Jan 1940

JANUARY THIRTY-FIFTH YEAR. TWOPENCE

Seagoe Parish Magazine

(EDITOR: THE RECTOR)

“I was glad when they said unto me: we will go into the house of the Lord."

PSALM 722: v. I.

“Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is"

HEBREWS 10: 25.

For Services, Classes. etc., see end of Local Matter.

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Seagoe Parish Magazine.

JANUARY, 1940.

CLERGY:

REV. J. W. APPELBE, M.A., B.D., Seagoe Rectory.

REV. W. F. HAYES, B.A., L.Th., The Bungalow,

Lower Seagoe.

CHURCHWARDENS.

Rector's—S. McCORMICK.

People's—J. G. GRACEY, J.P.

THE CLERGY WILL ESTEEM IT A FAVOUR IF

IN CASES OF SICKNESS THEY ARE INFORMED

IMMEDIATELY.

CALENDAR FOR JANUARY.

January 1st—The Circumcision of Christ.

January 6th—Epiphany.

January 7th—1st Sunday after Epiphany.

January 14th—2nd Sunday After Epiphany.

Service in Drumgor at 3 p.m.

January 21st—Septuagesima.

January 23rd—Service in Bocombra at 8 p.m.

January 25th—Conversion of St. Paul.

January 28th—Sexagesima.

Service in Hacknahay at 3.30 p.m.

RECTOR'S LETTER.

My dear Friends,

I take this opportunity to wish you all God's blessing

in the year that lies ahead; may it indeed be a happy

one in the real sense. To talk of happiness at this

time when we are involved in a grim war seems

at first sight out of place and to savour of unreality,

but it is not out of place or unreal to think of

happiness even in times of uncertainty and trouble,

because, for the Christian, who loves and serves

our Lord Jesus Christ, outward circumstances are

irrelevant. War and all that it means cannot rob us

of His peace, His power, His presence. This has been

the experience of Christians all down the ages; you

have only to think of St. Paul, a man who from the

worldling's point of view should have been the

unhappiest of men. His friends deserted him, his

fellow-countrymen, the Jews, persecuted him, the

mighty power of Imperial Rome was arrayed against

him, he was imprisoned many times, the Christian

communities he brought into being many a time

grieved his heart by their petty selfishness, and yet in

spite of all these crushing outward circumstances,

Paul was supremely happy. Read his letters and you

will find how often he speaks of joy. This reminds us

of words of our Lord to His disciples on one of the

occasions when He was speaking to them of His own

approaching death, "in the world ye shall have

tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the

world." It is only the Christian, who in the midst of

tribulation can be of good cheer. The time honoured

greeting for 1940, "A Happy New Year," is not out

of place for true happiness can always be the possession

of the true disciple of Christ. When we speak of

happiness we must not make the mistake of thinking

that the best way of attaining it is to seek it; this is

not so. The surest way to be miserably unhappy is

to set our hearts on finding it. Live for happiness

and it will always elude you. This is true because

it is a bye-product of living - you know what a

bye-product is - something which you produce or get

when you are making something else, e.g., when gas

is being made from coal, tar and coke are bye-products.

You and I have been placed in the world by God, not

with the idea of His making us happy but rather that

He may discipline and train us and make us good, but

like the tar and the coke, happiness is a bye-product

of goodness. What is goodness? It is Christ likeness.

The motto of Christ's life was summed up by Himself,

“My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me";

and again, "For I came down from heaven, not to do

mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."

Let us make this our motto for 1940. If we do this, and

strive more fully to know God's will for us, and when

we know it, and by His grace put it into practice in

our lives, a happy year will be ours. A modern writer

has said that "Jesus promised His disciples three

things, that they would be (1) entirely fearless, (2)

absurdly happy (3) they would get into trouble; all

three were amply fulfilled."

Only by knowing and doing God's will can we be

happy. The present curse of war is the direct result

of nations refusing either to learn or do it, so too in

the lives of individuals unhappiness, disillusionment,

futility, lack of purpose and many other similar

results ensue when God is ignored. If we have failed

Him in the past, and who of us is there who is satisfied

that we have not? yet in His mercy He is offering us

a New Year in which we can do better, in which we

can do His will, not our own. And this is not all.

