No place like home!

Clean, smelling sweetly and happy to be home ... Eliot returned from kennels this morning and has had a good sniff around.  Once he'd drunk from each of his water containers (and those that aren't officially supposed to be drinking fountains) he stood at the back door waiting for it to open!

Nice to have him home.

The main reason that he was away was to facilitate my going to an ordination service in Belturbet in County Cavan. That was a late night by the time we'd had the service, enjoyed a great coffee and made the two and a half hour drive back home.  I was the happy passenger ... so the journey, for me, was totally stress free both there and back!

Belturbet has a gorgeous church building.

 Clergy robed in one of the galleries so we could look over the congregation as they gathered to join in the ordination service. 

 Afterwards the newly ordained deacon, Rev Naomi Quinn, was one of a number of speakers who had the opportunity to address the people.  It was so good to see her at this point of the journey, and to catch up with others who, over the years, I've had the privilege of getting to know.   

 Belturbet is one of the parishes in Bishop Ken Clarke's diocese and he gathered the proceedings to a conclusion.

As is traditional, all the clergy and lay readers wait in a semi-circle for the newly ordained person to emerge from the church where she had the chance to greet us before we all adjourned to a nearby building for refreshments.

 This place had character!  And the supper was magnificent.

Meanwhile the Parish Magazine is ready for collection tomorrow ... that was the big job completed yesterday morning ... and the church is beautifully decorated for Harvest Thanksgiving.  Photographs of that will follow.

Right now it is incessant rain and feels nothing like the balmy autumn days that we'd prefer to enjoy!

However, this is home and it is comfortable and dry.  Outside temperatures are still a reasonable 

12 °C

For some readers that will sound cold ... but not here!  It's quite pleasant really.

In the background the dishwasher is churning away ... it was loaded up while lunch was cooking ... getting that done will make the kitchen begin to look a lot more organised!  It might even be possible to see the counter surfaces once again!  I had no difficulty in resisting the temptation to take a picture of lunch ... in reality it looked grand and tasted good ... in a picture it may have resembled nothing quite so much as a dog's dinner!  

Fairly soon I need to take a run down to the hall.  ["Run" as in "drive" - in case you think that I've found a sudden burst of energy from somewhere!]  There's an Antiques and Collectables fair on at Saint Nicholas' today - but I'd be afraid that this weather will mean buyers may have stayed at home. 

It were my soul's desire

to see the face of God;

it were my soul's desire

to rest in his abode.

It were my soul's desire

a spirit free from gloom,

it were my soul's desire

new life beyond the doom.

Church Hymnal number 633

Old Irish - versified by Eleanor Hull (1860-1935)

Sung to "Armagh" composed by Charles Wood (1866-1926) 

2010:365:16 Food....glorious food....

Vegetarian Delux....  an easy tea this evening.  Maybe that should read "lazy tea".  In a day when there's been a lot of running around and preparation for tomorrow it seemed to be a sensible way to begin the evening - pizza (delivered to the door) and Morse.  The only trouble is - I've seen most of the Morse's before and some of them many times - but the pizza was tasty.

Anyhow, the Sunday Notice Sheet is "pending" and should "pend" no longer.  I produce one every week and a number of people receive it by e-mail - it usually goes out quite late on a Saturday night.

Tomorrow marks the eve of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and I'm off to the Presbyterian Church for their morning service.  The Presbyterian minister will be in the Methodist Church and the Methodist man will be in Saint Nicholas'. 

All the churches in the area will be represented at the United Evening Service which we're hosting in Saint Nicholas'.  It is hard to guess how many will be there - I'm preparing for 300+ and, if we have double that, then folk can share the leaflets!  Our own bishop will be there - Bishop Alan Abernethy - and the Cardinal Archbishop Sean Brady - he's the guest preacher.  The Lord Mayor is planning to attend as well.  Thankfully the organ is once again working so all is ready as far as I can see. 

Perhaps I could use the pizza to illustrate unity!  All the bits are still distinctive in taste if you pick them out one by one, but put them together and the combined flavour is something else!  (This might be an idea to use in the talk for children at Windsor.)

Eternal God and Father,

whose Son at supper prayed that his disciples might be one,

as he is one with you:

Draw us closer to him,

that in common love and obedience to you

we may be united to one another

in the fellowship of the one Spirit,

that the world may believe that he is Lord,

to your eternal glory;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Book of Common Prayer.

2010:365 Day Ten. Blog Ten. Photograph 10.

Wonderful family Sunday lunch.... this was my place card holder! My sister is a fantastic cook and I'm having to do this blog or I'll fall asleep. Beautiful leek and potato soup, baked salmon with tons and tons of vegetables, Bailey's Cheesecake and, to round things off, a superb cheese board and coffee! Is it any wonder I'm stuffed? Or, as our Dad would have said, "an elegant sufficiency... any more and it would be superfluity". Actually - it was the superfluity!
There are a few minutes before it is time to go to the evening service - the last united one in Ulsterville Presbyterian Church. That's a sad state of affairs. But population change in the Lisburn Road area means that no longer are there enough people to keep the church viable. Next week they have their final private services and then Ulsterville closes and amalgamates with Windsor. The group of four churches becomes three - Methodist, Presbyterian and Anglican.
Once a month we have a united service in the evening so little by little we're getting to know one another.
Saint Nicholas' belongs to another group of churches too - a larger gathering of six - two Presbyterian, two Anglican, a Methodist and a Roman Catholic. We call ourselves "Faith Seeking Understanding" and next Sunday Saint Nicholas' is hosting a united service on the eve of the Octave of Christian Unity. The Cardinal Archbishop Sean Brady is the guest speaker - so if you're around the Lisburn Road at 7.00 pm do join with us. It would be lovely to see the church packed to the doors once again.
Time to go! With temperatures above freezing point all day the roads are a great deal clearer although the footpaths are still to be used with caution. Hopefully the big thaw has begun and winter is over....?

Lord Jesus Christ,
who said to your apostles,
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you:
Look not on our sins but on the faith of your Church,
and grant it the peace and unity of your kingdom;
where you are alive and reign with the Father
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.