Lisburn Cathedral. Inside this issue. Magazine. Lisburn Community Choir and Friends 1st Anniversary of Reopening Concert

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1 Magazine Lisburn Cathedral Inside this issue Lisburn Community Choir and Friends 1st Anniversary of Reopening Concert Christmas Tree Festival Telling the story of Jesus birth The Big Church Serve 2014 Holy Week Challenge Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 1 18/11/ :45

2 Lisburn Cathedral Lisburn Cathedral 24 Castle Street Lisburn BT27 4XD Tel: Contents Rector s Letter 2 Christmas Season Important dates 3 Christmas Tree Festival 5 Ground Breaking Prayer Week 7 Mettle Youth Nights 8 Institution of Vicar 9 Kidzone 11 Rector s Letter Join us in the Journey to Bethlehem The Christmas Tree Festival from 5th 10th December will be a spectacular event involving thousands of people from the church and the community. We are indebted to all who have given their time and talents to designing trees, making musical contributions, working with schools, businesses and Lisburn Council. This event falls just one year after our reopening when we set ourselves the task of opening the doors to the community. It will be a joy to welcome so many into the Cathedral to Journey to Bethlehem to see and hear the message of the Angels: Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Luke 2:10-12 Thank you to the brilliant team led by Heather Gibson who have worked tirelessly on all aspects of this Festival. Words cannot express the level of commitment and enthusiasm this group 2 Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 2 18/11/ :45

3 of people have demonstrated over the past year. Opening the doors of the church also led to the formation of Lisburn Community Children s Choir and the Lisburn Community Choir, led by Julie Harper. These choirs hold their practices in the Cathedral and we are honoured that the Lisburn Community Choir will perform their inaugural concert in the Cathedral on 16th December to celebrate with us the 1st Anniversary of our reopening. They have also invited some friends along to make this a marvellous musical celebration. So don t miss it. Tickets at 5 are available from the office. The following evening, David Clements will headline a concert that will draw in the community for a great evening of music. Then for our Christmas Eve Communion we are delighted to welcome our Bishop - Alan Abernethy, who will share God s word and celebrate at the Lord s table. Over the Christmas period we will also have wonderful carols, songs and music from our choir and music groups. Christmas remains the world s greatest celebration and our task as followers of Jesus is to tell the story of his coming and the reason for his birth as imaginatively and clearly as possible. The words of the angels in Luke 2:11 are still true: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Christmas hands us an opportunity to invite friends and family from near and far to experience for themselves the wonder of God and the marvellous salvation that he offers to all mankind. Let s make the most of it by sending out a wide invitation, making a real effort to ask those who don t regularly attend church to come along to join us as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. May the joy of Christ s coming fill your lives, homes and celebrations this Christmas. Sam Lisburn Cathedral Lisburn Cathedral Christmas Season Friday 29th November 2013, 7.00pm Belfast Community gospel choir in concert Tickets available from Lisburn City Centre Management 5th 10th December Christmas Tree Festival Sunday 15th December 2013, 7.00pm Christmas Worship Celebration Monday 16th December 2013, 7.30.pm Lisburn Community Choir and Friends in Concert Tickets 5 from the Cathedral Office Tuesday 17th December 2013, 7.45pm David Clements in Concert Wednesday 18th December 2013, 7.30pm Wallace High School - Christmas Concert Thursday 19th December 2013 Senior Citizens Christmas Communion and Lunch Sunday 22nd December am, Five Lessons and Carols 11.00am, Nativity Service led by Kidzone 7.00pm, Service of Nine Lessons and Carols Tuesday 24th December 2012, 11.00pm Christmas Eve Communion Bishop Alan Abernethy Tuesday 25th December am, Christmas Day Communion 11.00am, Christmas Day Family Communion Bishop s Appeal Offering Envelopes will be available over Christmas for your gifts to provide help to victims of disasters. 3 Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 3 18/11/ :45

