smaller plates. Large plates encourage large portions.

Split your portions up – cut the pizza or cake into six pieces, and put only one on your plate at a time.

If possible, eat in front of a mirror – it helps you acknowledge how much you are eating.

If you eat in front of your TV, beware: you will probably eat 15% more.

*Some of these tips come from Gastrophysics, by Charles Spence, Penguin.

Carpets make churches more child friendly

Here is an issue that probably affects many churches. A church has been allowed to carpet over valuable Minton tiles in its efforts to provide a space for children to sit and play during the services. The Victorian Society had tried to oppose the move, but the Chancellor of Blackburn Diocese decreed that encouraging children to come to church was more important than Minton tiles being on display. What do you think? The church is St Lawrence, Barton, Lancs.

**No theological reason for pews

Are you a pew lover? Or a modern comfy chair lover? It seems that this is a tension found in churches through-out the country. Conservationists want to keep the hard and unyielding wooden pews, while many vicars and lay people, desperate to encourage new people, want to introduce a comfortable place for them to sit. Now the Chancellor for the Diocese of Rochester has ruled in favour of comfy chairs, saying that there is ‘no theological basis’ for the retention of pews and that the ‘need and desirability’ of the comfortable chairs out-weighed any benefit of not having them.

WhaT WiLL yOU dO WiTh yOUr OLd £1 cOins?

You have until 15th October to dispose of your ‘old’ £1 coins. What will you do with them? Many charities are hop- ing that as you find the old coins, you will donate them to the charities. Even the Royal Mint is telling charities to increase their pres-ence on the streets this summer with collection buckets, where people are likely to have their purses out. It is thought that there are millions of old £1 coins out there, lurking in jam jars and piggy banks and pockets and drawers…

TAKe A nAP – AnD Be hAPPy If you want to be happy and smarter, grab a 30-minute nap during the day. Recent research has found that a nap of that length is ideal for boosting your performance and your personal feeling of happiness. ‘No-nappers’ can struggle through the day, and ‘long’ nappers risk some health problems, but a nap of up to 30 minutes in length seems to be the perfect ‘down-time’ your body needs to get up and running again. As one scientist put it: ‘Naps of under 30 minutes make you more focused, productive and creative… and you can also become happier just by taking a short nap.’ The study was carried out at the University of Hertfordshire.

SLEEpING IS NOT TO BE ASHAmED Of Do you try and live on little sleep? It is not a good idea. Just one night without proper rest quadruples your risk of catching a cold, because your immune sys-tem is suppressed. You will also face the day with less motivation, less empathy with others, slower reaction times, poorer concentration, and feeling far more hungry! For constant gnawing hunger can be caused by lack of sleep. Researchers at Pennsylvania State Univer-sity found that less than six hours a night causes levels of the hormone ghrelin, which signals hunger, to rise, and levels of leptin, the sense of fullness hormone, to drop. So when you are over-tired, you will feel hungry, but never full. Also, too little sleep can have grave long-term effects. Harvard Medical School found that less than five hours a night increases the risk of certain cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, obesity, cognitive decline, de-pression and heart disease. As one expert puts it: ‘There is not one single good thing about poor sleep, yet we live in a society that at best disregards it, and at worst, views getting by on very little as a badge of honour.’ Bad sleep ages your brain. Good sleep ‘shampoos’ your brain. During sleep, the space between brain cells actually expands 60 per cent, allowing the brain to flush our built-up toxins. “Under-sleeping is the next sugar scare – it’s a health time bomb.’ So says Dr Sara Gottfird, a sleep expert.

(Her book on the subject is, Younger, by Dr Sara Gottfried, Vermillion £14.99)

nOW caBBage is cOOLYou may have nightmare memories of boiled cabbage at school dinners, but forget them. These days, cabbage is totally cool.It all has to do with the ‘clean eating’ craze that is sweep-ing the UK. Pickled cabbage can do no wrong, it seems. Sauerkraut and kimchi are appearing in all sorts of res-taurants. Sales of cabbage at Sainsburys are up 39 per cent since Christmas, and sales of cider vinegar is up by 17 per cent.The British Brassica Association asserts that cabbage is very good for you – high in vitamin C, vitamin K, and it also has anti-carcinogenic properties.

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all in the month of June.............It was:250 years ago: on 29th June 1767 that Britain introduced the Townshend Revenue Act, which was a second attempt at generating tax revenue from the American colonies (with-out their permission). This led to the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution.

200 years ago: on 30th June 1817 that Sir Joseph Hooker, British botanist, was born. He was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century, and became Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew. (1865-85)

100 years ago: on 4th June 1917 that the Order of the British Empire was established by King George V. It is an order of chivalry awarded to people who make a significant achieve-ment for (or contribution to) the United Kingdom. There are five classes: Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GBE), Knight/Dame Commander (KBE/DBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE), and Member (MBE).

80 years ago: on 3rd June 1937 that Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, married Wallis Warfield in France.

Also 80 years ago: on 11th June 1937 that R J Mitchell, British aircraft designer who designed and developed the Spitfire, died

Also 80 years ago: on 30th June 1937 that the 999 emergency telephone service went into operation in London. It was the first such service in the world.

Also 75 years ago: on 12th June 1942 that Anne Frank received her famous diary for her 13th birthday. She used it to document her life over the next two years as her family hid from the Nazis.

Also 75 years ago: on 25th June 1942 that The Daily Telegraph newspaper published the first account of the mass murder of Polish Jews. It reported that Germany had murdered 700,000 already, and that a further 1000 a day were being killed in gas chambers at Auschwitz. It was reported to be ‘the greatest massacre in history’ yet the story was largely ignored; it only made page 5 of the newspaper, and the other newspapers did not even run it.

60 years ago: on 27th June 1957 that Britain’s Medical Research Council reported that there was a cause-and-effect relationship between smoking and lung cancer. As a result, the Minister of Health said he had a duty to warn the public of the risks smokers faced.

50 years ago: on 1st June 1967 the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released by the Beatles.

Also 50 years ago: on 5th to 10th June 1967 that the Six-Day War began. Israel launched pre-emptive air strikes against Egypt and then pushed into Jordan and Syria. Israel captured the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria.

NIGHT-TIME PRAYERSThe little boy was saying his go-to-bed prayers in a very low voice. “I can’t hear you, dear,” his mother whispered. “Wasn’t talking to you,” said the small one firmly.

THE WICKEDA little boy had been very naughty and as a punishment his mother told him he would go without his favourite vegetable. He sat down for a meal, his mother served, carrots, corn, - - and? “It’s no use waiting,” said his mother, “I told you, no peas for the wicked.”

WHICH WAY TO HEAVEN?The Rev Dr Billy Graham told of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Want-ing to post a letter before the service, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy had told him, Billy Graham thanked him and said, “If you’ll come to the Baptist Church this evening, you can hear me telling every-one how to get to heaven.”

The boy replied, “I don’t think I’ll be there... You don’t even know your way to the post office.”

LESSON IN LYINGA minister told his congregation, “Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17.”The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17. Every hand went up. The minister smiled and said, “Mark has only 16 chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying.”

THE BOASTING BOYSThree boys in the schoolyard were bragging about their fa-thers. The first boy said, “My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him £50.”

The second boy said, “That’s nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him £100.”

The third boy said, “I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon. And it takes eight people to collect all the money!”

-0-Why is it that when you tell a man there are 400 billion stars he will believe you, but when you tell him there’s wet paint he has to touch it?

****************************What makes life dreary is absence of motive. What makes life complicated is multiplicity of motive. What makes life

victorious is singleness of motive. - George eliot