Juniors Convention Rally

Juniors learn how important it is to listen to God’s Word and obey it.

The Convention Junior Rally, held on the Friday 21st September, had about 24 children attend.

Paddy and Jill Crozier of CEF led the meeting and started singing a chorus entitled, “STOP”. The children sang this really well.

The children’s talk was on the farmer needing to plant the seeds or there will be no harvest. Paddy spoke on what type of ground the children thought themselves to be. Hard ground, birds ate and it had no time to grow. Stony ground, withered away and gave up. Thorns choked the plants and was distracted people from believing. Good ground grew well because they listened, obeyed and grew.

It’s important to listen to God’s Word and obey it. This passage is found in Luke chapter 8 v 5-8.

Everyone had a fun time learning the memory verse and the boys won the quiz which went down well.

The memory verse was found in Psalm 119:11 - “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee”.

Helen Carroll

Juniors excel in Convention Competitions

Once again the standard in the Convention Competitions was high this year. The judges had a difficult task deciding on winners, nevertheless they thoroughly enjoyed their task.

The crafts and posters were on display, at the Convention, in Ballygawley Presbyterian Church.

Prizewinners included: Friendship bracelet - 8 years & under 1st Elsie O’Dorman, Magheramorne Presbyterian.

Friendship bracelet - 9 & 10 years 1st Daisy Ferguson, Carryduff Presbyterian; 2nd Alex Milne, Carryduff Presbyterian.

Friendship bracelet - 11 years & over 1st Rachel Douglas, Carryduff Presbyterian.

Badge - 8 years & under 1st Jessica Wilson, Magheramorne Presbyterian; 2nd Sarah Lapsley, Shore Road Belfast City Mission; 3rd Matthew Logan, First Ards Presbyterian.

Badge - 9 & 10 years 1st Leah Woods, Shore Road Belfast City Mission; 2nd John Stinson, Clonaneese Presbyterian; 3rd Emily Loughridge, Magheramorne Presbyterian.

Badge - 11 years & over 1st Patrick Tweedie, First Ards Presbyterian; 2nd Katie Taylor, Shore Road Belfast City Mission; 3rd Emma Montgomery, Magheramorne Presbyterian. CE Poster - 8 years & under 1st James Hanna, Carryduff Presbyterian; 2nd Theo Woods, Carryduff Presbyterian.

CE Poster - 9 & 10 years 1st Rebekah Booth, Ballygawley & Ballyreagh Presbyterian; 2nd Alex Milne, Carryduff Presbyterian; 3rd Alex Kennedy, Ballygawley & Ballyreagh Presbyterian.

CE Poster - 11 years & over 1st Pippa Knowles, Shore Road Belfast City Mission; 2nd Katie Taylor, Shore Road Belfast City Mission; 3rd Rebecca Frizelle, Ballygawley & Ballyreagh Presbyterian.

Fruits of the Spirit poster - 8 years & under 1st Charlie Sloan, Ballygawley & Ballyreagh Presbyterian; 2nd Anna Booth, Ballygawley & Ballyreagh Presbyterian; 3rd Kyle Boyd, Ballygawley & Ballyreagh Presbyterian.

Fruits of the Spirit poster - 9 & 10 years 1st Daisy Ferguson, Carryduff Presbyterian; 2nd Isaac Busby, Ballygawley & Ballyreagh Presbyterian; 3rd Danielle Pike, Clonaneese Presbyterian.

Fruits of the Spirit poster - 11 years & over 1st Hannah Moore, Ballygawley & Ballyreagh Presbyterian.

Congratulations to all for their well earned success. The prizes were presented at the Convention’s Junior Rally, on the Friday evening.

YP SUMMER CAMP 2018

An amazing week of adventure & fellowship at Camp.

Chloe reviews her experiences of YP Camp:

Another year at CE Camp over and what an adventure it was! There were loads of amazing activities organised including coasteering at Dunluce Castle where we changed into wet suits and jumped into the sea; it was great fun with lots of screaming going on.

We went to Barry’s and had great craic on all of the rides and, especially when we came off, our heads were spinning.

