Narnia Comes to Bray 2013; Rebuilt hall at Saul heralds new era; 207 Good Samaritans Benefit From Black Santa Sit-out; Derry city parishes to get Messy; 2012 ‘worst this century’ for farmers
Narnia Comes to Bray 2013
Christ Church Bray is inviting everyone to visit the Land of Narnia which will be dramatically recreated in the church for the six and a half weeks of Lent.
The Narnia Festival forms part of the church’s 150th anniversary celebrations while also teaching about temptation and Lent. Inspired by CS Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the festival features a large ship, a dragon, Aslan the lion, a real waterfall and much more. Visitors will be able to walk through the Dawn Treader ship and visit the islands that King Caspian, Lucy, Edmund, Eustace, Reepicheep the mouse and Aslan visited. The interactive exhibition promises to be exciting and full of wonder for all ages.
The festival will be launched by Archbishop Michael Jackson at an opening service on Ash Wednesday, February 13, at 11.00 am. Members of St Patrick’s Cathedral choristers will also be present. It will run until Easter Sunday, March 31, when the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Revd Kenneth Lindsay will lead a service involving the local Methodist congregation in the church. During the festival there will be a number of other exciting events including a concert on February 23.
Rector of Bray, the Revd Baden Stanley, explains why the parish has chosen to mount such an ambitious festival. “As we approach the season of Lent we are drawn once again to the image of Jesus spending 40 days (and cold, cold nights) in the wilderness, fasting and preparing. It is at the end of this time of solitude that the Devil approaches Jesus who is hungry, weary, vulnerable to suggestion and subtle temptation,” he says. “For many of us, Lent has become a generic event focussed on giving up (or taking up) something. It is more naturally associated with withdrawal symptoms than dealing with the potential consequences of our choices. Over the years we as a parish have used various programs and initiatives to re–focus on what Lent can teach us.”
This is not the first time the parish has recreated Narnia. For two weeks in 2009 they picked up on the theme of Easter which CS Lewis portrays in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. (You can view it on You Tube: ‘Narnia comes to Bray’.) This time they are taking The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as their inspiration and with the kind permission of the C.S. Lewis Company and Douglas Gresham, focussing on the themes of Lent and temptation as highlighted in the book.
Over 4,000 people attended the festival in 2009 and already bookings from schools and groups from around the country are flooding in for this year’s event. Individuals and families can just turn up without booking but large groups must book in advance. Ticket prices have been kept to a minimum. Admission for a child costs €3 with the accompanying adult going free), a family ticket with up to five children costs €10, an adult ticket without a child costs €5 while an entry fee of €2 per child applies for school tours (accompanying adults free).
The concert takes place on February 23 at 7.00 pm and features music from the musical Jack which was written about CS Lewis by his stepson, Douglas Gresham, with Keith Getty. New Irish Arts (Choir and Orchestra) will perform the music for just the third time ever along with music from the film score. Tickets for the concert cost €15 (€10 with concession).
For more information contact Christ Church Bray on: email (christchurchbray@gmail.com); telephone (01–2862968); website (www.christchurchbray.org); and Facebook (Christ Church Bray or Narnia Festival 2013–Feb 13–March 31st).
Rebuilt hall at Saul heralds new era
The Bishop of Down and Dromore, the Rt Revd Harold Miller, officially opened a brand new hall at Saul Church on Saturday 2 February. The Bishop joined the Dean of Down, the
Very Revd Henry Hull, local clergy, dignitaries and parishioners to lead prayers of dedication and blessing at the new facility.
The hall was constructed with funding from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Down District Council and very much compliments Saul Church, a site of historical and ecclesiastical significance.
Dean Hull, who is delighted with the project said, “Saul as you know is a very special place for those of us who worship here in the parish, but it’s also a place where we welcome visitors and pilgrims and rebuilding the hall is a way of opening up Saul to be used by others.”
Dean Hull warmly thanked the funders for their support, in particular the Chair of Down District Council, Mr Michael Coogan and Councillor Terry Andrews both of whom were in attendance.
