THE MAGAZINE OF THE LISBURN AND DROMORE METHODIST CIRCUIT

TheLightIssue 203: D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 3

Trinitymoves intofashion

BB & GB Celebrate 90 yearsThe Editor talks to…Clifford Mayes, Consultant in the Royal Maternity Hospital

Home Missions on the CircuitAutumn Soul 2013Finding your placewith the Rev Colin Gracie

Priesthill explores the names of GodMy Exodus experienceRebecca Hawkins & Ciara Boyd

Contents:02Finding your place03Circuit Book ClubOpen Schools News04Trinity Harvest05Exodus 201306Autumn Soul07Trinity Zone Big Family Breakfast08The Holy NightA short story by Selma Lagerlof

09Home Missions Sunday11The Editor talks to Clifford Mayes13Damask Developments14Priesthill Weekend15Celebrating 90 years of BB & GB18Snapshots of Seymour Street19Trinity moves into fashion

Send material to: thelight@seymourstreet.orgIf you have material or photos for the next edition ofThe Light please send them to the address above orgive them to your church representative by Sunday2nd February 2014

Contact Information:

Rev Brian Anderson9266230307736715602anderson662@btinternet.com

Shirley Carrington - 92607881shirley.carrington@talk21.com

DAMASK Youth OfficerPeter Waugh - 07731487873pete@damasklisburn.org

www.seymourstreet.org

Rev David Turtle 92621282David.turtle@irishmethodist.org

www.trinitylisburn.com

Rev Colin Gracey- 92693929c_a_gracie@hotmail.com

Billy Bryson - 97532147www.priesthill-zion-methodist.com

Rev Peter Mercer- 90826920peter.mercer@irishmethodist.org

Rev Edmund Mawhinney - 92617433edmund.mawhinney@irishmethodist.org

Dromore & Priesthill

Front cover:Seymour Street BB Anchor Boys

Magheragall and Broomhedge

Dec 2013 2

Recently, my daughter Eleanor came homefrom school with a project to search her familyancestry. She was required to find out whichrelatives were alive at the time of the 1911census. This led to not a few phone calls ande-mails to the wider family circle to try and pindown a few names on both sides of the IrishSea. It wasn’t long before other relatives wereembarking on their own search back throughthe generations! The idea of “where does myfamily come from” is fascinating for all of us. Welike the idea of belonging and finding our placewithin the generations.

Only Luke and Matthew record the birth ofJesus in the Gospels. Not only do they give usthe familiar story of the Nativity but they are theonly Gospels to give us a list of Jesus’ancestors. Just like a family history project, theyare showing us where Jesus “fits in”. Look downthe list and you will see some names familiar(Kings David and Solomon) and not so familiar(Arphaxad and Elmadam!). There werepatriarchs and scoundrels, Jews and Gentilesand Matthew’s list includes a few women withfascinating back-stories.

Even though these lists give the appearancethat Jesus is just another name to be added onthe list, the writers make it clear that he wasanything but that. The circumstances of his birthwere unusual enough but at each stage it wasGod who decided what would happen. Fulfillingthe words of prophets centuries earlier, God

arranges the location, timing and cast of thisdrama that places his Son into human history.

If that’s how Jesus gets to be in the Nativitystory, where does he fit in your Christmas? It iseasy to let so many other things crowd him outand I don’t just mean shopping either. Familytraditions and media spin send us on anexhaustive quest to achieve “the perfectChristmas”. Having the right food and abundantquantities or making sure that everyone ismarched off to visit distant relatives are recipesfor more stress and frustration that a season ofgoodwill. We can even find our churches beingdrawn into the same dizzying whirlpool of“Christmas festivities” so that our servicesbecome a list of to-do’s rather than a chance tostop and let our minds return to the wonderfulmessage of incarnation.

Indeed it is a wonderful message. We don’tneed to have everything perfectly arranged andwrapped in order to enjoy it. After all it isbecause we are flawed people that we need tohear that Jesus was sent to be Saviour of theWorld.

Yes, have a Merry Christmas…have a Holy onetoo. Take the time to stop and think. Read thosewords again and ponder the truth that Godmade the arrangements for his Son to walk thisearth. Our heavenly Father loves us so muchthat his Son takes on human flesh so that wecan find our place in his family.

Rev Colin Gracie

Circuit Book ClubThe Circuit Book Club discussed Pete Greig’sbook “GOD ON MUTE” and we all gave it a“thumbs up.” This does not always happenwhen the group meets and on anotheroccasion a book received a general “thumbsdown!” We discussed the book for one hour butcould easily have continued longer.

There are not many books on the subject ofunanswered prayers. Greig wrote this frompersonal experience of his wife’s illness from abrain tumour and her subsequent continuingepilepsy. We found its honesty refreshing.Many of our prayers seem to go unanswered,or do they? Sometimes God answers prayerswith a “Yes”, or “No” or “Not Yet.” Otherunanswered prayers may not be without effectin that they draw us into a deeper relationshipwith the Sovereign God and they maycontribute to the overall battle against the evilsof the world in a way that will one day berevealed. The book is clearly written, biblically-based and uses stories of ordinary peoplewhile making accessible helpful quotes fromtheologians.

