The PCI Family Holiday takes place in the week immediately following the Easter weekend each year. It offers something for everyone. Families who come along can expect a time to relax, a range of activities and the opportunity to make new friends. Over the years, many families have found the holiday to be a place in which they can spend time away together and enjoy fellowship, support and encouragement.
It offers something for everyone. Families who come along can expect a time to relax, a range of activities to enjoy together and the opportunity to make new friends.
Accommodation is provided in Castlewellan Castle in a variety of rooms suitable for families of all sizes and all meals are included.
“We’re just home from Family Holiday and it was brilliant!” “We spent four days with new friends, listening to God’s Word and praising him together.”
You can also find out more about the Family Holiday by contacting the Congregational Life and Witness department by telephone +44 (0)28 9041 7246 or email clw@presbyterianireland.org
The Family Holiday 2024 will take place from Tuesday 2 – Friday 5 April 2024.
Funding for this holiday is available the Presbyterian Children’s society.
The Youth Fellowship meets tonight. This is an important opportunity for our young people to spend time reading and discussing the word of God to discover how it applies to their lives. Please pray for our young people, pray that they would mature in their relationship with God.
Monday 27th November
Several of the ladies in our congregation meet each Monday for coffee. Pray for all the relationships within our church. Pray that we would become a family, brothers, and sisters in the Lord.
Tuesday 28th November
The congregational committee meet tonight. Give thanks to God for our committee and pray for them as they seek to be good stewards of our buildings and finances.
Wednesday 29th November
Poverty continues to be a blight on our society. An increasing number of holiday homes within Portstewart create a pressure on housing for families living in the area. A higher-than-average proportion of pupils in the primary school require free school meals. Pray that we as a church would learn how to best respond to the needs in our community.
Thursday 30th November
This evening is the last night of our bible study on the life of Elijah. Thank God for the opportunities we have to read his word together, and to talk about what that means and how it applies to our lives. Pray that we as a church would be able to find ways of creating opportunities for others in our community to read the word of God.
Friday 1st December
Treasure Hunters continues Sunday by Sunday. Give thanks to God for Wendy Porter and her team of helpers who provide a valuable environment for children to hear the stories of the bible, some for the first time. Pray that God would use these stories to reveal himself to our children and their families.
Saturday 2nd December
Michelle continues to run our youth clubs on a Saturday night. Pray for Michelle as she connects with the young people but also that she would be able to build relationships with their families.
This morning we welcome Christine Craig, a ministry student, to our church. Pray for Christine, not only as she leads worship but as she studies and prepares for ministry in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Pray also for Thomas Black who continues his placement with us and takes part in today’s service.
Monday 20th November
This morning Michelle will be taking the nursery – primary 4 assembly in the school. Pray for Michelle, the children, teachers and all who work in the school. Pray that the current planned industrial action can be resolved and that children will not be adversely impacted.
Tuesday 21st November
Kirk Session is meeting tonight. Pray for our Kirk Session as they seek to give leadership and provide pastoral care within our congregation. Thank God for each elder and continue to pray for Helen, Samantha, and Julie as they prepare for the congregational meeting and vote on Sunday.
Wednesday 22nd November
We continue to be blessed with more children being born in our congregation. Thank God for Allistair and Samantha Nicholl’s baby daughter Esme Poppy who was born on the 5th of November. Pray for Esme, Samantha, Alistair, and Riley. Ask God’s blessing and protection over them.
Thursday 23rd November
Our community coffee time continues today between 2 and 4 pm. Pray for all who make this happen and for the people who come in and use it. Ask God that this would be a time when new friendships are formed.
Friday 24th November
Stuart and Joe continue to visit those who are sick and bereaved as well as routine pastoral visits. Pray for Stuart and Joe. Pray that their visiting would bring comfort and encouragement. Above all pray that God would be honoured and glorified through those visits.
Saturday 25th November
Another busy church week ends with the Blaze and Chill youth clubs. Pray for the children and young people who come along to both these clubs. Pray that among the fun and games they would see something of the love and grace of God.
Thomas Black is a candidate for the ministry in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Thomas will be joining us for a short placement as part of his application process. Please pray for Thomas.
In my last letter I paid tribute to the work Michelle and Heather have been doing amongst families and young people in our church and wider community. It is with regret that we have had to say goodbye to Heather, not from the church, but from her role as youth and family worker. Heather has started a new position as events co-ordinator at Trinity Care Home in Garvagh. While we must learn how to cope without Heather, I have no doubt that Trinity will be blessed as she brings her own unique brand of humour and inventiveness to this new role. Thank you for all you have done Heather.
Another big moment in the life of our church has been the completion of the first stage in our election of elders. As a church we sought permission from Presbytery to elect up to four new ruling elders. I am delighted to be able to confirm that that the names of Helen Davies, Samantha McPeak and Julie Watters will be put to the congregation on Sunday 26th November at our congregational meeting. Please do pray for Helen, Samantha and Julie as they put themselves forward and hopefully undergo training prior to being ordained sometime in the new year.
It was a blessing to be part of the baptism of Alice Pollock, daughter of Jason and Rachel Pollock, on Sunday 8th October. Please continue to pray not only for Alice but for all our children and young people.
