MWI Killarney Weekend 2026
39 Women from all over the island came together for the 65th Killarney Weekend
We were blessed with glorious weather in this most beautiful place, Killarney. 39 women from all over the island came together for the 65th Killarney weekend. It was led by Carolyn Godfrey who is the Regional Officer for Safeguarding for the Darlington and Newcastle Districts in England. Carolyn also served as Vice President of the British Methodist Conference 2024-2025.
Ladies from Dundrum Methodist Church led our worship times. Amy Barry from DMC spoke to us about the Prayer Ministry they offer in their church. A few of the ladies who are trained in Prayer Ministry were on hand to offer prayer to any individuals who needed a special touch from God over the weekend.
Carolyn's theme was “Where Power meets Purpose: small acts that can change the world.” Carolyn used Scripture and her own personal experiences to expand on this theme. She spoke about how we have the ability to show God's power and the love of Jesus through little kindnesses. The ripple effect from such acts can change someone’s circumstances.
God entrusts His power to us to show the world a glimpse of heaven through our intentional acts of kindness. When we love well, we give folk a safe space to share their hurt. Carolyn reminded us that ‘the smallest kind action you take this week may become the biggest part of someone else’s story.’ With our kind acts, we can colour our dark world. It is amazing how a smile or friendly greeting can brighten someone’s day.
Carolyn took John 6 v1-14, the feeding of the 5,000 as an example and asked us to reflect on:
What did the Disciples see?
What did the boy see?
What did Jesus see?
We went into groups to discuss these questions. We were all challenged by the little boy’s response to hearing Jesus' request; he gave the little he had and in Jesus hands it fed everyone and more. Carolyn challenged us by asking what small, intentional act of kindness we could offer for Jesus this coming week.
On Saturday afternoon, we had free time to explore all that Killarney has to offer and to enjoy the sunshine. This was followed by a talk on 'Open Schools' by Brian Callan, whose passion for this wonderful ministry is so obvious. ‘Wrapped in Love’, led by a group of ladies from Killarney shared their skill in crafts and showed some of their work knitting blankets for those who need them and praying for those who would receive them as they work. The day ended by challenging our brains in a 'Quiz Night' led by the ladies from Sutton and Clontarf Methodist Churches where there was more hilarity than serious quizzing!
We joined the Killarney Methodist congregation on Sunday where the MWI All- Ireland President, Alexa Brown was our preacher. Lunch was enjoyed in the Castlerosse dining room overlooking the mountains before the weekend ended with a last word from Carolyn and a Love Feast led by the Hogan sisters.
A big thank you to the Southern District MWI for organising another enjoyable and challenging weekend. Save the date for next year’s Killarney weekend: 16th-18th April 2027.
Lorna Kingston