CONNOR
JUNE 2009
The Magazine of the Diocese of Connor
connections
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
TWO
ADVERTISEMENT
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
BISHOP’S MESSAGE
Encouragement enriching
T
he Lent seminars were very well supported this year
and my thanks to everyone who helped in any way to
facilitate these and to all who attended.
I find it a great way to meet people across the diocese and
to engage with matters of faith in an informal setting. I enjoy
doing these seminars and find the encouragement
enriching. I did ask for suggestions for next year and have
had some already. Please do send me any ideas you might
have as I will probably start preparing these over the
summer.
The Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy, second from right at
front, with clergy from Belfast, Glasgow and Liverpool, all members of the
North West Triangle Group which heard Sir George Quigley address the
current financial problems when members held their annual meeting at
Stormont on April 20.
During the summer I am thrilled to be going to Kenya. I
have been invited to speak at the clergy conference in
Kajiado Diocese by Bishop Jeremiah Taama, a dear friend
and colleague. This will take place in the middle of August
and I would value your prayers. There are six of us going
from Connor and please pray for all of us. Coming with me
are my wife Liz, Archdeacon Barry Dodds and his wife
Norma and Roger and Desney Cromie.
Over the last few months it is hard not to have been
concerned about the financial crisis that is impinging upon
us all in many and different ways.
My financial knowledge only extends to managing our
personal finances but I am conscious that we are fortunate
to be in secure employment.
For many the uncertainties
are of great concern and
please pray for those who are
finding things confusing and
worrying.
These are issues we will
have to reflect upon and find
ways of offering support
where we can.
Thankyou again for your
prayers, your encouragement
and friendship.
Grace and peace to you all,
+Alan Connor
Contents
A ministry for deaf people
Living the ‘high’ life in the Swiss Alps
Bishop of Connor’s Lenten Seminars
Dancing the rhythms of Heaven
New look for Diocesan Training Council
Bishop supports Bike Week
Theatricals in St Bartholomew’s
Website: www.connor.anglican.org
COVER PHOTOGRAPH: A KNEELER IN ST
PETER’S CHURCH, ANTRIM ROAD, BELFAST.
THIS IS ONE OF MANY COLOURFUL KNEELERS
IN VARIOUS DESIGNS HANDCRAFTED BY
PARISHIONERS IN THE LATE 1980S.
04
08
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15
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IF YOU HAVE ANY EDITORIAL COMMENTS OR WOULD LIKE
TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT EDITION OF CONNOR
CONNECTIONS PLEASE CONTACT:
KAREN BUSHBY
CONNOR DIOCESAN COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
CHURCH OF IRELAND HOUSE
61-67 DONEGALL STREET
BELFAST
BT1 2QH
TEL/FAX: 028 4066 0798
MOBILE: 07766 103880
EMAIL: [email protected]
THREE
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
FEATURE
The Rev Canon Will Murphy chats in sign
language to 91-year-old Isobel Kennedy
during a Thursday Lunch Club at the
Kinghan Church.
Ministry of silence
N
inety one-year-old Isobel Kennedy travels by public
transport to the Kinghan Church in Belfast’s Botanic
Avenue twice a week and has done so for years.
What makes this marvellous lady’s journey all the more
amazing is the fact that Isobel has been deaf all her life and
has no speech.
She is one of many people from all over Northern Ireland
who attend Sunday Service and a Thursday Lunch Club at
Kinghan Church, named after the Presbyterian minister who
established it to cater specifically for the deaf.
For three decades the Rev Canon Will Murphy has
ministered to deaf people across Northern Ireland. With no
personal knowledge of deafness, or sign language, the
young Will applied for the post in 1979, after six years as
Curate Assistant in Lisburn Cathedral.
Will recalled: “Those were the days when a curate had to
serve 10 years in a parish before they could become a
rector. I had served a six year curacy in Lisburn Cathedral,
and the next step was another curacy, but then this post
was advertised. I had never met a deaf person and I did not
know anything about their communication, but I took it as a
challenge.”
FOUR
He did a Chaplaincy Diploma in Deaf Ministry in England
where he found many of his fellow students had chosen
ministry for deaf people because of a family connection. In
those days, however, there were no courses in sign
language and Will simply had to ‘go in at the deep end.’
Will’s skills soon meant he was in demand as an interpreter
for the police, courts and medical services, and he carried
out this work, alongside his ministry commitments, for 15
years, having done specialist training in these areas.
During this time Will was also Chaplain in the Maze Prison,
and he found his two chaplaincies complemented each
other. “The variety I have experienced in my work has
been fantastic, and greater than you would ever encounter
in a parish,” he said. “As Chaplain at the Maze for 19 years
I found that same isolation, that same sense of being cut off
from family that a deaf person experiences. The barriers
were different, one was silence and the other was barbed
wire and steel gates, but the two ministries dove-tailed. The
concept was the same.”
Will has also been secretary to the International
Ecumenical Working Group of Chaplains to Deaf People for
the past 20 years. “I had the opportunity to meet chaplains
from around the world and discover that the problems for
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
FEATURE
deaf people are the same. We have to break down the
number one barrier which is isolation, offering them the
chance of friendship and communication, and at Kinghan
Church this takes place before, during and after the
Sunday Service, and during the lunch.
Will’s original post was Superintendent of the Ulster
Institute for the Deaf. This has evolved over the years
and he is now Chaplain to the Church of Ireland Ministry
to Deaf People. Until recently, Will took services in the
purpose built church within the Institute for the Deaf in
College Square North, while services for the deaf also
took place independently in the nearby Kinghan Church.
When the Institute closed, it was decided to combine the
two services in Kinghan Church. At present the church is
without a minister, but lay assistant Anne Rodgers
ensures the church continues to run smoothly.
Up to 40 people attend the 11.15am Sunday Service,
and the specially built tiered seating in the church (which
replaced the original church interior in 1990) will hold 90,
and is often filled to capacity for special services. While
the Kinghan Church has members from all
denominations, it is not the only Deaf Ministry in Belfast,
although there is little or no provision outside the city.
