Coffee morning to aid Nigeria project; Children’s Work Training 2012; Mourne men set for rowing challenge; Lady Eames to open flower festival; Married RC deacons to be ordained in June; Northern Ireland inquiry into clerical child abuse may fail, warns Amnesty; Secretary of State opposes gay marriage
Coffee morning to aid Nigeria project
Devenish Parish will be holding a Coffee Morning in the Reade Hall, Monea on Saturday 23rd June from 10.00am to 12.30 pm in aid of 25/35 Project in Nigeria. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me …Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
The 25/35 Project was initiated in 2009 for the support of the less privileged, the poor and the marginalized. The 25/35 Project took its inspiration from the Scripture passage above. Its first action was the provision of clean water to a community in Nigeria. This year the 25/35 Project aims at rehabilitating the life of a 25 year old man (Chinedu) who was chained as a result of mental illness. He was manacled because the family thought that he would be inimical to the people. They cannot do much for him because of poverty. The mother is a helpless widow and Chinedu who is supposed to have been there for her is sick. As they look up to the mountains, where will there help come from? The government doesn’t want to know if people like Chinedu and the mother exist. Last time I met Chinedu, he said to me “I don’t know what I have done wrong that deserves this punishment.” To take the chain off him requires financial support to the 25/35 Project, which will provide for his medical treatment, food, clean up and support for the poor widow. Please nothing is too small and nothing is too big, just help. One thing special with the 25/35 Project is that it delivers proceeds directly to the needy people without deductions.
Children’s Work Training 2012
The Methodist Church in Ireland’s Department of Youth and Community Work (DYCW) Children’s Team would like to offer the following training events:
WORKING WITH UNDER 5’S: Date: Saturday 16 June 2012 Cost: £10 Time: 9.30am – 1.00pm Venue: Edgehill College
MAKATON TRAINING: ONE DAY WORKSHOP: Tutor: Sandra Monro – Speech and Language Therapist and Makaton Regional Tutor Date: Saturday 29 September 2012 Cost: £50 – this includes manual Venue: Aldersgate House Makaton, widely used in special schools, is a mix of signs, symbols and speech to help children and adults communicate.
SPECIAL NEEDS TRAINING:
September/October
Date, time and venue to be confirmed
These workshops are suitable for all those working with children in Crèche, Sunday School, Parents and Toddlers, Schools, Community Initiatives, or other church based organisations.
If you are interested in any or all of the above training sessions please contact:
Wendy at dycw@irishmethodist.org
Or 028 9032 7191
Mourne men set for rowing challenge
RNLI crews are prepared to go to sea at a moment’s notice, in all weathers and conditions, for the good of others.
However, five Mourne lifeboat men are gearing themselves up for their biggest sea challenge to date – the Shore to Shore Row – a gruelling, almost 30–mile long row across one of the UK’s busiest shipping channels.
James McKnight, Damien King, Brendan Duff, Alan Henning and William Charleton are preparing to give something back to the community, when they take part in the arduous row from Ardglass to the Isle of Man. The team, who are members of Newcastle and Kilkeel lifeboat crews, plan to raise money for the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children’s Shimna Valley respite centre near Newcastle and the Carryduff–based TinyLife organisation.
William Charleton a parishioner of Christ Church, Kilkeel, is no stranger to adventure or to fundraising as he has been on Hopebuilders teams constructing schools in rural Uganda. Those trips are characterised by heat and dust, whereas the upcoming challenges could be high seas and strong winds.
“The row will be tough,” he said, “but all the blisters, hard work and pain will be worth it in the long run.”
As if preparatory gym and training sessions aren’t enough, the men have also decided to build their own 20–foot boat. With the fibreglass coating about to go on the hull, they’re confident they will be able to embark on their fundraiser this August or September. Once the boat is ready to hit the water, the rowers and their support team will complete a number of sea trials.
Aware that the crossing will be demanding, tiring and dangerous, the men are confident that no matter what Mother Nature and the Irish Sea throws at them, they will arrive safe and sound in Peel Harbour.
If you’d like to make a donation or support the crew in any way, check out Facebook or telephone 07717 860733.
Lady Eames to open flower festival
A reminder that Christ Church, Lisburn, is hosting a Flower Festival and Art Exhibition from May 31 until June 3.
This is part of the parish’s celebrations of 100 years of the Mothers’ Union.
The festival opens with a special service at 7.30pm on Thursday May 31 when the guest will be Lady Christine Eames, wife of Lord Eames, former Archbishop of Armagh.
Visitors will be able to view the floral exhibits and artwork from 10am until 9pm on Friday June 1; from 10am until 8pm on Saturday June 2 and from 1pm to 6pm on Sunday June 3.
On the Sunday evening, beginning at 7pm, the Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy, will preach at a closing service.
The flower festival will be designed and co–ordinated by the Rev William McMillan MBE, international floral artist, along with members of Ballymacash Flower Club.
For more information visit www.christchurchlisburn.co.uk or contact Marie Anderson 02892 665636 or ivanj.anderson@yahoo.co.uk or Valerie Christy 02892 683590.
Married RC deacons to be ordained in June
TheJournal.ie – The eight married men will be able to celebrate marriages, preach the homily and preside at funerals, but won’t progress to being ordained as priests.
http://www.thejournal.ie/married-deacons-to-be-ordained-in-june-462278-May2012/
Northern Ireland inquiry into clerical child abuse may fail, warns Amnesty
The Guardian – Henry McDonald writes – A Northern Ireland government-led investigation into clerical child abuse may fail because of a lack of powers to make witnesses come forward and seize internal church files, Amnesty International has warned. The power-sharing executive at Stormont has …
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/may/23/northern-ireland-inquiry-child-abuse-church?newsfeed=true
Secretary of State opposes gay marriage
U.TV – Mr Lynch is also a lay person in the Church of Ireland, which passed a motion at its General Synod this month confirming its opposition to the recognition of gay marriages. He said the opinions of gay people within the church have been “ignored”.
http://www.u.tv/News/Secretary-of-State-opposes-gay-marriage/70ec4de6-9b57-414f-bf0f-3d02e6b07286