NEWS BRIEFS

Blue Christmas service in Newtownards

Christmas can be a very difficult time.

People who are ill, grieving, or suffering in different ways can feel all the worse when we’re surrounded by noise and celebration. We feel like we ought to be happy and maybe we’re just not.

Christmas is a special time for families and that means that grief, loss and loneliness can become all the more painful.

A Blue Christmas Service is a quiet, reflective space for people to come, with their hurts, and be gently ministered to.
There is an opportunity to place an ornament on the tree in memory of someone who is no longer with us.
There is gentle music and healing words of scripture.

This is for you. It is also for your neighbours. Please share this invitation with anyone you think might benefit from this time.

Its at 7pm on Sunday the 15th of December.

Belfast City Hall venue for UDR Benevolent Fund event

HML for Belfast was present with Lord Eames and the High Sheriff of Belfast Alderman Tommy Sandford at the UDR Benevolent Fund event at Belfast City Hall. A special and moving occasion

The Catholic Diary 2020 from Veritas

A beautiful Christmas gift this year for those with a busy schedule.The Catholic Diary 2020 is designed not only to support your daily management of tasks, appointments and events, but also to help you to take 10-minutes out of your busy day to meditate on God’s Word. #diary2020

National Churches Trust manifesto for Church Buildings

NCT have issued ‘Church Buildings Matter’ a Manifesto for the 2019 General Election which sets out five actions for the next Government to carry out to help save the UK’s church buildings
[https://nationalchurchestrust.org/news/church-bu]

Vacancies at Iona

Shop Manager – Iona – February 2020 – January 2023

The Iona Community’s Shop serves tens of thousands of day visitors each year, as well as the hundreds of guests who come to stay on Iona. This fast-paced environment is a significant point of contact for the Iona Community with many people, as well as being an important source of revenue for the Iona Community’s work.

The shop represents the face of the Iona Community and offers a holistic approach to retail. This is achieved by selling products that reflect the ethos of the Community and sourcing those products from a combination of local and other small businesses, as well as Fairtrade organisations of the highest ethical standing.

Programme Coordinator – Iona – February 2020 – January 2023

The Programme Coordinator will be responsible for the effective planning and delivery of creative programme events and activities which meet the needs of guests and visitors, in line with the Iona Community’s Purpose, work and concerns. A member of the resident staff group, the post holder will work with colleagues on Iona and in Glasgow to plan a yearly programme which is an exciting, relevant and inclusive experience for all those coming to stay in, or visit, the Abbey Centre.
[https://iona.org.uk/organisation/vacancies-2/]

Permission refused for broadband infrastructure on historic Clifden church

Planning permission has been refused to install broadband infrastructure onto the tower of an historic church in Clifden, Briain Kelly reports in Galway Daily, 3 December, 2019

Cignal Infrastructure sought approval to install six antennae and two transmission dishes on poles at Christ Church on Church Hill in Clifden to improve local broadband coverage.

The broadband equipment would have been installed in the tower room of the church. The Church of Ireland, owners of the building in question, sent a letter to the county council giving their approval for the development.

The project was meant to provide infrastructure for eir Mobile to improve their broadband and telecommunications coverage in the area, as well as one other future broadband provider.

Cignal proposed to mount the dishes and antennae to the outside of the bell tower of the church, with associated cabling and equipment kept in the upper floor of the tower.

“The antennae and dish equipment will be mounted onto supporting steel brackets that will be chemically anchored into the external stonework on the church bell tower”.

With the other equipment hidden from view “This configuration meets network coverage requirements for the area as well as creating minimal and reversible physical impact to the building itself”.

In refusing permission the county council said that the considering the historical nature of the building on site and the scale of the development it would “detract from the visual setting and integrity of the Christ Church”.

The nature of the broadband development proposed contravenes numerous areas of the Clifden Local Area Plan the council said.

“To grant the proposed development would detract from the visual amenity of the area, would militate against the preservation of the setting of the protected structure, would set an undesirable precedent for future similar development in the area, potentially depreciate the value of property in the vicinity of the site and therefore be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development in the area.”