The author uses the framework of the Easterstory. Jesus prayed in Gethsemane that God

would spare his suffering. On the cross ofCalvary Jesus prayed a cry of dereliction “MyGod, why have you abandoned me?” On HolySaturday (Easter Eve) there was onlyunanswering silence. Easter Sunday is thesource of all our hopes and comfort. God is notabsent in our agonising, our pains, oursilences. God’s plans proceed to an Easterrising.

Pete Greig is Director of Prayer at Holy TrinityBrompton, a founder of the 24/7 PrayerMovement and this year addressed the IrishMethodist Conference.

The next meeting of the book club is plannedfor Thursday 6th February at 8 p.m. in TrinityMethodist Church. You will be welcome. Themeeting is open to all. Please read the book“ANGELS” by Dr Billy Graham. The cheapestbook we have found, currently on sale,incorporates two of Billy Graham’s books inone volume – you need only read “Angels.” Ifyou have any queries, please contact KenTodd or Shirley Carrington.

Open Schools Worldwide hasnew Executive DirectorAlan McIlhenny of Trinity has now retiredfrom his post in Open Schools World Wideand handed over his leadership to PhilPeters, the new Executive Director. Duringa recent 3 week visit to South Africa Alanwas very encouraged to see Phil engagewith some of the amazing volunteers and meet just a few of the children OSWW serves. Alanbelieves the future of OSWW is in good hands. Please pray for Phil as he is now carries the fullresponsibility of leading OSWW into the future.

As Phil and Alan travelled in South Africa, they were privileged to be guided by Dorian Slingers,the Southern Africa Director. Dorian was brought up during Apartheid in a difficult "coloured"area of Cape Town. His transformation from a "child at risk" to a Christian leader is a remarkablestory of God's grace. Dorian, and his wife Claudine, are coming to Ireland for a few weeksbefore Christmas.

03 Dec 2013

Trinity HarvestDavid Twyble

In most of our churches the annual celebration ofGod’s goodness in the harvest is eagerlyanticipated and much enjoyed, but for our Trinitycongregation the harvest services this year, heldon the last Sunday in September, brought theadded pleasure of a visit from the President of theMethodist Church in Ireland, Rev. Dr. HeatherMorris.

At our morning worship, a large congregation wasboth inspired and challenged as Dr Morris preachedfrom Exodus 16 and John 6, on the theme ‘thebread of life’.

Our evening service was planned for the unusualtime of 5.00 pm with the aim of enabling more of ourfamilies with young children to attend. Anencouraging number took up this opportunity andas the boys and girls enjoyed their own programmeof activities, the grown ups relaxed and enjoyedtheir time of worship and teaching lead by Dr Morris.We were extremely grateful to Jonny Hill andLeanne Anderson who willingly undertook thechallenging task of planning and leading thechildren’s programme.

After both servicesthere was anenjoyableopportunity for all toshare fellowshiptogether and for asmany as possible tomeet and greet ourPresident. In theevening the cup oftea or coffee wascomplemented by alovely supperprovided by anumber of ladiesfrom ourcongregation.

Of course harvestwould not becomplete withoutbringing into church

symbols of God’s goodness and in Trinity we areblessed with a number of very talented flowerarrangers who had sensitively decorated our foyerand pulpit area with beautiful floral arrangements.However, as has been our practice for a number ofyears, every member of our congregation wasinvited to add to the decorations, their personal giftsof non perishable foods and groceries. Theresponse this year was both generous andabundant and after our harvest we were verypleased to organise the transport to StorehouseMinistries of a small van load of food for distributionto needy families.

Dec 2013 04

What had started with a visiting speaker fromExodus to Priesthill GB one Wednesday night ledto Rebecca Hawkins and Ciara Boyd putting theirnames forward for a 10 day trip to Romania thatwould be an eye-opener for 12 young people anda chance for to help the lives of some of Europe'spoorest people. In the weeks prior to leaving, theteam met each Friday to prepare both spirituallyand materially for the trip. Ciara and Rebecca hadalso received fundraising support by organisinga car wash and coffee morning at Priesthill.

From their rendezvous outside the Europa Hotelon Wednesday, July 3rd, a 10 hour journeyfollowed that took the team to Sutor, theRomanian headquarters for Exodus and thelocation of their “Bush Camp”. Here, they builtshelters to sleep in and lived on $1 a day. Thisgave the girls an insight into the lifestyle of arefugee. “It wasn’t too bad because I was able tosleep at night but some of the others found ithard”, said Rebecca. The camp leaders gavethem tasks such as selling paper bags –tosimulate the ways in which people try to scrape aliving, or being blindfolded – to simulate being ablind refugee. To add to the realism, the leaderspretended to be rude or aggressive, just as manyrefugees experience. “They even tore up thepaper bags in our faces.”

