Volume 86 Number 2

Winter 2018

The Magazine of Newtownbreda (St John’s) Presbyterian Church

1

From The Office

Christmas is fast approaching and I’m sure you have all made preparations already:

turkeys ordered, invitations extended, presents bought, decorations brought out of storage. One of my favourite activities is choosing Christmas cards. I love browsing the catalogues and selecting cards with the most eye-catching or memorable picture. A lot of them will feature the Christmas story – although Schnauzers also make an appearance – but the Nativity scene still captures my imagination. However the cards can never do justice to the reality of a strange stable and unfamiliar surroundings as a baby was born but I still love the human details we often overlook – namely the swaddling bands. Have you ever wondered where they came from? It wasn’t as if Mary could send Joseph down to the local Tesco to buy a 3 for 2 offer? So did Mary pack them ahead of her arduous journey, like any expectant mother, preparing for her newborn? Or did other women in the area realise the need and produce hand-me-down bands so that the baby was protected and warm? Whatever the means, swaddling bands were part of the prophecy and good news told by the angels. Preparation was needed by Joseph or Mary or unnamed strangers who provided cloths that would wrap a tiny baby snugly, making him feel cosy and secure. And that need was to be met by humankind.

2

Christmas preparations can be exhausting and unwelcome or exciting and joyful but preparation is always required. So what ‘swaddling bands’ will we provide at Christmas this year? Welcome, security, food and fellowship, company, sacrifice, care and concern, generosity? We all have been given ‘swaddling bands’, we just have to choose how we will use them and share them. And in that gift of swaddling, may you each continue to know the true gift of Christmas as we celebrate again – Jesus – God with us! Christmas blessings to you and your family

Rev Anne

Building and Repair Fund

Over the last two and a half years we have expended almost £250,000 on the Church and Halls. The greater part of this expenditure has been on the Church building but there has been very significant outlay on the St John’s Hall exterior and Megaw Room refurbishment. This has amounted to approximately twice their original construction cost in the 1950’s. Some further necessary work to ceiling and lighting of St John’s Hall will be carried out in the early summer of 2019.

While thanking you for your support to all funds of the Church in recent years, I would ask you to consider your contributions upon receipt of your 2019 envelopes.

Denis Guiler Treasurer

3

Olive’s Shoe Talks

In March 2014, Olive Turkington, one of the ladies in the PW, offered to do a talk for our group entitled “Give a Girl the Right Shoes”. The evening was a great success-phenomenal success as it turn out, because on Tuesday 13th November, Olive presented her shoe talk for the hundredth time!! What started off as a ”one off” for our own PW group has now been heard all over Northern Ireland even in Sligo and Counties Monaghan and Cavan! Olives’s talk is divided into four parts. It begins with a quiz about phrases associated with shoes, goes on to a power point presentation about the history of shoes and is bang up-to-date with pictures of shoes from September’s London Fashion Week, the shoes we may be wearing next Spring/Summer ladies!! The third part is the modelling of shoes. This involves ladies from the various groups bringing a pair of their own shoes/footwear to ‘show and tell’. What interesting and amusing stories have been told! The final part is a devotional talk about four Bible characters and imagining what shoes they would have worn if they were alive today. Olive’s talk is just brilliant, and I should know, I’ve heard it dozens of times and still enjoy it. Olive doesn’t drive and as she says herself it’s a long way to Aughnacloy, Ballynahinch, Cullybackey, Donaghadee, Moria, etc etc, so I’ve been privileged to chauffeur her to many of these venues and have been involved in the shoe modelling and reading the Bible stories. Olive is a rather quiet and unassuming lady who doesn’t look for any recognition for this ministry which she says she finds so humbling, but 100 invitations to give her ‘wee shoe talk’ is fairly amazing. Well done Olive and keep on going! Hilary McCourt

