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About


Maghera Parish Caring Association was founded by the Church of Ireland Parishes of Maghera and Killelagh, in response to a vision over the needs of our local community. The MPCA employs staff to cover multiple project areas, including Youth, Children & Family, Seniors, and Community Outreach.

This blog brings together writing from many different people on our staff team and beyond. As such, what appears here may not always represent the viewpoint of the MPCA or the joint parishes!

For more on the MPCA and the churches it works with, click to the main website here.

If you're familiar with our work, and would like to contribute to this collaborative blog, just e-mail your scribblings, photos, links, etc. to blogs@magheraparish.co.uk. We can't promise that everything will get past our Basement-dwelling censorship elves, but if it's good, we'll share it with the world!

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17 August 11

Commissioning Service

This Sunday, four members of staff will be commissioned to work with MPCA.  As the Rector and I spent this afternoon finishing the Order of Service for printing tomorrow, we found ourselves being reminded of our ordinations of Deacons and then a year later to the Priesthood.  For me this was 2009 and 2010 and for Rev. Isaac 2008 and 2009. 

After I present the new staff to the Rector (who by the way is also Chairman of MPCA) they will be asked a number of Questions.  The first of which is, “Do you believe that God has called you to this work?” Of course the appropriate answer is ‘I Do’.  This got me thinking about the whole concept of Calling.  What does it mean to be called, and is it only people in ordained ministry who are called?  

To be called is to be challenged by God to undertake a specific mission or ministry for Him.  Age or gender are not barriers to the call of God, as the Bible clearly illustrates, and the sense of call that God places on our lives only ever becomes more intense until we finally do something about it. 

As I journey through life, I continually come across people in all different types of work, who in my opinion must be called.  I think especially of the nurse who sat holding the hand of one of our parishioners as they came to the end of life in this world.  Or of the classroom teacher who endeavours to teach the next generation of society and gives them his/her all.  Of the administrator who spends countless hours working to succeed in the tasks given to them.

I think it is a fair observation to say that if we really think enough about it, we are all called.  Those who call themselves Christians are encouraged to give their all, in everything they do.  We all have a ministry to fulfil, and must strive to do just that.  As Peter reminds us in 1st Peter 2:9 we are all members of the Royal Priesthood and must praise God.  Paul encourages us in Romans 12 to present ourselves before God, giving Him every part of our lives. 

May we all be encouraged to do this and as God has called us all, may we be worthy of the calling.

A Blessing will be prayed over the new staff on Sunday, and I finish with it now:

The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you, the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

 

Themed by Hunson. Originally by Josh