BASIC is a new initiative from Coleraine and Limavady Presbytery aimed at helping young people from within the Presbytery come together in worship and fellowship. BASIC will strip back much of the hype around youth work and focus on the core principles of worshiping together and learning together.
Why not speak to your youth leader and ask to come along on Sunday 11th December in 1st Coleraine Presbyterian Church. Doors open at 6pm, event begins at 6:30 with food at the end before the doors close again at 8pm.
The World Development Appeal is an annual initiative of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland that focuses on helping people trapped in poverty. It endeavours to change lives and communities for the better by channeling resources in support of sustainable development projects in every continent. This work is taken forward through PCI’s development partners, Christian Aid and Tearfund.
The 2022 Appeal focuses on those who have been forced to flee their homes and on the communities they have ended up in. Almost 90 million people worldwide have fled their homes and journeyed elsewhere in search of safety or a better life. Many of the places they have arrived in are ill-equipped to host them. Yet, in those places, there are people and organisations who are dedicated to supporting these people on their journeys.
Lebanon is host to the highest number of refugees per capita in the world: 1.5 million refugees from neighbouring Syria are thought to live in Lebanon, having fled the civil war, which has been raging since 2011. Lebanon is facing its own political, economic and social difficulties, worsened by the effects of Covid-19 and the 2020 explosion in Beirut port. Inflation is soaring, food security is a growing issue and people are being forced into poverty.
The featured project this year is based in a suburb of Beirut that is home to Syrian and Palestinian refugees, living alongside undocumented Lebanese people. It is a bleak area, where life is difficult. Tearfund’s partner, the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development (LSESD) works with a centre situated in the midst of this suburb, shining a light into dark situations. The Centre supports whole families, providing education for children, healthcare, psychosocial support and income generating opportunities.
This year’s Appeal will support the Centre as it seeks to be a light, changing stories of flight into stories of flourishing.
South Sudan
The Appeal will also support projects in South Sudan, through Christian Aid’s partner, the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC).
Following the outbreak of violence in 2013, one in every three people in South Sudan is an Internally Displaced Person. The huge movement of people around the country, with already existing tribal tensions has led to conflict.
The Church’s ability to speak into these situations of conflict is unique and the SSCC is working at community level to bring reconciliation across South Sudan. SSCC provides displaced people with psychosocial support, space and accompaniment to achieve peaceful resolutions at local level.
The Appeal will also support similar projects in other areas of the world.
Lebanon is a small country in the Middle East – with an area of 10,452 km², it’s smaller than Northern Ireland! Its population is about 6 million, and it has the highest percentage of Christians of any Middle Eastern country. However, the number of Christians is declining due to emigration (85% of the 15 million+ Lebanese diaspora are estimated to be Christian). Some estimates suggest Christians account for as little as 25% of the population (in 1950, this was 50%). Evangelicals are a much smaller percentage.
Despite this, the story is by no means all gloom: God is at work, and stories abound of God transforming lives, often through miraculous encounters with Jesus. Many people have chosen to stay and make a difference. The Tearfund supported Tahaddi Centre, one of the World Development Appeal’s focus projects for this year is a good example of how Christians have sought to rekindle the light of Christ in communities dominated by darkness and despair.
In the last three years, the Lebanese Pound has lost around 90% of its value. Inflation is the third highest in the world, resulting in 80% of the population being in poverty.
Government employees including doctors, nurses and teachers are no longer able to live on their salaries. As a result, 3,000 doctors and 5,000 nurses have left the country since 2019. Although they send back foreign currency to their families, this is a massive brain drain.
Some 2.2 million Lebanese need humanitarian aid. On top of that, there are 1.5 million Syrian and 200,000 Palestinian refugees in the country.
In 2020, there was a massive explosion in the docks area, destroying infrastructure, including grain stores, and causing considerable loss of life and trauma.
The war in Ukraine has had a disproportional impact, as Lebanon imports almost 90% of its grain and sunflower oil from Russia and Ukraine.
Four out of ten school-aged migrants and refugees are not enrolled in education. In addition, 14% of Lebanese children dropped out during 2020-2021, with growing fears of a lost generation.
Syrian refugee families in informal settlements are among the most vulnerable. Almost all refugees are in debt and have had to cut spending on essentials, including food.
Child labour among Syrians doubled in 2020 and some 25% of refugee girls aged 15-19 are married.
The Tahaddi Centre
The Tahaddi Centre is in an area of considerable deprivation. The community is predominantly made up of Syrian refugees, undocumented Lebanese and Dom (a traveller people historically from the Indian sub-continent).
The area houses thousands of people, maybe even tens of thousands. No one knows. These people are undocumented, living in congested, multiple-occupancy housing in an area with utility provision for perhaps 50 houses. There is little running water, sewage provisions or electricity. The buildings are ramshackle concrete constructions that are prone to collapse.