4

49 YEARS AGO

The December 1969 edition of the Chronicle detailed that • The 8 page quarterly magazine was edited by Tom Ayton and

printed by the Northern Whig • Rev Lowry was two months into his ministry in Newtownbreda,

and was impressed by the congregation’s spirit of friendliness and concern for others in the community

• A monthly evening youth service was introduced as well as a children’s address in the first of the two morning services

• The two assistants William Haslett (now minister of Downshire Road, Newry) and Brian Savage were honoured for their work, the former with a cheque and a silver tea service and the latter a wedding present

• In the choir Alastair McQuoid was presented with an iron on his marriage, while Kathleen Fisher was congratulated on her engagement

• Following the sad death of the sexton Tommy Carlisle, Jack Harper had been appointed to replace him

• The Women’s Missionary Association (now PW) held a cake sale raising £283

• The Young Wives Club was hosting an Any Questions with a panel of experts from the congregation

• The 40 member strong Junior Badminton was run by Fiona Douglas and Maurice Doherty

• The Newtownbreda Golf Cup was won by Cecil Cathcart • Rev Pedlow sent good wishes and prayers from Phoenixville • A Bible Study on Mark’s Gospel discussing ‘What is the living Word

of God saying to us here and now? ‘would start in January • There were 9 baptisms , 7 marriages and 7 deaths in the last

quarter

5

A celebratory in our midst !

How twinning your toilet is a lifesaver

Flushing key?

For Christine McGibbon from Drumbo, Lisburn, a 60th birthday was worth marking.

She wanted to make a practical difference.

"I thought about '60 for 60'; and I decided to try and raise the funds to twin 60

toilets," she said.

Mrs McGibbon organised a supper and a toilet-themed quiz with questions like:

"What can a smart toilet do?" or "In what key do most toilets flush?"

Mrs McGibbon enlisted the help of her friends at Newtownbreda Presbyterian

Church, Belfast, and their annual Autumn fair included toilet roll art on the theme of

nature. "I wanted to raise the money but also to raise awareness," she said. "It

was about the impact for girls and women in countries without toilet facilities. So

many girls stop going to school when they have periods because there are no

facilities."

Mrs McGibbon said the idea of twinning your toilet is both practical and affordable -

but delivers so much in terms of the impact on health care.

Toilet troubles •One in three people in the world - 2.3 billion people - do not have somewhere safe

and hygienic to go to the toilet

•892m people still defecate in the open

•663m people do not have clean water close to home

•Worldwide, more than 800 children die every day from preventable diseases

linked to dirty water and unsafe toilets - that's one child every two minutes

Statistics from Toilet Twinning

To read the full story go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-45956787

6

On Friday 31st August the grandchildren of The Reverend and Mrs W. R. Megaw

had a happy family reunion in the refurbished Megaw Room, dedicated in memory of their distinguished grandparents.

The Reverend William Rutledge Megaw had been minister of Newtownbreda between 1919 and 1950.

One of his assistants, the late Reverend James Herman Brown, who spent almost his entire ministry in Dunloy, County Antrim, wrote this colourful memoir about his time here:

“Newtownbreda at that time was a burgeoning congregation, packed with people and bursting at the seams with life and activity. All associations represented in the church as a whole, were there, or seemed to be; like the Women’s Missionary Association, the Girls’ Auxiliary, and the Scout Troop - they even took over a town centre theatre to put on their own show - and of course, badminton. The manse itself was the centre of a warm hospitality, dispensed by W. R.’s good lady, and they had six of a family. It was a large congregation and I was trying as best I knew to grapple with the demands if preaching. W. R. was a man of sterling quality, a splendid raconteur, especially in the vernacular