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5 Christmas Tree Festival: 5-10 December 2013 Christmas seems to come earlier every year, is a saying we often hear. The Christmas Tree Festival organizing group certainly felt it came early when they met early in On Thursday 5th December at 11am the iconic figure of the Black Santa, Dean John Mann will open the festival with musical accompaniment being provided by the excellent Pond Park Primary School Choir. For the following six days the Cathedral will become a forest of over 50 imaginatively decorated Christmas trees which will tell the story of the coming of God s Son to be the Saviour of the world. With church organisations, schools, businesses and community groups contributing their wonderfully designed trees, we have a visual feast for all our visitors to discover afresh the journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. It really wouldn t be Christmas without music to refresh our souls, so we are delighted to have performances from Local schools, soloists, choirs and music groups throughout the Festival. Distinctive lighting on the Cathedral spire will be seen for miles around, the Lisburn City Centre Management are also providing in the grounds an ice sculptured tree and specially decorated Christmas Trees. Once visitors have journeyed though the Cathedral, across in the hall, there will be Christmas Flower/Wreath making demonstrations with a pack to take away to make your own wreaths.... please do invite your friends and family to come along Booking is essential as materials need to be ordered in advance. Please contact the office Tel: or see the website for further details. Teas/coffees and lunches will be available to purchase. The dinner menu will require pre-ordering. The festival comes just a year after the reopening of our historic building, we want to celebrate this and to share the wonder news that God loved us so much that he sent his Son for us. An enormous thank you to all who have worked tirelessly for this festival. To make this Festival the success their work deserves, please do invite your friends and family to come along, to help us raise funds for the Cathedral and, most importantly, to experience this creative expression of the journey to Bethlehem as we celebrate the birth of King Jesus. Lisburn Cathedral St Patrick s Weekend - 15/16th March 2014 We love St Patrick s - what an opportunity to thank the Lord for bringing the Gospel to our land through his servant - so we re going to have a mixed weekend of meditation,worship, food and fun! On the Saturday, we are going to have Relax, Refresh, Renew - a quiet morning when we will seek to hear God though words, music and reflection. The Sunday morning services will take the theme of Patrick: Missionary to Ireland. On the Sunday night, all ages will join at 6pm for our St Patrick s Night Bash - games, facepainting, food and much more! Please keep the weekend free and plan to be there!! 5 Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 5 18/11/ :45

6 Lisburn Cathedral Beautiful Feet: New year teaching series It has been a blessing to see people engaging and responding to teaching in Both our morning services and Fellowship at Seven have had encouraging attendances and it has been positive to regularly see visitors at our services, and to see visitors becoming regulars also. Between New Year and Easter, we will be beginning a series entitled Beautiful Feet that will prepare us for our exciting future as a Church that is increasingly looking outward into our community. We will begin by teaching on the importance of prayer and you will see details on the next page of a special Prayer week. Then look at how to build good relationships with others and, inspired by the Beautiful Feet of St Patrick, we will see what it means to go out with good news as we prepare for a time of service and witness in Holy Week and Easter. It says in Romans 10:15, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! and we hope that you are excited to discover how we will practically bring the good news of the Kingdom of God to those in our midst! As the fiery missionary Jackie Pullinger says - God wants people with hard feet and soft hearts - not the other way around! So let s get our feet fitted with the gospel of peace as we engage with the Word of God in 2014! 6 Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 6 18/11/ :45

7 Lisburn Cathedral Ground breaking Prayer Week - 26th January - 2nd February 2014 In the build up to The Big Church Serve, we must remember that the privilege of prayer is the greatest resource we have! It is in drawing close to God that we receive direction and power, and we trust that he will go ahead of us onto the street and prepare the hearts of people. We hope that The Big Church Serve will be a time of sowing a message of the love of God into people s lives (as we paint a wall, paint someone s face or tidy a garden), but we must break up the ground before we sow! Remember the famous Prayer strikes the winning blow; service is simply picking up the pieces. S.D. Gordon quote - One should never initiate anything that he/she cannot saturate with prayer. So in the New Year, Fellowship at 7 on the 26th January will kick the week off with worship and intercession, there will be a prayer space for 7 days, and we will close at Fellowship at 7 on the 2nd February. This is a focused, passionate time of praying for, and fighting for, our city - will you commit to engaging in this significant week of service for Jesus? I can t wait!! 7 Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 7 18/11/ :45

