www.mullavilly.armagh.anglican.
org
I t has been a wonderful year in Mullavilly in
our celebration of 200 years. It has been my
honour to host so many guest preachers and
to hear their sermons. It has been good to
explore the past and listen to the memories of
parishioners. The year had an exciting start
with the combined worship in Kilmore Parish
and the walk from there back to Mullavilly. We
had the thrill of lighting the beacon on New
Year’s Eve, which we will hopefully replicate
again at the end of the year and, of course, in
September, the celebration weekend,
including the renovation of the clock, was a
great blessing to those who were involved.
Alongside all of that, the regular activities of
the parish have continued and have been
well-supported. The hard-working volunteer
leaders have been conscientious in
preparation and this this is reflected in the
enjoyment and popularity of their
organizations. Sunday attendance has been
maintained, with new faces settling in.
Individuals will reflect on the year with joy and
with sorrow. We have witnessed baptisms and
marriages and funerals. Pastorally, there has
been illness, stress, financial hardship and
family issues.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
December
Saturday 4th Pantomime “Sleeping
Beauty”
Thursday 9th Wedding of Danielle
Reaney & Daniel Pearson
Sunday 12th NOT family service
Tuesday 14th 8pm Mothers’ Union
Movie Night
Wednesday 15th 7:30pm Primary School
Carol Service in Church
Thursday 16th Seniors’ Christmas lunch
At the rectory, Jonathan spent 5 months in
South Africa and Elizabeth continued her
Nursing studies in Liverpool, with Ryanair
providing several opportunities for Heather
and me to hop across. Samuel completed his
GCSE exams and entered 6th form. I
completed 25 years of ordained ministry and
entered my 50th year! So far, as “things to
achieve before I’m 50”. I’ve climbed Slieve
Donard and have been paint-balling! During
the summer we hosted a teenager from
Indiana as part of the Operation Friendship
programme. Heather travelled to Holland as
part of the same project. We also caravanned
in England. Parishioners on Facebook will
already have all the details and photos!
There are plans developing for 2011. I’m
looking forward to the big 50, Jonathan will be
graduating, Elizabeth will be entering her final
year and Samuel will continue with
examinations.
In the parish, weddings are being planned and
people enter the year with all the usual hopes
and fears. The rolling out of the government’s
austerity measures will have an impact on
some more than others, and we can’t predict
who will take the biggest hits or bear the
greatest stress.
Sunday 19th YF Christmas Chinese
Supper
Sunday 19th see Christmas Dates
24/25/26 see Christmas Dates
January
Saturday 1st 10am walk from Knock
Bridges to Whitecote
(and back)
Tuesday 18th Mothers’ Union Dinner
Thursday 20th 10:30am Ramblin Rose
December 2010 / January 2011
Together, I am hoping that we will focus our
attention on the outreach of the church –
things that we do, not for ourselves, but for
others. Our mission partners, Aart and Geesha
Den Breejen will be visiting us in the spring-
time and a parish group are planning to visit
them, in Arua, Uganda, in the autumn. This
will be an exciting time for those involved and
I hope that we will all catch some of that
excitement.
Through all our experiences, past and present,
pleasurable, exciting, challenging or difficult,
we have the assurance of the presence of God.
This is the abiding Christmas message – that
God became man to be a light to the world.
He rejoices with us, He bears us up in our
sorrows. His presence inspires us to be
thankful, to be humble, to be strong. His love
challenges us to show love and kindness and
to walk beside others in their times of joy and
need.
May this Christmas and New Year remind you
of the presence of Christ in your life both now
and in what lies ahead.
A Very Happy and Blessed Christmas and
New Year from all at the Rectory.
CHRISTMAS GIFTS
The NSPCC gift cards for children in the
Craigavon area will be available on
Sunday 5th December. These gifts and
those for the Salvation Army Appeal
should be brought to church on
December 12th. These
appeals have been very
successful and much
appreciated in years past so
please continue with your
generosity. Please do not
wrap the Salvation Army
presents. Thanks.
 Mullavilly News | December 2010/January 2011