As well as celebrating Alice’s baptism we also gave thanks to God for the harvest. Thank you to everyone who used this as an opportunity to make donations to the foodbank. We were also able to give flowers and other produce to some of our own families who for one reason or another have had a challenging year. I know your generosity and kindness have been much appreciated.
In what has been a busy start to the church year we enrolled our GB company on Sunday the 22ndof October. GB is an important part of the life and ministry of our church. We have just over 60 girls registered to our company and over 50 of them, along with their families, were in church for the enrolment service. In a world and at a time when the church laments how attendance has dropped over the years, it’s good that we can welcome so many people from our community into our buildings and to be part of our worship.
So much of the work being done with children and young families is not seen Sunday by Sunday, however we should be aware that there is a lot of work bring carried out. Across GB, youth club, the after-school clubs, our mums and tots and treasure hunters, we are working with 150 different children on a weekly basis. As you can imagine this is a big undertaking and so we would ask you to consider how you could help. We are always looking for people who can volunteer, but we also need people who will commit to praying for our young people, leaders and the work that is being carried out.
Our bible study on a Thursday night has been well supported this year. We’ve just finished a six-week course on the book of Colossians and are about to start a 5-week study on the life of Elijah which will run every Thursday throughout November.
Our new Prayer and Praise on the first and thirdSunday of the month has also been encouraging. It’s been wonderful to see the Centenary Room so well filled that we’ve struggled to fit everyone in.
If you’ve never been to a bible study or a prayer time before, why not consider coming along. It’s been wonderful to see so many new faces, and some older ones who haven’t been in a while, coming on a Thursday and Sunday. These evenings are a great opportunity to get to know people a little bit better as well as growing in our faith.
The busyness of church life keeps on going. The next significant date in our church diary will be our communion season. Pre-Communion will be on Friday3rd November with communion on Sunday 5thmorning and evening. This year we will be welcoming some new communicant members into our congregation. Martha Hall will come into full membership by confession of faith, and we also welcome Ronnie and WinnieCrooks as well as Kerry McCammond by means of transfer. Ronnie and Winnie come to us from Wellington Presbyterian while Kerry comes from 1st Antrim. I’m sure you will join me in wishing God’s richest blessing on each of our new members as we look forward to how they enrich us as a congregation.
This year the Remembrance Day parade comes to our church. We will be welcoming representatives from the Royal British Legion and of course the various uniformed organisations.
What has been a busy and celebratory start to the church year has also been marked by moments of intense sadness. On Thursday 12th October Eilen Linton died after a long battle against illness. Her funeral was from our church on Sunday 15th October. Please pray for Eileen’s husband, Albert, as well as the wider family circle.
I want to thank you for your continued support and prayers. I very much look forward to Sunday mornings, as we worship together. There is something special and unique about God’s people gathering in worship, so much so I want to leave you with this encouragement from the book of Hebrews: not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25) My prayer is that we will continue to be an encouragement to one another by meeting with one another as we meet with the Lord week by week.
Each Sunday morning we publish a prayer diary which is designed to help us pray more regularly throughout the week. We would be delighted for as many people as possible to join us in prayer.
Sunday 22nd October
This morning we read the names of Helen Davies, Samantha McPeak and Julie Watters for the second Sunday as we continue the process of electing new elders. Please pray for Helen, Samantha and Julie as they have allowed their names to become part of a very public process. Pray they would know God’s blessing and presence in the coming days and weeks.
Monday 23rd October
Can these bones live? (Ezekiel 37:3) When Ezekiel was presented with the valley of dry bones, he was asked Can these bones live? As part of the process of bringing the bones to life God told Ezekiel to Prophesy, to speak God’s word to the bones. Take time this morning to remind yourself of God’s word to us, the church today. Read Colossians 3: 1-17 and pray that God would lift our eyes to Christ and everything he has done for us.
Tuesday 24th October
Kirk Session is meeting tonight along with Burnside elders to hear a presentation from an organisation called Safe Families Safe families aims to help families who are in crisis for one reason or another. Pray for both Kirk Sessions, pray for the families in our community who find themselves in a difficult situation and pray that we as a combined Presbyterian witness would make a difference in our community.
Wednesday 25th October
On Sunday morning we welcomed our Girls Brigade into the church for their enrolment service. Thank God for the girls, the leaders, officers and captain of the GB. Pray that the GB would be a place where girls find friendships, love and above all that it would be a place where they see the love and faithfulness of God through Jesus Christ.
Thursday 26th October
Karen Elliot sends birthday cards to every child connected to the church, be that through baptism, Treasure Hunters, GB, Youth Club or the schools club. Thank God for Karen and this important work. Thank God also for the approximately 100 children that we as a church have weekly contact with. Pray that God would bless this work and that it would become a stepping stone to bring more families into our church family and faith in Jesus Christ.
Friday 27th October
The congregations of Moneydig and Second Kilrea where Stuart was minister are still vacant almost 2 and a half years since he moved to Portstewart. This is a story repeated many times over throughout our denomination. Pray for Moneydig and Second Kilrea, pray also regarding the difficulty are church has in finding new ministers and for the new ways it is trying to find to provide stable ministry for many small congregations.
Saturday 28th October
Blaze and Chill (Youth Clubs) meet tonight. Thank God for the work Michelle is doing among our young people. Pray that as she adjusts to working on her own over these next weeks that she would know encouragement and support from us as a congregation, but also that she would be encouraged through the work she is carrying out.
