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Methodist Update – January 2011

Michael — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:17:14 +0000

Since the early days of the Methodist movement, over 250 years ago, congregations were invited to share in a Service once a year to renew their Covenant relationship with God. A covenant is an agreement or set of promises which 2 people exchange. It implies a commitment to each other. So our covenant with God begins with Him in that He has given himself for us on the cross and through His resurrection we are born again into Eternal Life. We are then called to respond by giving our lives to Him, by dying to ourself.

During our Covenant Service we shall have time to confess our sins to God, receive his forgiveness and be reminded of his promises to us.

There will be a sermon on this theme and then we will share the words of the following prayer before ending with Communion.

Sisters and brothers in Christ, let us again accept our place within this covenant which God has made with us and with all who are called to be Christ’s disciples. This means that, by the help of the Holy Spirit, we accept God’s purpose for us, and the call to love and serve God in all our life and work. Christ has many services to be done: Some are easy, others are difficult; some bring honour, others bring reproach; some are suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests, others are contrary to both; in some we may please Christ and please ourselves; in others we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves. Yet the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us. Therefore let us make this covenant of God our own. Let us give ourselves to him, trusting in his promises and relying on his grace.

Eternal God, in your faithful and enduring love you call us to share in your gracious covenant in Jesus Christ. In obedience we hear and accept your commands; in love we seek to do your perfect will; with joy we offer ourselves anew to you. We are no longer our own but yours.

I am no longer my own but yours. Your will, not mine, be done in all things, wherever you may place me, in all that I do and in all that I may endure; when there is work for me and when there is none; when I am troubled and when I am at peace. Your will be done when I am valued and when I am disregarded; when I find fulfilment and when it is lacking; when I have all things, and when I have nothing. I willingly offer all I have and am to serve you, as and where you choose. Glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. May it be so for ever. Let this covenant now made on earth be fulfilled in heaven. Amen.

Of course these are words which we only say if we really mean them and so they are printed above so that we can think and pray over these words in advance of our Service. Basically in the Covenant Service we are saying to God “your will be done in my life.” As we do so we remember that God’s will is “good, pleasing and perfect…..” (Romans 12:2)

Our Covenant Service (which includes Communion) in Millstreet this year will be on Sunday 1^st January at 7pm.

Methodist Update for Christmas

Michael — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:59:45 +0000

Happy Christmas to Everyone.

Of course for many people in Ireland it will be a Christmas that will be very tight financially. With job losses, mounting debts and falling incomes many people will feel that they have little to celebrate. However Christmas is not about celebrating because all is well – it’s about celebrating the fact that in to our world God has come and he offer us himself whatever our circumstances. None of the main characters in the story of the first Christmas had much reason to celebrate. Mary and Joseph were a very young couple faced with bringing up a child in a world that was very hostile to children of doubtful parentage. Then there were the shepherds, a group of people who were much ostracised in those days and looked down on by everyone. However they all ended up celebrating and worshipping God because they realized that God was intervening in their world. So this Christmas let us all grasp the reason for the celebration – that in to a world of difficulty and pain and hardship, God has come. All of us can celebrate this Christmas not because we are happy or not happy or because we have money or we haven’t got money but because, whatever situation we find ourselves in, we can meet God personally.

There will be no meeting in Millstreet on Christmas Day but from Sunday the 1^st January meetings will begin each Sunday evening at 7pm in the Canon O’Donovan Day Centre on Clara Road. For further information contact Laurence Graham at 064 6631613 or

Methodist Update – November ’11

Michael — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:10:00 +0000

Meetings for worship, prayer and Bible study continue to be organized by the Methodist Church in Millstreet. We now meet every Sunday at 7pm in the Canon O’Donovan Centre (kindly granted) on Clara Road in Millstreet.