Many of the parishioners in Connor’s churches are older
folk who have lost their hearing in later life, and unlike
those who have been deaf from birth or childhood, these
people don’t have sign language. Will said that local
parish churches can assist these people by providing a
loop system. “This would help them hear the service,
otherwise we find many sit at home and won’t go out,”
he said. “Isolation is the curse of deafness, even for
people who live with a family.”
Myrna McCutcheon, who is deaf, ‘talks’ to her husband James by spelling out
words on his hand. James is both deaf and blind.
The Rev John Kinghan was a teacher in the Ulster
Institute for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. He began a
church for the deaf in rented rooms, building the Bethel
Rooms in Sandy Row in 1873. This was the predecessor
of the present Kinghan Church. The Church of Ireland
had a Mission to the Deaf and in 1947 this became the
Ulster Institute for the Deaf.
The services in Kinghan Church on a Sunday follow a
similar pattern to ‘regular’ church services except they
are conducted in silence. The only sound is Will’s voice
quietly speaking the words of prayer, readings and
sermons for the benefit of the lip readers. Hymns are
signed in silence, for many of those worshipping will
never have heard music. There is also a powerpoint
display.
“Powerpoint is one of the greatest gifts to deaf people.
Modern technology makes communication so much
easier for them. They use mobile phones to text and
some have web cams on their computers,” said Will.
Every Thursday worshippers meet for a lunch at the
Church. This is another chance for them to get together
with people with whom they can communicate in a
welcoming and friendly environment.
Seated ready for her Thursday lunch, Isobel Kennedy’s
shining face belies her 91 years. With Will interpreting,
she said: “I have been coming to this church every
Sunday since I was 14. I enjoy the service and the
preaching and I remember the names of all the ministers
who have been here since I started.” She went on: “I am
very happy at the lunch club because I get the
opportunity to talk to my friends. Some Thursdays we get
to go on an outing.”
Canon Will Murphy signs The Lord’s Prayer in the Kinghan Church.
Ken Taylor, 49, who hails from the Shankill Road, is
partially deaf and has good speech. “I like the craic
here,” he said. “And I like to listen to Canon Murphy.”
Ken recently organised a Men’s Breakfast in the church.
“Hearing churches have Mens’ Breakfasts so I got a bit
fed up and decided to do it here. We raised £60 for the
Sunday School,” he said.
Kinghan Church is currently seeking a full-time Minister.
FIVE
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
NEWS
Royal visit
for Glenarm
The Prince of Wales and
the Duchess of Cornwall
paid a visit to Glenarm on
February 3, and the Rev
Moreen Hutchinson,
Priest-in-Charge of
Ardclinis, Tickmacrevan,
Layde and Cushendun,
was among those to meet
the Royal couple.
“Prince Charles asked
how long I had been in
Glenarm and where the
church was situated,” said
Moreen.
Sally celebrates turning 100!
Sally McCallum receives warm wishes on her 100th birthday from the Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy, the Rev Paul Jack,
rector of St Simon and St Philip, and Moira Thom, Diocesan President of Connor MU.
Sally McCallum, a parishioner of St Simon’s,
Belfast, celebrated her 100th birthday on
March 2.
Among the visitors to Sally’s home were her
rector the Rev Paul Jack, the Bishop of
Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy, and
Moira Thom, President of Connor MU. Sally
is a founder member of St Simon’s MU.
Born in Portavogie in March 1909, Sally
married Robert McCallum when she was 19,
and the couple had two children, Ann and
James. Sally enjoys excellent health, and
Parade and
service
A Regimental Parade and
Service in Kilmakee
Parish Church (Seymour
Hill) on Sunday March 15
celebrated 50 years of St
Hilda’s Church Lads’
Brigade and Church Girls’
Brigade.
During the service,
conducted by the rector
the Rev David Boyland,
92-year-old Major Edgar
McIlroy took part in the
dedication of a window
celebrating 50 years of St
Hilda’s CLB and CGB.
SIX
likes nothing more than to spend time with
her two grand daughters and eight great
grandchildren.
The birthday girl said: “I can’t say I am happy
about being 100 but I have to get on with it!”
Bishop Alan said he was delighted to share
Sally’s birthday celebrations. “People like
Sally are the backbone of the Church of
Ireland,” he said. “This is someone who all
her life has been a faithful communicant
member. They really are the salt of the earth
and it’s a delight to be with them.”
Another lady who had a
chance to talk to Charles
and Camilla was Jean
Pullins, churchwarden at
St Patrick’s Parish
Church, Glenarm.
A taste of
India
Agherton Parish Big
Curry Party attracted 85
diners. The repast was
prepared by volunteers
from USPG Ireland, along
with some ladies of the
parish. A total of £600
was raised for USPG
Ireland.
Staff give Liza a brighter future
Staff in the Accounts Department at
Church of Ireland House in Belfast are
ensuring Liza, a six-year-old Russian
girl, has a brighter future.
Six members of staff pay a small sum
each month to sponsor little Liza,
helping pay for her food, clothes, and
schooling.
Liza, the third of four children, lives in
Chita, in a house with no running water,
and where the only heating is a stove
which also serves as the cooker. Liza
and her siblings all have speech
problems, but staff have learned she
loves hide and seek, dancing, jigsaw
puzzles and playing with her dolls.
Nicola Carson, who works in the
Accounts Department, said initial
contact was made through the Child Aid
website. They began sponsoring Liza
in January, and sent her out a parcel
containing gifts and a photograph of
the accounts team.
“We are looking forward to hearing
back from her,” said Nicola. “The
money we send monthly will pay for
Liza to go to school when she gets to
that age, but at the moment it pays for
clothes and food and things that her
parents cannot afford like toiletries.”