The place is drab, dull, even dirty. There is raw sewage on the streets. Education and employment opportunities are minimal. Many of the children are not in school and some are forced to work. Most adults rely on sporadic manual labouring jobs. As a result, physical and mental health problems are common. The cycle of poverty is passed down from one generation to the next, with little prospect of this cycle being broken.
The Tahaddi Centre stands in marked contrast to the community it serves. It is colourful and bright, the staff are energetic and enthusiastic. They speak of hope, they show love and compassion, they serve sacrificially, making a real, significant difference to the people of the community.
The Centre, founded about 25 years ago, provides education for children who cannot access it or have dropped out of the public school system. The demand for places outstrips the supply, so much so that the centre now provides three consecutive teaching sessions for children. The joy on the children’s faces is testament to quality of teaching and the commitment of the staff.
In addition, there is a small, basic health centre and a sewing workshop for up to 20 women. The approach is holistic; there are social workers following up with families, psychosocial support is provided to those who have suffered trauma. There is an awareness of the need to address the wide ranging needs of the community, from education to health, employment to food supplies to housing.
Tahaddi means ‘challenge’ in Arabic, and there are plenty of challenges to be faced. Tahaddi’s aim is to challenge poverty and, through its key values of justice, integrity and compassion, to rekindle hope.
Speaking about the Tahaddi Centre, Tearfund’s Farah Bou Kheir says “this is where your faith shines… The situation is very tough. You see God is in action and you have a call…to be agent of hope, to be agent of change. And you don’t know how God is working with the hearts of those people.
It’s like an act of worship. They are worshipping God by being cheerful givers to a place, which is very needy… so that those who are receiving would be thankful… So you can see how the role of the church when it comes to resources is tying both communities together, the giver and the receiver.”
Farah describes the centre like a lighthouse. He says “Giving to the World Development Appeal is an invitation for the church to be present in this context, and to be the hands of Jesus that extend the hand of compassion to a needy community…to address the needs of the vulnerable and to be the light in the dark spots.”
Lebanon is not an easy place to live, for most, but in the midst of the darkness, God is moving, shining His light through places like the Tahaddi Centre.
The Christmas market in Portstewart Presbyterian Church was back with a bang this weekend. Crowds flocked to find a bargain and a seat to enjoy one of the hundreds of cups of tea and coffee sold on the day.
A big thank you to all who organised the hall and tables, the stall holders who came and made sure there was plenty of opportunity to browse and buy those all important gifts. Take time to view the gallery below to get a flavour of the day.
There is a lot going on in Portstewart this Christmas. It all begins on Saturday 26th of November from 10:30 – 13:30 when the Christmas Market returns to our halls for the first time since the Covid pandemic struck.
Why not come along and sample the wonderful traybakes, cakes and incredible variety of craft stalls. More than a few Christmas presents can be sourced and all under the one roof.
Sunday the 4th December is the annual Salvation Army toy appeal. Bring a toy labelled for a boy or girl and leave it under the church Christmas tree. That sense of Christian community continues on Monday the 5th of December when the local churches come together for community carol singing. We meet at 6:30 in Burnside Presbyterian Church carpark before singing at the local folds and sheltered housing.
Then on Sunday 11th December our brothers and sisters in Burnside Presbyterian church are holding a drive in Carol service in their church carpark. A novel way for us all to come together and hear the Christmas story. Our own carol service will be on the 18th December at 6:30. This service will involve many of our own members, a choir which is coming together especially for the occasion. All of this with the unique Christmas atmosphere as we worship by candlelight
Our young people from GB, Glow Club and Treasure Hunters will all be coming together to tell the nativity service on the morning of the 18th. Two services not to be missed.
We will again be hosting the primary school carol service on the 16th December. All of this as well as our Christmas morning service and it really is a time to celebrate this Christmas time. Why not make plans to come to one or more of the events this Christmas.
The boys and girls in p5-p7 at Portstewart Primary School celebrated harvest in Portstewart Presbyterian Church this week. The boys and girls sang two songs, The Harvest Song and Praise to the one. There were also readings, prayers and poems. A truly wonderful service of worship and thanksgiving.
Would you like to benefit from some warm company… a cuppa…. craic… & crafts? Why not come along to CAMEO every 1st and 3rd Thursday afternoons.
There are a number of good reasons to come along to CAMEO.
At CAMEO we invite visitors to come and demonstrate new crafts and they also encourage us to have a go ourselves.
In CAMEO we knit, crochet, cross-stitch, make cards & paint with a purpose. In recent years we have sent boxes of knitwear (including Trauma Teddies), warm coats. These parcels of love have met the needs of Syrian refugees women and children, poverty stricken Moldovan families and Ukrainian refugees.
So, if you are on your own why not join the CAMEO ladies. Contact Amanda on 07738005045 or why not use our Ask USpage to find out more information.
This year‘‘s CAMEO project is called Project Romania. Ukrainian refugees are crossing into Romania and donations of blankets, quilts and knitwear (no clothes please), are needed by 30th October., but if you haven’t quite finished your knitting, keep going and it will be sent in a later delivery.
