Beautiful Fermanagh: The #G8 Venue

The day has finally arrived. The leaders are arriving. Barack Obama is on his way to Belfast, and then to Fermanagh. The Lough Erne Golf Resort awaits the G8 delegations. And the rain is on. Good Fermanagh rain, just as we're used to in these parts.

It doesn't rain all the time, and to prove it, here are some photos of Fermanagh in the sunshine. Here's what the G8 leaders might miss as they dander in the drizzle and helicopter in the heavy rain!

Sunrise on Lough Erne

Monea Castle

Enniskillen Cathedral by night

Castle Coole

Enniskillen Castle by night

Topped sunset

Enniskillen Castle from the water

Crom Castle

Lower Lough Erne from Lough Naver Forest

My own little corner of Fermanagh - Aghavea

Sermon: 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Praying for the #G8

Even though it hasn't started yet, it will soon be over. The roadworks are finished, the police are in place, the lough has been closed, and now we're just waiting for the leaders themselves. The action begins tomorrow, and by Tuesday tea time they'll be off again and life will get back to normal. We'll wonder what all the fuss was for.

For twenty four hours, the leaders of the world's eight richest nations (as well as the president of the EU and a few others) will be on our doorstep. What can we do? You might decide to steer clear of enniskillen over the next few days, wary of the potential for trouble. Perhaps you will join the protestors. In our reading this evening, we find the thing that God wants us to do - at all times, but how much more when we are hosting these powerful people in our county.

But as we begin, I wonder if you remember the catchphrase of the Three Musketeers? All for one and one for all. As we look at 1 Timothy 2, we'll see lots of alls and lots of ones.

The first all comes in verse one. 'First of all, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions...' Paul commands Timothy and the church in Ephesus under his care to pray. But rather than just saying pray, he gives all types of prayer for all types of people. The call is to pray for all people, but then he goes to the specific, to pray for kings and all who are in high positions.

The G8 leaders certainly qualify as those in high positions, and we'll be praying for them later. But why is it we're told to pray for them? Why should we pray for those in authority? It is so 'that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.' When Paul was writing, he wasn't living under a democratically elected government. Neither did he have a Queen who was a Christian. Rather, Caesar was out to get Christians, Paul himself would die by execution. Yet still, he prays for the emperor, and calls us to pray, so that we may live in peace.

As if that wasn't reason enough to pray, Paul gives us another two - it is good, a good thing to do, but also, it is pleasing in God's sight. And it's here that we find our next all. God 'desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.' So often we set the scope of salvation too narrow - only us and people like us. In the first century, there was the same issue. The Jews thought that they alone were the inheritors of God's salvation, but the Gentiles were included. All sorts of people are included, God's desire is for all to be saved (even though not all will be saved).

For Paul, being saved and coming to a knowledge of the truth is the same thing - like two sides of the one coin. And what is the truth? What is the testimony that has been given to him? 'for there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.'

There may be many different people, many different supposed religions, but Paul reminds us of the truth that there is one God. Not many gods, not lots of idols, as was believed in Paul's day; but one God, who made heaven and earth. Now how can we relate to this one God? If he is high and exalted, the head over all, more powerful than the G8 leaders, then how could we approach him? We need a go between, a mediator, someone to represent us before him, to act in our place.

God has provided the mediator - the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. There is one God, one mediator, who gave himself for all. This means that any other religious system is false. They either describe a false god (an idol) or else give a false way to approach this one God. You see, if God has provided the way to approach him, in the mediator, to try and go your own way is to believe a lie. To say no, thank you, I'll do it my way, is to reject this God and reject his salvation.

Just think of someone who is adrift at sea. They're in danger, and the lifeboat comes along, but they refuse to get in. There's no other means of rescue, the lifeboat is their only hope. Is it wise to refuse their help? Is it tolerant to let them go their own way?

Jesus is the saviour for all who will turn to him, his blood is sufficient, the ransom has been paid. It's for this reason that Paul is appointed to be a preacher and apostle, a teacher of the Gentiles - or as you could say, all nations.

This is the truth that has been revealed, the truth that God wants everyone to hear and accept, and so be saved.