7

peculiar to Mid Antrim where he had ministered for some years in Ahoghill. He had a fine penetrating voice with a simple directness, which time and again must have touched many a heart. There was a war on of course, and many of the foodstuffs, which today we take for granted, were scarce. Eggs were on the ration list, and whilst the Americans did their best for us by sending a powdered variety, they weren’t quite the same as fresh ones. This lack wasn’t felt in the manse, for they always kept a few hens in their own back garden. Domestic animals like dogs and cats and birds, were dear to the Megaw heart. W. R. was a keen botanist with a special interest in the mosses of Ireland, and was accepted as a specialist in this particular line. He was an author too, publishing books like ‘Nature Speaks’, children’s sermons, finding their inspiration in flowers and little living things. He wrote ‘Carragloon’ - a book about the countryside, including pen pictures of some of the folk he had encountered in his rural ministry. There was a real sense of character in his face, even if he never gave the impression of being over strong. No-one could help enjoying Newtownbreda.”

(The Reverend Herman Brown, described ‘as a man with a fine brain, a sharp intellect and a vast knowledge of humanity’, left Newtownbreda in 1942 and was ordained by the Presbytery of Raphoe to the united charge of Alt and Carnone on 27th May that year. However he only stayed there until 31st July, having been called to Dunloy where he remained until he retired on 1st May 1989. He died on 4th November 2010 aged 95.)

Rev Bill Haslett

8

World War One Nurses

I have been a member of the Royal Collage of Nursing History of Nursing Network for many years. After more than two years of work a book entitled “Nurses’ Voices from Northern Ireland Troubles” was published in 2013. Following the success of this, and with the Centenary of the end of WW1 approaching it was decided to investigate the contribution of nurses from Northern Ireland who had served in the war. With the aid of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and under the leadership of our Chair, Margaret Graham, work began on researching Nurses who had been involved in WW1. This resulted in the publication of a book “Nurses’ Voices from WW1”. On 22nd November at the invitation of Doug Beattie MC MLA and Andy Allen MLA a commemoration of these nurses was held in the Great Hall, Parliament Buildings, Stormont on behalf of the RCN. This event was attended by the Chair of RCN Council, the Chair of RCN NI Board, Paul Mullan, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund, the HoN Committee and invited guests. We were entertained by the Belfast Trust Choir with songs from the period – Pack up your Troubles etc, bagpipe solos, soloists and poems and readings of extracts from the book, which highlighted the huge demands made on nursing staff in such difficult times. Following thanks to everyone on behalf of the HoN Committee, the event ended with a very moving Act of Remembrance to honour all our former colleagues who had served in the war.

Elizabeth McAlister

9

Koinonia

Koinonia has featured a number of interesting speakers this autumn. In October, Stanley Matchett, award winning photographer, showed us examples of his work, covering life in Belfast since the 1960s. The photo demonstrates the range of his subjects, from royalty to sports stars, from Presidents to Rev Bill (and his friend). In November, to coincide with the centenary of the ending of the Great War, Carol Walker, Director of the Somme Association, discussed the role of women in the War and the campaign to extend the right to vote.

10

.

19th Belfast Rangers Rangers welcomed a large number of girls moving up from guides this year. The girls have settled in well to the new girl guiding programme and activities that the programme offers. At the beginning of this term the girls received three nights of coaching from the Ulster Rugby Club. The girls really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the game of rugby and female participation in the sport. The girls have had a busy autumn term starting preparations for the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh programme. This term we have focused on the girls learning key first aid skills such as basic life support and the use of AED’s, and wound management. The older members of rangers have been working hard towards planning for their Gold DofE expedition this summer. In October the girls braved the cold waters of Castlewellan lake to complete their Foundation Safety and Rescue Training. The girls have also been planning some fundraising events that will take place throughout this upcoming year.

Contact the Guides and Rangers at 19thbelfastguides@gmail.com

11

Church Holiday September 2018

Organized by Irene Younge, 27 members of Newtownbreda and their friends set off for five days holiday in Westport in early September.

Despite the mixed weather a wonderful refreshing break was enjoyed by all. The hotel Westport Woods was excellent, the delicious food made us all gain weight, other than those who enjoyed swims in the pool and splashes in the jacuzzi .