“I was very apprehensive on going to my first Cameo meeting as I was not sure what to expect. However I need not have worried. I was warmly welcomed by Amanda and those who were already there. It was very interesting to hear about the plight of the refugees in Lesbos and how badly they needed help. We knit for babies and very young children who are desperate for clothes and blankets. They are living in tents in atrocious conditions. We chat, laugh, exchange patterns as we knit and have a welcome cup of tea and cake. We end each meeting with a reading and a prayer. I have made new friends and really look forward to going to our Cameo meetings.”
Jennifer Caldwell
Ladies, don’t spend another Thursday afternoon on your own! Come along to CAMEO every 1st and 3rd Thursday.
This year harvest in Portstewart Presbyterian church will be Sunday 9th of October with services at 10:30 am and 6:30 pm with a lunch in aid of Tearfund immediately after the morning service.
Harvest is always a time of celebration and thanksgiving for God’s goodness throughout the year. Even in times of economic hardships, as we have today, it is still important for us to come together and thank God for all that he has given.
Harvest is also an opportunity for us to give back, to share our blessings with others. The harvest festival along with the presentation of gifts of fruit, veg. and other produce comes from the Old Testament festivals of weeks and ingathering. In these festivals the first fruits, sometimes produce taken before the harvest had actually been gathered in, were presented to God in the temple. This was a sign of thanks, but also a willingness for God to have the best of the crop.
It is in this spirit of offering to God the best of our crop that we are asking for gifts which can be distributed to the foodbank. These gifts will be used to decorate the church for the services, a symbolic offering to God, and then afterwards they will be taken to the local foodbank where those who need them most will get them.
Every year our organisations decorate a window, usually with a mixture of harvest offerings and other items that tell the story of what we have been doing throughout the year. The church will be open on Saturday the 8th of October to allow for decorating to take place and gifts to be left in.
Why not come along and help by contributing and also decorating the church for the service. You will be most welcome.
The Ulster Defence Regiment was raised in 1970 and played a vital role in the fight against terrorism. This came at a heavy cost; 197 soldiers were killed and a further 58 killed after leaving the regiment.
These deaths resulted in 120 wives widowed; 2 husbands lost wives; 158 children lost a father; 1 child lost her mother.
The local battalion was 5 UDR based in several locations in County Londonderry. 5 UDR lost 27 soldiers while serving, this included William Gordon who was killed alongside his 7-year-old daughter Lesley when a bomb exploded under their car.
13 soldiers were killed after leaving 5 UDR.
On 1st of October at Portstewart War Memorial a plaque honouring the memory of Ulster Defence Regiment soldiers killed will be unveiled and dedicated at 3:00 pm.
1n 1992 the Ulster Defence Regiment merged with The Royal Irish Rangers to form the Royal Irish Regiment. Thus, ending 22 years of active service.
A thought from Stuart
Scripture tells us very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die (Romans 5:7). I don’t know if we would dare to call ourselves good people, but certainly those who gave their lives so valiantly considered their cause to be a good cause. It is right that we show our gratitude, remembering such sacrifices.
The very next verse in Romans 5 goes on to tell us But God proved his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us… (Romans 5:8) Jesus Christ showed the ultimate sacrifice and the ultimate expression of love when he died knowing we are not good, yet he deemed us worthy.
The sacrifice of brave soldiers throughout history, and through every conflict unfortunately had to be repeated over and over again in order for freedoms to be won and secured, and even today we cannot take those freedoms for granted as war again rages in Europe.
Yet Jesus sacrifice is a once and for all sacrifice, a sacrifice which achieves all its goals, a sacrifice that guarantees our freedom in God, if only we would accept it.
As we rightly remember the sacrifices of the brave at the war memorial, how will we remember the sacrifice of the only righteous one, Jesus Christ? Jesus told us how we are to remember. The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent. (John 6:29)
One of the questions asked of the church most often over the last 18 months has been, when will your mums and tots reopen? We are now delighted to be able to say that the answer to that question is Wednesday 14th September at 10 am.
Delighted to Announce
As if this wasn’t enough good news, we are also delighted to announce that we will be forming a partnership with our local primary school. This exciting new partnership will see the church linking with the school enabling parents to see inside and meet some of the staff, while the children will enjoy story times, as well as becoming familiar with some of the faces who may well become their teachers in the very near future.
Serving the local community
Mrs Taylor, principal of the primary school spoke of her excitement at the church and school linking in this way “It’s important that our local mums and dads along with their children get to see there is something special about their primary school.” Mrs Taylor went on to talk about the importance of the primary school serving the local community.
It’s important that our local mums and dads along with their children get to see there is something special about their primary school.
Mrs Taylor, principal of the primary school
Why not come along ?
If you have children of pre-school age, if you’re wondering how you will entertain them this incoming year, why not come along to the Mums and Tots in Portstewart Presbyterian Church Halls, we’d love to see you.