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
NEWS
Lent
Lunches
success
The parishes of Whitehead
and Islandmagee have
presented £100 cheques to
a number of charities after
another series of
successful Lenten
Lunches.
Irish President Mary McAleese visited the former St Luke’s Church near the peaceline between the Falls and Lower Shankill on
January 27 to view plans for a new cross community project. The £1.5m Open Hands Centre project has been initiated by the Rev
Edith Quirey, Bishop’s Curate of St Stephen’s (Millfield) and St Luke’s. Looking at a photographic history of St Luke’s during the
President’s visit are, from left: the Rev Edith Quirey, Mr Martin McAleese, President Mary McAleese and Select Vestry Member
Agnes Young.
Lottery boost for repairs
A second phase of repair works is to be
carried out at St Patrick’s Church in
Glenarm after a grant of £58,100 was
secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund
(HLF).
Funding was awarded through HLF’s
‘Repair Grants for Places of Worship’
scheme, and will support a programme of
urgent ‘high level’ repair works to the
church tower and baptistery to prevent
further water damage and deterioration.
Previous works to repair the main body of
the church took place in 2005 with the
support of an HLF grant of £92,300, and
this second phase of repairs will complete
the church’s restoration.
Ann Dunlop, from the Select Vestry of St
Patrick’s, Tickmacrevan, said St Patrick’s
church, including the tower and spire, dates
back to 1769. “Time has played its part and
the amount of work required to make the
tower water-tight and secure requires more
funding than any small congregation could
manage on its own,” she said.
The proceeds of a stall run
during the lunches by Mary
Wilson amounted to
£1,242.47 and this was
presented to Chris
Hackworth and Alex Dance
to help fund a Mission
Experience Team Abroad
project with CMS Ireland to
Kenya this summer.
Valentine’s
treat
Holy Trinity Woodburn’s
parish fundraising
committee organised a
Valentine’s Dinner on
February 14 in aid of the
building fund debt. Each
lady received a red rose
and each gentleman a
packet of Lovehearts.
There were great prizes
and live music, and three
couples revived the Mr and
Mrs show for the evening.
Sun shines for Bishop’s Easter visit to Rathlin
Accompanied by his family,
the Bishop of Connor took to
the sea to preach at St
Thomas’s Parish Church,
Rathlin Island, on Easter
Day. After the service, the
sun shone as they joined
islanders for a parish picnic.
“For us it was a lovely family
day. It was a joy to celebrate
Easter in such beautiful
surroundings and we
received a wonderful
welcome,” said Bishop Alan.
Bishop Alan and his family along with Archdeacon Jack Patterson, a former rector of Ballintoy, Dunseverick and Rathlin, join
parishioners outside St Thomas’s Church on Easter Day. Picture by David Brown.
SEVEN
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
Swiss family
Atkinson
N
All Saints, Vevey
estling in a stunning
Alpine village lies
the little Anglican
church of St Peter,
Chateau d’Oex. An hour’s
drive away, in the lakeside
town of Vevey, one will find
All Saint’s Parish.
This is where the Rev
Clive Atkinson and his wife Yvonne settled when they left
inner city Belfast seven years ago. But despite their idyllic
surroundings, Clive, 41, has found a chaplaincy in
Switzerland has its own unique challenges.
Clive studied Chemistry at Queen’s University, Belfast,
where the Church of Ireland Centre had a huge impact on
him and it was here he first felt a calling to the ministry. He
went straight to Theological College in Dublin and in 1993
began a four year curacy at Holy Trinity and St Silas with
Emmanuel, Ardoyne. In 1995 he married Yvonne, and after
his curacy was appointed incumbent at St John the Baptist,
Upper Falls, where he remained for five years.
“Both my curacy in north Belfast and the incumbency in
west Belfast were very informative and incredible times,” he
said. “The people were wonderful, but during that period the
Troubles were still bubbling. Garvaghy Road exploded and
spilt into west Belfast. Those experiences cannot fail but
shape you. The ministry principles we work by now we
found in inner city Belfast.”
EIGHT
FEATURE
Clive now works in the Church of England Diocese of
Europe, which stretches from Portugal to the Eastern
seaboard of Russia. The churches he serves also work in
partnership with the Intercontinental Church Society (ICS),
an Anglican Mission Agency which provides English
language ministry for people living abroad. It was through
ICS that Clive was appointed to All Saint’s and St Peter’s.
He and Yvonne visited Vevey before deciding whether to
accept the post or not. “It was a very interesting
experience,” recalled Clive. “We arrived on a Friday
evening and met the Chaplaincy Council on the Saturday
morning. It was clear that minstry was going to be very
different to working in inner city Belfast and by that evening
we were having doubts whether it was the place for us.
“We attended a service on the Sunday morning. We had
prayed the night before that if the Lord wanted us to come
here he had to show us clearly. As it turned out the guest
preacher that day was from my home town of Lisburn. He
had been working in a neighbouring town for the past 15
years. His very first words were ‘If you want to walk on
water you have to get out of the boat.’ Both Yvonne and
myself were deeply challenged by that and sensed the Lord
speaking to us through it. Since then we have had seven
wonderful years but challenging years.”
These challenges included adjusting to a different way of
‘doing church.’ “Growing up in the Church of Ireland there
was a very clearly understood set of expectations of what a
rector had to do,” Clive said. “But here we have no
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
FEATURE
Clive and Yvonne Atkinson with their
children Jacob and Rebecca.
geographical boundary and 90 per cent of the people living
in the area speak French. As a result All Saints is a network
church based on relationships. What I do now as a rector is
very much done through the congregations, energising and
equipping, not knocking on doors.”
Clive went on: “All Saints is an English speaking Anglican
Church, but the majority of people who are members are
not Anglicans, they are from all spectrums of the Christian
Church, a host of denominations with different expectations
of what church should be, many of them ex-pats who have
been brought into the area because of their jobs.”
Vevey is the world HQ for Nestle, employing 3,000-4,000
people. The region is also home to the European
headquarters of Youth With A Mission and L’Abri
community. There are 25 nationalities within All Saints’
Church.
