Dear Friends, As I write this magazine our thoughts are turning towards Harvest Thanksgiving. These are always very special services for us in the church as we give thanks to God for His faithfulness to us. We remember those who have many struggles and overwhelming challenges to contend with, from food shortages to crop failures, […]
Dear Friends, It’s hard to believe that as this month’s magazine goes to print, schools will have reopened and the summer holidays will have drawn to a close. In parish life we look forward to organisations and activities reopening after the summer break. We are so grateful to all our marvellous volunteers who help to […]
Dear Friends, As our summer magazine goes to print, there is much concern about the violence on our streets in recent days. The concerns expressed about a serious sexual assault in Ballymena have spilled over into attacks on ethnic minorities, foreign nationals, refugees and asylum seekers. Large numbers of police have been injured, people’s homes […]
Dear Friends, As this month’s magazine goes to print, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Reverend Dr. Ryan Hawk as Curate Assistant here in St. Finnian’s. Ryan will take up his appointment in mid-June following his ordination to the Priesthood on Sunday 15th June at 3.30pm in Down Cathedral. We hope as many […]
Dear Friends, As the magazine is being prepared this month we are enjoying a beautiful week of spring weather. The sun has been shining, the clocks have gone forward and the gardeners are out in force, cutting the grass and getting everything into a beautiful array of colour and vitality. As these things are happening, […]
Dear Friends, Have you ever found yourself switching over the channel on the TV or the radio because what you are seeing or hearing is just too unpleasant to deal with? Sometimes I find myself doing that with certain news stories where the suffering or the detail is overwhelming and I don’t feel in a […]
Dear Friends, As Spring enters our consciousness with the brighter evenings and people descending on garden centres to get plants and seeds, are there lessons we can learn that would be of relevance to our church situation? In recent months many are aware of the challenges we face in attracting new people, with a particular […]
Dear Friends,I recently had a service on the car and as part of that process I was sent a video from the garage. It was called a vehicle health check and the mechanic discussed the overall state of the car. He pointed out a fewsignificant things. The thread on one of the front tyres was […]
Dear Friends, It’s hard to believe that we stand at the cusp of another new year. As a new year dawns we are conscious of the benefits of looking back with thanksgiving, taking stock of where we are and looking to the future withanticipation. As this magazine goes to print, we are preparing to say […]
Dear Friends, It’s hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner. We shouldn’t be all that surprised really, since the Christmas movies have been beaming in on one of our channels since late August, I think. The shops have had alltheir Christmas goods on display since Halloween and charities and churches have sent […]