We offer all sorts of prayer for all people (especially rulers) so that God's desire for all to be saved through Jesus, the one mediator for all, might be taught to all nations. It's a great reason to pray, as we fall in line with God's desires and pray for the things he wants.

This sermon was preached in the Brooke Memorial Hall on Sunday 16th June 2013.

Book Review: Brookeborough: The Making of a Prime Minister

Having moved to Fermanagh almost two years ago, I've been trying to get to know the county's people, history, background and culture in order to minister and mission as effectively as possible. As part of the research, the opportunity came to learn about a previous generation of the local landlords, who happened to hold the most senior position in Northern Irish politics for about twenty years. In Brian Barton's book 'Brookeborough: The Making of a Prime Minister' we get to know a lot more about Sir Basil Brooke, Lord Brookeborough.

Barton's aim, writing in 1988 was to put right the shame that 'Brooke has not been well served by posterity'. 'The purpose of this narrative is to trace and to analyse the source and early development of his remarkable, improbable and hitherto neglected campaign.' (x) The result certainly meets the aim, with incredible attention to detail and plenty of analysis.

The background story of the Brooke family is fascinating, bringing them from England to Colebrooke via the plantation of Donegal and later in the 1640s, Fermanagh. It is here that subsequent generations of the family have made their home, to the extent that: 'over the years the Brookes came to identify closely with the county and country of their adoption, its prosperity and stability they helped promote, its idiosyncracies they enjoyed, its humour and sentiment they increasingly shared. They cherished its natural beauty, knew well its history, lived and worked by and large comfortably with its people.' (4) Each generation's contribution to the local, national and international history of the armed services of the empire is recorded.

Sir Basil's childhood is recounted with care, with an interesting detail that the Colebrooke estate in the 1880s was 30,000 acres. His father is recalled as 'a truly Victorian parent... stern disciplinarian, one of... the Jehovah-type.' (16) While this is mentioned, it's not explained if Basil meant that his father preferred the Old Testament view of God (commonly called), or if he thought himself in God-like control. His career in the army is shared, with service in India and then the First World War. On his return to beloved Colebrooke, he was to write, 'I had thought that my soldiering days were over but they were not... I was to become a soldier of a very different sort... but I had the added stimulant of defending my own birthplace.' (28)

That defence is detailed in the third chapter, on the formation of the Special Constabulary. Following the First World War, the tension in Ireland and especially Ulster, became intense. A rise in support for Sinn Fein came due to the execution of the leaders of the failed Easter Rising of 1916 - support which was allegedly promoted by sympathetic Roman Catholic priests. That tension was reaching boiling point in Fermanagh, so that Brooke formed 'his illegal vigilante force' (31). Later, when the Specials were formed and regularised, Brooke was appointed County Commandant.

With a ceasefire in the Anglo-Irish conflict, 'the truce was the prelude to a period of prolonged political uncertainty and sectarian tension which cast a dark and permanent shadow over the subsequent history of Fermanagh.' (44) The truce had been guaranteed by the formation of a Boundary Commission to investigate and recommend the exact line of the border between the Irish Free State and the newly formed Northern Ireland. Herein lay the concern - would Fermanagh find itself on the Irish or Northern side of the border? Fermanagh's nationalists expected to be southern citizens, with the County Council looking for authority to Dail Eireann. Unionists felt threatened, indeed Brooke described the Commission as 'the predominant threat confronting the loyalists of Ulster.' (45)

In this atmosphere, tension was to rise even further - 'from comparative peace to the brink of civil war' (45) with a number of incidents including the kidnapping of over 40 Protestants in the border region and the murder of five A Special Constables in Clones station.

Indeed, as the next chapter makes clear, 'the spectre of the Boundary Commission helped to keep local fears and rumours alive and deepen those psychological scars which permanently influenced the county's political structures.' (59) There is an interesting piece of trivia concerning the drawing of the border, with the military pushing for Lough Erne to be the dividing line, for ease of defence. Such advice was of course, rejected, with the entire county remaining in Northern Ireland.

