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and ... Messy Church BANNSIDE BUZZ January 2015 This month’s articles Prison Fellowship Craft Group Reflections on Belonging Belonging Pairs
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Feb15 Buzz Fin - Bannside Presbyterian Churchbannside.co.uk/uploads/3/4/4/7/34470411/feb15_buzz_fin.pdfDan Beeby and Belonging I have an old friend, who died in 2013 as an old man

Aug 12, 2020

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Page 1: Feb15 Buzz Fin - Bannside Presbyterian Churchbannside.co.uk/uploads/3/4/4/7/34470411/feb15_buzz_fin.pdfDan Beeby and Belonging I have an old friend, who died in 2013 as an old man

 

 

     

and  .  .  .  Messy  Church    

       

BANNSIDE BUZZ January 2015 This month’s articles Prison Fellowship Craft Group Reflections on Belonging Belonging Pairs

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Dan Beeby and Belonging I have an old friend, who died in 2013 as an old man well into his 90s. Dan Beeby was a railway worker’s son from Hull, but in the 1940s went as a missionary to China, travelling out to the Far East on one of the troop ships just after the end of the Second World War. He hated it. Looking back on the experience from a distance of many years, he realized he had suffered massively from culture shock: everything was alien, he didn’t understand any of it and he didn’t belong. The fact that he had diarrhoea (or as one of our Malawian students wonderfully misunderstood it, writing ‘dire rear’ in an essay) for two years didn’t help. Then Mao and the Communist Party took over. Dan left on one of the last boats out of Amoy, watching communist shells land in the harbour behind the boat as it pulled out to sea. The boat was heading for Taiwan and so, therefore, was Dan. He landed and loved the island, which is also sometimes known as Formosa, from the Portuguese phrase ‘ilha formosa’ or ‘beautiful island’. He loved the land, its people, their culture, the food and the language. He loved the church in which he worked, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. He settled and was content. When he left in the early 1970s—or more accurately was expelled by the authorities for speaking out against the oppression of the native Taiwanese by the mainland Chinese—he says he dreamt in Taiwanese for the first five years he was back in England. He had put down deep roots in Taiwan and he belonged. Dan was not able to return to Taiwan until 1990, when the regime softened its attitude to those it regarded as dangerous dissidents; but his sense of belonging never wavered. Welcome to this edition of Bannside Buzz, which explores the important theme of belonging.

Yours, Mark

   

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Prison  Fellowship  Christmas  Hope  night  at  Bannside  29th  November  2014.  (an  initiative  of  Bannside’s  All-­‐Ages  Church  Events  group,  or  A.C.E.)  

 Christmas  HOPE  is  Prison  Fellowship’s  annual  project  to  provide  hampers  and  toys  for  the  families  at  a  time  of  year  when  prisoners’  relatives  can  feel  alone,  forgotten  and  under  extra  financial  pressure.  Christmas  HOPE  is  a  very  real  way  of  demonstrating  God’s  love  to  these  people.  

After  the  hamper  donations  and  toys  were  collected,  we  gathered  to  help  decorate  the  Christmas  greeting  cards  that  will  be  delivered  with  the  hampers.  The  theme  word  to  be  added  to  the  envelopes  was  ‘hope’.  There  was  lots  of  creativity  and  buzz  in  the  room,  and  it  was  good  for  the  children  and  indeed  all  of  us  to  acknowledge  others  difficulties  at  this  time  of  year.       Afterwards  we  enjoyed  lots  of  yummy  hot  food  and  Chris  Thompson  of    Prison  Fellowship  NI  talked  to  us  about  the  work  they  did,  who  they  served  and  shared  some  of  his  experiences  with  us.     The  kind  donations  made  by  the  Bannside  Congregation  will  contribute  towards  a  total  of  350  hampers  to  be  delivered  to  families  this  Christmas.  Bannside  was  pleased  to  be  involved  in  this  project  and  thanks  to  all  who  contributed  and  made  it  such  a  success.    By  Janine  Compston  

     

 

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Another Reflection on the Christmas Hamper Workshop

I went down to the church to leave a gift for the families of prisoners. Whilst there, I was asked if I would stay and help in wrapping up some items. I t imidly answered, “yes” as I am hopeless at wrapping up. I sat down at a table with three other members of the congregation and we were then given numerous rolls of Christmas paper, scissors and cellotape. A pile of books was put on the table and we all started cutting and wrapping the books which went into every hamper. Needless to say, the “crack” was good.