The scavenger hunt and photo challenge, around Coleraine, was great fun trying to find our leaders and take some very random photos such as lying in a bed. It was embarrassing but fun working in our team and interacting with strangers on the street explaining what we are doing and asking for their help to complete our tasks.

We were all able to take part in worship and encouraged to lead with our groups on various nights, which was nice to see others take part.

This year at Camp we studied a variety of passages together; we learnt about the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23, the Great Vine in John 15, Life in the Spirit in Romans 8 and lastly the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.

Throughout the week we learnt that God is there for us all and will protect us, He will be with us through life’s highs and lows. He will never forsake and always be there to guide us in our daily lives. Because we were thinking about going back to school the verse from Jeremiah ch 29v11 “For I know the

plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” was encouraging for those of us who had just got exam results and making decisions about the subjects that we should do going back to school.

Most importantly the best part about CE Camp was the people attending it, I always love meeting new people from around the country and getting to know them throughout the week and keeping in touch once we leave.

The leaders and campers were very kind and great banter especially when it came to the pranks; which the girl campers won!

Overall it was another amazing week at Camp!

Chloe Clarke.

YP Camp, from a leader’s perspective.

Richard, a camper-turned-leader looks back at Camp.

Thirteen YP campers and five leaders spent a wonderful week in the Exodus Residential Centre slap-bang in the middle of Coleraine, just before the new school term wrapped its claws around their summer freedom. It appeared that the 2pm arrival time on Saturday was taken with a pinch of salt by some (cough**the Fermanagh girls**cough), but the first day was a fun opportunity to get to know each other, break the ice and play some silly circle games (cough**big-bucky**cough). There were many returning campers and some experiencing CE Camp for the first (and hopefully not last) time, but it didn’t take many rounds of “I have never…” to make us feel like one big team. Before some evening praise, we were all given a very warm welcome to the Centre by its Manager, Bruce.

Now we’d met each other, we wasted no time in meeting the North Coast locals and walked to a nearby church for Sunday worship – one of the campers even spotted some familiar faces at church! After lunch we hit the popular Portstewart promenade, where we got a front-row seat watching some adrenaline-junkies jumping into the harbour (none of our campers!) and grabbed the obligatory Morelli’s treat. It all built towards the climatic Fermanagh v Down beach football match, which was deservedly taken by the eastern county. Every evening our main meetings consisted of some praise, a memory verse or sword drill and a talk from Graeme Read on a Bible pas-sage that has meant a lot to him; there was also a prayer room with leaders available after each meeting. The first evening we heard from Psalm 23 and how we all, just like sheep, need a good shepherd to protect, nourish and guide us, which can only ultimately be found in God.

The next morning, Monday, we had the first of our small group sessions, where the previous nights’ talks were discussed and prayed about together. Each morning, we also enjoyed a time of praise and a testimony from one of the leaders, which was a good chance for the campers to hear how the Good Shepherd has guided, protected and nourished the leaders throughout their life to date. After lunch on Monday, we ventured along the rocks of the North Coast with Causeway Coasteering. There were many laughs, trembling deliberations whether to jump or not and impressive dives (there was a life-guard among us!). Fun was had by all, and some even came away having conquered their fears. Back home in the evening, we heard from John 15, and how Jesus is like the true, strong vine who carries LIFE and we are like the vine branches who can only bear fruit when connected to Him. We finished off the day with a cosy home-cinema premiere of The Greatest Showman, which proved a hit with everyone, and maybe even made a few converts to the world of musicals!

After the usual morning routine on Tuesday, we headed to the Jet Centre for an

afternoon of ten-pin bowling and mini-golf. The bowling was spiced up with some forfeits required upon getting certain scores, and our resident life-guard stole the show with his countless strikes (accompanied of course by the customary quintet of ‘dabs’). Meanwhile, there were hole-in-ones abounding on the golf course, with Kelly edging above the rest and tapping into her inner-Rory-McIlroy (not just tapping the golf ball into the hole). In the evening we heard from the Pentecost story in Acts 2, how Jesus didn’t abandon us when He ascended, rather has given us the greatest advocate in the Holy Spirit. Our Tuesday night was also memorable, as the ‘Irish CE Greatest Show of Talent 2018’ saw over a dozen acts of various talents entertain us all. We witnessed everything from the weird to the wonderful, including a Sleeping Monster, Table Manners Demonstration and the one and only DJ Sweat. However, it was the quietly hilarious Kevin Minion who ran away with the trophy (well deserved). Expect to see some of these on your screen soon!