Perhaps Lord Brookeborough is most famous for his line that 'he had not a Roman catholic about his own place' (78) - a line which has been adapted and adopted (and twisted) even to the present day on the lips of Sinn Fein MLAs. Barton provides a lot of analysis of those remarks, with documentary evidence of the situation of the day, the pressures of the moment and the background. After ten pages of discussion, his conclusion is that Brooke's moderate speeches have been ignored or forgotten, and that 'Such rhetoric was a response to a particular situation and it should not be deduced that the distrust of the minority that he then expressed proved as enduring as its place in popular recollection.' (89)

From here on, the book becomes incredibly detailed to the extent of being laborious in the reporting of Brooke's political career as Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Commerce and Partition, and eventually the almost minute-by-minute negotiations that led to Brooke becoming Prime Minister, succeeding John Andrews in 1943. While it was interesting to see some of what happened in the Northern Ireland Parliament at Stormont, it really would be heavy going for most people, except the political geek.

Of those chapters, just a few highlights shone:

- The statistics of rural living in Northern Ireland in the 1940s: 'In the early 1940s, the Ministry of Home Affairs estimated that 40 per cent of rural housing was either unfit for human habitation or overcrowded, and that over 60 per cent had neither gas nor electricity installed or available.' (102)

- The opportunity to see the people involved in the Ulster Crisis (ironically) establishing the Home Rule Parliament in Northern Ireland - names familiar to students of the Ulster Covenant and raising of Carson's UVF are found in power - Craig, Spender, and others.

- Building on that, the discovery that those politicians weren't really very good; that public opinion was never really overwhelmingly positive for the Stormont administration, and that the government's sheer ineptitude was such that it 'might do irreparable harm to Ulster and to the unionist cause... and constituted a grave danger to the system of democratic government in the province' according to Spender. (121). Perhaps nothing ever changes!

There is also a revealing insight into Brooke's personal faith or otherwise. He 'played an active part in parish if not diocesan affairs more from a sense of duty than personal piety.' (143) This seems to be the only reference to faith at all, or perhaps was all that Barton mentioned.

The book in its final chapter deals with the steps Brooke took to become Prime Minister, but then suddenly stops. To an extent, this was disappointing, as I wanted to learn more of how things turned out, but then that was beyond the scope of the book. I enjoyed it, even thought at times it did appear to revel in the intimate details rather than portraying the broader picture. This will definitely be a good book for those wishing to understand some of what has made Fermanagh the place it is today, as seen in the life of one of its leading citizens. It should be a must-read for politicians and those involved in local politics as we see the current administration at Stormont falter and fail in its duty to serve effectively and achieve just about anything. Otherwise we may repeat the past, rather than learn from its mistakes.

Sermon: 2 Timothy 3:10 - 4:8 Bible and Crown

I’m sure, like me, you saw some of the Olympics during the summer. It was fantastic to see the British athletes do so well in the cycling and the rowing and the long distance track. However, when it came to one particular event, the British men’s team did it all wrong, and were disqualified. The women didn’t even make it to the Olympics. Now, at the risk of turning into A Question of Sport, which event was it?

The relay race. The 4x100 metres. The final changeover was disastrous, it didn’t happen correctly, and despite finishing second in their heat, the men were disqualified. Many a cold, wet afternoon during PE being taught how it was meant to be done, as the baton is passed to the next runner. It’s so important for the baton to be passed, for the next person to take over and have a chance at a medal.

The apostle Paul is writing his young friend Timothy, giving him instructions as he passes the baton on. Paul has been giving his life to the work of the gospel, travelling around the known world telling people about Jesus, planting churches, and declaring the good news. But now he is in prison. Execution is not too far away. Paul’s race is almost over: ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.’ (4:7). It’s up to Timothy now to take up the baton and run his race, to continue on Paul’s work of teaching and encouraging.

Yet as Timothy looks to the future, as he sees what lies ahead, it seems that the relay race isn’t being run on the nice new athletics track in the Olympic stadium. What lies before him is more like an army assault course, with obstacles and dangers to face. Paul even spells them out for him. He reminds him of the persecutions and sufferings in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, These were places where Paul had been driven out of town, opposed, and stoned (that is, attacked with stones, not drugged).