There are around 300 members of the parish. Services take
place at 9am and 10.30am in All Saints every Sunday, and
at 5.30pm each Sunday in Chateau d’Oex. “Chateau d’Oex
is chocolate box Switzerland. It is a little ski resort,” said
Clive. “It was very popular with monied English people in
the late 19th early 20th century, and now has a small
resident community but an increasing second home
community. The congregation can range from five to 250
depending on the time of year.”
While Vevey experiences heavy snow from December
through to mid March, in summer the temperatures are in
the low 30s, with very little rain.
Clive and Yvonne’s children Jacob, 10, and Rebecca, 8,
both attend a primary school in Vevey and are being
educated in French. Yvonne has recently started working as
a guide in a local museum, and the family has no plans to
move at present. “We are here until God calls us away,”
said Clive.
“It is spectacular here. The scenery is beautiful,
breathtaking, and the weather is so much drier despite the
cold winters and snow. It means life is much more outdoors
which is great,” he added.
“We do miss home and the advantages of being close to
friends and family. There is a limited support network, unlike
that of the Diocese of Connor where you have colleagues
so close. Switzerland is a very different country culturally
and you never quite feel at home because of that but we
enjoy living here and the church that we are involved in.”
Clive added: “ICS was established to reach out to English
speaking people who were living abroad and provide an
English language ministry where there is none. We are the
only English language church in town. We find that when
someone is taken out of their home environment and
placed in a different culture they become so much more
open to the Lord. Many of the people who have become
Christians in the past few years have been those with little
or no Christian background. So this is a very fruitful ministry
and for me it is a very vital ministry.”
NINE
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
LENTEN SEMINARS
Robert and Bessie Marshall and Margaret McCammon enjoy a cuppa at the last
seminar in Bushmills
Sheilah Stinson and Irene Gates at the first Antrim seminar.
M
ore than 1,200 people from parishes across the diocese
attended six seminars run by the Bishop of Connor
during Lent.
This is the second year the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy has run his
‘Equipping the Saints’ series. Numbers were up on last year
and the Bishop is already planning next year’s series.
Isobel McCord, Joan Topping and the Rev Peter Galbraith at the first Antrim
seminar.
Listening attentively at the Dunluce Centre in Bushmills as the Bishop talks about suffering.
TEN
Two seminars on the topics of Worship and Suffering were held
in St Peter’s Parish Chrurch, Belfast; Antrim Parish Halls and
Church and the Dunluce Centre, Bushmills. An average 160
people attended each seminar with 230 attending the first
seminar in St Peter’s.
The Good Book Shop did a roaring tr
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
LENTEN SEMINARS
Bishop Alan looking relaxed as he addresses the first Antrim seminar.
Bishop Alan said: “I believe that one of the key roles of the
Bishop is to teach the faith. It is very important that I do that,
teaching in the sense of establishing relationships with people
across the diocese.
Parishioners from Ballintoy at the second Bushmills seminar.
“I hope those who attended got a sense of support and
encouragement for their own faith generally and were allowed
to ask questions and not always get answers, but still believe.”
He said the large numbers attending the seminars had been
‘affirming.’ “People seem to enjoy the talks. More came this year
than last year and people are already asking about next year,”
Bishop Alan said.
rade at each of the seminars.
David and Elise White and Doris Wright at the first seminar in St Peter’s.
Beth Thompson and Nicola Johnston at the final seminar in Bushmills.
ELEVEN
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
YOUTH
Rhythms of Heaven
T
soul.
he young ladies of Chrysalis Dance Ministry have
added a visually striking new dimension to worship as
they praise God with movements from the heart and
Based in the united parishes of St Paul and St Barnabas,
Belfast, the girls, all aged 16, and their leader Cathy
Taggart have been dancing in their present format since
2006.
This month they took their work to a larger audience when
they participated in Focusfest, a Christian women’s festival
at the Waterfront in Belfast, where they were doing
workshops and performances in front of a crowd of 2,000.
Anticipating the event, Cathy said: “We are a bit nervous
because we will be with older women and we are used to
working with young girls so it will be a new experience for
us.”
Cathy, a former photographer turned dance teacher, set
Chrysalis Dance Ministry up in 2004, initially running dance
workshops in both Christian and non-Christian venues.
Two years later the current Chrysalis team came together
as a group within the parish. “I had been to the Soul
Survivor festival in Bristol and I felt God asking me to do
dance and worship through Chrysalis,” Cathy said: “ I
wasn’t sure how to go about it and my rector Kathleen
Brown asked me if I would like to start to do it in church
which was amazing. God’s hand has been in everything.”
The workshops are not just about dance and worship. “Our
programme for girls looks at identity, self worth and
confidence building through dance, through which we also
share our faith,” Cathy explained
The group runs three different workshops on the theme
Dance the Rhythms of Heaven. Workshop one looks at
dance in worship. The group uses a song to teach a
choreographed worship routine, which with further
workshops could be developed into a performance.
Workshop two is entitled Expressions of Freedom and is
aimed at those who are open to expressing through
movement their worship to God. It is not a staged
performance but a personal response to God.
‘Then David danced before the Lord with all his might’ 2 Samuel ch6 v1
TWELVE
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
Workshop three, From a Chrysalis to a Butterfly, looks at
the real issues that young people face today such as low
self esteem, body image and many more topics. Through
dance and biblical principles the group helps young
people explore and develop positive values and beliefs.
YOUTH
Dancer Becky Hill.
The talents of Chrysalis Dance Ministry were on show at
the Connor youth event Energize held in St Brigid’s,
Glengormley, last September, when the girls put on a
stunning show.
‘Be expressive, creative and let freedom
flow from within you. Remember
creativity comes from God, it delights
him when you use it.’
Cathy Taggart
They now perform regularly in their own church. “The
people in the parish have been touched by the ministry
and on some occasions God’s spirit has moved them to
tears,” said Cathy.
