Short reports including – GAA and C of I had talks over commemorations; Lunchtime Music at St. Mary’s, Limerick; Connor youth service; Parishioner voted Lisburn’s Person to be Proud Of; Spring Issue of Search Published
GAA and C of I had talks over commemorations
News Letter – Ulster’s most senior GAA figure has pledged that the body will show respect for key unionist centenaries over the coming decade by attending every commemoration to which it is invited. Danny Murphy, who is provisional director of the GAA in Ulster, said that his association – despite its long association with nationalism and republicanism – would attend “every event” in the next decade to remember the milestones that led to partition.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/ulster_gaa_leader_in_respect_pledge_1_3557128
New Dawn – Easter Saturday worship for Connor’s youth
New Dawn, an evening of worship, praise and teaching for young people will take place in St Nicholas Parish Church, Carrickfergus, on Easter Saturday.
Speaker is the Rev Andrew Forster, rector of St Anne’s, Dungannon, and praise will be led by the Mark Ferguson Band.
The event, organised by Connor’s Energize Committee, gets underway at 7pm. Please note that the Hear Our Voice conference will now take place in Lisburn Cathedral on Saturday March 24, not March 10 as originally advertised.
The Big Do
‘The Big Do’ will take place in the Clanard Court Hotel Athy, Co. Kildare, on Friday March 2 from 9pm till late. Music will be provided by Helter Skelter and finger food will be served. There will be a raffle and spot prizes on the night. Tickets are on sale at €15 and are available from Derek on (087) 7591022 and Olivia on (086) 8129409. The event is a fundraiser for Narraghmore, Timolin, Castledermot and Kinneagh Parish.
C of I school management
The Church of Ireland Primary School Management Association has announced details of the 2nd Annual Conference for Primary School Boards of Management which will be held in the King’s Hospital on 3 March. The theme will be ‘Patronage and Governance Issues in Our Schools Today’ and the speakers will include the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Anne Lodge, Principal of CICE, Fr Michael Drumm, Chairperson of CSP and the keynote speaker, the Minister of Education and Skills, Mr Ruairi Quin TD. Details may be had at cipsmaconference@gmail.com
A parishioner voted Lisburn’s Person to be Proud Of 2011.
In the first ever competition of its kind in Lisburn, Mrs Oriel Gamble of St Paul’s, Lisburn, was crowned the winner following a week of voting by readers of the Ulster Star newspaper. “I am speechless,” she said when she was told the news. “I cannot believe this. I was really humbled when I was nominated but to win is just overwhelming.”
Oriel, who is originally from Magheragall, has been a member of St Paul’s Parish since 1974 and has always been a valuable member of the congregation. She worked in Barbour Threads, Stewarts Mill in Antrim Street and in Hilden, where she retired after 40 years of service.
Married to Stanley, Oriel has been blessed with a wonderful family – daughter Andrea, who is married to Stephen and son Stanley, who is married to Sarah, as well as grandchildren Luke, who is in heaven, Joel, Zach and Grace.
Oriel puts her heart and soul into her work and is always willing to lend a hand whenever she is needed. She works closely with the senior citizens in the church, organising an annual dinner in January, as well as day trips and shopping excursions. She takes pastoral care of a number of older members of St Paul’s and has proved to be indispensable.
Oriel also organises catering at the church, particularly for funerals. However, her services are not just limited to the church congregation, she also provides catering in the church halls, when needed, for Ronnie Thompson’s Funeral Home, which is located close by.
Oriel is also a valued member of the choir and Mother’s Union and is heavily involved in overseas mission, having visited Kenya with St Paul’s in the past. She is also preparing to return to Kenya later this year.
She is a real ‘people’ person and is always selfless with her time and energy – a vital part of St Paul’s and the church is her life.
Oriel was nominated by fellow parishioner Mrs Florence Malcolm. “We are one big family at St Paul’s and Oriel is a valued member of that family,” said Mrs Malcolm. “This is so richly deserved and I am delighted she is the winner. She is such a tremendous worker and she cares for everybody. She’s so hugely thought of in the church and without a doubt she deserves this recognition.”
The rector of St Paul’s, the Rev Canon James Carson, was also thrilled that Oriel was voted as Lisburn’s ‘Person to be Proud Of.’ “This is fully deserved for her work and commitment to the church,” said Canon Carson. “She is really involved with everything.
“It is not just work for the church,” he continued. “Many things she does are community based and with people at a real point of need. “That has been very much appreciated.”
Oriel said: “I want to thank everyone who voted for me and I would like to thank Mrs Malcolm, who nominated me, from the very bottom of my heart. I feel very humbled.”