More than that, it’s not just Paul who will face problems and difficulties for being a Christian: ‘Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.’ (3:12). Now you might think that it’s silly to mention this at all, especially if you’re here considering the good news and thinking about becoming a Christian, but we have to present the whole truth. The Lord Jesus warns us to count the cost before we decide to follow him.

So the future looks bleak. Is it all just doom and gloom? Why would anyone want to be a Christian faced with such opposition and problems? Wouldn’t it be easier to just continue on in your sinful life and live the way you want?

Paul gives Timothy a glimpse of reality - what his life will look like as he follows Jesus. But it’s not all negative. Rather, he also gives two great big encouragements, as he looks to the future in faith. Two things that we are given by God as we love and serve him.

The first comes at the end of chapter three. Paul has said that evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse. That may be the direction they’re going, ‘But as for you...’ Timothy, don’t follow the crowd. Don’t go the way of the world. As for you, continue in what you have learned... What is it he has learned? What is it that he has firmly believed? It’s the ‘sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.’

The Bible is able to make us wise - to give us the information we need in order to find salvation - salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Despite there being 66 different books from around 40 different authors, written over a period of a couple of thousand years, there is one uniting subject. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is all about Jesus, sharing the good news, showing us his glory.

Now how can this be so, if there are all those different authors? Behind them, and through them, Paul tells us, there is one author: ‘All Scripture is breathed out by God...’ (3:16) Just as my words are coming out of my mouth as I breathe, so the Scriptures are God-breathed. Scripture says what God is saying. When we read the Bible, it’s not just ancient words on a page, but God speaking to us here and now.

I suspect that I’m a typical man, and perhaps wives you’ll recognise this trait in your husbands too. I get a new piece of equipment, some new technology, and straight away, I want to turn it on and get stuck in. I’ll footer about with it, trying to make it work. It’s only when I get stuck that I’ll go back to the box to find the instruction manual. We think: I can sort this out myself. We don’t need any help. Until we realise we do.

Life can be like that. We have some freedom and off we go, making our own mistakes, trying to sort things out ourselves. We live the way we want to, and then wonder why we end up getting things so very wrong. We need the instruction manual. We need to hear from the Maker, who knows how life is meant to work. Paul tells us: ‘All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.’ (3:16-17)

Perhaps this evening you’re wandering, you’re lost. You recognise yourself among the evil people and impostors going from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. The remedy is to be rescued. To turn from error and self-deception, to turn to the living God who has spoken. To become wise in the way of salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus. To learn about the saviour and to trust in him. To be taught and corrected from his word so that we can love and serve him.

The other night (or was it morning by then), the world waited to hear the acceptance speech of the President of the United States, as he was elected for his second term. Journalists and political commentators hung on his every word, listening and reporting and analysing. Or think for a moment of Twitter. Lady Gaga has over 31 million followers, Justin Bieber 29 million - all eager to hear from their heroes (even if it’s just what they ate for breakfast!). Yet we have the words of the living God in our homes, often in a box, out of the way on a shelf, gathering dust.

Our banner tonight show the open Bible; another banner design depicts the secret of England’s greatness as the Bible is presented by Queen Victoria to foreign princes. Will you take up your Bible and read and learn, and hear God’s voice to you? It is in this way that we hear and are saved, as we trust in the Lord.

The first thing we’re given is the Bible, the scriptures. This is what Timothy is to give himself to learn and teach and proclaim, in and through the dark days that lay ahead of him. At the end of our passage, Paul tells us about the second thing we’re given, which encourages us to keep going as we love and serve the Lord Jesus. Here’s what he says: ‘For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.’ (4:6-8).

You see, as Paul comes towards the end of his life, as he completes his race, he looks towards the finish line, towards the podium. The reward isn’t a gold medal and a wee posy of flowers. Instead, what awaits is the crown of righteousness.

This crown of righteousness is the sign of being accepted by God, of being in the right with God. It is awarded by the Lord, the righteous judge, who judges with absolute fairness and justice. Remember where Paul is: He’s on remand, sitting in prison, awaiting the death sentence, which the unjust judge, Nero, will pass on him. His earthly life will cease, condemned as a prisoner; but Nero’s judgement doesn’t concern him. Rather, he is looking forward to the only opinion that finally matters - the Lord, the righteous judge, who will award that crown of righteousness.