Sixteen-year-old Becky Hill added: “At the family service
the minister invites people to join us, we get the ribbons
out and encourage people to dance to worship God
rather than just standing there. The children love it!”
Becky went on: “I enjoy being part of Chrysalis as dance
is something I am really committed to and feel strongly
about, and what better than to use something you are
talented at to worship God.
“When I dance for God I feel free to move and I can
express my emotions. This is my favourite way to serve
God and I am very thankful for the opportunity to be in
Chrysalis as it has taken me spiritually closer to God and
I have learnt so much about my faith.”
Fellow dancer Zoe Beggs said Chrysalis was more than
just a dance group, but was a big part of her life. “When I
dance the worship is so real I feel like I’m not dancing in
front of people but am floating with God looking down on
me while I worship him with my mind and heart by
moving to the words of worship,” Zoe said.
“As well as dancing, the Bible study we do once a month
helps me connect better with God. Chrysalis unites us
so well, these are such special people and we are all so
in sync.”
Stephanie Huddleston said Chrysalis was somewhere
she could go where she could express herself and her
feelings and praise God. “We’re all one big family in
Chrysalis as we all trust and confide in each other,” she
said. “I am part of Chrysalis because I want to show
others that you don’t just need to sing or read from a
book to praise God, you can worship through dance.
Also because I feel this is where God wants me to be.
Chrysalis is great fun.”
Kathryn Kelly said dancing was another way to worship
God. “You don’t have to be the best dancer to worship
the Lord through dance moves, but it’s how you interact
with God when you are dancing. To me Chrysalis is a
way of interacting with God,” she said.
The Chrysalis dance group in a scene from a performance.
Chrysalis Dance Ministry meets in the church every
Wednesday where as well as dancing they have Bible
study and prayer. New members would be welcome.
“Our dance comes out of prayer, they are not just dance
moves, I believe we are dancing the rhythms of Heaven
and God is our choreographer,” said Cathy.
THIRTEEN
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
NEWS
Banana farmer’s Fairtrade message
On Sunday March 1 Cornelius Lynch from St Lucia in
the Windward Islands spoke at St Cedma’s, Larne, and St
John’s, Glynn, as part of Fairtrade Fortnight.
tell us of his life and work and I urge everyone to change
today, choose Fairtrade products everytime.”
He left both congregations in no doubt as to the value of
the Fairtrade Foundation to small-scale producers around
the world and in particular to the 1,300 banana farmers on
St Lucia.
Cornelius farms his own land and also works with the St
Lucia National Fairtrade Organisation where he oversees
the operation of the island’s 13 Fairtrade groups. He also
helps with the implementation of community projects
funded by the Fairtrade premium – an additional $1 a box
paid by banana import companies.
The Rev Martin Hilliard, curate at St Cedma’s and St
John’s, said: “We are grateful to Cornelius for coming to
Somme
remembered
The Rev Campbell Dixon,
curate in St Patrick’s,
Jordanstown, accompanied
a cross community group of
17-year-olds to the Somme
area on a ‘Journey of
Remembrance.’
tremendous learning
experience and I was
greatly humbled as we
visited the cemeteries to
see literally thousands of
headstones and inscriptions
of those who paid the
supreme sacrifice.”
The visit aimed to provide a
history of the lead up to the
Somme and how this
impacted on both the
Protestant and Roman
Catholic community in the
north and south of Ireland.
Campbell said: “I conducted
two Services of
Remembrance in respect of
soldiers from both
communities at the Ulster
tower Thiepval and at the
Wijtschate Cemetery (16
Irish Division) and also nine
acts of remembrance in
relation to a number of
soldiers whose background
the young people had
researched and whose
graves/inscriptions they had
to locate in the various
cemeteries we visited.”
Campbell added: “I don’t
think that I will lightly forget
this visit. It certainly was a
FOURTEEN
Promoting the Fairtrade message are, from left: Sharon Morrow, parishioner;
Cornelius Lynch; Archdeacon Stephen Forde, rector of St Cedma’s, Larne; and
Catherine Brogan, Fairtrade Foundation, London.
congratulate her on more
than 70 years service in the
choir. Martha was baptised,
confirmed and married in
Ardclinis Church and has
been involved in all aspects
of life in the parish.
Mission to
Seafarers
Worldwide representatives
of the Mission to Seafarers
gathered in Belfast in May.
Bishop visits
the Glens
The Bishop of Connor, the
Rt Rev Alan Abernethy,
spent Holy Week preaching
at services in the parishes
of Tickmacrevan, Glenarm,
Ardclinis, Carnlough and
Layde and Cushendun.
During his visit to Ardclinis,
the Bishop made a
surprise presentation to Mrs
Martha Wright (pictured) on
behalf of the Select Vestry
and parishioners to
Canon Douglas Goddard,
the Mission’s Chaplain in
Belfast, said 40 delegates
attended from 10 regions.
The conference took place
in St Anne’s Cathedral, and
the guests also had an
opportunity to enjoy Irish
scenery and hospitality.
The Mission to Seafarers,
part of the Anglican Church,
supports seafarers who face
loneliness, danger, and
separation from loved ones.
Dublin date
On April 19, the second
Sunday of Easter, the choir
of St John’s, Malone, sang
the morning Eucharist and
afternoon Evensong in St
Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.
The choir was conducted by
its organist and choirmaster
Dr Donald Davison.
Appointments
Three new appointments
have been made in Connor.
The Rev Adrian Dorrian,
Curate Assistant of the
Parish of Newtownards,
Diocese of Down, has been
appointed as Incumbent of
the United Parish of St
Peter and St James,
Belfast. The Service of
Institution has been
arranged for Monday June
22.
The Venerable George
Davison, Incumbent of the
Parish of Kinawley, Diocese
of Kilmore, has been
appointed as Incumbent of
the Parish of Carrickfergus.