From Sutor, the team travelled to a small villagenear the Hungarian border where they stayed asguests of the pastor, in a church hall. Sundayssaw them participate in the church services withsmall congregation there but the weekdays weregiven over to a Kids Club for about 50 children

from the village. “Although the children didn’tspeak any English it was not as hard as I feared…you don’t need to talk to play with them”. Games,songs, crafts and Bible stories filled the mornings.In the afternoons it was time to roll up the sleevesas the team re-plastered the church wall. In theevenings, another change of scene as the teamstudied the Alpha course some nights and onothers split up to visit the homes of the poorestand bring parcels of food. “It was shocking to seethe poverty” said Rebecca. “People weren’t poorlike in Africa, they could be rich in some thingsand poor in others. Their priorities were so

different”. One house that Ciara visited had onlyplastic sheeting for the walls and yet the little girlwas the proud owner of a new pair of rollerblades.

Such a busy week meant that the girls were gladfor some time off on Saturday to go shopping!Sunday was a chance to share in the churchservice again and a time for rest before the longjourney home the following day.

Would she do it again? Yes, Rebecca would loveto return to the village and see the children andthe people of the church congregation. Throughthem she had learnt that poverty didn’t meansitting around but for many people it was oftenlong hours of hard work but getting little for it. “Irealise how lucky I am….I’m so glad I did it.”

EXODUS 2013Rebecca Hawkins and Ciara Boyd

05 Dec 2013

It had been five years since the last time I'd been toAutumn Soul, when as a fifteen year old didn't knowwhat to expect. This time, however I was buzzing withthe prospect of late night banter, awesome worship andencouraging fellowship.

The weekend started with the twelve of us, headed upby Richard, Natalie and Claire, meeting at the Trinity carpark early Friday evening. We headed to Bangor, andafter signing in went to Hamilton Road PresbyterianChurch for few hours of praise and worship. We metwith 600 other young people who had travelled from asfar as Cork to be at Autumn Soul. We sang praises,prayed, watched dramas and learnt about the amazingunconditional love God has for us from speaker AndyFlannagan.

After worship we chilled out at the Late Night Extraprogramme where some of us played pool, rode the surfsimulator and chatted in the Surf Lounge, others dancedthe night away at the Glow in the Dark party, others gotcreative in the prayer space, and some drank coffee inthe Fair Trade cafe. We headed to bed well into thesmall hours, raring to go for the next day!

Saturday morning worship we learnt more of how welove others and what that means for our lives. After wehad a variety of seminars to choose from, so TYMattended 'walking on water' by the Surf Project, thenended with 'all you need is love' by Methodist PresidentHeather Morris, feeling inspired and encouraged byboth! We had a lovely picnic style lunch, then went on toHamilton Road for 'The Big Sing'.

The late afternoon presented uswith the opportunity to relax or head toone of the many workshops available. Some of uschilled in Bangor town shopping, while some othersattended the Ceramics workshop, making beautifulsculptures.

After a quick dinner at McDonald's we headed back intotown for the main worship event. We were awed andstruck by God's incredible love for us as we sang,laughed, danced and listened that evening. A final LateNight Extra session followed where many a deepconversation were had, and we headed back to ourhalls where some games and singing with strangersoccurred before falling into an exhausted sleep.

On Sunday morning after our last morning worship weheaded to the Aurora Leisure Centre to watch acaptivating movie about passion, grief andperseverance. After a quick snack lunch was the finalworship session which we left feeling blessed,encouraged, inspired and excited to see how we wouldput into practice all we had learnt!

We arrived back in Lisburn in the late afternoon, endingwith a short prayer time of thanks to God for an amazingweekend. Autumn Soul was an inspiring andencouraging weekend, and it was great to get to knowsome of the group better, to learn more deeply aboutGod's love and to bond with the rest of the Methodistyouth in Ireland. Praise God for another amazingweekend. Thanks to all leaders who gave up their timeto attend.

Autumn SoulSian Porter Trinity

Dec 2013 06

Trinity Zone Big Family Breakfast Morning

Bright and early one Sunday morning in October,many excited members of Trinity Zone arrived withtheir families to take part in its first Family Breakfastmorning. As everyone gathered, the children burntoff some of their energy by playing games based onthe theme of fish, like Fish, Fish, Shark and Swimfishy swim.After this everyone joined together for a well-deserved breakfast of cereal, toast and fruit.The theme of the morning was “Breakfast withJesus” based on the passage from John 21, wherethe disciples had been out fishing all night and notcaught anything. Then Jesus appeared to them andtold them to throw their nets out on the other side.When they did this they caught a miraculous catch offish and then Jesus fed them breakfast.A short DVD of this story was shown to the childrenand then one of the leaders, Dawn Clarke, gave hertestimony and shared how this passage had beenvery important in her coming to faith in Jesus. She

encouraged young and old to take on board themessage of verse 19 and to follow Jesus.The morning was rounded off with the childrenmaking fish badges. Everyone enjoyed chatting witheach other and having breakfast together and themorning raised some money for the JMA project too!Here’s what some of our members had to say aboutthe morning:“I really enjoyed the Breakfast morning because ofthe craft, games and the food. Everyone enjoyed it.”By Nathaniel“I enjoyed the food, especially the buttered toast. Iliked sitting with my friends to eat breakfast.” ByLeah“I liked the food and making the fish badge to wear.”By Chloe“It was epic! The food was good, the crafts were funand Dawn spoke very well. If there’s another one,I’m definitely going back!”