Last week we were reading together some inspiring verses from 1 Peter 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth in to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and in to an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade… kept in heaven for you …”

These are very uncertain days and as recession bites deeper and the European economy seems shakier and shakier, many people are losing hope. However when our trust is in Jesus Christ then we are given “….new birth in to a living hope….”. Generally with the passing of time hope fades and dies but a living hope is different. The Christian hope is not some vague uncertain thing that dies with the passage of time but rather, when our trust is in Christ, we have a living hope that grows and is always alive and certain.

In these days when we watch billions being wiped off markets and stock markets we are struck by the words that Christians are given “….an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade….”. In other words our inheritance is not affected by the markets or by the value of stocks or pension bonds etc. etc.

Isn’t it great to know that in Christ certainty is still available even in a very uncertain world?

Maybe see you some Sunday night in Millstreet!

For further information contact Rev. Laurence Graham, Methodist minister in Killarney at 064-6631613 or

Methodist Update September 2011

Michael — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 09:54:53 +0000

Methodist meetings in Millstreet now every week
I hope everyone had a nice summer despite the weather. We were delighted over the summer months to welcome some new people attending our meetings. This has led to the decision being taken that from now on our meetings will be every week instead of just twice a month. We will continue to meet in the Canon O’Donovan Centre (kindly granted) on Clara Road in Millstreet town. The meetings will take place every Sunday evening at 7.00 p. m. They will continue to take the form of an informal time of singing praise songs to God and then studying a passage from the Bible together. The Bible is God’s Living Word and he never fails to speak to us through it.
All of our meetings are open to everyone so you are welcome to attend. For further information please contact Rev. Laurence Graham on 064 6631613 or

Millstreet Methodist Update August

Michael — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 08:32:09 +0000

Hello again to everyone. Hopefully you are all enjoying the wonderful “Irish” summer!! Of course these days we are being reminded that the weather is not the only thing we can’t control. It seems that all the news these days is about huge monetary figures that are far beyond our imagination. These are uncertain days and we are certainly being reminded that we cannot rely on material possessions as a secure foundation for our lives. In these days I often think of the words from the Bible found in 1 Peter 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth in to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you….” It’s wonderful to know that if our personal trust is in Jesus Christ then we can have certainty in this world and the next.
Our meetings in Millstreet continue this month on Sundays 14th and 28th August at 7.00 p. m. meeting, as always in the Canon O’Donovan Centre (kindly granted) on Clara Road in Millstreet town.
Also parents of children of national school age might like to note that at the Church in Killarney we are running a children’s holiday Bible week from Monday 15th – Friday 19th August each morning from 10.00 a. m. – 12.00 p. m. Under the guidance of experienced leaders, each day will be packed with lots of fun activities including songs, games, crafts and snacks, all the time learning together from the Bible and understanding more of the Christian message. To book a place of for further information on any of this contact Rev. Laurence Graham on 064 6631613 or

Millstreet Methodist Update June 2011

Michael — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:59:17 +0000

In the Methodist Church June is always marked by the Annual National Conference of our Church. This Conference is the main governing body of our Church and is the final authority in any decisions that we make as a Church. It is carefully constituted of exactly half lay people and half ordained ministers. It is presided over by the President of the Church who is a minister and the Lay Leader who is (obviously!) a lay person. Every Methodist Church in Ireland is represented at the Conference and any Church or in fact even any individual member can bring a motion to the Conference. In this way the Church seeks to involve everyone in its governance. This is an important principal of Methodism. Please pray that God would guide all our deliberations and decisions.

Anyway back to local matters – informal meetings for Prayer, Praise and Bible Study continue in Millstreet on the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays of each month at 7.00 p. m. in the Canon O’Donovan Centre on Clara Road (kindly granted). It would be great to see you there.

For further information contact Laurence Graham at 064 6631613 or

Millstreet Methodist Update

Michael — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:05:02 +0000

Greetings to everyone as we approach the high point of the Christian year. Next week we shall remember those momentous few days in Jerusalem leading up to the death of Jesus Christ on our behalf followed by his conquering of death. Because of the resurrection we rejoice in the knowledge that “we serve a risen Saviour…” on Easter Sunday evening in Millstreet we will be having a special service of worship and celebration. Everyone is welcome to join us as we give thanks to God for what he has done in Christ. We meet as usual at 7.00 p. m. in the Canon O’Donovan Centre on Clara Road on Sunday 24th April.