The Service of Institution
has been arranged for
Monday June 29.
The Rev Amanda Adams,
Curate Assistant of
Ballymena and Ballyclug,
has been appointed as
Incumbent of the Grouped
Parishes of Ballyrashane
and Kildollagh. The
Institution is scheduled for
Thursday July 2.
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
NEWS
Training Council
gets to business
Connor’s new Diocesan Training Council in now in
business.
The Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy, and
the Archdeacon of Dalriada, the Ven Stephen Forde, are
both ex-officio members of the Executive. Other
members are: Chair - the Rev Paul Dundas (Christ
Church, Lisburn); Deputy Chair – the Rev Jennifer Bell
(Templepatrick and Donegore); the Rev Paddy
McGlinchy (Queen’s University Chaplain); the Rev John
McClure (Shankill); Mrs Paula Wright (Lisburn
Cathedral); Ms Sharon Hamill (Queen’s University) and
Miss Mavis Gibbons (Lambeg). Peter Hamill is Connor
Diocesan Training Co-ordinator.
Ballymacash Monday Club celebrated 20 years of friendship and fellowship with an
anniversary dinner. Founder members and joint chairpersons of the club, Mrs
Maud Fair and Mrs Lily Armstrong, cut the Monday Club anniversary cake under
the watchful eye of Canon George Irwin, rector, St Mark’s, Ballymacash.
Organ dedicated
A new organ in St Peter’s Parish Church, Antrim Road,
Belfast, was dedicated along with a new suite of halls by
the Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev Alan Abernethy, on the
first Sunday of 2009.
The organ is the first of its type in Northern Ireland,
combining conventional pipe stops with state of the art
digital ones. It is also the largest organ in the whole
island of Ireland with 138 stops spread over four
manuals and pedals. St Peter’s organist, Stephen Hamill,
said: “This is a new dawn, because it provides a means
of enlarging instruments without harming what is already
there.”
The Bishop’s dedication started off a series of events
which featured the organ in a primary role. They included
the Dedicatory Recital which was given by Paul Hale,
Cathedral Organist at Southwell Minster in Nottingham, a
special service of Choral Evensong sung by the Priory
Singers, and a performance by the Renaissance Singers
of John Stainer’s ‘Crucifixion.’
The parishes of Ahoghill
and Portglenone ran a
campaign to encourage
child sponsorship through
Compassion UK.
The programme involves a
monthly financial
commitment directed
towards the educational,
The Executive is focusing on three areas, growth, unity
and service. Growth will cover Commissioned Ministers,
Fresh Expressions of Church (in conjunction with Connor
Council for Mission) and Growing Leaders. Unity will
cover the Diocese Within and Interchurch, while the
areas of Pastoral Care, Hospital Lay Chaplaincy and
Social Issues fall into the Service category.
Executive chair Paul Dundas said: “Under these
headings Working Groups have been set up to explore
these areas and report back to the Training Council on
how these important issues can be developed.” He went
on: “The goal of our work is to equip God’s people for
works of service in the life of the diocese, parishes and
communities we serve the Lord.”
The newly constituted Connor Diocesan Training Council From left: Mavis
Gibbons, The Bishop of Connor, Peter Hamill (training co-ordinator), the Rev Paul
Dundas, chair, the Rev Jennifer Bell, the Rev Patrick McGlinchey, Sharon Hamill,
Archdeacon Stephen Forde and Paula Wright. (The Rev John McClure is absent).
Helping Philippino children
health and spiritual
development of the child.
The children were selected
from the Philippines as a
mark of respect for Anne
Arnold, a much loved
Ahoghill parishioner who
passed away there whilst
on long term children’s
mission in January 2008.
Rev Mark Loney,
rector, said that thanks to
the initiative,
30 children now have
greater life chances and
opportunities. In real terms
this amounts
to approximately £6,500
per annum in child
sponsorship. He added:
“This makes supporting
mission abroad all the
more personal, active and
participatory.”
FIFTEEN
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
NEWS
Kilbride Parish welcomes Big Red Bus
Kilbride Parish, along with the four other churches in the
Doagh Churches Fellowship, welcomed the Big Red Bus to
the area just after Easter.
The bus, run by Operation Mobilisation, toured the local
villages with a full programme of events including a holiday
Bible club for children, with activities on the bus like crafts,
DVDs and stories, and more energetic activities taking
place in church and community halls.
A family fun and health fair was held in the afternoons, with
stalls for drama, games, discussion, tea and buns. Age
Concern, CAB, Chest Heart and Stroke Association and the
Ulster Cancer Foundation were all involved, and medical
students checked weight, height and blood pressure. In the
Bibles to East
Africa
evenings the bus hosted a Teen Special featuring the
energetic Christian band Mr Jag.
Each event was staffed with helpers from the five churches,
Operation Mobilisation, Youth for Christ Ballyclare, and a
year out team serving at Parkgate Presbyterian Church.
People from Brazil, USA, Korea, Germany, southern
Ireland, England and Northern Ireland all worked together.
The rector of Kilbride, the Rev Paul Redfern, said: “Our
Church of Ireland parish of Kilbride was at the centre of all
this activity, fun and witness, sharing with the other
churches and organisations in this energetic, fun packed
spiritual and physical health event to proclaim that Jesus is
alive and working in us.”
The rector of St Patrick’s
and Dean of Connor, the
Very Rev John Bond said:
“The new building will
provide much needed
additional facilities for our
growing parish and
community.”
Parishioners at Holy Trinity
Woodburn, have sent 1,000
bibles to nine schools in
Uganda and Burundi.
The rector, the Rev Alan
McCann, joined teachers
from Fields of Life Schools
in East Africa at their
Discipleship Training
Conference. He was on a
two week teaching/training
programme.
While there Alan preached
at Kampala Full Gospel
Church where around 600
attended each of the three
morning services. He also
preached at Dara High
School, Lira.
The bibles were purchased
after fund raising by the
parish Sunday School,
Potter’s House, and Holy
Trinity parishioners.