He offers us something more, His help in four

distinct ways, which are within the reach of us

all. Look at these briefly.

(1) PRAYER.

The privilege of communing with Him each day;

linking ourselves to Him that He may make us strong.

Prayer is not trying to persuade an unwilling God

to do what we wish, but rather that He may

strengthen and bend our wills to conform to His Will.

(2) THE BIBLE.

"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the

word of our God shall stand for ever" (Isaiah 40, v. 8).

Such was the bracing message which the great Prophet

of the Exile gave to his countrymen in the day

of their testing. May this same truth abide in our

hearts as we set out on another year and face the

testing it may bring.

What does the future hold for us? We are all

asking this. But an equally important question is: —

How are we facing the future? We should do so with

composure. Composure is not indifference; it is a

quality of mind and spirit which enables us to look

steadily on life and leads to positive action. This

can only be if our minds are stayed on God. Such

composure is, of course, the reverse of seeking some

means of "escape"; rather it is a fearless facing of

the future. It springs from an unshaken conviction

that, whatever may betide, "the best is yet to be."

“The word of our God shall stand for ever"; this is

our faith. The Bible is supremely God's word for us,

it has a message for every situation, for every need.

It assures us of His unchanging reality, His deathless

purpose of love, His supreme revelation in Christ the

Eternal Lord, who is the same yesterday and to-day

and for ever.

Have we made the best use of the Bible in the year

that has closed? If not, then here is a new year, a

fresh chance to prove it to be "a lantern unto feet

and light unto our path" for 1940.

(3) PUBLIC WORSHIP.

In this country we have still preserved for us the

right to worship God freely in our churches Sunday

by Sunday. In parts of the world men have lost this

privilege, churches are closed or they are being used

as secular buildings. Yet, how many there are, even

in Seagoe, who do not value this God-given means of

grace. Perhaps they would say, if asked, "I can live

without going to church." This may be true, but

even the cow or the cat could answer thus if they

had the power of speech. Is any individual "made

in God's image" content to live a life at the animal

level? A live Christian must be a worshipping

Christian. God demands and expects it of us. In this

parish there are 2,500 souls, one would not get that

impression from the attendance at our morning or

evening service on Sundays. Even allowing for old

people and very young children our Church attendance

is unworthy of a Christian community. True for the

past few months the weather was singularly inclement

on Sundays, and the black-out has not made it any

easier, but if our religious enthusiasm can be damped

by a shower, if the "black-out" is going to "black-out,"

our Church going, what kind of religion is it? We can

be sure of one thing in answer to this, it is not the

Christian religion. After all the "black-out" is a very

lame excuse for country people, and there are 1,000

of them in Seagoe; for them the lighting restrictions

have made no appreciable difference in the matter

of getting to Church; while for townspeople the

absence of street lighting could be compensated for

by the "convoy system," i.e., if you do not like the

idea of walking out alone, call for a friend or friends

and go together. There is no danger for there is a good

footpath from every house in Edenderry to the Church

gate. Let us make a fresh effort for 1940 to enter into

the psalmist's experience, when he said, "I was glad

when they said unto me, we will go into the house of

the Lord."

(4) THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION.

As we face the New Year let us make up our minds

to use this service more often for "The strengthening

and refreshing of our souls." It is our Lord's own

appointed way of helping us to keep in mind His

Cross and of the benefits we enjoy through His atoning

death for us. We have missed recently some of the

regular attenders from the 8 a.m. Service on the third

Sunday of each month. I hope the attendance will

improve.

It is only by making use of all these ways of

strengthening our spiritual life that we can hope to

tread victoriously the unknown path, which lies before

each one of us in 1940. Let us go forward in the sure

confidence that if we do our part God will do His,

and let us remember that if we are slack and careless

about the things that matter, God cannot and will

not help us.

