Rev Derek Harrington before he moves as Priest-in-charge...

A congregation of 200 gathered in Christ Church Lisburn on a sunny summer’s day on Sunday 4th June for the farewell service of the Rev Derek Harrington before he moves as Priest-in-charge of the grouped parishes of Muckamore and Killead.

Derek chose the hymns for the service and they included, ‘Be thou my vision’, ‘Speak O Lord’, ‘Make me a channel of your peace’, ‘Soldiers of Christ arise’ and ‘Go forth and tell’. The service was led by Archdeacon Paul Dundas. Our parish reader, Tim Littler led the congregation in reading Psalm 25. The Bible Reading was from 1 Timothy 4: 7-16 and was read by the Rev John Pickering. Derek led the kid’s song, ‘Every move I make’ and spoke to the kids about being an example and used his puppet bird, Chuck. He then preached from 1 Timothy 4: 7-16 with the theme ‘pray for us’ as he explored training in godliness, not neglecting our gifts and setting that example in speech, life, love, faith and purity.

There was a slideshow to batman music to reflect some of the memories and events in Derek’s time in the parish. The prayers were then led by some of the young people in the JAM group, Holly, Scarlet, Jack & April who pre-recorded her prayer. The rector commended Derek in his move to Muckamore and Killead by using the words of Hebrews 13: 20,21 with the parish choir singing the Aaronic Blessing.

The congregation had an opportunity to speak to Derek, Anne-Marie and Liliana at the door before we all joined them in the hall for refreshments. The people’s churchwarden, Vera Hewitt spoke on behalf of the parish in giving thanks for Derek’s ministry in the parish and in commending him for the new opportunity in leadership. The rector also spoke and reflected on Derek’s ministry and impact for the Lord during his time in the parish since September 2018. Gifts were presented to Anne-Marie and Liliana by Rosie Long, Dan Thurasi and Bertha Thompson. The rector’s warden, Alex Henderson presented a cheque and framed picture of the church to Derek. The Rev John Pickering concluded the time together in praying for Derek and his family.

The service can be viewed through the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/live/bbAE9wSaGqo?feature=share

Christ Church Lisburn Mission Team to St Apollo school, Uganda

The team from Christ Church parish Lisburn will travel to Uganda to work at St

Apollo school on Monday 13 th February and will be the fourth parish team since

2012. The last team went in 2017 with a trip cancelled in 2020 because of

covid. There are 13 parishioners in the team and they value the prayers of

parishioners and friends in all the planning with Fields of Life, preparations for

each person in terms of vaccinations and especially those who will be travelling

for the first time. There will be the planning of the resources for the kid’s bible

club [Miriam and Mary], the I Am Girl programme, the practical work to be

done at the school which will be painting the classrooms, the women’s

meeting and the sports days. The team’s prayer is that God is glorified through

all that is done and that the team will have safe travels and good health. There

will be prayer cards provided for parishioners.

The team members are: Janice and Richard Thompson, Stephen and Karen

McKenna, Beth Harris, Roberta Thompson, Audrey Knowles, Jane Hawthorne,

Beverley Ringland, Ashleigh Long, Anna Dundas, Raymond Geddis and Paul

Dundas.

There is a commissioning service on Sunday 12 th February at 11.30 am in the

church, followed by a soup lunch in the parish hall. There will be

representatives from Fields of Life and CMS Ireland taking part, reflecting on

the partnerships over these 14 years, rejoicing in this journey of faith for the

parish and individuals. We are delighted that the Rev Chris Pollock from

Saintfield will preach at this service.

The team acknowledge the amazing generosity of parishioners and friends

over 14 years to this school family in St Apollo. The recent bauble scheme

brought in £740.00 for the school. Beth Harris shared on Sunday 8 th January the

items they will buy here and the items which will be purchased in Uganda.

Each child will receive a gift. The items are: pants for boys and girls aged 4-15,

sports equipment and suitcases to transport the items. If people would like to

give cash, please leave it in the parish office as with any items before Thursday

2 nd February. Any cash will help to purchase resources for the kid’s bible club,

100 I am Girl kits, stationary and a wash bag for each child containing soap, a

cloth, toothpaste and toothbrush.

There will be many changes at the school, particularly in terms of all the

children attending since we last visited. Many of the staff are still teaching

including Madame Esther the principal. The motto of the school is ‘Never Lose

Hope’ and is located in the killing fields of Uganda. It is a community that

radiates hope because of their Christian faith and the opportunity for children

to receive an education.

In addition, the rector Paul will be leading a seminar for the clergy of Luwero

Diocese on Friday 17 th February from 10 am to 2 pm as they look at Ephesians

chapter 4. A meal will also be provided for them as well as the study on

Ephesians.

The team will leave Lisburn at about 1.00 am on Monday 13 th February as they

head for Dublin airport for the 6 am flight via Amsterdam to Uganda. They will

arrive late that night in Kampala and stay the night there before travelling to

the diocesan guest house in Luwero on the Tuesday. They will visit the school

on the Wednesday with a programme at the school on the Thursday & Friday.

On Saturday the team will have some down time with maybe a visit to Bethel

Royal school and Kiwoko hospital. They will worship on Sunday at the Church

at the school where the rector will preach. They will have 3 full days of

programme at the school before a celebration day on the Thursday. They then

leave for a trip to see a well being drilled with Fields of Life before getting the

flight back to Dublin late on Saturday night.

The team will provide updates on the parish facebook page during their time in

Uganda.

For further information, contact Archdeacon Paul Dundas at

paul_dundas@yahoo.com

Christmas Services