Dear Beloved Community,
Happy New Year everyone!
In the church calendar, the new year begins with the Baptism of Jesus. It’s a great place to begin. At his baptism, Jesus began his ministry, an approximately three-year journey that would eventually lead him to the cross. It was a starting point, the beginning of a journey.
We take the opportunity this Sunday to remember our own baptism. We commit ourselves once again at the start of the year to live as disciples of Christ.
Each one of us has some way to show signs of our baptism. In how we volunteer, how we care, what we invest in, where we put our time, how we bounce back, who we identify with. We remember our baptism by living into God’s call on our lives, individually and as the body of Christ.
This Sunday is an opportunity to commit ourselves anew to following Jesus.
Blessings
Rob
Service for Sunday 7th January
8:30am: Holy Communion.
9:45am: Sunday Morning @ the Gathering Grounds.
11:00am: Morning Prayer
This Sunday we think about the Baptism of Christ. As one of the baptism festivals of the church, we will have a liturgy to remember our own baptism
Sunday Sermons Available online
We didn’t get the Christmas services uploaded, but we will begin again in the new year. So, it you miss this Sundays sermon, you will be able to hear it on – https://kilternanparish.ie/talks/ the following Tuesday.
The best way to keep in touch with what is happening is on the website. Details here:
Click to view our Upcoming Services
Click to view the full Parish Calendar
Click to view all Upcoming Events
Tuesday Midweek Service back on next week – 9th January
Gathering Grounds Christmas and New Year Opening Hours
The Gathering Grounds Café is currently closed for the Christmas Holidays. It will reopen again on the 8th January at 8:30am.
Dublin and Glendalough launch Diocese of Jerusalem Appeal
The United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough have launched an appeal to support the Diocese of Jerusalem in its efforts to deal with the impact of the current war. The Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem is home to about 7,000 Anglicans. It is also responsible for more than 30 institutions, including hospitals, schools, clinics and rehabilitation centres which welcome all people regardless of their faith or background. These include Al–Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.
Archbishop Michael Jackson has urged the people of the dioceses and beyond to support this appeal for the Diocese of Jerusalem. He said: “The deepening situation of distress and disintegration of human life and of human dignity in Israel and Gaza deserves our response and our support. I encourage you to contribute to this appeal as generously as possible to address human need and alleviate human suffering”.
You can support the appeal by donating by electronic transfer to: Diocesan Funds of Dublin and Glendalough No 1 A/C Current Account, Bank of Ireland, 2 COLLEGE GREEN DUBLIN 2 IBAN: IE50 BOFI 9000 1769 3548 78, BIC: BOFIIE2D. Cheques may be sent to Diocesan Offices of Dublin and Glendalough, Church of Ireland House, Church Avenue, Rathmines, Dublin 6, D06 CF67.
And you can read the full appeal details here:
Cost of living leaflet highlights sources of help and support
A new leaflet from the Church of Ireland’s Church and Society Commission highlights sources of help and support for households responding to the cost–of–living crisis.
The Cost-of-Living Leaflet guides readers to where they can seek help when they are experiencing problems with debt and personal finances, energy and household costs, and buying food. You can find more information here – https://dublin.anglican.org/news/2022/09/30/cost-of-living-leaflet-highlights
Sign Up for the Kitchen Table Project
Just half of children growing up in Christian homes keep their faith as adults. That is a difficult statistic to reflect on as we seek to pass on a vibrant faith to the next generation.
This term, we are launching a new initiative in the parish to support family centered faith development. It’s called the Kitchen Table Project. It’s a simple idea really. It recognizes that mums, dads, grandparents, and carers are the most important influence on children developing a faith that lasts. Faith is nurtured in the home, often around the kitchen table.
What we are planning to do is to send families one resource per week to inspire faith at home. If you would like to sign up, please let Lynn of me know and we will get you signed up. We have over 30 families signed up already, but we can have a lot more.
Scam Warning!
I am aware that some parishioners continue to be spammed by someone pretending to the rector of Kilternan. This is a highly sophisticated scam and has made for an incredibly painful week.
I might ask you to do a few things.
- You will only receive communication from the parish from official email accounts, office@kilternanparish.ie or rector@kilternanparish.ie or from the rectors mobile 087 149 6605. Be careful of email addresses seeking to closely mimic these.
- If you receive any suspicious communication do not answer it. Check with me directly using official communication if unsure.
- Consider reporting and blocking the scammer.
On WhatsApp: When you report someone, WhatsApp will keep track of that user should they get reported numerous times after that. By reporting them, you contribute to a case against them that can ultimately result a user being banned, temporarily or, in extreme cases, permanently – https://faq.whatsapp.com/iphone/security-and-privacy/how-to-block-and-unblock-contacts/?lang=en
On Gmail. Please use the block sender function. You can report the person by sending the address of the fraudulent email here – https://support.google.com/mail/contact/abuse?hl=en
Sadly, this has become too common an experience for clergy and other persons of public confidence. For more general information on avoiding scams, have a look on the Church of Ireland website: https://www.ireland.anglican.org/about/information/website-hosting-email-information-software/stay-safe-online