Billy the bus driver took us daily to beautiful places such as Achill Island, the lakes and valleys of Leenane, Kylemore Abbey, the National Museum of Ireland and the village of Cong where the Quiet

Man was filmed. Each day began with devotions and we thanked God for His wonderful creations and our safe journeys.

Thanks Irene again for your organizational skills and providing us with such a great holiday.

12

AUTUMN FETE 2018 The Annual Autumn Fete was held on Saturday 29

th September

2018 and once again the day was blessed with glorious weather. A very enthusiastic and committed team worked well to prepare for the fete and in keeping with Newtownbreda tradition, delivered a successful and enjoyable day for all. The activities, indoor and out, all proceeded as planned. New to the fete this year was the Salvation Army Band which provided a musical contribution enjoyed by all, including some passers-by. We were also privileged to be joined by Lisburn Vintage Vehicle Club who generously gave of their time and brought a selection of classic cars for all to view. It was lovely to see the advancement in the motor industry over the past 50 years from the array of visiting vehicles.

With the good weather the outdoor activities and games were thoroughly enjoyed. This year brought the new activity ‘Line Out’ which tested the throwing skills of some rugby enthusiasts. We had a drop in visit from ‘Sparky’ and Pete Brown from Ulster Rugby who

helped Callum and Lewis Doherty steward the game. The pressure to perform was on and after much healthy competition prize winners were able to enjoy prizes donated from Ulster Rugby, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council and a delightful food hamper donated by PRM Lisburn.

13

The Ponies were back this year and once again this proved a huge success for the younger children. Again passers-by enjoyed the ‘country coming to town’ and spontaneously joined us and participated in many of the activities on offer. After a three hour slot of a relentless and much appreciated return trot in front of the St John’s Hall entrance, the ponies earned a well-deserved break and left for home. There was an evident hive of activity in the Church grounds which was encouraging to many passers-by who evidently took an impromptu decision to call in and visit us. The free games provided by Susan and David were once again very successful and enjoyed by all. Thankfully the outdoor activities all went well- which is always a huge relief when any activity involves children and animals. This year’s nominated charity was ‘Fields of Life’ and to raise money for this charity, the Church organisations were challenged to make a ‘Funky Hat’. The artistic flair and creativity within our congregation cannot be overstated- the

hats produced were amazing! The hats were on display throughout the fete and for the week following with voting being in the form of monetary donations. The voting brought a convincing winner, the choir.

14

Moving inside to the Main Hall we had our usual display of stands along with the inclusion of the Lucky Dip, homemade jams and a large amount of furniture for sale.

The hall was busy throughout the afternoon with the usual influx of people to the Bric a Brac at 2pm. The wider halls remained busy until 5:00pm and as with outside, no incidents or accidents to

report. Afternoon Tea was a popular stopping point to catch up with friends, old and new, and saw a steady influx of people right throughout the day. Over £3,500 was raised and a cheque for £300 was donated to Fields of Life. Next year’s Fete is scheduled for Saturday 30th September 2019 and once again we hope for a good team to help plan and deliver this annual event. If any members

have thoughts or proposals on what we can bring to this event to make it different or better in any way then we would very much appreciate hearing from you. Once again thanks to the

committee, volunteers and all those who supported the fete this year and we look forward to doing it all again next year. Heather & Austin Moore

15

Asante with a Taste of Spice Savithry Krishnan came to demonstate a spot of Indian home cooking. We had snacks to start from the local south Indian shop, including banana chips, pokavada (spiced chickpea ribbon), khatta meetha (a mixture of rice flakes, green peas and peanuts). This was followed by idly (steamed rice and dhal lentil cake) with freshly made tomato and onion chutney. Savithry

shared how to make a south Indian dessert called carrot halva (made up of carrot, milk, sugar, cashew nuts, ghee and cardamom powder). While the carrot halva cooked, Savithry prepared fresh dosa (thin and crepe like) which is served as either savoury or sweet. The ladies tried both! Savoury involved the tomato chutney and

chammanthi (onion and tamarind chutney). The sweet was jam and chocolate spread. To finish, everyone had a traditional hard boiled mango flavoured sweeties. Everyone loved the carrot halva and there were lots of clean plates.