MULLAVILLY - A HISTORY OF AN ULSTER PARISH

A fter months of hard work on the part of Brett Hannam and his
team, the history of the parish has now been published and is
available. It was successfully launched on November 15th by former
comment and
conversation, that readers
will be inspired to share
parishioner the Rt Revd James Mehaffey. their own stories with
In the preface to the book, I write one another and,
“As I read the manuscript for this enthralling and moving story of perhaps, uncover other
Mullavilly, I became acutely aware of what history is about. It is, in this treasures of information
instance, about placing to add to our archive
ourselves in the a long and for inclusion in the
sequence of events history produced in
from time immemorial 2060!
to the present and This publication is a
appreciating that today, most fitting and
in 2010, we continue appropriate tome to
the story – we are the mark the bicentennial
history makers. celebration of our little
In this book, the author parish church in such a
takes us back to the big world. I am
inhabitants of grateful to all those
Bishop James Mehaffey, Mrs Thelma Mullavilly at the involved in bringing
Mehaffey, Brett Hannam, Brian Harper beginning of the first this project to fruition
millennium – the same and I commend it to
time when the people of God in Israel were witnessing the coming of you, the reader, with God’s
the Messiah, God’s great intervention in the history of the world. blessings.”
Our presence as a Christian Church in Mullavilly is a result of these two
stories coming together. The book can be ordered in time for Christmas before 8th December
Both stories contain and orders can be placed at any church function, by email to
tales of national conflict mullavilly@btinternet.com or by ringing Tom Atkinson on 028 3884
and hardship, politics, 0590. Orders should be paid in advance. Paperback £10, Hardback £15.
courage and
perseverance. The
stories contain accounts
of saints and sinners.
Some are named and
recorded in the source
documents, but many
are not. The un-named
are the mothers and Brett and Brian celebrate the final signing for
fathers and sons and Jean McClelland.
daughters who laboured
and tilled and cared for one another from generation to generation,
bringing us to the community which we enjoy today.
The author and his team have painstakingly researched the documents
at our disposal and have produced this excellent account of life in the
parish of Mullavilly. Our little parish is set on a world stage with paupers
and kings playing their part. We travel through scenes of famine, war
and hope. This book is informative and fascinating and it will challenge
the reader to ask about their own contribution, however small, to the
present and future history of Mullavilly. I hope it will engender The walkers and their dogs reach Whitecote on New Year’s Day
 Mullavilly News | December 2010/January 2011

A New Face at the Front

During December and January, we welcome
Jim Conlan to Mullavilly. Jim is in Year 2 of
training for ordained ministry and will be with
us for a 10-week Sunday placement at 9:30
and 11:00. This will enable him to gain
experience in leading worship and and in
preaching. Over the Christmas period, he will
also accompany me on some pastoral calls.
Jim writes, “My name is Jim Conlan and I am
a second year ordinand at the Church of
Ireland Theological Institute in Dublin. I am
one of a class of nineteen who God willing will
be ordained in September next year. After
ordination I will be based in a parish for a year,
hopefully in this diocese and I will return, with
the other interns, to the Theological Institute
for one week a month during that year. At the
end of that year my initial training will be
complete.
My home parish is Moy although I live just
outside the village on the edge of The Argory
estate. After school in Dungannon and
university in England I worked for the National
Trust at The Argory and then at one of its
houses in Shropshire. I then moved to the
hospitality industry and worked as a duty
manager in hotels in Shrewsbury and in
Dungannon. Having seen the secular side of
baptisms, weddings and funerals, I decided it
was time to try the sacred!
The idea of ordination was first suggested to
me about twenty years ago and I must admit
at the time I ran a mile. A seed was sown
though, and now I couldn’t be happier with
the decision to follow God’s call. Whether you
wish to think of me as a slow burner or an old
boiler, I’ll leave up to you!
I’m looking forward to my time with you; I
know it will be a very rich experience. Jim Conlan

Gospel Concert
The October Country and Gospel Concert raised approx £4125 for the Clarke Clinic (Royal Children’s Heart Unit), Craigavon Cardiac Care and the
Parish Development Fund. Thank-you to all the sponsors, artists, organizers and the Overends for providing such an enjoyable evening.