During the trip Alan also
handed over the keys of an
Isuzu pickup to Fields of
Life. Alan and Mr David
Mulligan had raised £6,000
to purchase the pickup but
Laganside Construction
donated the pickup and the
money raised paid for the
shipping of the container to
East Africa.
SIXTEEN
Members of Connor MU who took part in the May Day Bank Holiday walk as part of the
Belfast Marathon. They were raising money for the MU Relief Fund.
Chapter’s
Mongo walk
Clergy from the Chapter of
St Saviour, Connor,
celebrated the 400th
anniversary of the Chapter’s
foundation by walking from
Belfast Cathedral to Lisburn
Cathedral on June 6.
The Dean and Chapter
hiked the 12 plus miles
along the Lagan Towpath to
raise funds for Connor’s link
diocese of Yei in Southern
Sudan. A Celebration of
Holy Communion was held
in Lisburn Cathedral on
June 9 as part of the 400th
anniversary celebrations,
and this was followed by a
Chapter Dinner.
You can still sponsor the
Chapter by contacting the
Dean of Connor, The Very
Rev John Bond, Tel: 028
2586 1215 or email
[email protected].
Dedication in
Broughshane
Two former rectors of St
Patrick’s Parish Church,
Broughshane, were
honoured when new rooms
in the church hall were
dedicated by the Bishop of
Connor on March 8.
The rooms have been
named after the Ven Tom
Stoney and the Ven Jim
Rooney, who were both
Archdeacons of Dalriada.
Work on the £226,000
extension began in June
2008 and was completed
earlier this year.
He added: “The Select
Vestry has invested a
tremendous amount of time
and thought in this project
and has shown enormous
faith, courage and
determination.”
Institution
The Rev Rachel Creighton,
former Chaplain to
Wellingborough Prison, was
instituted rector of Holy
Trinity and St Silas with
Immanuel at a service on
Monday March 2.
The 44-year-old, who grew
up near Enniskillen, was
ordained a deacon in 1994,
and was curate in St
Stephen and Hyson Green
Parish, Nottingham, and
later curate at All Saints,
Radford, also Nottingham,
before becoming Priest-in
Charge of Broxtowe, a large
council estate.
In July 2002 Rachel went to
Bedford Prison as Chaplain,
before her move to HMP
Wellingborough two years
later.
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
‘On yer bike!’
says Bishop
T
he Bishop of Connor,
a keen cyclist, is
helping promote this
year’s Travelwise NI Bike
Week.
Bike Week has been
running since 2004, and is
aimed at encouraging
commuters to make use of
the miles of cycle tracks
and lanes in Belfast and
other towns and take their
bikes to work.
As well as having no
impact on the environment
after the bike is
constructed, cycling has
great benefits to overall
health.
Bike Week 2009 runs from
June 13-21, incorporating
Bike to Work Day on June
17.
NEWS/MISSION
The Bishop, the Rt Rev
Alan Abernethy, said: “I
have cycled since I was six
years of age. Virtually
every day of my secondary
school life I cycled. I did a
paper round every day to
earn some money and did
my round on my bike.
“As a student I cycled, in
my parish life I cycled.
Cycling is something I have
always enjoyed and we like
to cycle as a family on
holiday. I love the open air
and sense of fun.”
The Bishop went on:
“Obviously cycling is so
much better for the
environment. My request is
“get on your bike!”
For more information on
Bike Week 2009 visit
www.travelwiseni.com.
Connor Yei Partnership thriving
From the start of 2009, parishes and individuals have been
strengthening the ties between Connor and its Sudanese
link diocese of Yei.
A Yei Support Group has been established, with
representatives from the parishes of Agherton, Ballymoney,
Broughshane, Cairncastle, Larne and Templepatrick.
From this group, individuals and parishes have been
encouraged to strengthen the diocesan link in two ways by helping with fundraising to complete the school building
at Mongo, and by promoting a META (Mission Experience
Team Abroad) for members of Connor Diocese. They will
travel to Yei to assist in development and biblical teaching
programmes which have been identified by Bishop Hilary of
Yei.
Building work at Mongo School has reached its final stage.
With two of the three teaching blocks already completed
and in use, and the third block built to roof level, it is hoped
that individuals and parishes of Connor Diocese can raise
the final $20,000 which will see the roof in place and
classrooms for the youngest pupils fitted out for the final
Bishop Alan promotes Bike Week with the help of Andrew Bready from Travelwise.
phase of the school building project.
It is the goal of the Yei Support Group that the final sum of
$20,000 could be achieved by the end of the Yei school
year in December 2009, allowing the children of Mongo,
with Bishop Hilary, to celebrate the completion of this
partnership project. The Cathedral Chapter from Lisburn
Cathedral has supported this goal by doing a sponsored
walk from Belfast to Lisburn as part of the Chapter’s 400th
Anniversary celebrations.
In addition, CMS Ireland has provided expertise to launch a
Connor META to Yei. Twelve people from different parishes
and professions attended the launch meeting on March 9.
CMSI, in consultation with Bishop Hilary, are giving
guidance to the Connor team about the best time to travel
to Yei. This will depend on the timing of significant elections
to be held in Southern Sudan. These elections will
determine the political future of the region, which was for 20
years the scene of a ferocious civil war. The elections are
currently scheduled for February 2010, and the META visit
will most probably take place after these elections.
SEVENTEEN
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
Barbara Jeffers
was excellent as
Maud.
rsals
Hedley in rehea
Barney Gadd as
.
ns
rde
Ga
for Born in the
‘Extraordinary’
After the final night of Bart Players’ production
of Born in the Gardens, an adjudicator from the
Churches Drama League Festival addressed the
audience.
He highlighted that Born in the Gardens deals
with a number of serious subjects, captivity
versus freedom; child abuse; implied incest and
racism. “These things have been presented well,
related to well and examined well,” he said. He
made some minor suggestions but overall
praised the costumes, the set, the lighting,
music and direction.