16

Newtownbreda hosts the eco-Candle, and

receives an eco Congregation Ireland Award,

all in one week! Sunday 18th November 2018 was a big day for the eco -Committee, with the arrival of the Climate Justice Candle. Newtownbreda has long had an

interest in caring for God’s creation, in using resources well and working to reduce the impact of climate change. This candle has been travelling around Ireland since Dec 2015, visiting over 100 churches and other institutions which are also interested in this work. The range has been very great; as well as other Presbyterian congregations such as Hillsborough and Blackrock in Dublin, and all the main denominations, the candle has been used in services by the

Dublin Korean church, in an event for Syrian refugees on a beach in Donegal and at the World Meeting of Families attended by the Pope in August. The Climate Justice Candle was set on the communion table for our eco Service on Sunday 18th November 2018. The bible readings, hymns and anthem were chosen to fit with the theme

17

of caring for creation, while the prayers of intercession were split into three parts representing land, sea and sky, praying for healing for the damage done to the natural cycles in each domain. A tea light was lit after each prayer, and then a final light on the eco-candle as a symbol of the Holy Spirit helping us to care for the earth and all creation. Also during the service, Mr Joe Furphy, PCI representative for eco-Congregation Ireland, presented Rev. Anne Tolland with our eco-Congregation Award. Ken spoke about some of our congregational activities which show our concern for the environment, including a commitment to recycling, the use of the church grounds for bio-diversity, and our involvement in overseas mission projects with a strong environmental element. Receiving the Award will encourage us to maintain these efforts into the future. In the following days, the eco-candle made appearances at meetings of the Squirrels, Beavers and Guides youth organisations, at the Root Soup Community Lunch, and at Coffee and Chat. We were delighted to be able to host the candle for a week, and pass it on with our best wishes to the Sisters of Lys Marie at the Church of the Good Shepherd on the Ormeau Road.

Note from the Editors :

The church recently purchased a new printer and we can now print

the Chronicle internally including the colour pages. The printer can

also compile, fold and staple into booklet form.

We would like to this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped

collate the Chronicle over the years.

18

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. (2 Corinthians 9: 11-12) I begin this letter, firstly, with an apology for not having written for a year. I could tell you tales and stories, reasons and excuses but the truth is that life is busy and sometimes you have to step back from some things. Hopefully as you read about my last year, you will hear the above verses permeate the many activities and indeed witness the many expressions of thanks to God that I give through all I get to do. Last autumn culminated in my rotation off as Moderator of Homestead Presbytery. It was a wonderful opportunity to serve the wider church and to attempt to bring some vision and direction to the 49 churches here in South East Nebraska. Ironically, by not being in my pulpit as frequently (as I travelled to other congregations) my congregation (and I) felt a little more connected with our sisters and brothers throughout the Presbytery. This season also saw me complete my 2nd half marathon. I was just a couple of minutes off my 2 hour goal but I will save my running analogies for another day! I was thankful to be able to spend a Sunday worshipping with you in Newtownbreda in the New Year and I will hope to do the same again this year (though it will be towards the end of January 2019). Around this time I also added a couple of part time jobs to my portfolio. I was hired at one of our high schools to be an assistant soccer coach and head coach for the 2nd team. This has been an exciting challenge and I am grateful to be able to have undertaken a number of coaching courses over the last several years in preparation for this time. As the summer approached I was also hired at Nebraska Wesleyan University (the second largest university in Lincoln) as an assistant coach for the Men’s soccer program. Last summer saw me direct 2 National conferences at the Presbyterian Youth Conferences at Montreat in North Carolina. These conferences were the culmination of almost 2 years of work and across the 6 conferences we witnessed a little over 10,000 high schoolers gather to