When we thought we were finished, along came Betsy with another pile. When all the books were wrapped, leaflets and cards were brought to the table. We had to put a leaflet and a card into envelopes which had been beautifully decorated, mostly by young people. No mean achievement—they did a fabulous job!

Chris from Prison Fellowship NI told us about their work distributing hampers to families of prisoners. We then enjoyed tea, coffee, cocktail sausages, chicken goujons, sl ices of pizza, mince pies and chips. Simply delicious and enjoyed by everyone there.

What a lovely way to end a happy and busy afternoon, hoping we have helped to make it a happier Christmas for prisoners’ families and thanks to all the church members for contributing gifts and hamper goods so generously.

By Florence Bennett

 

 

               

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Belonging  in  a  Church  

  A  group  of  young  people  from  Bannside  attended  the  Presbyterian  Church’s  MAD    (Making  a  Difference)  Weekend  in  Coleraine  University  last  autumn.    The  theme  this  year  was  “Belong”.  Lauren  Stoops  and  I  attended  a  seminar  by  Rick  Hill.  He  talked  to  a  group  of  the  young  people  about  belonging  to  a  church.     First,  we  looked  at  what  the  Bible  has  to  say  to  us  about  being  a  church.  The  Church  is  about  people.  The  Church  is  the  place  where  people  of  all  ages  can  come  together,  young  and  old,  spending  time  together  learning  from  each  other.  The  Church  is  a  place  where  people  love  each  other.  And  the  Church  is  a  place  where  people  look  out  for  each  other.     Being  in  a  church  can  be  like  being  part  of  a  coal  fire  where  we  burn  brightly  among  others  –  warning  young  people  that  when  they  leave  their  church  they  may  be  like  a  hot  coal  fallen  out  of  a  fire  and  find  themselves  going  cold  very  quickly!  This  reminds  us  of  how  deeply  we  need  each  other.  We  can’t  be  the  Church  on  our  own.     Then  we  looked  at  the  Church  as  a  body  or  a  team.  What  part  of  the  body  are  you?  Not  all  gifts  are  seen  up  front  in  a  church.  There  are  many  people  working  behind  the  scenes.  If  you  are  not  part  of  a  church,  we  are  missing  you.    He  concluded  that  a  church  is  not  a  club  or  somewhere  you  attend.  It  is  bigger,  deeper  and  wider  than  that.     He  then  asked  the  young  people  why  they  go  to  church.  It  was  really  good  to  hear  the  views  and  experiences  of  young  people  in  Presbyterian  churches  today.  Their  comments  included:  

    “It is real, not fake.”  “I feet content there, whether I am happy or sad.”

“It makes me feel close to God.”

"If  I  don't  go,  there  is  no  beginning  or  end  to  my  week."  

“I am challenged, encouraged and pointed to God.”

By  Gillian  McNaugher  

 

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NEWS FROM THE PEWS  

Love is in the air!  Congratulations to our four engaged couples . . .

                                Karen and Neil Danielle and Kyle

                        Lynn and James Sarah and Matt

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 MORE  NEWS  FROM  THE  PEWS  ……………  

CONGRATULATIONS to Robert Nesbitt

 . . . for receiving an award at Banbridge Council Community Awards on Tuesday 25th November for voluntary services to the community for his Captaincy of Boys’ Brigade, Archery Coach, Judge, GB Team Manager, Ballyvally Archery Club fundraiser, Banbridge Sports committee and work in Uganda with Abanna. David Meade presented the award and Christine photo bombed the shot!       WELCOME WELL DONE

                 