PANTO TIME CALENDAR 2011

(Oh Yes it is!) A glossy calendar featuring photographs relevant to Mullavilly is
available. Due the quality of the photographs, the cost is £11. They
Stagehands are will be produced to order and can be viewed in the church porch
Pantomime at Mullavilly Church back by popular and the foyer of the Centre.
4th December 2010 - 7.00p.m. demand to perform
this year’s
pantomime
“Sleeping Beauty”.
We have retained
last year’s pricing
with children free
and adults £8. All
children must be
accompanied by an
adult. Santa will be
present this year
but one of his “little
elves” has retired!!
Tickets are available
Tickets £8 from Yvonne (028
Concession £5
Children under 14 FREE
3884 1014) or
through Sunday
Contact Yvonne Cushley on 028 3884 1014 or Mob: 077 6650 2775

Players: Stagehands (Markethill)

School. Santa and his elves at the Pantomime
 Rota Table
Baptism
On 26th September, Molly Margaret, the
daughter of Jonny and Jane Wylie (nee English)
and sister of Allia , was baptized.
Weddings DATE FLOWERS CHURCH 11am NOTES
We had three autumn weddings in Mullavilly. MICE SCRIPTURE
Jonathan Stanley and Rachel Grant were
married on September 18th, Peter Holmes and December 5th Margaret Neill Jonathan/Mark Michael King 11am Holy
Philippa Mason on October 7th, Paul Hollywood Communion
and Jane Halliday on October 22nd and finally
Wayne Fletcher and Dona Kearney on October December 12th Carol Overend Linda Gillian King
23rd. We promise to support all these couples December 19th Ann Rafferty 11am Nativity
with our love and prayers. 7pm Carol
Burial Service
The funeral took place on 22nd October of December 26th 11am United
Frances Elizabeth Redpath in St Mark’s,
Portadown, followed by interment in Mullavilly. Service
No evening
Baptism Anniversary cards will be presented as
follows: service
December (at Nativity Service): Laura Neill, January 2nd Evelyn Shortt Helen 11am Holy
James Shortt, Tim Hamilton, Tom Mcintyre McClenaghan Communion
(3rd); James Rafferty, Samantha Milligan (4th) January 9th Geraldine Carolyn Mayes 11am Family
January (at family service): Neve Stothers,
Nathan Corbett, Charlie Thompson, Zack Thompson Service
Milligan, Anthony Garner, Miles Burnett (2nd); January 16th Carol Christine Jean McClelland 11am Holy
Jamie Rafferty (4th) Thompson Communion
January 23rd Doreen Carolyn Leslie Stewart 7pm Holy
CONTACTING THE CLERGY Trimble Communion
Home 028 3884 0221 January 30th Caroline Ann Elaine Bleakley
Mobile & Text 07989 743545 Whitten
Office & Centre028 3884 1918
Sam Black 028 3834 3267 Christmas Worship
email mullavilly@btinternet.com
post 89 Mullavilly Road Sunday 19th 9:30am Holy Communion
Tandragee BT62 2LX 11:00am NATIVITY SERVICE
Also on Facebook 7:00pm 9 Lessons and Carols
Friday 24th 11:15pm Holy Communion
CHRISTMAS DAY 8:30am Holy Communion
10am Holy Communion including children with their gifts

BOXING DAY 9:30am Holy Communion

11:00am United Service in Mullavilly with Kilmore and St Saviour’s
NB no evening service
Friday 31st 11:30pm Watchnight Service concluding at midnight
Sunday January 2nd Back to normal!
We began 2010 with a united service in Kilmore Parish Church, marking our origins within
that community. We are delighted to conclude the year by inviting the people of Kilmore
and St Saviour’s, Dobbin, to join with us in Mullavilly. The Revd Malcolm Kingston and
myself will share the sermon once again and we look forward to an excellent morning –
even though it’s Boxing Day, do make a special effort to come out to church again!

Mothers’ Union
The Mothers Union have two special dates over the Christmas
Period.
On Tuesday December 14th, they will be showing the Christmas
hit movie “Nativity” starring Martin Freedman, Ricky Tomlinson
and Alan Carr. The story revolves two schools in Coventry who
hear that Holywood producers are coming to see their Nativity
plays … with hilarious consequences. Behind this story of
rivalry lies a deeper message about the true meaning of Sisters Wendy
an
Christmas. This will be a great night out at the movies in Mothers’ Union d Judith at the
Christmas pa
Mullavilly! rty

The Mothers’ Union dinner will take place on Tuesday January 18th in Brownlow House,
Lurgan. This an absolutely beautiful setting with catering to match by chef Robert Odgers.