8 Lisburn Cathedral Events for Women We had a great evening in November of activities, supper and the Rev Alison Calvin challenged us to run the race of faith. Our next event is on TUESDAY 4th FEBRUARY 2014 when Zoe Mc Glade and Stephanie Neil, two mums from Moira will share their remarkable and encouraging story of how A Place of Grace came into being. Our hope is that we might all begin to discover what it s like to be a butterfly leaving the cocoon and spreading its wings to fly. Then after Easter Judith Cairns is our speaker on TUESDAY 6th MAY This will be a more interactive evening when Judith will share her perception of what it s like to be dressed in God s Wardrobe. Our hope is that we might all reach into the back of our wardrobes and bring along some of the clothes or jewellery etc that we no longer wear and that we do a little bit of a swop. All events are at 7.45pm in the CHURCH when we can join together in letting our hair down a little bit, developing our relationship with each other and with our Father God. Mettle Youth Discipleship on Saturday Evening Mettle is an ongoing programme that is designed to build Christ-like qualities of courage, spirit and character in the lives of young people. The leadership team have been hugely encouraged by the enthusiasm of the young people engaging in these discipleship evenings. Each Saturday, they gather at 7.45pm for sport, games and other activities, as well as interactive and dynamic teaching. Our series on Church reminded us that everyone has a part to play in the body of Christ, and that we are a work in progress - toward being perfected by Christ (a bit like some of the old bits of furniture that we up-cycled one night!). Our Against the Flow series is teaching us that like in the book of Daniel, we can be different and stand against the crowd for Jesus. The level of engagement and sharing has been amazing, and particular highlights have been the pudding party and (the very painful but very fun) crab football! We are looking at a potential night away, in the New Year and we will be beginning a series on Outreach and Evangelism in the build up to The Big Church Serve in April. If you are (or have) a young person from Year 8 and up, please give it a try; we 100% promise you will absolutely love it! 8 Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 8 18/11/ :45

9 Lisburn Cathedral Institution of Vicar 1st October 2013 I want to say a huge thank you for all the support, prayers and even cards I received as I became vicar a couple of months ago. Zara and I prayed hard for almost a year, and we couldn t shake the feeling that God was calling us to stay on at the Cathedral for this next season. It was massively significant for me to have Rev Mark Harvey speaking at the service, as he has been such an encouragement and mentor to me over the years, since he was rector of my church in Monaghan. Big thanks to the team that did the catering, John Quigley for reading, Lucy Burden for her amazing prayers, Frank and the team who led worship, sound guys, visual guys, fire-wardens and everybody else who was involved!!!! Apart from the fact that Zara and I completely love you all, and apart from the fact Sam and Paula are amazing, we re at the Cathedral because we feel that God is really on the move here and we are desperate to be part of it! In the build up to being made vicar, God spoke to me Lately I ve been losing sleep, dreaming about the things we can be. from Philippians 3 in images that seemed quite powerful to me. Paul tells us to live up to what we ve already received - we are blessed with incredible resources, especially in the talents and gifts of our people - let s live up to what God s given us!! Paul also says we need to forget what s behind and push toward the goal - the Cathedral s had some great times, but God has a future for us if we step out in faith and grab it together! I m so excited about Holy Week 2014 and the Big Church Serve - I would love to see one hundred people engaging with blessing our community in the name of Jesus. I m so excited about the preparations between now and then - the Beautiful Feet teaching series, the week of prayer in January - I believe God is going to bless us as we seek to be a blessing to others!! I leave you with a quote from a new song called Counting Stars by a band called One Republic - Lately I ve been losing sleep, dreaming about the things we can be. We re here for the foreseeable future because we want to be part of becoming a community that blesses the city and reaches the lost. Let s start pushing towards the goal! 9 Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 9 18/11/ :45

10 Lisburn Cathedral Christians Against Poverty Centre, Lisburn It was so exciting to see around 60 people from 10 churches gather in Lisburn Christian Fellowship in October to hear Chris Cupples from CAP share the impact that debt centres are making to the lives of people throughout the UK. He gave us encouragement to push forward with the establishment of a Debt Centre for Lisburn. Conversations continued long after the presentation had ended and two subsequent meetings have taken place with Church leaders. We believe we have a commitment to funding from 10 churches and now need to appoint a volunteer manager who would give sixteen hours per week to this ministry of care and evangelism. Selection and training will be given by CAP in February, so if you are interested or know someone with a heart to reach the lost, please contact Sam for further details. Confirmation & Easter 2014 On Thursday nights in the Chapter Room it is a privilege to work with a great bunch of young people in the confirmation classes. We have been using Christianity Explored Youth and investigating what the Bible says about Jesus, his life, death and resurrection. On Palm Sunday, 13th April 2014 at 3.30pm - Bishop Alan will baptise and confirm those who decide to make a commitment to Christ. As always, we will be having evening worship throughout Holy Week, the Wednesday to Friday of which will tie in with our Big Church Serve (which runs from the April 2014). It will be a tremendous joy to worship Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire. the risen Lord on Easter Sunday at the dawn service, at 9.30 and 11am, in the light of a week serving our community! We pray that by Easter Sunday resurrection day we will have stories to share of how we have seen God s life-giving power transform hearts and lives! 10 Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 10 18/11/ :45