The Camp’s half-way point marked an afternoon visit to the national treasure of Barry’s, Portrush – we must have been some of the first customers through the door when it opened at 12:30! Inside, some tested out the new thrilling ride, while some tasted the sugar-coated churros on sale. When the Barry’s tokens had run dry, we enjoyed a hearty picnic on the West Strand - because West is best - before the Fermanagh campers proved this truth by reclaiming their honour on the seaside football pitch. However, to ensure county divides didn’t hamper camp unity, cross-county teams were arranged for the game of rounders. Encouragingly, the removal of tribal territorial identities from the teams didn’t prevent passionate play; reportedly, one camper has been noted saying it was the ‘most hotly-contested game’ of rounders she/he has witnessed.

After a quick dip in the Atlantic (some couldn’t resist) and returning to the Centre, Graeme spoke to us on Romans 8 and what it means to be a child of God, with life in the Spirit being MUCH better, free and lasting Our Thursday activities mixed the campers into three teams for a table-quiz and a scavenger hunt/photo challenge. The quiz provided moments of frustration (over the name of Peru’s ancient ruins) but also moments of showcasing some niche knowledge (like why India withdrew from the 1955 World Cup). In the afternoon, the scavenger hunt allowed the teams to show off how much they’d become acquainted with their Camp locale, as they raced each other from landmark to landmark across Coleraine, solving riddles to uncover the next stop and taking ridiculous photos along the way. Only one minute separated the two fastest teams! In advance of our final evening meeting, the campers were asked to write down any questions they wished they could ask an older Christian. At our final meeting, the panel of leaders answered the anonymous questions, covering topics like what they pray about, advice on living for Jesus in school, and whether they prefer Ant & Dec or Phil Schofield. The final night was spent with the campers trying to crack the secret to some classic, age-old CE games, as well as the campers’ creation of a messaging group so they could keep in touch and continue encouraging each other after Camp.

The final morning was witness to one of the most rapid clean-up operations in recent CE Camp history, which was all the more astounding considering the pranking escapades the night before, which left some more tired than others, but left everyone with fond memories.

We hope the Camp helped the campers know more of just how precious a relationship with God is, and that their relationships with each other can continue to grow. We look forward to seeing everyone back with a friend or two next year!

Richard Armstrong (camper-turned-leader)

ARMAGH & SOUTH TYRONE

Missionary Rally focuses on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Armagh & South Tyrone Union’s annual Missionary Rally was held, on Monday 1st October, in the Fergus Ha!l, Portadown.

The Senior CE hosted the meeting for the first time and provided a lovely supper after the service.

Local Union President, Mrs Sandra Busby, led the meeting and Mrs Ruth Agnew, Irish CE President, conducted a time of praise and gave the announcements.

Alan Blair, Local Union Treasurer, read from God’s Word Matthew chapter 25 v 31-45.

Mrs Valerie Hanna gave a very informative talk on the work of MAF.

It was very challenging to hear how these pilots do the work they need to do so that people get the much needed medical supplies.

Mrs Pauline Condy, Clonaneese JCE leader, closed the meeting in prayer and gave thanks for the supper.

BALLYGAWLEY & BALLYREAGH

Christmas Tea with Ballygawley and Ballyreagh Junior CE.

There are two benefits from reaching the big 60 – you get a concessionary bus pass, and you can go to the Christmas Tea provided by Ballygawley & Ballyreagh Junior CE for the more senior members of the two Churches.

Leaders and Juniors put a lot of effort into this annual event. Tables are beautifully set, and food is there in abundance. We have sandwiches, sausage rolls, cocktail sausages, mince pies, tray bakes, pavlova….

After a sumptuous tea, the Juniors bring a short programme using their talents in music, song and reading God’s Word. There was a short epilogue, using the candy cane as an illustration, by Trevor who is Clerk of Session of Ballyreagh.

This is an event much looked forward to and we thank the leaders and Juniors for giving their time and talents each year to serve Christ and the Church in this way.