07 Dec 2013

As well as the Trinity12 a large SNASSgroup from SeymourStreet also enjoyedAutumn Soul

There was a man who went out in the dark night to borrow livecoals to kindle a fire. He went from hut to hut and knocked. "Dearfriends, help me!" said he. "My wife has just given birth to a child,and I must make a fire to warm her and the little one." But it wasway in the night, and all the people were asleep. No one replied. The man walked and walked. At last he saw the gleam of a fire along way off. Then he went in that direction and saw that the firewas burning in the open. A lot of sheep were sleeping around thefire, and an old shepherd sat and watched over the flock. Whenthe man who wanted to borrow fire came up to the sheep, he sawthat three big dogs lay asleep at the shepherd's feet. All threeawoke when the man approached and opened their great jaws,as though they wanted to bark; but not a sound was heard. Theman noticed that the hair on their backs stood up and that theirsharp, white teeth glistened in the firelight. They dashed towardhim. He felt that one of them bit at his leg and one at this handand that one clung to this throat. But their jaws and teeth wouldn'tobey them, and the man didn't suffer the least harm. Now the man wished to go farther, to get what he needed. Butthe sheep lay back to back and so close to one another that hecouldn't pass them. Then the man stepped upon their backs andwalked over them and up to the fire. And not one of the animalsawoke or moved. When the man had almost reached the fire, theshepherd looked up. He was a surly old man, who was unfriendlyand harsh toward human beings. And when he saw the strangeman coming, he seized the long, spiked staff, which he alwaysheld in his hand when he tended his flock, and threw it at him. Thestaff came right toward the man, but, before it reached him, itturned off to one side and whizzed past him, far out in the meadow. Now the man came up to the shepherd and said to him: "Goodman, help me, and lend me a little fire! My wife has just given birthto a child, and I must make a fire to warm her and the little one."The shepherd would rather have said no, but when he ponderedthat the dogs couldn't hurt the man, and the sheep had not runfrom him, and that the staff had not wished to strike him, he wasa little afraid, and dared not deny the man that which he asked. "Take as much as you need!" he said to the man. But then thefire was nearly burnt out. There were no logs or branches left, onlya big heap of live coals, and the stranger had neither spade norshovel wherein he could carry the red-hot coals. When the shepherd saw this, he said again: "Take as much asyou need!" And he was glad that the man wouldn't be able to takeaway any coals. But the man stopped and picked coals from theashes with his bare hands, and laid them in his mantle. And hedidn't burn his hands when he touched them, nor did the coals

scorch his mantle; but he carried them away as if they had beennuts or apples. And when the shepherd, who was such a cruel and hardheartedman, saw all this, he began to wonder to himself. What kind of anight is this, when the dogs do not bite, the sheep are not scared,the staff does not kill, or the fire scorch? He called the strangerback and said to him: "What kind of a night is this? And how doesit happen that all things show you compassion?" Then said theman: "I cannot tell you if you yourself do not see it." And he wishedto go his way, that he might soon make a fire and warm his wifeand child. But the shepherd did not wish to lose sight of the manbefore he had found out what all this might portend. He got up andfollowed the man till they came to the place where he lived. Thenthe shepherd saw the man didn't have so much as a hut to dwellin, but that his wife and babe were lying in a mountain grotto,where there was nothing except the cold and naked stone walls. But the shepherd thought that perhaps the poor innocent childmight freeze to death there in the grotto; and, although he was ahard man, he was touched, and thought he would like to help it.And he loosened the knapsack from his shoulder, took from it asoft white sheepskin, gave it to the strange man, and said that heshould let the child sleep on it. But just as soon as he showed that he, too, could be merciful, hiseyes were opened, and he saw what he had not been able to seebefore, and heard what he could not have heard before. He sawthat all around him stood a ring of little silver-winged angels, andeach held a stringed instrument, and all sang in loud tones thattonight the Saviour was born who should redeem the world fromits sins. Then he understood how all things were so happy this night thatthey didn't want to do anything wrong. And it was not only aroundthe shepherd that there were angels, but he saw them everywhere.They sat inside the grotto, they sat outside on the mountain, andthey flew under the heavens. They came marching in greatcompanies, and, as they passed, they paused and cast a glanceat the child. There was such jubilation and such gladness andsongs and play! And all this he saw in the dark night whereasbefore he could not have made out anything. He was so happybecause his eyes had been opened that he fell upon his kneesand thanked God. What that shepherd saw, we might also see, for the angels flydown from heaven every Christmas Eve, if we could only see them.You must remember this, for it is as true, as true as that I see youand you see me. It is not revealed by the light of lamps or candles,and it does not depend upon sun and moon; but that which isneedful is that we have such eyes as can see God's glory.

Dec 2013 08

The Holy Nightby Selma Lagerlof

A traditional Christmas story…..

