FIRST OMAGH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SUNDAY 24th MAY 2015 Recent Appeals: A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has so generously contributed to the various special appeals in recent weeks. The Sunday School Breakfast raised well over £300 for this year’s project, the Christian Aid Soup Lunch raised over £1000 and the Moderator’s Appeal for Nepal has raised over £2300. May God take these generous offerings and use them to bring life and light and hope to people living in poverty, despair or deprivation. This Week: TUESDAY @ 7.00 pm (meet in church car park) ~ Walking Group. WEDNESDAY @ 7.00 pm (in the Manse) ~ Sunday School Teachers’ Meeting. THURSDAY @ 7.00 pm (in the Choir Room) ~ Congregational Prayer Meeting. Next Sunday: 11.30 am ~ Young People’s Day and Sunday School Prizegiving Service. Church Outing: Keep free Saturday 13th June for our Church Outing to Castle Archdale (via The Mayfly Inn for a late breakfast). Details are still being finalised and will be available next Sunday. Songs of Praise ~ Sunday 28th June: Due to popular demand we have decided to hold a ‘Songs of Praise’ service again on the last Sunday in June. If any member of the congregation has a favourite hymn, psalm or spiritual song then please place your requests on the collection plate on any of the next three Sundays. Please also tell us who you are and why these hymns are so special to you. Anonymous suggestions can also be made. Prayer Points for the Week: Nepal... Many UMN staff are busy sorting, packing and managing the distribution of relief materials. Pray for good health, strength, and wisdom as they work hard, travel and take important decisions at this time of crisis. Continue to pray for all who have been affected by the earthquakes, for those who have lost loved ones, been injured, been traumatised and those who have lost their homes and that humanitarian aid and medical help will get to those who need it. Heather McCracken (Deaconess in Alexandra Presbyterian Church)... Pray for Heather as she works in chaplaincy in the Royal Victoria and Royal Sick Children’s Hospital. May she be available to listen, care and pray with patients and staff. Pray for a daily ability to focus on the needs of others, and pray that she will have many sacred moments in which to share the good news of Jesus. May God help her to be relevant, and that her faith would be apparent. Also pray for witnessing and serving opportunities to come about in all corners of the hospital - from the wards to the corridors, the office to the quiet room. Young People’s Day... Pray for our children and young people as they take part in Young People’s Day next Sunday morning. May it be a service were we can give thanks to God for our talented young people and for all who have worked so hard to prepare them for singing, reading or praying. P7 Children and their Parents... Pray for families who have children in P7 as they receive notification this weekend of which Secondary School they will be attending next September. Pray that each child would know that they are valued and loved and that they each have individual gifts and abilities which will develop and flourish in the next phase of their education. Other Notices: Habitat for Humanity NI… 21st Anniversary Fundraising Concert by ’The Priests’ in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh on Friday 29th May at 7.30 pm. Tickets are £20.00 - telephone 028 3752 2813 for more information. Care for Cancer Omagh… Vintage Afternoon Tea and Fashion Show in Mullaghmore House, Omagh on Wednesday 3rd June from 12.00 pm to 4.00 pm. Tickets are £5.00 - telephone 028 8224 6599 for more information. Kildress Parish Church… Flower Festival in the church (4 miles from Cookstown on the main Omagh Road) from Friday 5th to Sunday 7th June (various times). Contact Jennifer Henry on 079 1735 6953 or Evelyn Love on 077 9653 8640 for more information. CLOTHES COLLECTION FUNDRAISER CONTACT EDWIN JOHNSTON (079 2001 6573) OR BASIL VIRTUE (077 1009 3564) IF YOU HAVE ANY ITEMS TO DONATE CD RECORDINGS OF RECENT SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE ON THE TABLE IN THE FRONT VESTIBULE Pastoral Care Please contact Rev. Jane Nelson if you or your family have any pastoral care needs. Minister ~ Rev. J. Nelson • T: 8224 2239 • E: [email protected] Clerk of Session ~ Miss A. M. Hodge • T: 8224 4771 • E: [email protected] Congregational Secretary ~ Mr. S. A. Rainey • T: 8224 2844 • E: [email protected] Announcements ~ Mr. N. Hagan • T: 07970 022253 • E: [email protected] Presbyterian Church in Ireland :: General Assembly 2015 The Presbyterian General Assembly will run this year from Monday 1st June until Thursday 4th June and will take place in Assembly Buildings, Belfast. Approximately 1000 delegates from Presbyterian congregations all around Ireland will be involved in the four days of worship, prayer, Bible study, celebration and decision making. Opening Session It all begins with the installation of the new Moderator, the minister of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Ballymoney, Rev. Dr. Ian McNie, at the opening session of the Assembly at 7.00 pm on Monday 1st June. Members of Assembly and invited guests will join together in worship to officially open the Assembly and welcome the incoming Moderator to chair the proceedings. This service is also open to the public, no tickets are required. Business Sessions Business sessions of the Assembly, all of which will be held in the Assembly Hall, are open to everyone. No tickets are required and admission to non-members is only limited by space. These begin on Tuesday 2nd June at 9.30 am, Wednesday 3rd June at 9.30 am and from approximately 10.30 am on Thursday 4th June following a short private session. They will run until about 6.00 pm each evening with a break in the middle of each day for worship and lunch. During these business sessions, members of Assembly hear reports from the various councils and committees appointed by the Assembly and debate and vote on resolutions regarding Church policy and ministry. Assembly Communion The General Assembly Communion Service is also open to everyone, space permitting, and will be held in the Assembly Hall on Tuesday 2nd June at 11.45 am. Lunchtime Worship On Wednesday and Thursday at 12.15 pm the Assembly holds its daily worship in the Assembly Hall. No tickets are required and everyone is welcome to join together in a time of praise, prayer and biblical reflection led by the Moderator, along with his chaplains Rev. Stephen McNie and Rev. Eddie Kirk. A Caring Fellowship On Wednesday evening, 3rd June at 7.45 pm everyone is invited to an Assembly Celebration event in the Assembly Hall. Rev. John Woodside, minister of Drogheda Presbyterian Church, will speak on the Assembly theme, 'A caring fellowship'. This service is open to the public, no tickets are required. Youth Night 'Love Recovered' is the title of a special event on Saturday night, 6th June at 7.15 pm in Assembly Buildings. The speaker will be Pete Wright and worship will be led by Dave Dickinson and Band. Tickets are available for purchase online or from the Congregational Life and Witness Office, Assembly Buildings, Belfast, BT1 6DW (Telephone: 028 9032 2284 or email: [email protected]).