11 Kidzone members prayed for Karen during her licensing in the Cathedral We are having great fun at the moment preparing our tree for the Christmas Tree Festival - do visit the Cathedral between the 5th and the 11th of December to see our tree and many others. Lisburn Cathedral STOP PRESS Kidzone Friday raised 100 for Children in Need with a big pyjama party!! Thanks to EVERYONESIE!! Keeping with the theme of Christmas Trees our Nativity service this year is The Three Trees Nativity. It is on Sunday 22nd December at 11am - come along with family and friends to support our kids!! s Ministry This term it s been a pleasure to have the young adults meeting for home group in 82 Thornleigh Drive every second Wednesday. As we have studied Gospel in Life, we have felt stirred to reach out with the love of Jesus, and to live lives that honour Him. It has been incredible to see the heart among this age group to assist with our Mettle youth programme and to see their passion to sow into the generation below. We have had a number of new young adults getting involved in our community recently, please look out for them, feed them(!!) and let s do our bit to make them feel at home in the Cathedral! 11 Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 11 18/11/ :45

12 Lisburn Cathedral An abiding memory of our parish weekend was a really challenging video shown by the Rev Andrew Sweeney from Ballymoney... It featured a well equipped ship that, in the midst of great need, chose to be a cruise-liner rather than a rescue boat. Andrew asked us - what kind of ship (or Church) are you? It has been a transformational question - do we exist for the comfort of our own members - or for the benefit of those who don t yet know the Lord Jesus? The cartoon above asks the question: What do we do if they never leave? It s the challenge we saw on the video and we must ask ourselves are prepared to go out on mission or are we happy just to stay in the church? We feel we are obeying God s call by taking up this challenge and inviting you to be part of a What do we do if they never leave the building? Holy Week with a difference - The Big Church Serve - in which we are going to bless and serve our communities in the city centre and in Hillhall! It s Big because we are praying for 100 people from the Church to do a BIG range of stuff - visiting, working teams, catering, creative teams, prayer and sharing the story of Easter & much much more! It s Church because it s not just for youngsters, oldies or twenties. Not just for preachers, musicians, or extroverts - for EVERYBODY!!! And it s Serve because our aim is to help and serve people, businesses and communities - all in the name of Jesus! This is a time too when you can give back to the lord by blessing others as you have been blessed. The potential is enormous, so please pray and get involved in this Easter Mission outreach. 12 Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 12 18/11/ :45

13 Men s Ministry Group Faith on the front line was the theme of the men s breakfast in November. A serving colonel gave us a very moving account of how the word of God guided him in very demanding situations. All gathered at the breakfast gained new insights on the role of army personnel and on how faith helped and blessed this officer. We are grateful for the leadership of John O Neill and Cathedral Coffee Room Heather Gibson has just started work as our new coffee room manager. It is a great bonus to have Heather taking up this important post, as it is one that is key to our doors being open and welcoming to all who come in. It has been encouraging to see that seats have been at a premium, with so many people enjoying his team for their planning for the men s ministry. Some events planned for the new year include a night at the Omniplex in January to see the new Hobbit movie Two events in February: a walk on Cavehill; and a supper night with a speaker and a quiz. Then in March: Ten pin bowling night. These events are open to all men, do come along, you will be very welcome. coffee, cupcakes and craic. I want to commend all our hard working volunteers in the coffee room providing such an invaluable service. If you would like to join them, please contact the office or speak to Heather Gibson. The coffee room will be closed from 3rd to 10th December inclusive to facilitate the Christmas Tree festival. Annual Easter Vestry Sunday 6th April 2014 This year we have lots of elections. Over lunch we will elect a New Select Vestry, and Parochial Nominators and Diocesan Synod Representatives. We will review the past exciting year of progress as we have set our hearts on being a Mission Focused Community. Also we will consider the challenges and opportunities that are to come. If you have not registered previously, please sign the register of general vestry members during February 2014 to allow you to vote at the Easter Vestry. Lisburn Cathedral CAMEO CLUB Since September, we have enjoyed visits from one of our former Rectors, John McCammon along with his wife Margaret; a former Curate, Will Murphy, though there was some question over the latter s identity!; and then our own Captain John. In contrast to Armchair Aerobics with Margaret Fullerton (which is a lot more strenuous than you would think!) Joan McKinstry reminded us about Jesus invitation in Matthew 11: 28&29 to Come to me.. and you will find rest for your souls and the things Jesus wants us to take, learn, leave and find. One of our highlights is our Christmas Celebration, when we join with all of the Church s Senior Citizens for dinner on 19 December. Our first CAMEO of 2014 will be on Thursday 9 January at 2.30pm, starting with a cup of tea. If you are a senior citizen, or know someone who is, all are more than welcome to join us. John Quigley is the contact Tel: To all readers: These wonderful older folk laid the foundation for you, so please bless them with your prayers for them over the winter. 13 Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 13 18/11/ :45