Now you might be thinking to yourself that of course Paul deserves such a crown - he’s in the Bible, after all, he wrote books of the Bible, he was so very good. You could not be further from the truth. Paul doesn’t deserve this crown of righteousness. Earlier we spoke of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. That is, salvation from our sins - Paul needed rescue, just as we do too. Our rescue is in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, in the great exchange taking away our sins, and giving us his perfect righteousness. It’s by faith that we receive God’s grace. Indeed, as Paul says, ‘I have kept the faith.’

Paul can face the future with confidence. His heavenly reward is certain. His crown is laid up ready for him. Friends, tonight, your future can also be certain. You see, Paul wasn’t boasting, as if to say, well I’m all right, I’ve got a crown waiting for me. He goes on to say that it is ‘not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.’

Jesus is returning, the righteous judge, who died to save us. We too can be sure of receiving the crown of righteousness as we hear God’s word of grace and respond in faith. Jesus has died to win your salvation. Will you hear and heed him tonight? Will you trust in the Lord for your salvation? Will you welcome him on that great Day when he appears as judge? The Bible, God’s breathed out word, points us to the crown, God’s gracious gift, offered freely.

This sermon was preached at the Banner Mission in Enniskillen District Orange Hall, organised by County Fermanagh Grand Lodge, on Thursday 8th November 2012. Each preacher through the week was given a picture from a banner to work with and present the gospel message. My banner was from Garrison district, depicting the Bible and the crown.

Book Review: Enniskillen

It's one of my earliest memories. A Sunday evening, I was sitting on my knees in our living room, using the settee as my table to eat my dinner. As always, the television was on, and our eyes were glued to the screen. Images of horror and devastation were being shown, a bomb attack in Enniskillen, as people were gathering to commemorate the war dead at the war memorial on Poppy Day. Remembrance Sunday, the 8th November 1987.

It's now twenty-five years ago since that scene in our front room, but I can still remember it. I'm not sure I can remember much, if anything, before then. The name of Enniskillen was imprinted in my mind.

For the tenth anniversary of the bombing, the Editor of the local newspaper, The Impartial Reporter, Denzil McDaniel produced a book, simply entitled 'Enniskillen: The Remembrance Sunday Bombing.' Fifteen years since it came out, and in advance of this latest milestone, I read the book, discovering more information about what happened that day, and the stories of those murdered and injured in the attack.

McDaniel puts his journalistic training to excellent effect, as he provides the narrative framework and background details, but allows individuals and their families to tell their own stories. It's a powerful, moving, emotional read, perhaps even essential for anyone to hear how one attack among so many affected so many lives in one small town in rural Northern Ireland.

With the delay of ten years, McDaniel is able to trace the people as they have dealt with the events of that terrible day. As a community gathered together, it was a dastardly attack on the whole community, and there are frank interviews with political leaders, ranging from Sir Bernard Ingham (Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Press Secretary), through local MP of the time, Ken Maginnis to Gerry Adams.

Perhaps the most encouraging feature of the whole book is the repeated refrain of the importance of the Christian faith, not only to the twelve people murdered, but also to so many of the relatives and injured. The hope and strength and comfort provides a vivid testimony to the grace and goodness of God even in times of darkness and evil actions. I'm not entirely sure how much McDaniel understands of it, based on the way he describes it sometimes, but he certainly reports the accounts and interviews of the individuals so that their words and faith shines through.

Written in autumn 1997, the book comes at a precise moment in time and Irish history, before the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, before the power-sharing executive in Stormont, and chillingly, before the even bigger devastation of the Omagh bomb. As he writes in his final paragraph:

'Enniskillen has come through its troubled day in 1987 extremely well. But in writing this book, the one thing that I found unnerving was the realisation that there is still the potential in Northern Ireland for more Ennsikillens. It seems remarkable that in a society that has suffered so much, we have not quite reached a point where such an awful event can be ruled out. It may seem like a cliche, but the simple fact is that we must learn to live together. We must find agreement, including a political settlement, that allows this generation and future generations to share this land in a peaceful way, fully recognising the richness of both traditions.'