All next week a very special event is taking place in our Church building in Killarney. From Monday evening the 18th April right through until Easter Sunday morning (24th April) the Church will be open 24/7 for prayer. Various rooms in the building will be laid out in different ways conducive to prayer. People from all Churches and none will be coming and going to the building all that week, taking the opportunity to spend some time with God. If you are in Killarney during next week why not pop in and see for yourself.
Further information on all this from Rev. Laurence Graham at 064 6631613 or

Happy Easter Everyone.

Focus on the World Church

Michael — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 07:52:01 +0000

In the Methodist Church February is the month we especially focus on what used to be called Overseas Mission but is now much more accurately described as the World Church. While Methodists are small in number here in Ireland there are about 70 million Methodists across the world. In fact now in Ireland we rejoice to welcome sisters and brothers from Churches from all around the world who have come to live amongst us here. Indeed our little community that gathers in Millstreet is a multi-cultural group and we really enjoy learning more about each other and encouraging each other in our Christian faith which unites us across all potential barriers of culture, race etc. Our next meeting for prayer, praise and Bible study in Millstreet is on Sunday 27^th February, as usual at 7.00 p. m. in the Canon O’Donovan Centre on Clara Road. Everyone is always welcome to our meetings.

For further information contact Rev. Laurence Graham at 064 6631613 or

Methodist Update – in Port-au-Prince

Michael — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:00:22 +0000

Greetings from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I have been here since the 29^th December leading a team of fifteen people. We have been working together with Haitian sisters and brothers in construction work (pictured on the right) as well as assisting in clinics and helping at an orphanage. It has also been a privilege to share in the life of the Methodist Church here in Haiti. Wednesday was the first anniversary of the terrible earthquake which struck Haiti on 12^th January last year. We were delighted to join with a crowd of many thousands of people who gathered in one of the main streets of the city centre from 6 o’clock in the morning. Just beside the ruins of the Presidential Palace people stood in the hot sun worshipping God for over five hours. We had thought that it might be a rather sombre and mournful occasion but those who were there were determined to praise the Lord and thank God for life. The theme of the service was “Celebrate Life”. I was privileged to be invited to address the crowd as I speak Creole, the local language having lived here twenty years ago. I was glad that I did not have to speak until several hours into the service because by then my emotions had settled down a little bit and I had stopped shedding tears. An incredible day which I shall never forget.

Our own worship in Millstreet continues on Sunday 23^rd January at 7.00 p. m. in the Canon O’Donovan Centre on Clara Road in the town. We meet on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. For further information contact

Rev. Laurence Graham, Methodist Minister in Killarney at 064 6631613 or

read their blog which is updated daily at http://haititeam2011.blogspot.com/

Read more on what Laurence are doing in Haiti

Methodist Christmas Message

Michael — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:21:58 +0000

Unfortunately, due to the icy conditions, our Carol service had to be cancelled on the 19^th December. However the Methodist community in Millstreet would like to wish everyone in Millstreet a very Happy Christmas.

Just after Christmas Rev. Laurence Graham, the Methodist minister in Killarney who also oversees the work in Millstreet, will lead a team of seventeen people to Haiti for almost three weeks. They will join with sisters and brothers from the Methodist Church in Haiti to work on a building project. Some medical personnel on the team will be helping at three different Church based medical clinics in rural areas. We also hope to run activities in a Church run orphanage which is next door to our building project. Please pray for the team, for safe travel and a productive visit.

Methodist meetings continue on the second and fourth Sundays of each month so for January that is the 9^th and 23^rd. We meet at 7.00 p. m. in the Canon O’Donovan Centre on Clara Road.