I will close this letter with the words of our King

in his broadcast on Christmas Day. They are worth

repeating and pondering over: —

"I said to the man who stood at the gate of the

year, 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into

the unknown,' and he replied, 'Go out into the

darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light and safer than

A known way.' "

Your sincere Friend,

J. W. APPELBE.

SIDESMEN FOR JANUARY.

Morning Prayer—The Churchwardens, Messrs. J.

Ward, F. Shanks, J. Stevens, W. G. Best.

Evening Prayer—J. Walker, W. Hewitt, S. D. Walker,

A. Kirke, W. H. Best, J. McLoughlin.

CHRISTMAS SERVICES.

On Christmas Eve, Sunday, December 24th, at 7

the annual Carol Service took place, at which

the choir rendered a special Christmas Anthem and

as well some of the popular Carols. The Service

formed a fitting prelude to Christmas Day.

The weather this year was fine on Christmas Day,

but this did not help the attendance at the Services

on this day as it should have done. It is to be hoped

that the attendance at Morning Prayer on Christ's

birthday is not an indication of the place He holds

in our lives. It is sad to think that out of a church

population of 2,500 only 72 were able to be present

at Morning Prayer. "He came unto His own and His

own received Him not" was the tragedy of the first

Christmas. Is it not true of us to-day? I hope in

future years we will remove this blot from our

Church life and see to it, that, we honour Him by

worshipping Him in His house on His birthday.

The special Christmas music was tastefully

rendered by the choir, under the capable leadership

of Mrs. Casey at the organ. The solo part of the

anthem "Sing O ye Heavens," was taken by Miss N.

Montgomery.

THE COST OF THE BLACK-OUT.

The material for making the Parish Church conform

with the lighting restrictions cost between £7 and £8.

The fitting up, etc., of this was generously done free

of cost by a member of the Select Vestry. As a result

of the retiring collections on Sunday, December 31st,

the sum of £3 13s 5d was received to meet the cost.

This is barely half the sum required. There were a

great many absent, who we feel would like to help in

clearing this; they can still do so by putting their

contribution on the plate in an envelope any Sunday

in January.

"WHAT AM I TO DO?"

A THOUGHT FOR THE NEW YEAR.

(From Everyday Religion, by the Bishop of Lichfield.)

"To the question, 'What am I to do?' the Christian

answer is plain. It may be stated in three words,

'Share your life.' The attaining of life and the sharing

of it are two integral parts of one and the same

process. It is the great paradox of Christianity again

and again insisted upon by Jesus Christ, and verified

by all true experience, that you only realize life in

sharing it. 'Life' and ' Love' are almost interchangeable

terms.

"Now it must be conceded that to care more for

giving than getting involves for most of us

a very drastic change in our point of view.

But such a change is precisely what takes place when

Anyone has the humility and wisdom—I had almost

said the common sense — to get his ideas from Jesus

Christ.

"No one can have any contact with Jesus Christ

without making two discoveries—discoveries which

rapidly affect the whole of his thinking and living.

One is that the eternal God does really care about

every single individual being; that they all matter to

Him as individual personalities.

"If each of severally are

objects of God's concern

then clearly, we stand in a very wonderful relationship

to one another, as being all of us within the magic

circle of the love of God.

"The other discovery—perhaps it would be truer

to call it experience—which follows hard upon the

heels of the first is that such a knowledge of the love

of God, and such an attitude towards men, must and

does involve a shifting of life's centre of gravity.

“It entails a drastic alteration of one's sense of

values.

“It means, not a contracting, or limiting or

mutilating of life but a

radiant, passionate certainty

that the fulness of life is only to be found in sharing

and service and sacrifice.

“How indeed could it be otherwise with a religion

which has the Cross as its very centre, which tells

of a God ‘Who spared not His own Son but gave Him

up for us all'?

“Shall the disciple be above his master? Are we

to attempt to work out our vocation and destiny on

easier and safer lines than those which were good

enough for Jesus?

“The fundamental thing in Christian experience

cannot be too emphatically set forth; for it is so easily

obscured on the one side by the idea that sees 'salvation'

as a kind of private security from the dangers of this

world and the next. Or on the other side by an

exaggerated asceticism which views sacrifice as an

end in itself.