19

worship, learn and connect. Later in July, my wife and I also joined forces and led 35 (12 high schoolers) from both congregations on a week mission trip to South Florida. We partnered with local homeless shelters as well as a migrant farmer ministry and whilst the work was tough we had a blessed time of working and learning. My children continue to grow… Phoebe is now 7 and half way through 1st grade (Primary 2 equivalent). She loves math and anything creative or artistic. She has even joined an Irish Dancing group and continues to dance on a weekly basis. Eli is almost 6 and is now in Kindergarten (Primary 1 equivalent). He loves just about everything there is love about school and is really enjoying the chance to read and learn how to code on computers. He just finished his first soccer season and enjoyed it in spite of his dad being the coach. I am currently involved with the executive board of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and am enjoying the opportunity to support my children and their school by better supporting their teachers! I am still privileged to serve the wonderful congregation of Fourth Presbyterian. We continue to witness God at work and have recently grown a food partnership with the city food bank to almost 100 people receiving food from the church twice a month. While we celebrate that we can be good stewards of what God has given us, we lament the fact that there are still many people experiencing food insecurity in our city. Melodie continues to thrive in her role as Senior Pastor at Eastridge Presbyterian. In her 5 and a half years there she has seen a steady increase in membership, giving and worship attendance. Her church continues to be as active as can be in local, national and international mission. In the last year they built 2 water wells as well as a church in the South Sudan as well as giving over 10,000 volunteer hours of service to local charities in Lincoln. I pray that as we journey towards these Advent and Christmas seasons that you would continue to see God at work in all that you are doing. That you would continue to live abundantly and give generously and that through it all you would see God’s love overflowing in all you do. May this advent be not only an adventure but a journey that ultimately brings you back to the Christ Child. God Bless, Steve Pointon

20

Ultimate Recycling As a young Cub, almost 70 years ago, Akela at 54th Belfast, (Mervyn Douglas, Arrowhead Founder ) told us we would be camping soon at Greyabbey Estate . He suggested we visit the local chemists and ask them for a few M&B tins. These were used by a pharmaceutical supplier, May and Baker, to deliver pills and powders to chemists. The modern plastic and foil blister packs had not yet been invented. The chemists counted or weighed out the required amount from the prescriptions and put them in small cardboard boxes for the patients with the usual instructions on how to take them. The tins have screw tops which have lasted amazingly well over the years, so remain watertight and weigh almost nothing. As you can see from the photograph I still have and use them.

They turned out quite difficult to collect as chemists retained them with remaining stock until empty and presumably only then dumped them or reused them elsewhere. And I was not the only one hunting for them! However I managed to get at least 6 and they have been my constant companions

ever since. They have carried tea, coffee, sugar, flour for pancakes, herbs and many other things on hikes, treks and to camps, from Greyabbey to the Hindu Kush. The larger one will carry 3 eggs wrapped in kitchen roll. I even use one for a small bottle of Iodine which in minute quantities kills any germs in mountain streams. A quick scald with hot water and they are ready for my next adventure.

21

The tins were made of Aluminium and came in a variety of sizes as you can see from the photograph. Some had the contents painted on and these are still visible today while some were plain and would have had a paper label with details for lesser used contents. We are constantly being told to recycle or reuse. Can anyone beat this record of items still in use and used hundreds if not thousands of times over 70 years?

John Lyons Reach Out

You cannot feel another’s pain But you can understand, That a burden seems much lighter, When someone holds your hand. A hug can say so many things, That words cannot express, It lets another person know, You share in their distress. Don’t stand aside and hesitate, Afraid you won’t succeed, Love spread abroad is never lost, Reach out to those in need. God gives his mighty love to us, So much it overflows, And as we pass it on again, This love just grows and grows.