“I think that the hall here is fantastic,” said Councillor Michael Coogan. “It’s a credit to the local parish and I’d like to congratulate everybody involved for the wonderful work they’ve done here.”
The Dean also paid tribute to former MP, Eddie McGrady who was instrumental in helping the project get off the ground and to Ethel Turley, Treasurer to the Select Vestry.
The new hall has been built on the footprint of the old building and retains some of the charm of the original. It has a wood burning stove and fireplace at one end, above which are written the words of Matthew 18: 20, ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name I am there in their midst.’
“That really captures what we are about here, explained Dean Hull. “It’s about gathering. Saul is a place of prayer and we’re committed here to gathering to pray and to welcoming visitors.”
Designed by architect, Eddie Quinn, and built by contractor Leo Matheson, the hall is bright and airy with a lot of light coming through the large windows. There are excellent kitchen and toilet facilities and panels with information about the area for visitors. It will be used for parish events, a regular prayer meeting and as a place of retreat for Quiet Days.
Bishop Harold Miller looked to the future saying;
“A hall on this unique site has got so much potential for welcoming the whole community. It has so much potential for quiet days, retreats and for building up people in faith and for passing faith on to a new generation. It’s such a great blessing to see it as it is today and I want to say congratulations to everybody who has enabled this to happen and I look forward to seeing everything that happens from it in the years to come.”
207 Good Samaritans Benefit From Black Santa Sit-out
The annual Good Samaritans Service took place in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast on Sunday 3 February 2013.
A total of £192,000 raised by the Christmas 2012 Black Santa Sit–out on the Cathedral steps was handed out to 207 charities.
The Dean of Belfast, the Very Rev John Mann, said this was a ‘fantastic result’ considering the economic climate and disruption in Belfast due to the flag protests.
He added that the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p and 20p coins donated in great quantity had amounted to over £4,700 alone.
“I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Cathedral Charity Sit–out last Christmas and my friends and colleagues who helped in the collection,” the Dean said.
“The generosity of people in our community is proven time and again from large cheques and thick envelopes of notes to a child emptying a piggy bank. As much as anything, it is the cheery smile and greeting with which it is given.” The Dean added: “It is a privilege to be part of this annual effort for the City of Belfast and if we all start now, putting away a few coins each week, I have every hope we will reach the £200,000 target at the next sit–out, Christmas 2013, but let us acknowledge at this point that £192,000 is a fantastic result!”
The cheques were distributed by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Alderman Gavin Robinson, and Lady Mayoress Lindsay Robinson at the service which gets underway at 3.30pm.
Derry city parishes to get Messy
Church is about to get messy for two Derry city parishes, and its all part of the plan. St Augustine’s and Glendermott parishes are joining to run ‘Messy Church’.
The first ‘Messy Church’ takes place this coming Sunday afternoon in Glendermott parish hall at 3.30pm. The plan is to run it on the second Sunday of every month.
Messy Church is a growing phenomenon as churches work to engage with people who may not feel comfortable with a typical church service. It provides an informal environment to experience worship through coming together, making things together, eating together and celebrating together. Further information on Messy Church can be found at www.messychurch.org.uk
Rev Pat Storey, Rector of St Augustine’s, describes Messy Church as “church, but not as we know it! Messy Church is a way of being church for families and others based around welcome, crafts and art, celebration and eating together”. She continued, “Messy church is a time to chill, chat, create, celebrate and eat, and it’s all free. It is Church for those who find it difficult to cope with traditional Sunday church services. It describes us all as no one is perfect and we all live messy lives for many reasons.”
Messy Church will take place in Glendermott Parish Hall on Sunday 10th February at 3.30pm. All are welcome. Every child or family needs to be accompanied by a responsible adult.
MEDIA REVIEW
2012 ‘worst this century’ for farmers
UTV – Farmers in Northern Ireland say 2012 was one of their worst years since the turn of the century, with income falling by more than half.
http://www.u.tv/news/2012-worst-this-century-for-farmers/22daef03-d3f2-4489-942f-4e87b88aae2f