“The essential thing in 'salvation' is that the man is

saved from a life of selfishness to one of love.

“Whatever spiritual experiences a man may have

gone through, if he is not delivered from his

self-regarding impulses he is not converted to the

Christian position.

“I sometimes think," says another Christian of

to-day, 'that Christ barely recognizes any sin except

selfishness; for selfishness is about the one sin we

don't recognize.'

“It is not so much a question, in 'salvation,' of

mortifying selfish instinct. It is rather that, in the

company of Christ, you come to care for something

not yourself in the absorbing interests of His plans

and His cause. The question He always asks of those

who follow Him is what they are doing to share their

life! and His sternest condemnation falls on those who

fail to share it; those who, confronted by opportunities

to help, thoughtlessly and uselessly "pass by on the

other side.'

"A great Italian writer is said to have remarked to

a friend on the subject of a religious reputation:

‘When I hear a man called 'good,' I ask, 'Who, then,

has he saved?'

"The genuine article in Christian unselfishness is

not to be confused with

a feeble, flabby sentiment of goodwill

which never gets itself effectively expressed in action;

a 'love' which is directed towards everybody in

particular but does nothing for anybody in particular.

"A story is told of an artist busy in his studio and

thinking hard while he painted. The subject of his

picture was a poor, thinly-clad woman hugging a child

to her breast and sorely battered by storm and tempest.

“Suddenly he flung down his brush, exclaiming to

himself, 'Why don't I go myself to help such folk,

instead of just painting pictures of them?'

“He was as good as his word and Alfred Tucker

spent the rest of his life in the mission field; the last

twenty-five years of it as Bishop of Uganda."

(From " The Church Army Gazette.")

DISTRICT SERVICES FOR JANUARY.

Drumgor—Sunday, Jan. 14th, at 3 p.m.

Bocombra—Tuesday, Jan. 23rd, at 8 p.m.

Hacknahay—Sunday, Jan. 28th, at 3.30 p.m.

OBITUARY.

The passing from our midst of Mrs. Russell, Drumgor,

came as a great shock. In the prime of life, she

has been called to higher service. She was greatly

loved by all who knew her, and she will be sadly

missed in the home, where she leaves a husband and

four children to mourn her loss. To the bereaved

family we extend our deepest sympathy.

His many friends in Seagoe were deeply grieved to

hear that the Rev. W. F. Hayes suffered bereavement

recently by the death of his mother. We pray, that

to all who mourn at this time God may "grant the

spirit of faith and courage that they may have strength

to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience,

not sorrowing as those without hope, but in thankful

remembrance of His great goodness in past years, and

in the sure expectation of a joyful reunion in the

heavenly places, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

BAPTISMS.

“Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid

them not. for of such is the Kingdom of God."

Dec. 3rd—William James, son of Robert Henry and

Isabel Wilson, 4, Garland Avenue, Lurgan.

MARRIAGES.

"Those whom God hath joined together let no man

put asunder."

Dec. 26th—Thomas Richard Quinn, 39, Alexandra

Gardens, Portadown, and Myrtle Liggett, 261,

Bridge Street, Portadown.

Dec. 26th—William Cunningham, 91, West Street,

Portadown, and Bertha McLoughlin,

Killicomaine.

BURIALS.

"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from

henceforth, yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest

from their labours."

Dec. 4th—Margaret Russell, Drumgor, aged 40 years.

THE NEW RECTORY BUILDING FUND.

The Hon. Treas. for the above gratefully acknowledges

the receipt of the following subscriptions: —

Robert Scott, Seagoe £2 0 0

Miss Hall, Windsor Terrace 0 5 0

George Leake, Seafield 0 10 0

T. H. Hall, Seafield 2 0 0

S. Hall, Seafield 2 0 0

J. Ward, Seafield 1 0 0

R. M'C1ements, Bridge St. 5 0 0

Mrs. A. Hoy, Windsor Terrace 0 10 0

Mr. & Mrs. Stephens, Levaghery 1 0 0

Miss D. Stephens, Levaghery 0 10 0

Mrs. Marks, Levaghery £0 10 0

Mrs. Kyle, Clanrole 0 10 0

Mrs. John Richardson, Breagh 0 2 6

Wm. Gregson, Drumgor 0 4 0

John McKerr, Drumgor 0 2 6

Joseph Stevenson, Drumgor 2 0 0

Miss Gibson, Clanrole 0 2 6

£18 6 6

Already acknowledged £555 16 7

Total £574 3 1

ARMAGH PROTESTANT ORPHAN SOCIETY.