He described Barney Gadd’s Hedley as “an
extremely believable politician right down to the
hand movements,” adding that this was “a
performance worth a great deal of praise.”
The adjudicator said Lynne Taylor’s
performance as Queenie was very strong, and
described Kevin Murray’s Maurice as a man old
before his time - “An excellent performance in
an extremely difficult role,” he said.
He heaped praise on Barbara Jeffers who played
Maud, highlighting her ‘absolutely marvellous’
blue rinse. “She was
dotty, completely
loveable, she had
bats in the belfry at
times, but there was
this sense of trying
to keep her family
together,” he said,
adding that this had
been “an
extraordinary
performance.”
Bart Players’ chairman Ken Powles.
EIGHTEEN
AMATEUR DRAMATICS
Accolade
Barbara Jeffers
as Maud and Ke
vin Murray as Ma
scene from Bo
urice in a rehea
rn in the Garde
ns.
rsal
B
art Players, the
award winning
amateur dramatics
group based at St
Bartholomew’s Parish
Church, Stranmillis, have
been entertaining
audiences since 1953.
Their most recent
accolade was overall first
prize in the 2009 Ulster
Churches Drama League
with their production of
Peter Nichols’ Born in the
Gardens.
Originally known as the St
Bartholomew’s Church
Choir Drama Group,
members first put on two
one act plays in the sparse
surroundings of the
parochial hall. The group
went from strength to
strength and its first
Festival production of
‘Sailor Beware’ won the
inaugural Churches Drama
Festival in 1961 and the
following year the
renamed Bart Players
presented the sequel
‘Watch it Sailor!’ for three
weeks in Portrush Summer
Theatre.
Bart Players was the first
drama group to bring
‘theatre’ to the Europa
Hotel and marked the
reopening of the Group
Theatre in 1978 with a
performance of ‘Watch it
Sailor!’. The company is
also believed to be the first
amateur company to take
part in the main QUB
Festival when they
presented ‘Vivat Vivat
Regina’ in November
1976.
Bart Players have travelled
throughout Ireland and
have won major awards. In
their silver jubilee year
they won the top award at
the Association of Ulster
Drama Festivals finals with
their production of ‘Oh,
What a Lovely War,’ and
have now won this
accolade a total of five
times.
There have been dramas
separate to the plays over
the years, but in true
theatrical tradition the
show must go on. Due to a
blackout at Portstewart,
the show continued with
the aid of torches, and in
1974 the cast and
audience were evacuated
to the car park at
Ballymoney Town Hall due
to a bomb scare minutes
CONNOR CONNECTIONS
AMATEUR DRAMATICS/NEWS
Bart Players’ Dir
ector Gillian
Porter at work.
winning drama
Barney, Barbara
into chara
and Lynne get
after curtains up on ‘The
Evangelist!’
Members of the company
have also been involved in
award-winning amateur
films, and have provided
the sound tracks for puppet
shows.
The company now boasts
95 full length productions
and hundreds of
performances over the past
55 years. Membership is
open to all, irrespective of
creed, colour, faith or no
faith. The company prides
itself in providing
opportunity for encouraging
talent in every department
of the art, and
consequently has given
cter.
special attention to staging
new or rarely performed
works, encouraging and
providing a platform for
local playwrights.
The Rev Ron Elsdon,
rector of St Bartholomew’s,
said the parish was very
proud of the Bart Players.
“We are grateful for the
prominent role they have
played in church life over
many years,” he said.
“They have involved
successive generations of
young people in their work
and have given lots of fun
with their comedies and
pantomimes. Bart Players
have also produced plays
dealing with serious
The cast of Born in the Gardens. From left: Barbara Jeffers, Lynne Taylor, Guy the
Gorilla who is mentioned in Peter Nichols’ play, Barney Gadd and Kevin Murray.
subjects that other drama
groups may have been less
ready to touch.”
Their most recent production,
Born in the Gardens, was set
in Bristol at the beginning of
the Thatcher era, and
reflected the days when
racism, sexism and ageism
were acceptable forms of
entertainment. In addition to
the overall award at the
Churches Drama League,
the group won Best Actor
(Kevin Murray for his role as
Maurice, a stay-at-home
son), and Best Supporting
Actor (Barney Gadd as
Hedley, a Labour politician).
The other cast members
were Barbara Jeffers, who
played widowed Maud, and
Lynne Taylor, who played
Queenie, her daughter fresh
in from California.
The play was both
entertaining and at times
challenging, and the four
cast members very quickly
became the characters they
played. Keep an eye out for
Bart Players’ next
production. If Born in the
Gardens is anything to go by,
it should be a well worth a
night out.
Blitz
Memorial
A memorial to those who
died in the Blitz on
Northern Ireland was
dedicated by the Dean of
Belfast, the Very Rev
Houston McKelvey on the
68th anniversary of the
Blitz on Belfast.
The service on April 16
was attended by church
and civic representatives.
The memorial is in the
exhibition hall of the
Northern Ireland War
Memorial in Talbot Street.
Curator, John Potter,
said: “The Blitz was the
single greatest tragedy in
the history of Belfast. A
thousand people died
and hundreds were
injured. In addition to the
destruction in the docks,
half the housing stock
suffered damage, leaving
15,000 people
homeless.”
The bronze relief
memorial is by the
distinguished sculptress,
Carolyn Mulholland.
Silver stamp
Belfast Cathedral is one
of six cathedrals included
in a new Royal Mail
Silver Stamp Collection
issued in May.
The stamp is presented
on a card with two views
of the cathedral bearing
the 48p Belfast Cathedral
stamp cancelled with a
Belfast postmark.
The Very Rev Dr Houston
McKelvey, Dean of
Belfast, said: “The Royal
Mail effort will help attract
visitors not only to the
Cathedral but to the
Cathedral Quarter, the
city and the province.”
NINETEEN