14 Lisburn Cathedral New Wine Sligo SUMMER CONFERENCE 2014 It seems strange in the mouth of Christmas and Christmas Tree Festivals, to be typing up this article to encourage as many as possible to consider the New Wine Summer conference! New Wine Ireland is an organisation with a vision is to see Ireland changed through Christians and churches being filled with the Spirit, alive with the joy of knowing and worshipping Jesus Christ, living out his Word, and doing the works of the Kingdom of God. One of the ways they do this is by running a dynamic Summer conference in Sligo every year. This conference has been a profound blessing to many from the Cathedral over the years, and the week in Sligo has been a time to look forward to high-quality, engaging teaching, powerful leadership in praise and worship, and fantastic opportunities to meet new people and have a laugh. Although intense and invigorating in many ways, the conference values allowing people space to rest and relax in the beautiful surroundings of Sligo. David Parker from Desert Vineyard, California will be leading us through our morning Bible teachings each day, taking a fresh look at aligning ourselves with what God is saying to us through his Word. Then every evening a different speaker will be challenging and inspiring us. Alongside this, a full kids and youth programme will be running, as well as Our Place (a programme for those of any age with a learning disability). There are seminars, forums, workshops, fun days, prayer rooms, quizzes, cafés, sunshine, beaches, and loads more besides! We highly recommend New Wine s Sligo week to you as a choice for a Summer break in a large number from the Cathedral have already signed up and we would love to see you there too! Forms for the conference are available from Church, and more information can be gleaned from the Cathedral staff or by visiting 14 Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 14 18/11/ :45

15 From the Registers Baptism 27th October 2013 Aaron son of Darrin and Andrea Millar Funeral 17th October 2013 Victor Leslie Duncan, 4 Garvey Terrace New to Lisburn Welcome to Lisburn Cathedral. We aim to provide a caring, family gathering where all can grow and mature as Christians who know Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. Please fill out one of our smilie WELCOME Cards and we will get in touch with you very soon. If you ve moved house or not told us where you live, please complete a WELCOME Card to keep our records up to date. The Cards can be left with the Church Wardens or in the Parish Office. Baptism What a joy it is to welcome the children of believing Christians into the fellowship of Lisburn Cathedral through baptism. The Rector should be contacted as soon as possible after the birth of a child to provide the parents with the CONGRATULATIONS booklet. Once parents have read this information they may decide to bring their baby for baptism or thanksgiving service. Both parents should be regular attenders at Lisburn Cathedral and have the clear intention of bringing up their child in the fellowship of the Christian Church. The purpose of all our Children s Ministry work, through the Cathedral, is that the children will be brought to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Weddings Christian Marriage is the most important decision any couple can make together. All couples are asked to attend Church each week, attend the Marriage Preparation Course and uphold Christian standards as they prepare for their Marriage. All dates should be checked with the Rector before booking with hotels as the staff and Cathedral may not be available for specific dates. Couples can download a Wedding Information sheet from the Cathedral website, which should be returned before a firm booking is taken. Funerals Please notify clergy or staff immediately upon serious illness or death. The Clergy should always be consulted before any funeral plans or times are arranged. Parish Office The office is staffed by our Parish Administrator Garvin Jess from 9.30am 1.00pm, Monday to Friday. All bookings for the church hall should be made in writing to the office. Please pass on information of parishioners going into hospitals or residential homes or facing serious illness through the Parish Office. It would be greatly appreciated if all notices for Sunday Services were with the Administrator by 10.00am on Thursday Morning. Lisburn Cathedral Monthly Service Pattern Sunday 9.30am 11.00am 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Rector Morning Prayer Holy Communion Morning Prayer Holy Communion Morning Prayer Rev Canon Sam Wright 11D Magheralave Road Tel: Morning Worship Holy Communion Morning Worship Morning Worship Morning Worship E: sam.wright@lisburncathedral.org Vicar Evening Worship - 7pm FELLOWSHIP AT SEVEN Contacts Rev Simon Genoe 82 Thornleigh Drive Tel: Children s ministry Co-ordinator Karen Webb Tel: Hon Secretary Mr Denis Fullerton Tel: Hon Treasurer Mrs Jill Lester Assistant treasurer Mrs Vivienne Thompson, Tel: Churchwardens Glenn Steenson Tel: Jane Richardson Tel: Cathedral Office Tel: Lisburn Cathedral Mag.indd 15 18/11/ :45

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