How sad that, in this twenty-fifth anniversary week, we are still burying the victims of terrorism, with final peace still beyond our grasp.

All in all, while it is not an easy book to read, nevertheless it is an important book, and one that is well worth reading. The voice of the victims cannot be silenced; their story must be heard.

Preaching Away: Coolbuck

Most Sundays, I have the joy and delight of preaching in my own parish church at Aghavea. You'll have to ask my parishioners if they have the joy and delight of listening to me! Occasionally, though, there are opportunities to discover and preach in other churches, and yesterday afternoon was a special one.

This is the little church at Coolbuck, in the parish of Lisbellaw. There's a service here each Sunday afternoon at 3pm (fortnightly in the summer months). It's also not very big, as you might have noticed.



The parish website provides some more details:

"Coolbuck Mountain Church is a chapel of ease lying within the Parish of Lisbellaw. Early records of the church were lost with other parish records in the fire in Dublin in 1922

According to the Griffith Valuation in 1862 a new schoolhouse was to be added to their records. It is believed that the Ford family built it as a school and handed it over to the landlord JGV Porter to be used as a church.

The stonemason was John Johnston who lived nearby in Coolbuck; the agreed price for the building including the boundary wall was eight pounds.

John Johnston was married in the Parish of Derryvullen South to a local girl, Margaret Rinchey of nearby Mountdrum and they had a large family. Many of their children moved to Australia and three of them became ministers in the church. Their grandson was the Stationmaster in Lisbellaw and on the day of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II the family left Lisbellaw by train to start a new life in Australia.

After the First World War services were held monthly and Harvest Services held annually by the light of the tilley lamps. Rev JJ St Ledger opened the church on a weekly basis when he came to the parish in 1958 and this practice still continues. As such, we believe Coolbuck to be Ireland's smallest church building regularly used for public worship.

The electricity was brought to Coolbuck in 1995 with money raised at a Miniature Olde World Flower Festival.

One of the highlights for many in the parish and beyond is the First Communion of Christmas at Coolbuck on Christmas Eve.

The first funeral service was held here in 1979.
Our first baptism was a double baptism in 1971.
Our first Wedding was in December 2005."



This is the preacher's point of view, with twenty-four souls gathered yesterday, the small, intimate church provides great acoustics for singing, and no amplification required for preaching.



With thanks to the Rector, Bryan Kerr for inviting me to lead and preach at Coolbuck yesterday afternoon.

The Twelfth in Enniskillen: PIcture Special

Yesterday was my first time watching the Twelfth parade in the county of Fermanagh, and the important Williamite garrison town of Enniskillen. Throughout the siege of Derry (Londonderry), it was the island town of Enniskillen that prevented James II from pressing the advantage and forcing the Maiden City to surrender. The Williamite troops of Enniskillen went on raiding parties, engaging in guerilla warfare against the Jacobite forces; which meant that James had to divide his men.

The route of yesterday's parade was largely contained on the island of Enniskillen itself (Kathleen's Island), with the assembly and demonstration fields both car parks - at the Legion and the Castle. A large crowd of supporters watched as the lodges, bands, and even a pair of Lambeg drums made their way to the Castle car park for a Highland Scottish dancing demonstration before the service and speeches. Rev Stanley Gamble, newly appointed Rector of Killinchy, Kilmood and Tullynakill, and Grand Chaplain of the Orange Order, preached, assisted by County Chaplains Rev William Johnston and Rev Roderic West.

Surprisingly for Fermanagh, the sun came out, to the extent that I'm nursing a bit of sunburn on my face this morning!

Here are a few pictures from the day:

King Billy leads the procession.

The County Standard.

Orange sisters on parade.

Banners in the breeze.

Britannia from Cappa, Monaghan.

Emergency repairs on a broken banner.

Local history in the Battle of Ballindarragh.

Tenor Drum in action.

One of many portraits of King Billy.

Brookeborough Drums.

Pipe Bands were the order of the day.

The Lambeg Drums.

The Queen revisits Enniskillen!

The Platform Party, with special guests First Minister Peter Robinson and Minister Arlene Foster.