The familiar face of Rev Ken Wilson graced the pulpitof Seymour Street for the recent Home Missionsmorning service, in which his wife Ruth gave theChildren's address. Ken challenged us all to see thatwe must be ready to step out of our 'Comfort Zone' ifwe are to engage in effective mission. Drawing on thewide range of experiences throughout his own MinistryKen pointed out that some congregations haveabandoned cherished traditions and buildings to allowmore effective new outreach projects to flourish. Heshared stories of various ways in which HomeMissions is supporting Fresh Expressions of Church,encouraging churches to assess their prioritiesthrough training and circuit consultations and providinggrants to innovative projects

Sharing how God ismoving across theCircuitThe Evening Service of Home MissionSunday at Magheragall was anopportunity to hear from each of the sixchurches across the Circuit.

Priesthill. TinaWatson related how a series oflife threatening illnesses, caraccidents and serious sportsinjuries affecting her husband and childrenwas compounded by an accident when she fellout of the roof-space last March, shattering herpelvis among other injuries! Rather thanbecoming discouraged in the face of theseadversities Tina has found that she has beenbrought much closer to a total dependency on God,and the knowledge that she and her family are notfacing these difficulties alone. Through expert medicalcare her own injuries have healed without even theuse of pins, plates and screws, and with the Lord's

help all the members of her family are recovering welland know that they have been truly blessed.

Trinity. During her studies at Belfast BibleCollege Sarah Crawford took up a part time job in thePond Park Pharmacy. Shortly after starting her jobthere was a robbery at the Pharmacy that really shookthe staff. Throughout this ordeal Sarah knew thestrength of the Lord keeping her calm. I was amazingfor her to feel that God was keeping hold of her! As aresult of this she has been given the opportunity toshare her faith much more openly with the other staffand they have become interested in her studies atBible College.

Dromore. With a family of three teenagersElaine and Tom Fairley often feel that life is a battle.A battle to retain Christian values amidst the pressuresof modern culture which can be both good and bad.This year at the Castlewellan Family Week, which theFairleys attended for their 6th year, the theme 'Puttingon the Christian's Armour' was picked up with theyoung people. Each day in the Service a differentpiece of the Christian's Armour (Ephesians 6, 13-17)was 'prayed' on!

"The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, theshoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the

helmet of salvation and the sword of theSpirit."

Elaine still uses the prayer that was usedat Castlewellan as the armour was puton, and since Castlewellan she haslearned too (from watching the film

Robin Hood!) that shield of faith is not

09 Dec 2013

Revs Peter Mercer, Colin Gracie and David Turtle

Ruth & Ken Wilson

Tina Watson,Elaine Fairley

and SarahCrawford

just for standing in defence, but can alsoenable you to advance towards theenemy!

Magheragall. ClemGilbert shared that he has beenattending Magheragall MethodistChurch for 37 years, and hasbeen Society Steward for the last14 years! There is hardly anaspect of the work of Magheragallin which Clem has not been involved. It wasin March 1987 that Clem gave his life to Christduring a Lay Witness weekend. This followedan experience in which he was close to anIRA bomb in Belfast which killed at least oneperson. This shook Clem and he felt that iswas a miracle that he had not been killed orinjured, but that he was not right with the Lord. Whenthe Lay Witness team came to Magheragall it wasclear to him that they had something that he wanted,and needed, and so on the Sunday Night of thatweekend he gave his life to Christ. It is a decision thathe has never regretted, and he concluded by saying 'I thoroughly recommend the Christian Life!'

Broomhedge. There is no one with agreater passion for Broomhedge than Terry Lilly!About 10 years ago Broomhedge was under the threatof closure. Terry spoke about how God has turnedthings round since then with a weekly Bible Study, awell attended service each week and a Youth Clubattracting young people from far and near! For the firsttime recently a Youth Service was held. A group ofladies also meet regularly in a craft club. Thecongregation is supported by their two ministers RevDrs Peter Mercer and Edmund Mawhinney who carryout regular visits to members of the congregation,which Terry feels is a vital role. All this would not havebeen achieved without much prayer, and Terryenlisted us all to support the Broomhedge Society asit vows to continue to develop its work.

Seymour Street. Shirley Carringtonbrought news of a new development in the life ofSeymour Street this autumn, the Prayer Project.A team of volunteers has been brought together whoweek by week are calling at each home in the streetsaround the Church. As a small group call and ask ifthere is anything each family would like prayed forothers back at the church are supporting them inprayer. Prayer topics can be written on a pre-printedcard which can be returned at the door or into PrayerCard Boxes conveniently located at the Church. Eachstreet is being visited over a two week period andprayer topics raised are passed on to specific groups

in the Church committed to provide the promisedprayer support. This innovative project is clearly taking

the witness of the Church out into the streets ofLisburn and meeting people at their point of need.

As you would expect there have been awide range of responses on the doorstepsbut overall the prayer project has been wellreceived in the community.