Jake William, son of Linda Jane  Hudson  presenting  and Stuart McNeice an  enjoyable  P.W.  program!  baptised on 14 Dec. 2014

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Craft Group On 7th January the Craft group presented a cheque to Carol Murray of the Alzheimer's Society for £500. This money was raised by the Group's Christmas coffee morning and sale.Thank you once again for your support. Carol's commitment to the Society was very evident and she would like to come back to Bannside at a later date to talk about Alzheimer’s. She is both informative and interesting and we look forward

to that. From its inception the Group has had the primary purpose of all age fellowship and fun, so don’t be put off if you’re not into fund raising. The Group is not a fund raising organization. Please consider coming along to do your craft or hobby with us. The Group now meets every Wednesday. ___ ...___...___...___...___...___...___...___...___...___...___...__...___  Belonging in Church Feels Impossible (We found this thought-provoking piece on ‘belonging’ in a blog by Ed Cyzewski and decided it was worth sharing. It has been edited slightly to fit.) Stepping into the car one Sunday morning three years ago, I had no desire to go to church. It was the last place I wanted to go in fact. Back then, church was where you went to be ignored. And if you weren’t ignored, you’d be worked to death, made to jump through hoops called “discipleship,”and discarded when you failed to prove yourself useful or willing to play the game. If you don’t know what “the game” of church is, you need to keep reading. Before my falling out with church, I used to be that guy who volunteered for everything—well, everything except children’s ministry. I mopped, taught, facilitated, strummed, drove, listened, trained, and typed season after season at church. I knew what it was like to give and give and give.

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When I’d had enough and the system stopped making sense, I only heard condemnation for bailing on the people of God. I didn’t really want to leave, but I also didn’t see how I could be a healthy person in the church. I didn’t see how all of my input paid off. I just felt hurt and frustrated, when I was promised hope, community, and salvation. I had no choice but to walk out, since staying just made the pain worse. Years outside of the church meant a lot of griping, but they also sparked healing—just enough that I could start thinking of going back to church when we moved to a new town. I didn’t know what I wanted from the church that Sunday. I knew what I didn’t want. I knew what I feared: I expected it to be a big production lacking authentic human interaction and a meaningful connection with God. What would a positive Sunday morning experience look like? Perhaps I longed for some experience of God among people who cared enough about me to learn my name. In the past, I’d belonged to some wonderful churches. In many ways they were healthy and strong. They did so many things right. God used them to teach me from scripture, to introduce prayer and fasting, and to provide glimpses of heaven on earth. By the time we pulled into the parking lot at our new church, worst case scenarios passed through my mind. Would anyone talk to us? Would the worship feel forced or too self-centered? Would the sermon lambast liberals and the godless people outside the church? Would there be a laborious exercise in rigorous biblical interpretation? The service passed, and I survived it. However, we hadn’t yet spoken with anyone, and I realized that, more than anything, I wanted to connect with someone, anyone at this church. Everyone had a friend to chat with at the end of the service, and standing in place, unsure of whether to stick my hands in my pockets or by my sides, I caught a glimpse of what I wanted from the church: I wanted to belong.I ached for community, for people who were going through the same things. For people who could say, “I know what you mean; I’ve gone through that too.” Our awkward waiting paid off. I made myself a beacon of loneliness and someone noticed it. Another young couple walked over to us and introduced themselves. They offered us a faint glimmer of hope that we could belong there. We could worship God with them. We could experience community with them. Of all the things God had taught me over the past seven years, I kept returning to the idea that people matter most. As this couple reached out to us, something shifted in my heart. Perhaps I could deal with my other church issues if I could at least find a place to belong—a safe haven to work them out. The impossible act of going to church became a possibility once again.

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    DISCOVERY  

In  early  December,  Discovery  was  introduced  to  Bannside  during  a  Sunday  morning  service.  Discovery,  a  program  developed  by  

Tearfund,  is  a  creative  process  which  enables  churches  to  show  God’s  love  through  action  in  their  community.  Here  are  some  words  

that  help  describe  Discovery:  fun,  dynamic,  enabling,  empowering,  confidence-­‐building,  spiritual,  reflective,  active,  prayerful,  loving,  understanding,  organising  and  long-­‐term.  