At the recent annual meeting of the above held in

Armagh two orphans from this parish were elected

to benefit.

We print below the return of the recent collections

made in the parish for this worthy object, and we are

glad to note that, compared with last year, there has

been no falling off in support.

Card Collectors: -

Miss M. Bradshaw 3 2 6

Miss Sophie McMurray 0 19 1

Miss E. Gibson 1 1 0

Miss T. Anderson 1 10 0

Mrs. W. Neill 1 3 0

Miss Margaret Russell 1 11 0

Miss E. Walker 0 11 6

Mrs Cathcart 1 17 0

Miss E. Magee 0 14 6

Miss Sparrow 2 1 6

Miss G. Magee 1 10 0

£16 1 1

Interest on the late Miss

Elizabeth Reid's Bequest 0 7 0

£16 8 1

A cheque for the above amount has been forwarded

to Hon. Treas. of the Society.

Our best thanks are due to the ladies mentioned

above, who so kindly undertook to make the

collections, and we congratulate them on the result of their

efforts.

SERVICES—THE PARISH CHURCH.

HOLY COMMUNION—1st Sunday after Morning

Prayer; 3rd Sunday at 8 a.m., and on the Chief Festivals

HOLY BAPTISM—1st Sunday of each Month at 4 p.m.,

and during any Service in the Parish Church, notice to be

given; Two Sponsors at least are required. The father and

mother must be present. Churchings are held at each Baptism.

Mothers are expected to bring a thank offering. (See Book of

Common Prayer.)

MORNING PRAYER—Sundays and Chief Festivals,

11.30 a.m.

EVENING PRAYER—Sundays, 7 p.m.

DISTRICT SERVICES.

Hacknahay—Last Sunday of Month at 3.30 p.m.

Drumgor—Second Sunday of Month at 3 p.m.

Edenderry—Wednesdays at 8 p.m., Oct—Easter.

CLASSES &c.

BIBLE CLASSES FOR MEN in Edenderry on Sundays at 10.15 a.m.

SUNDAY SCHOOLS—10.15 a.m. Edenderry Parochial

Hall and Seagoe School. 3 p.m. Seagoe, Edenderry

Parochial Hall, Levaghery, Hacknahay, Carne, Drumgor, Bocombra

MOTHERS' UNION—2nd Tuesday of each month at 7.30 p.m.

CHURCH LADS' BRIGADE in the Parochial Hall on Tuesdays.

GIRLS' FRIENDLY SOCIETY in Seagoe School on Mondays at 8 p.m. as announced

G.F.S. Candidates - Oct. – Easter, Edenderry Parochial Hall, Saturdays at 3 p.m.

SEAGO CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOUR SOCIETY – Mondays, Orange Hall, at 8 p.m.

SEAGOE P.E. SCHOOL—9.15 a.m. Principal—Mr. R. Scott.

MARRIAGES must be performed between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Licences are issued by Ven. Archdeacon Hannon, the Rectory, Lurgan. Due notice (48 hours) must be given to the Rector of intended weddings. FEES—BY License—Labourers 5/-, Tradesmen 10/-, Merchants and Farmers £1, Professional £l. By Banns 5/-.

FUNERALS will be attended by the Clergy if proper notice be given. SICK CASES should be notified to the Clergy without delay. FEES FOR CERTIFICATES—BAPTISM 3/7, Children (Factory) 1/- and 2/- (non-residents); MARRIAGE 3/7. An extra Search Fee is chargeable in certain cases. It will be a help to the Clergy if they are notified of the arrival of new Church families in the Parish.

A copy of the Magazine will be sent by post to any subscriber for 3/- per annum.