Rev Austin Hassard celebrates60 years in the MethodistMinistryThe Circuit Steward Tom Millar congratulated Austinon serving for 60 years in the ordained Ministry, duringwhich time he was stationed twice at Magheragall.Tom pointed out that others had described the manygifts that Austin had in his ministry and so he wouldnot take time to speak of his… passion for pastoralcare, meticulous preparation for worship, interestingsermon illustrations drawn from his rural upbringing inFermanagh, knowledge and understanding of thepeople in his congregations. Asked if he was stillpreaching, Austin replied - 'It beats listening!' As apreacher he was always succinct and stopped whenhe had finished, which is a wonderful quality! Tomthanked Austin for his unique contribution to the life ofthe Circuit and passed on a gift from the Circuit.

Dec 2013 10

Clem Gilbert,Terry Lilly and

ShirleyCarrrington

Rev Austin Hassard & Tom Millar

From the age of five if you had asked Cliffordwhat he wanted to be he would always have said'A doctor!' Not that it was in the family, as in facthe was the first generation to receive a universityeducation. Brought up in Portadown, he went toPortadown College and went on to studymedicine at Queen's University, but it was notuntil he studied paediatrics in his final year beforequalifying that he felt that he had found his'niche'. He started as a Paediatrician inCraigavon in 1993, but then came the long haulto pass the qualifications that would allow him tobecome a Registrar and subsequentlyConsultant!

Being brought up in a Christian home heattended Edenderry Methodist Church,Portadown, when Winston Good was ministerand made a commitment to Christ when he wasa teenager. In June 1992 he married Janine whowas from a Reformed Presbyterian background.They made their home in Lisburn which wasinitially their base as Clifford's work took him tohospitals in various parts of Northern Ireland.After spending some time 'trying out' variouschurches in Lisburn they put down their roots inSeymour Street as that was where they hadreceived the warmest welcome.

It took several attempts for Clifford to pass thestiff two part membership exams, which was bothmentally and financially taxing! Through thisdifficult time he kept being assured through hisfaith that this was the right path for him to follow,and the Lord, and Christian friends andcolleagues, supported him along the way until hesucceeded. On one occasion after another failthe resit fell shortly after returning from a holidayin the USA. Having worked hard before theholiday he took no books with him. Just beforethe exam Clifford and Janine were at the Churchsummer barbeque and Ken Wilson's epiloguewas about Jesus telling the disciples, who had

fished all day, caught nothing and wantedto give up, to put their nets out on the otherside of the boat. Clifford felt that themessage was just for him, and on thisoccasion when he 'cast his net in the water'he did pass! From about 2000 he startedto specialise in the care of newborn babies(Neonatology) and was appointedConsultant in the Royal Maternity Hospitalin 2005.

Clifford's work puts him at the forefront oftalking to the parents of newborn children,breaking the news to them that their children

are seriously ill, may be facing lifelong disabilityor may even be unlikely to live very long. Itseems to me that Clifford's calm and reassuringapproach, and ability to listen and empathise arewonderful gifts to have in this situation. Cliffordspeaks highly of the team of staff who work withhim. While the doctor may be able to move onfrom one situation to the next it is the nurses whohave to stay for long periods beside infantsstruggling for their life as parents and relativesvisit, perhaps not knowing if that may be their lastopportunity to be with their child. His work bringsboth highs, such as being part of the team that

The Editor talks toDr CLIFFORD MAYESConsultant in Neonatology at RoyalMaternity Hospital

11 Dec 2013

looked after the first recorded birthsof sextuplets in Ireland in 2009, andlows when, as is inevitable in such aunit, infants who the staff have foughtto save, die.

For Clifford, however, it is not theclinical decisions that are the mostchallenging, but it is supporting andguiding parents facing difficult decisions, andgiving them the time and the space to come toterms with the reality. Without his faith and sense

of being where God wants him to be Cliffordwould find it very difficult to carry on, andalthough he cannot share his faith directly withthose in his care, he does turn to friends who willpray with him for the work he is doing. While heknows he cannot explain why God allowssuffering he still has to grapple with the ethicalissue - "When is it appropriate to turn off a lifesupport system?" Thankfully such decisions arenever taken alone, but with the wholeteam of caring staff along with the parents.

As we all know the Royal Group ofHospitals is undergoing a period of rapidchange much of which will impinge directlyon Clifford's areas of work. A newMaternity Unit is being built and a newChildren's Hospital is to be constructed onthe Royal site. However it may be thatchildren's heart surgery may not be carriedout in Belfast in the future. WhetherClifford's role remains the same orchanges in the future there is no doubt the

team, medical, nursing and managerial willensure that the highest standard of care isprovided for infants in the Royal MaternityHospital.

Through all the ups and downs of his career inpaediatrics Clifford has been supported by hiswife Janine who has pursued a very differentpath into handmade jewellery and maintaining ablogging site on the Internet which has manyfollowers from across the world. Both Cliffordand Janine have an interest in photography, inwhich Clifford is trying to catch up with the skillsof his wife with an SLR! Their teenage daughtersSarah and Jane are studying at Wallace HighSchool while their son Sam is in P5 at Pond ParkPrimary School.

During this Christmas season when our familiesdraw closer and we remember the birth of theinfant Jesus in very humble surroundingsperhaps we should all remember in our prayersthe families whose infants are not in a stable, butin an incubator and for whom the gift of life ismost treasured, but may be only fleeting.

