Pew Sheet – 11th February 2024

The Rector writes ’Today is Racial Justice Sunday and although this year we didn’t have time to prepare a specific service to mark the day, I wanted to bring your attention to the vitally important message that the day tries to highlight. According to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), ‘At least 108.4 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes. Among them are nearly 35.3 million refugees, around 41% of whom are under the age of 18.’ When you take these statistics along with what has been happening in our country in recent months (Arson in potential Refugee centres, nasty demonstrations etc.) you will see how important it is for us, as a Christian community and as a Church of Sanctuary, to shine a biblical light on what is currently taking place, and the way Christians can make a difference within these spheres. The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of them all.” Proverbs 22:2 ‘The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ Leviticus 19:34

We can challenge and inspire everyone to pray and take action, so that hospitality and not hostility becomes our overall approach to those fleeing persecution, peril, poverty and war. If you would like to know more about the Church of Sanctuary, please speak with either Rowland Newenham or Hilary Dring.’

Dates for your Diary

February
12th Mens’ Coffee 10am Carrigaline Court Hotel
14th Ash Wednesday
10:30am & 7:30pm Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes Services in St Mary’s Church
17th Youth Group in Parish Hall—Card Night 7:30-9pm
21st Mothers’ Union 3pm Parish Hall
28th Lenten Study begins – Reading the Apocrypha over
4 weeks. 8pm each Wednesday by Zoom beginning Wednesday 28th February

Mothers’ Union meeting on Wednesday 21st February 3pm.

Speaker: Avril Jennings on the topic of MU Outreach and her own work as a trustee with regard to needy families.

Tea/ coffee and goodies as always as we chat or ask questions.

Also we are having the Womens Day of Prayer WDP on Friday 1st March at 7pm in the Parish Centre of The Church of Our Lady and St. John. The service was written by Palestinian women for this year, so a very poignant time for those involved. Tea/coffee and cakes/biscuits provided. All welcome including men!

Any questions phone Deirdre 0862612442.

Random Notes CDXLVIII

The membership card in the photograph was found by me in the vestry safe of St Mary’s Church a number of years ago, when I was church warden. The bearer pledged to “abstain from all intoxicating liquors as beverages,” thus attaining membership of the Church of Ireland Temperance Society. The most useful description I could find of the Society I could find is in the following quote:

“Drink was the great symbol of degeneracy and the most sustained campaign amongst the Protestant working-class was that of the Church of Ireland Temperance Society (CITS). For the CITS the drunkenness and intemperance which were endemic amongst the working-class were seen as the cause of their poverty rather than as a response to poverty. The campaigns of the CITS were designed firstly to evangelise the working-class by awakening their souls to Biblical inspiration. Secondly the CITS sought to restrict working-class access to drink by campaigns on Sunday closing and by contesting licenses for working-class clubs. …. The CITS as a middle-class organisation believed that whereas its own class was amenable to rational argument the working-class would only respond to coercion.” (Martin, 1995)

All of the Temperance Society’s papers from 1870 to 1975 are held in the archives of the Representative Church Body. While details are a little difficult to find, my assumption is that the Society no longer operates.

It is unfortunate that the membership card is damaged.
What is doubly intriguing is that clearly someone started to fill it in and then abandoned it.
Maybe they changed their mind?