Christmas 2011 has been and gone and we move into the
time of Epiphany, a time of expanding the vision of Christian people based on
Matthew’s gospel story of the Wise men. The aim of Epiphany is to be open to
all people of all cultures races and creeds; it is a time of welcome to every
human being on earth.
Father Brian Daly has been very
supportive of the vision of BCA as the only official member of clergy on
committee for quite a while and we are most grateful to him. This was due to vacancies in both the Presbyterian
and Church of Ireland Churches.
We hope and trust it will not be too long before a Presbyterian minister can be with us.
In the summer Rev. David Ferguson the new Church of Ireland rector arrived. He has been an added blessing to BCA, the town and his parish. This is his story.
We hope and trust it will not be too long before a Presbyterian minister can be with us.
In the summer Rev. David Ferguson the new Church of Ireland rector arrived. He has been an added blessing to BCA, the town and his parish. This is his story.
I was born in 1955 in County
Fermanagh, leaving Fermanagh at a young age to move to England because of my
Fathers work. Again because of my Father’s work we moved to Dublin were I spent
my teenage years attending the Kings Hospital Church of Ireland Grammar School.
We returned to Northern Ireland in 1971. Leaving school at the age of 18years I
worked in the motor industry for a short time before moving into the civil
service were I had a career that spanned nearly 30years. My involvement in
Church life found me performing a number of roles in a lay capacity within the
Parish I attended for a number of years. Prior to my retirement from the civil
service after a prolonged selection process I was accepted for training to the
Ordained Ministry in the Church of Ireland. I was able to carry out my training
on a part time basis whilst still being employed. I was ordained in 2004 and
served as Curate Assistant in the Parish of All Saints Antrim until my
appointment in 2011 as the Rector of the Parishes of Ramoan and Culfeightrin. I
am married to Margaret, a nurse, and we have four grown up children and three grandchildren.
In my younger day I was a keen Rugby player but can now only watch from the
sidelines. I enjoy the theatre, the cinema reading and playing with my
Grandchildren when the time allows. We are settling into Ballycastle and the
warm welcome from everyone that we have received has made the process so much
easier. I look forward to continuing to minister to you all in this beautiful
part of North Antrim.
Good Morning Ballycastle which connects via
telephone to over 100 elderly and vulnerable people every day still continues to
be short of any sustainable funding. It has been supported greatly by
Ballycastle community in the last year which is truly humbling. This month some monies have been received via
Moyle Community Partnership Committee from the Criminal Assets Recovery Fund to
help develop partnerships with Victim Support and the Community Safety Wardens
to further build a supportive safe community.
It also means the confidential computer system will be able to be
updated. Another exciting aspect of
these monies is to pay for more befriending training for volunteers. This will
really help in the alleviation of isolation and loneliness, a key objective of
the project.
Contact: Project Co-Ordinator
Kate Elliott Tel. No. 028 207 68309
Email: goodmorningballycastle@googlemail.com
A
Pilgrims Journey It was indeed a very blessed time with lots of little happenings, kindnesses and co(God)-incidents occurring, such as getting the last bed in the Albergue/hostel, meeting up with a new friend whom I had missed and thought I would never see again, recovering items lost or mislaid , mine and others. The sense of welcome and goodwill shown by people along the way and by the hospitalerios/hosts was striking.
A very vivid memory was the joy of turning around, with the dawn breaking on a new day to reveal a magnificent sunrise. An artist’s delight with wonderful colours streaking across the sky. It was on one such morning I had the experience of silence that I never encountered before. I set off under the stars down the valley, visible from the Albergue, and walked for 10 kilometres without hearing a sound of wind, person, animal or vehicle, truly magical. As John O’ Donohue aptly describes it in Divine Beauty: At the core of the world and at the core of the soul is silence that ripples with the music of beauty and the whisperings of the eternal. There were also times of great fun and laughter, with sing songs to help us on our way. People were brought close to each other, be it through helping treat blisters, sharing a piece of fruit, giving advice about the terrain ahead or sharing a no frills dormitory. The good humour and kindness of so many people was truly a great gift to experience. It was also very impressive to see people clearly in pain struggling on in their own time, keeping focused on their goal of Santiago. There was real evidence of the prayer support behind this venture for the peregrinos who were given a special blessing at the end of Masses and were being prayed for daily in the convents and monasteries. It was like walking in an aura of grace and protection, much needed when the going got tough!
The Camino offered me time to think and pray, great opportunity to reflect on my family, remember all those near and dear to me, those with whom I relate and work in various groups, and committees such as Ballycastle Church Action, parish and neighbourhood. A truly wonderful opportunity to restore my trust in humanity and the goodness of people. It was a chance to meet and extend boundaries through being with people from all across the globe. I felt like a child of the universe, aware of how tiny our part of the world is and wondering why we find it so difficult to live peacefully together. Juan Carlos Contreras Leiva who recently visited Ireland for the annual Famine Walk wrote: We need each other, walking together and learning step by step! We need each other, to work in solidarity and in this way humanity can overcome great adversity in spite of economic and environmental crises. For me the Camino was many things but essentially it was a chance to re-tune with patience, and re-align with the Centre learning to trust in small ways that inner voice of Wisdom.
The Way to Santiago is as life itself, it is as He who gives us support, it is a marvellous experience. It has no end, because when you arrive you realise that you have to keep on walking towards St James, towards the others, towards your inner self, towards God. This will only be finished when the life that we enjoy day by day comes to an end. St.James Cathedral, Santiago de Compostela
Any donations to my chosen charity would be appreciated Children in Crossfire at www. children in crossfire.org/Eleanor Duff
I was very privileged this autumn to
be able to walk the Way of St James, commonly referred to as the El Camino in
Northern Spain.
The sacred place or goal was Santiago de
Compostela where the remains of St James are reputed to be in the crypt of the
magnificent cathedral. The journey was both challenging and enriching.
The Worship and
Liturgy Committee is planning the next annual Women’s World Day of Prayer which this
year will be held on Friday 2nd March at 8.00pm in St Patrick’s
and St Brigid’s Church. The service has been prepared by the women of
Malaysia. The speaker will be Rev. Ann
Irvine who has recently moved to Ballycastle. Last year a few men attended the service;
it would be much appreciated if more men were able to attend.
Future plans for the
Peace and Reconciliation Committee 1912 and ALL THAT
A drama prepared by the
Centre for Contemporary Christianity (formally ECONI- Evangelical Contribution
on Northern Ireland) has been written by historians from ‘both sides’. The
Convenor was one of a number invited to a private preview in October. This has
been offered to us as a Road Show, to be performed by professional actors for
both public audiences and schools. We
plan to bring this to Ballycastle.