Dec 2013 12

Some of the staff team providing Neonatal care

13 Dec 2013

The Parent and Toddler Group which provides weeklyfun and friendship for around 40 pre-school children and theirparents and carers, were delighted to receive a grant recentlyfrom the NIE Charity Committee which enabled the purchaseof tables and soft flooring.The new tables are child-sized making them safer andmore comfortable for thechildren to use during theircraft activities and snack

times. The soft flooring makes the play area much warmer and safer forthe children, especially for the babies at the crawling stage.

The Youth Programme is developing well with the provision of AfterSchool Drop-ins on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and Engage youth drop-in on Friday nights.Between 12 and 15 young people attend each session of the after school drop-ins and in total over 30young people have taken part to date. Some of the young people use the drop-in as a time to do

homework whilst others enjoy a range of activities includingX-Box, Play Station table tennis, football and board games.Some just enjoy chatting and enjoying a snack.The Friday night drop-in, Engage, has developed quickly fromits start in October with around 18 young people at eachsession. The programme has included a Laser Tag night,cage football and sports workshops. The group have alsoenjoyed visits from a singer/songwriter and Youth For Christ.

Damask was delighted to receive start up grants from LisburnPolicing and Community Safety Partnership and Peace 111Youth Resources which were used to purchase computer

games and equipment, sports equipment and to resource some of the activities. Damask has alsobenefited from advice and support given by the lead partner, Youth Initiatives.

Youth and Community worker, Pete Waugh and his team of very willing volunteers, have done a greatjob in getting the youth programme up and running, and inplanning more exciting and innovative activities and events for2014.

The Damask Advice Service continues to provide freeconfidential help and advice on benefits and tax credits and relatedissues as well as signposting the help available from localagencies and organisations. An average of 8 clients visit the twiceweekly advice drop-ins in the average week, and in additionDamask advisers have recently begun stage 2 of the socialsecurity benefit uptake programme with referral being madethrough Advice NI, one of our partner organisations. Between April and September the service saw 168clients and dealt with 198 queries. Thanks to funding from Comic Relief and Lloyds TSB Foundation forNorthern Ireland the service has been able to employ a part-time adviser, Jenna Brady, for the drop-insessions. Jenna and the team of 4 volunteer advisers provide a caring and effective service and thevolunteer receptionists give everyone a warm welcome and a cup of tea or coffee if they have to wait tosee an adviser.

Dec 2013 14

What’s in a name?A report fromThe Priesthill Church Weekend

When 43 members of Priesthill arrived at theRostrevor Renewal Centre for a ChurchWeekend away they were given badges whichexplained the meaning of their names! This wasthe work of Rev Colin Gracie who over theweekend went on to explore the meanings ofthe many names for God to be found in the

Bible. Some are to befound frequently, andothers only once buteach name helps us tounderstand anotherfacet of the nature ofGod. Sadly the Englishlanguage lacks therange of names for Godto the found in theoriginal Hebrewscriptures, so it takescareful study to

appreciate what the Bible can teach us aboutGod.

Over the weekend craft materials andinformation prepared by Linda Fullerton couldbe used at any time to make bookmarks as giftsand mementoes on the theme of people’snames and on the Sunday morning in the lastsession of the weekend there were groupdiscussions on how what had been learned overthe weekend could be put into practice in church.

As well as the valuable study sessions for theadults there was a separate children’sprogramme. Saturday afternoon saw a division

between the adventurous ones who wentmountain biking and the those who preferred amore leisurely walk up to the Rock in RostrevorForest Park. The Saturday evening programmestarted with a campfire singsong and the fun oftoasting marshmallows on a stick and finishedwith an entertaining Quiz.

The great weather and the beautiful setting inRostrevor both contributed to make his a veryenjoyable, but also worthwhile weekend inwhich the fellowship of the church members wasstrengthened and their understanding of theirfaith deepened.

15 Dec 2013

Chris & Karen Allen must go down as one ofthe most amazing and talented double acts,as they have been captains of the SeymourStreet Companies of the Boys' Brigade andGirls' Brigade respectively continuously forthe last 20 years, and in the case of Karenfor two years before that!

Chris and Karen who have been membersof Seymour Street all their lives, joined theBoys' Brigade and Girls' Brigade at theyoungest possible ages and having workedtheir way up through the ranks each hasbecome Captain. While Chris and Karenseem to take this in their stride, any of us whohave been in leadership in any youthorganisation will know that this must reflecta remarkable level of commitment anddedication to their roles, and to their Christianfaith which underlies all that they do in BBand GB. They continue as Captains whileholding down responsible jobs, Karen asSister in Charge of the RVH Children'sTheatre, and Chris coordinating EmergencyPlanning in the Office of the First and Deputy

First Minister, and also bringing up their ownfamily.

At least with two Captains in the same familyChris and Karen can each appreciate exactlywhat the other is having to cope with andtherefore they are able to support each othervery effectively.