The Ulster Star
UL Chaplaincy fundraises for Luyengo Farm
A Fundraising Day to raise money for the HIV/Aids Programmes in Swaziland is being held at the UL Chaplaincy Centre (Teach Fáilte) next Tuesday 28th February.
You are invited to take your coffee breaks (10.15 – 11.30am and 3 – 4.15pm) at the Centre.
• Fairtrade coffee and tea/biscuits will be served
• A raffle for a large box of Thorntons Chocolates will be held
UL Trad Group Cruinniú have kindly agreed to play Lunchtime in support of the event.
Life begins at 40 for St Saviour’s Craigavon
Many people say that life begins at 40 and St Saviour’s in Craigavon is currently preparing to celebrate 40 years of ministry.
As a congregation they have faced many challenges from when they first began in a home in Meadowbrook and then moved to a multi-purpose building in Tullygally.
Due to population changes and anti-social behaviour the congregation moved to Drumgor West Road where they have been ever since. Since moving to Drumgor the church building has endured three major fires and numerous break-ins. Instead of putting the congregation off this has served to increase their resolve and commitment to the area.
The congregation has remained positive and faithful to their calling. They are looking forward to the future and continue to serve the local community.
In preparation for their special week of celebration ‘Life Begins at…’ St Saviour’s are planning a visitation of the estates in central Craigavon. The Craigavon Evangelists are a team of men and women from many different churches in the Craigavon area who are committed to evangelism. They will work alongside a team from the church and it is hoped there will be 40 visitors altogether.
It will run from Saturday, March 31 to Sunday, April 8 and will be led By Roger Murphy and Paul Woodman, an escapologist from England and Paul Hoey from Northern Ireland. The week will consist of a wide variety of activities.
There will be a Service of Loss on Good Friday, April 6 at 7pm. There will also be a Songs of Praise. The soloist that evening will be Clover Watts.
Portadown Times
Lunchtime Music at St. Mary’s, Limerick
Everyone is welcome, admission is free, but there is a retiring collection in aid of the Companions of St. Mary’s Cathedral Music. The concerts start at 1:15 p.m. and end at 2:00 p.m. so that those who need to can get back to work.
Friday 2nd March – Timea Beres (Soprano) Alessio Del Monte (Piano)
Music by Mozart and Caccini
Wednesday 7th March – Stuart O’Sullivan (Piano)
Wednesday 14th March – Yonit Kosovske (Piano) and Bálint Váray (Violin)
Wednesday 21st March – Students of Music Department Mary Immaculate College
New Irish Youth Choir
There’s just over a week to go before the next two New Irish Youth Choir workshops. They are being held Saturday morning March 3 in Ballymena Baptist Church 12.00 − 1.30pm and next Saturday afternoon in Knock Presbyterian Church, Belfast 3.30 − 5.00 pm.
NIYC say – We’re really looking forward to the workshops, and would love you to remind people to sign up for them if they haven’t done so already.
Please forward this to anyone you think would be interested.
To register online, go to http://tinyurl.com/newirishyouth
Spring Issue of Search Published
Irish Times C of I notes – The spring issue of the Church of Ireland Journal, Search, will be out next week taking note of two important conferences in the first half of this year – the Church of Ireland Conference on sexuality in Cavan in March and the Eucharistic Congress in Dublin in June. Search has already devoted an issue to the former and on this occasion offers only a faraway perspective on the issue – that of New Zealand Bishop John Bluck.
The Eucharistic Congress, principally of interest to Roman Catholics, has a Church of Ireland dimension in that the Archbishop of Dublin has been invited to address the assembly on the theme ‘Communion in One Baptism’. Since we accept each other’s baptism as valid, is there hope we may in our lifetime proceed to accept each other also at the eucharist? Eoin de Bhaldraithe, former abbot of Bolton Abbey in Co Kildare, contributes a carefully considered article on the subject.
Former CITC lecturer, the Revd Dr David Hewlett, now Principal of The Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham, reflects on last year’s meeting of Anglican Theological College principals from around the globe, while former MP Sally Keeble shares her experience at the head of Anglican Alliance, the recently formed body working to redress poverty and injustice through mutual cooperation between nations.
This issue also includes contributions from a leading figure in the world of biblical hermeneutics, Professor Stephen Moore of Drew University, and from Dr Roja Fazaeli, Lecturer in Islamic Studies in TCD, on the possibility of a progressive Islam prevailing one day in Iran. The issue draws to a close with an In Retrospect on Dean Gonville ffrench–Beytagh by Canon Patrick Comerford and an extended review of the recent Dictionaries of Biography by Dr Alan Acheson.