  We  have  taken  our  first  steps  in  the  Discovery  process  and  have  celebrated  who  we  are  as  a  people  of  faith.  We  have  shared  what  Bannside  means  to  us,  we  have  identified  what  gifts  and  talents  we  have  and  we  have  reflected  on  how  we  view  the  community  God  has  placed  us  in.    

  March  and  April  will  see  us  moving  forward  another  few  steps  in  the  process  as  we  begin  to  see  our  community  through  God’s  eyes  and  understand  better  how  we  can  be  salt  and  light  in  this  place.  

  In  the  meantime,  here  are  some  contributions  to  the  question,  “What  does  Bannside  mean  to  you?”  for  you  to  ponder  and  reflect  on.  

WELCOMING supportive inclusive happy

A place of reflection an uplifting congregation

Gives  friendship  and  support  in  life  and  a  sense  of  belonging  

Buzzing with events enthusiastic  and  positive   open-minded

A place where I feel at home and able to use my talents

Loving and giving committed to children and young people

Good at bringing all ages together

A church changing in nature and growing as a response to its congregation and community needs

                 A  family  in  Christ                                                                          a place where peace dwells

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BELONGING PAIRS   Knife  and  fork,  salt  and  pepper,  fish  and  chips,  Adam  and  Eve.  We  are  all  familiar  with  common  word  pairs.  Perhaps  the  late  Frank  Sinatra  had  word  pairs  in  mind  when  he  penned  the  sentiment  “love  and  marriage  go  together  like  a  horse  and  carriage”.  When  I  

think  of  the  theme  for  this  edition  of  Buzz  I  would  also  see  it  as  part  of  a  word  pair.  I  cannot  think  of  “belonging”  without  thinking  of  “acceptance”.  To  put  it  another  way  acceptance  and  belonging  to  me  are  two  sides  of  the  same  coin.  Perhaps  it  would  be  more  correct  to  say  that  acceptance  and  belonging  are  one  and  the  same  -­‐  to  be  accepted  is  to  belong  and  to  belong  is  to  be  accepted.  To  quote  the  late  Frank  Sinatra  again  “you  can’t  have  one  without  the  other”.    

  Generally  speaking  people  talk  of  belonging  to  a  club  or  organisation  or  some  group  where  a  common  interest  is  shared.  In  attending  they  get  to  mix  with  like-­‐minded  folk  and  friendships  can  be  made  and  fellowship  enjoyed.  However  before  a  person  can  belong  to  a  group,  that  individual  must  first  be  accepted  by  the  group.  If  I  am  not  accepted  into  an  organization,  I  will  have  no  chance  of  belonging  to  the  organisation.  Belonging  and  acceptance  are  intertwined.    

  It  has  to  be  acknowledged,  however,  that  because  of  man’s  brokenness  the  hand  of  friendship  may  not  always  be  offered.  There  are  many  reasons  why  a  person,  because  of  their  brokenness,  may  not  be  able  to  accept  another  and  the  alternative  will  be  rejection  -­‐  hurting  people  hurt  other  people.  It  can't  all  be  bad,  however,  and  some  degree  of  belonging  can  be  had  in  joining  with  people  of  like  interest.  Indeed  it  may  not  be  recognised  that  the  basic  need  for  acceptance  and  belonging  is  to  some  extent  being  met  within  the  group.    

  Whilst  a  sense  of  acceptance  and  belonging  can  be  had  in  human  relationships,  people  who  look  solely  to  fellow  humans  for  these  needs  to  be  met  may  not  be  acting  in  their  own  best  interest.  Human  nature  can  let  us  down.  The  question  arises  then  where  can  one  find  acceptance  and  belonging  that  is  true,  that  is  genuine,  that  will  stand  the  test  of  time?  Scripture  assures  us  that  He  has  called  us  by  name  and  that  we  are  His.  “Fear  not  for  I  have  redeemed  you,  I  have  called  you  by  name,  you  are  mine”  to  quote  Isaiah.  This  tells  me  that  I  belong  to  Him.    