Chris was brought up on the Low Road andjoined the Anchor Boys in 1955 at the age of4. There are strong family ties with the BBand many of the boys who are currentlymembers of the company are 2nd generationchildren of those who joined about the sametime as Chris. The BB has helped manyyoung people develop personal skills ofdiscipline and hard work, along with instillingin all its members Christian values and oftentoo, a personal faith. Young people who mayhave seemed to have been very 'challenging'in their attitudes and behaviour have beenchanged, or at least have recognised in laterlife how much they gained from their time inthe Boy's Brigade.

Celebrating 90 yearsof BB and GB with

Chris and Karen Allen

GB Company Section & Officers

Chris has been greatly encouraged over the yearsnot so much by anything big, but by the little thingsthat show the BB has had a positive effect and isappreciated. That is what keeps him going whenhe has to call with parents to sort out problems orspend long hours in administration, planning andpreparation.

For Karen the team of Officers in the GB are likean extended family, and they meet together eachmonth during the GB 'season' to plan ahead, andalso over the summer to enjoy more social eventstogether. Out of the 23 officers in the company 18have grown up through the Company since aboutthe age of three! What has been said about theimpact of BB on the lives of young people can alsobe said of GB and when the number of young

people who have passed through BB and GB in thelast 90 years is considered there is no doubt thattheir positive effect within the wider community willhave been substantial.

Of course BB and GB have been changing anddeveloping over time and that is part of the reason

they are still effective organisations. In fact whenformed in 1923 they were the Seymour Street Boys'Life Brigade Company, only the 2nd to be formed inIreland, and the Girls' Life Brigade company. Withina few years The Boys Life Brigade wasamalgamated with the Boys' Brigade and becamethe 2nd Lisburn Company, and similarly in 1965 the

Girls' Life Brigade became the 3rd Northern IrelandCompany of the Girls' Brigade.One of the biggest changes in recent years has beenin the uniforms which are now more adaptable to suitthe wide range of activities taking place, and moderntastes! However, having a uniform is still animportant part of the identity of the organisations andinstils a sense of pride in those wearing it. The range

Celebrating 90 years of BB and GB

BB Anchor Boys BB Anchor Boys

GB Explorers

90th Birthday cake with former CaptainsSheila Millar and Raymond Brown

BB Cabin Boys

Dec 2013 16

BAPTISMSAnna Marie, daughter of Neil and Kirsti Porter

WEDDINGSAlastair Gilmore and Gillian Ruth Best

DEATHSMr Jim Perry 3a The Pines, HillsboroughMrs Julia Dickson 3 Roseville GardensMrs Louise Crawford 26 Dalboyne Park

DEATHSIsobel Boyes

Walter GambleSam Megarry

DEATHSMrs Irene Bourton, 37 The Paddock, LisburnMr George Lyttle, 7 Hertford Square, Lisburn

WEDDINGSChristopher Ross & Norma CampbellRichard Lemon & Pauline Weir

From the registers..

17 Dec 2013

and types of activities and 'badge work' is alsoregularly updated. Chris & Karen also point out thatthe redevelopment of the Seymour Street Hallsmade a huge difference to the BB and GB, allowingthem to develop the activities of the differentsections to a much greater extent and attractingnew members into the companies.

While some companies may pay a lot of stress inentering national competitions Karen and Chris donot see this as the top priority and are moreconcerned to ensure that the members of theircompany thoroughly enjoy the Company activities.The GB Display is still partly a showcase of the girlsactivities, but also a lot of fun, while the BB hold alower key Parents’ Night at the end of the year inwhich the boys participate with some of their'normal' activities. In BB company members areencouraged to achieve the prestigious awards, thePresidents' and Queen's Badges. Chris washimself the first boy the Company to achieve the

President's Badge. In GB many of the girls progressfrom the Company Section into Sub-officer andOfficer training and thus play a continuing role inthe life of the Company.

The Christian values of BB and GB are still verymuch part of their fabric. In GB the scripturematerial prepared by the HQ is followed each weekbut in BB the teaching is less formal than in thepast, often being in the form of a 'Thought for theDay' in which current events are put in the contextof a Christian perspective.

When the chairs are stacked away and the floorswept after the GB display and the BB Parents'Night, it is time for Chris and Karen to take theCaravan out of winter storage and enjoy a morepeaceful lifestyle for a few months. Their idealholiday is spent in their Caravan on the North Coastenjoying the sea air and going for long walks - ontheir own!

BB Junior & Company Sections and Officers

Dec 2013 18

Fallfest 5

Stepping out in style at Trinity

On Wednesday 23rd October a team of models from Trinity BB, GB and the churchcongregation strutted their stuff at a fashion show which was attended by around 350 people.Leading fashion store Menarys Tempest supplied the style as our own models from age 4to 21+++ took to the catwalk in an evening of fun, food and fashion. Mrs Joan Loughlin wascompere for the night while Mrs Anna Gallagher organised the outfit changes. Thewhole event was a great success, with lots of positive comments fromthose attending. In addition, well over £2,000 was raised for the TrinityDevelopment Fund. Thanks are due to the huge number of people whoworked incredibly hard to produce such a great evening.