22

Deaths

Mrs Gretta Sloan died 22nd November 2018

Dates for the Diary

December Sunday 2nd 10.30am World Development Service Wednesday 5th 7.00pm Advent Reflections - Good Shepherd Thursday 6th 10.30am Bible Study ‘The Good & Beautiful Life” in Megaw Room Chapter 6 Saturday 8th 10am-12noon Coffee Morning in the Manse – proceeds to Seba & Clare Orr Diedhiou in Senegal 8.00pm Jubilate Advent Concert in Church Sunday 9th 10.30am Gifts under the tree for Belfast City Mission Wednesday 12th 7.00pm Advent Reflections - Newtownbreda Sunday 16th 10.30am Nativity Service 3.00pm Community Carol Service – St Judes Wednesday 19th 7.00pm Advent Reflections – Ballynafeigh Methodist Sunday 23rd 10.30am Rev Anne 5.00pm Carol Service and Christingle Tea Tuesday 25th 10.30am Christmas Morning Service Sunday 30th 10.30am Rev Anne

23

January 2019 Thursday 3rd 10.30am Bible Study ‘The Good & Beautiful Life” in Megaw Room Chapter 7 Sunday 6th 10.30am Communion Service Sunday 13th 10.30am Rev Anne Thursday 17th 10.30am Bible Study ‘The Good & Beautiful Life” in Megaw Room Chapter 8 Sunday 20th 10.30am Rev Steve Pointon 3.00pm Christian Unity Service – Newtownbreda Sunday 27th 10.30am Rev Anne 7.00pm Taize Service Thursday 31st 10.30am Bible Study ‘The Good & Beautiful Life” in Megaw Room Chapter 9

February Sunday 3rd 10.30am Youth Service Sunday 10th 10.30am Rev Anne Thursday 14th 10.30am Bible Study ‘The Good & Beautiful Life” in Megaw Room Chapter 10 Sunday 17th 10.30am Thinking Day Service Sunday 24th 10.30am Rev Anne 7.00pm Taize Service Thursday 28th 10.30am Bible Study ‘The Good & Beautiful Life” in Megaw Room Chapter 11

24

Flower List January 6th Mrs Irene Younge 13th Mrs Pearl Young 20th Mrs Margaret Campbell 27th Mrs Rosemary Lyons February 3rd Ms Carole Haslett and Mrs Noelle Craig 10th Mrs Marjorie Loane 17th Ms Yvonne Watts 24th Mrs Margaret Robinson March 3rd Miss Elizabeth McAlister 10th Dr Jean Shannon 17th Mrs June Caskey 24th Mrs Muriel Bloomer 31st Mrs Clare Pollock * If anyone wishes to contribute to this list please contact Clare Pollock.

19th Belfast Rainbow Unit

This year we had 28 girls return from summer break with an average of 24 each week. This term we have been excited to introduce the new Rainbow programme to the girls. We will be looking at Interest badges, Skills Builders and Unit Meeting Activities over the course of the year. The new programme will officially come into effect from September 2019. At the start of September we took part in the Autumn Fete Funky Hat

25

competition coming a close second to the choir. The girls’ chosen charity for this year is Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children. We did a sponsored walk in October at Belvoir Forest Park and enjoyed a lovely morning looking for autumn colours. Rainbows will be serving tea and coffee after morning worship in January for NICFC. As a unit team we felt we needed to lead by example and did a moonlight walk up Cavehill for Cancer Focus. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and the girls.

Our first outing of the year was to Funtastic. Jumping Clay came to a unit meeting and all the girls made little mice, linking with the Animal Lover interest badge. In November, six of our girls moved up to Brownies following our annual Rainbow/Brownie sleepover which took the theme ‘The Little Mermaid’. Seven new Rainbows have now joined us. Our term will finish with our traditional Christmas themed activities and a special visitor.

AUTUMN FETE

2018