NEWS BRIEFS

Official launch of St Columb’s School of Music

Get your ticket for Saturday 8th February – the hottest ticket in town!

The Priests, George Hutton, Ruth McGinley and jazz aficionados Scott Flanigan and Cathal Roche will be among the glittering line-up of performers at the official launch of St Columb’s School of Music on Saturday 8th February.

RTE television and radio personality, Mr. Bryan Dobson, will present both the 1pm Lunchtime Concert and the 7.30pm Gala Concert in St. Columb’s Cathedral.

Tickets can be purchased via the following link: www.stcolumbsschoolofmusic.com/tickets, or, alternatively, call into the School of Music, Monday-Thursday, 4.00pm-9.00pm. All Day Tickets (£20) grant you entry into both concerts and the School of Music itself.

Beyond the Food Bank with Inner East Churches Network

EBCDA, Inner East Churches Network and The Scaffolding Project has developed a series of events to empower and equip churches to address the complex conditions that lead to poverty and disadvantage. The first session is a Breakfast event on Saturday 18 January at 9.30am and is being hosted by East Belfast Mission. To register go to:
https://ebcda.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d71b6a59283c7ab4317ab1479&id=bb8cb8306d&e=4f5a818dbc .

‘What Kind of Church?’ – A new vision for Carnmoney

The Rev Andy Heber and members of the Carnmoney Parish Select Vestry at their Away Day.

Since September, Carnmoney Parish Church has been looking to the future and considering its function and priorities.

Here the rector, the Rev Andy Heber, outlines the work the parish has undertaken to formulate a vision and determine ‘What Kind of Church’ it wants to be.

Between September and December we have been considering as a church how we can move forward into God’s future for us and grow as a church, not only in numbers but also upwards towards God, inwards in love for each other and outwards into our local community.

Following a sermon series over eight Sundays, members of the congregation met on Thursday nights to discuss the way forward with the help of a DVD-based course entitled ‘What Kind of Church?’ produced by the Evangelical Alliance.

Out of these meetings, and through much feedback and discussion, a vision has slowly emerged and an Action Plan has been formulated that will hopefully guide our work over the coming years.

This focused on three areas:

Growing up towards God (Worship)
Growing inwards towards each other (Fellowship)
Growing outwards into our community (Evangelism)

On November 2, the Select Vestry had a very productive Away Day at St Peter’s in Antrim Road. In the morning we considered what our strengths and weaknesses were as a church and also decided what our main function and priorities should be.

In the afternoon, following a relaxed lunch at the Landsdown Hotel next door, the Action Plan was introduced, discussed, tweaked slightly and finally unanimously agreed. To conclude the day, as part of our closing worship, we built a cairn together using precious stones from Iona, symbolizing the stage we have reached in our church’s journey and our desire to continue to move onwards and upwards into an exciting future under God’s direction.

During January, the Rev Carol Harvey and I are preaching four sermons to share this vision with the entire congregation.

NEW PCI Bible Study

Through the book of Ruth, ‘Home’ will help you engage with the issues of migration. Each study contains interviews with migrants and those who have met them & questions to promote discussion in your congregations
Order resources here bit.ly/2NpHmB3

Bishop at Men’s Breakfast fundraiser

Bishop Andrew Forster will be the guest speaker at a Men’s Breakfast fundraiser in Donemana next month.

The event will take place in Earlsgift Hall, next to St James’ Church, in the Parish of Donagheady.

‘Grub’s up’ from 9am on and – apart from the fellowship – you’ll be doing a good deed: proceeds are in aid of Foyle Search and Rescue.

Consecration of Bishop

The Ven David McClay will be consecrated as bishop on Saturday 25 January at 3.30 pm in St Anne’s Cathedral Belfast.

If you have not yet received an invitation to the service and would like to attend, email: dco@downdromorediocese.org.

New rural dean

The Rev Malcolm Ferry, rector of Agherton Parish, has been appointed as rural dean of the deanery of Coleraine and succeeds the Rev Canon George Graham.

The deanery covers an extensive geographical area and includes the parishes of Agherton; Ballintoy and Dunseverick; Ballymoney, Finvoy and Rasharkin; Ballyrashane and Kildollagh; Ballywillan; Billy and Derrykeighan; Coleraine and Dunluce.

As rural dean, Mr. Ferry will have responsibility for taking care of parishes during a time of vacancy and when an incumbent is off ill.

The diocese expressed appreciation to Canon George Graham, rector of Dunlce (Bushmills), for his unstinting faithfulness in the service and commitment to the parishes and the parishioners in the deanery during his time as rural dean.

God in creation