Scottish dancing.

Platform Proceedings.

For these and more photos from the Twelfth in Enniskillen, check out my Flickr set.

Lost

I'm sure you've heard of the parable of the lost sheep, but did you hear the one about the lost rector?

My first week in Fermanagh, and I'm struggling with the highways and byways - mostly the byways! On two separate occasions, with directions provided, I've become completely lost, arriving at a house only to find it isn't the house I'm looking for at all! I'm never very far away, but I'm still lost. Last night, I managed to find the house I was calling at on the second attempt, but on Monday I had to get the phone out and ring the lady again for help!



I'll not blame it on the sparse address details, only having the name of the townland to go on, rather it appears I'm not very good at following directions. Was it a left or a right at that crossroads? How many lanes did I need to count? Was I looking for a house or a bungalow?

Turns out that we're all like that. We know the way to go, but we don't listen. We prefer to go it alone, following our own ideas. Rather than follow the instructions, we all like sheep have gone astray. Sooner or later, we too need to realise that we're lost, that we can't make it on our own.

The good news is that when we acknowledge we're lost, and cry for help, we discover that the good shepherd has already came to find us and bring us home rejoicing.

The lost can be found, and what a party awaits us when we are brought home!

The Institution

So Friday night was my Institution service as incumbent of the parish. An amazing night, for which I am very thankful. Here are some of the highlights:

- A full church. Aghavea was full to bursting with people who had travelled from near and far to be with us on the evening. Looking down from the front it was strange to see lots of people from the different spheres and parts of my life - Dromore, Dundonald, work, friends, family, as well as new church family and diocesan colleagues. I'm very grateful to all who were able to come on a wet Fermanagh evening.

- A smooth service. The Rural Dean, Maurice Armstrong and the Archdeacon, Cecil Pringle had worked hard at ensuring everything went as it should in the service, which meant we could relax and follow it through without a hitch.

- An inspiring sermon. My Rector in Dundonald, Tim Anderson, preached a cracking sermon on the surprises in God's church from 1 Corinthians 1:26 - 2:5 the people, the proclamation, and the preacher. Very clear and faithful, it was a good sermon to preach me in.

- Excellent singing. I'm very grateful to Myrtle and the choir for their hard work, and the way in which they led the singing of the hymns. I perhaps got a bit carried away in the singing, which led to me losing my voice when it came to leading the prayers!

- A warm welcome. The churchwardens and glebewardens were on hand at the door welcoming everyone, as were the men in the car park directing traffic. 250 hands were shaken at the door as I greeted the entire congregation on the way out, but it'll take some time to get to know (and remember) all their names!

- A good supper. We were directed onto the stage for our supper, which was slightly unnerving - it felt as if everyone was watching every bite going into your mouth! The sandwiches, sausage rolls, cocktail sausages, and buns were unending it seemed, and all delicious. I'm very grateful to Valerie and her catering team for their hard work and energy in seeing that everyone was well fed. I'd better watch though, or my waistline will be expanding in this parish!

All in all, it was a great evening to introduce me to the parish and diocese. Now the hard work begins getting stuck into the parish, discovering all the things rectors need to do that curates didn't have to worry about!

A DVD of the Institution service is in the process of being made - details will follow on how to obtain a copy in due course.

Aghavea Appointment

This afternoon I'm pleased to announce that I've been appointed as the new Rector of Aghavea Parish in the Diocese of Clogher.



Agha-where? The parish is centred on the village of Brookeborough, in County Fermanagh, and we'll be moving westwards in August from my Curacy in St Elizabeth's, Dundonald. No date has been set for the Institution service, but I'll update the blog when it's all arranged.


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We're very excited about the move, and getting to know our new parish, with the big step from Curate to Rector, from big parish to smaller parish, and from city to rural setting. Our desire is to see the Lord Jesus glorified in the church and in the world, as we proclaim the good news and become more like Jesus.

We would appreciate your prayers over these coming months as we say farewell to our friends and church family in Dundonald and move to Fermanagh.

