Tullow 150th Anniversary 2014 – background, events and details

Tullow Church was consecrated on 14th April 1864.

Its history has been documented by the late Dr. George Otto Simms, Archbishop of Dublin and Glendalough to the early 1980’s and an addendum for the last 30 years will be available during 2014.

The Parish website was launched in September 2011 and contains all copies of past Newsletters since that date, along with a weekly diary, a monthly calendar of Services and an Events Calendar listing all future Parish activities and contacts.

A unique feature of our website is the facility for Parishioners, friends and visitors to leave a Prayer Request on the website. All requests are available in confidence to the Rector who will include specific prayers during both the weekly and Sunday services.

Located in the leafy suburbs of south county Dublin on Brighton Road, we are blessed to have substantial grounds around our Church, a redeveloped and modern Rectory and a well-maintained Sexton’s house, along with a peaceful memorial garden.

The Church has stood for 150 years on this space and, with the grace of God and the faithfulness of present and future parishioners, our prayer must be that the Church will remain an active, living part of the body of Christ for the next 150 years and beyond.

We commend “Tullow150” and the Year of Celebration to all parishioners – former, present and future, along with all our friends and visitors – and we look forward to your continuing worship with us in this beautiful location with the grace of God through  the generations.

Dates for your 2014 Diary

 Sunday 19th January – The “Big Sing”

Sunday 6th April – Sponsored climb of the Sugar Loaf

Sunday 4th May – Anniversary Eucharist

Saturday 20th September – Autumn Fair

Saturday 18th October – Parish Forum

Sunday 21st December – Carol Service and Act of Re-dedication.

 

We are pleased to provide this information for use by parishioners, friends and visitors of Tullow Parish Church, Carrickmines on the occasion of our 150th Anniversary of the consecration of our church..

Congregational worship expresses our very heart and passion at the centre of our celebrations. In this Anniversary year, we remember God’s faithfulness and grace, rejoice in our hope and rededicate ourselves for service as we celebrate the theme of this Anniversary year “Grace Through Generations”.

We hope that this theme will reflect the positive feelings of being attached in a variety of ways to Tullow Parish through family connections.

Generations have worshipped and enjoyed their times with our Parish family, reflected in the love for our church buildings, our church family and above all, for the love shown to God in our regular services of worship.

It is our hope and prayer that this information leaflet will help the congregation of Tullow Parish Church share in giving thanks for God’s favour in the past, for God’s abiding presence in the present and for God’s promise to guide us into his future.

Our prayer is that all will enjoy “Tullow150” !

There will be ongoing announcements in the Parish Newsletter, on the website (www.tullowdublin.org), on leaflets, advertising sheets and by word of mouth throughout the year – keep your ears and eyes wide open!

Worship Celebrations

The following are the three phases of the 150th Anniversary year. They are meant to help focus the year and foster a sense of parish unity. Each phase has its own theme. Each of the dates are designed to be as helpful as possible in ensuring parishioners, friends and visitors will gain a sense of the happiness, togetherness and positive attitude that is evident in our Parish since its beginnings and consecration, fostering a commitment to its future development through the grace of God.

Remembering (January – May 2014)

The Remembering phase will be observed from January through May 2014, with the “BIG SING” to be held on Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 4:00pm.

The principal focus will be one of ‘remembering’ –  remembering that we are part of a wider body of Christ’s church on earth and as such we will reach out to other denominations in our community to remember that Christ called us all as one in him. The “BIG SING” will be a united community service in Tullow Church centred on raising our voices in songs of praise to God and remembering his grace and faithfulness to us and our community.

Rejoicing (May – September 2014)

The Rejoicing phase will be observed from May through September 2014, with a Service of Holy Communion to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the consecration of our Church to be held on Sunday, May 4, 2014, which is the date closest to the original dedication of the church during Holy Week 1864. The 10:30am Service on May 4 will be led and celebrated by the Archbishop at which gifts previously presented to the parish will be blessed and dedicated. An invitation to former Rectors and parishioners to attend will be issued in advance. Fellowship will continue during a light lunch in the church hall afterwards.

Rededicating (September – December 2014)

The Rededicating phase will be observed from September through December 2014, with Sunday, December 21, 2014 and our annual Candlelight Carol Service being the final service set as a re-dedication of our faith to the future. This annual service has traditionally been a focus for parishioners and many visitors who come to experience the warmth and welcome of Tullow Parish during the festive season. The subsequent seasonal reception will serve as a focus for rededicating our efforts to continue the work of the parish in dedicating ourselves to God’s service now and into the future. The 10:30am service on December 21 will also focus on the theme of rededication.

Logo

A Parish logo for the 150th Anniversary has been designed around the Church of Ireland logo to include the theme for our Anniversary year ‘Grace Through Generations’ detailing the Parish name and the original year of dedication and our Anniversary year. The design reflects both the Parish’s membership of the Church of Ireland at its core and our continuing presence on Brighton Road over 150 years through God’s grace and faithfulness. The circular imagery of the design reflects the Parish as all-encompassing and welcoming.

Anniversary Gift to the neighbourhood

As part of an outreach initiative during our Anniversary year, a public seat will be purchased and commissioned with a plaque noting its provision by the ‘Church of Ireland Parish of Tullow in celebration of 150 years in the community’. The seat will be located in Cabinteely Park, where it will offer a place of rest to those who may need it. It is hoped that the plaque on the seat will encourage those using the seat to learn more about Tullow Parish and to come and visit our Church family.

Sponsored Climb of the Sugar Loaf and Picnic – Sunday April 6

Parishioners and friends will be invited to join this ‘climb’ which will be in aid of both Parish funds and a selected charity. The event will be followed by a ‘bring-your-own’ picnic.

Adopt a ministry to a specific charity(s) for a defined period of time; e.g. 2-3 years.

The concept behind this initiative is that as a Parish, we would commit to providing, for example, tea and coffee for a period of time to a particular charity and where Parishioners would donate a box of tea bags or a jar of coffee a week, leaving it in the Church for delivery to the selected charity(s).

Parish Recipe cookbook – ‘Tullow Treats’ / ‘Tullow Eats’ – due late 2014.

A perennial favourite and a long-time overdue! We will be gathering and publishing a selection of favourite recipes from Parishioners and friends.

Jigsaw picture of Tullow church – available late 2013/early 2014

A novel idea is to produce a boxed jigsaw of Tullow Church offering the opportunity to jigsaw-lovers everywhere to have a unique view of our Church.

Assemble collection of old Parish pictures and photographs, scan and store them on USB (memory) sticks for sale inside and outside the Parish – available during 2014.

For the technologically-minded among us, we will offer a selection of old images gathered from photographs, prints and other stores of long-forgotten happenings in and around the Parish. Offers of material for inclusion from Parishioners and friends of Tullow will be most welcome.

Parish Forum

We will hold a 150th Anniversary Parish Forum on October 18, 2014 at a venue yet to be decided. The theme of the Forum will be “Assessing the Past, Facing the Future: Tullow Parish at 150”. The conference will be planned primarily with the input of parishioners and also with leaders from various aspects of the Church of Ireland, including but not limited to the Church Development Project Team, Church Missionary Society, Archbishop’s Office, the Archdeacon, neighbouring Parish ministry teams and others. The forum will be open to all parishioners – young and old – who have an interest in matters pertaining to the heritage and future of Tullow Parish. The forum will begin on the Saturday morning with a continental breakfast, followed by addresses on issues of interest for the Parish, yet to be agreed. The day will include mid-morning tea and coffee, lunch and mid-afternoon tea and coffee. It is expected that the Forum will conclude around 4pm with a short service of prayer.