Castles, Churches and a Cross of Sacrifice

County Fermanagh is probably my least visited county in Northern Ireland, with vast sections unexplored and virtually unknown apart from looking at maps. Last Saturday though, my ignorance about the Lakeland county began to be overturned, with a day off and free time for an adventure.

In the past, I've been to Enniskillen a few times and stayed at the Share Centre in Lisnaskea, so decided that Lower Lough Erne would be my destination for this trip. In terms of geographical oddities, Northern Ireland is full of them - the Upper Bann section of the river is 'lower' on the map than the Lower Bann river (because it flows northwards from the Mournes to Lough Neagh, then on to Coleraine); and similarly, Lower Lough Erne is the more northerly of the two Lough Erne portions.

I was on new territory for most of the day, finding new parts of the country to which I will certainly return again. And here's some of what I found on the way.

One of my interests is Irish history, and there's a wealth of history deep in the Fermanagh countryside. While Enniskillen and Crom Castles may get all the credit and visitors, they're not the only Fermanagh fortifications. Tully Castle, on the shores of the Lough has a great garden laid out in front of it (and a walk round by the Lough):


Monea Castle may well be my favourite though. One of the Plantation castles, the ruins still stand despite its turbulent history in the 1600's.


Another of my photographic interests is to capture photos of Church of Ireland parish churches. I'm slowly building my collections on Flickr (see Down & Dromore, Connor, Armagh, Clogher, Derry & Raphoe among others). My little trip through south west Fermanagh (with a short incursion into County Cavan) helped get a few more photos from both Kilmore Diocese as well as Clogher. Just a small sample, here are Boho and Inishmacsaint:



The most surprising part of my day came on the return leg, along the north shore of Lough Erne. Tucked away in the little Irvinestown was something I didn't expect to see. This:

A Great War Cross of Sacrifice. I've previously found these in the City Cemetery, Dundonald Cemetery, Carnmoney Cemetery, Milltown Cemetery (!) and in Dundee. They are all the same, commemorating the soldiers who died during the First World War (also known as the Great War). As Graeme has informed me, they were erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in any cemetery with more than forty war graves. There are plenty in Irvinestown, both beside the cross itself, and also around the back of the church.

All the Great War Cross of Sacrifice crosses I had found up to now had been in and around Belfast. There's one in Irvinestown. Any more in out of the way places in the Northern Irish countryside?

Sligo and the Marble Arches

Went off on the final fling of the summer - an overnight road trip to Sligo with Stewart. A really enjoyable couple of days of exploring, getting lost with the poor road signs, and talking theology. Among the places we visited was the grave of WB Yeats at Drumcliffe, the Spanish Armada memorial, and Parkes Castle on the shores of Lough Gill.

The highlight for me, though, was when we crossed the border again. It was my first time visiting the Marble Arch Caves in County Fermanagh, and I definitely want to go back some time. Sadly the boat trip part of the tour was off, due to the rising flood water, but the walking bit of the tour was still impressive. What an amazing sight, especially the bits where you could see the reflection of the stalactites in the calm water of the river.

Photos will shortly be available on Flickr - I'm slowly getting them up onto the site. In the meantime, it's just four days until my return to Dublin. Here we go for final year!

Fermanagh

So earlier today I was in the lakeland county of Fermanagh, on what turned out to be a nice enough day. It was work, though, so the morning was spent in Lisnaskea, doing more of the interviews for the research report... On the way home, though, I decided to call into Ennsikillen, because if you're up that far, then you might as well go to Kathleen's island.

The weather on the way to Fermanagh had been rough, with one shockingly heavy shower in Fivemiletown (which, it turns out, is actually six miles away from Clogher... but there are 5 Irish miles to 6 English miles, so it is named appropriately enough!). but the sun came out, and it was quite bright... right enough to bring on another of my eyes-watering-can-do-nothing-for-a-few-minutes things.

The highlight of the visit was the Enniskillen Castle - with its displays on the history of the Inniskilling Regiment, and the earlier Maguire dynasty in Fermanagh. Well worth a visit! And cheap too - at only £2.75 for adults, although it was £2.20 for students! Then home again - and in just about 2 hours, which wasn't bad going, with a lorry broken down on the A4 between Ballygawley and Dungannon!