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  It  is  in  Him  that  my  need  for  belonging  -­‐  and  acceptance  -­‐  is  fully  met.  It  is  in  Him  I  find  acceptance  and  belonging  that  is  true,  that  is  genuine  and  that  will  stand  the  test  of  time.  There  is  also  a  sense  of  ‘coming  home’  when  I  realise  that  I  belong  to  Father  God.  Incidentally  during  the  Christmas  holidays  I  was  doing  a  bit  of  window  shopping.  In  a  shop  I  noticed  a  cushion  with  the  words  printed  on  it  “home  is  ..........where  you  belong“.  Perhaps  the  old  cushion  had  discovered  something  that  was  quite  profound!                    True,  a  sense  of  acceptance  and  belonging  can  be  had  in  human  relationships  and  this  is  no  bad  thing.  However,  I  feel  that  any  experience  of  belonging  to  be  had  from  human  interaction  has  to  built  upon  the  sense  of  belonging  that  one  gets  from  knowing  that  one  is  accepted  by  Father  God.  “............  I  have  called  you  by  name,  YOU  ARE  MINE”    By  Boston  Kydd  -­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐  

If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The

old things have gone; everything is made new!  

2 Cor. 5:17 -­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐  Point  to  ponder  .  .  .  .      We  belong  to  God  .  .  .  but  God  does  not  belong  to  us.        

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    Secret  Island  by  Enid  Blyton  is  this  month’s  mystery  member’s  favourite  all-­‐time  book.  She  knows  parts  of  the  book  off  by  heart.  She  got  it  from  the  library  when  she  was  little  and  checked  it  out  again  and  again.  Then  her  mum  found  an  old  copy  that  she  had  had  when  she  was  a  girl.  She  really  liked  the  films  Tangled    and  The  Hunger  Games:  Catching  Fire,  which  was  full  of  drama.  She  recently  started  trampolining  and  has  already  progressed  through  several  badges.  She  likes  lots  of  different  types  of  music,  with  particular  favourites  being  The  Script,  The  Vamps  and  Ed  Sheerin.  Her  favourite  food  is  Italian,  and  she  loves  past  carbonara  as  well  as  chicken  and  bacon  pizza.  She  had  the  opportunity  to  go  to  the  Commonwealth  Games  in  Glasgow  and  the  Paralympics.  She  has  a  vivid  childhood  memory  of  getting  a  button  stuck  up  her  nose  and  having  to  go  to  A&E.  It  was  so  high  up  that  the  doctor  couldn’t  remove  it,  so  she  was  put  under  a  general  anesthesia  and  got  to  choose  the  needle  colour—pink!       She  greatly  admires  her  mum  because,  “She  is  really  busy  but  never  forgets  anything  and  stays  on  top  of  it  all.”  (aaaawww!)  Her  dad  is  also  a  hero  because  he  always  manages  to  fix  everything  that  goes  wrong.  She  would  be  most  embarrassed  if  anyone  read  the  old  diaries  she  kept  when  she  was  little  because  all  she  managed  to  record  was  what  she’d  eaten  for  breakfast  or  dinner  and  she  thinks  this  would  look  very  silly.  Her  claim  to  fame  is  when  her  family  was  interviewed  by  a  television  news  team  after  a  strange  UFO-­‐like  object  had  been  spotted  in  the  vicinity.  Her  most  treasured  possession  is  a  painting  that  her  grandad  did  just  before  he  died.    And  she  is  also  very  fond  of  her  pink  watch,  a  much-­‐loved  item  from  her  early  childhood.  She  would  love  to  invite  Enid  Blyton  to  dinner  and  find  out  more  about  her.  She  describes  herself  as  chatty  and  a  good  listener  and  acknowledges  that  she  also  has  her  teenage  moments  (don’t  we  all!).  Her  motto  is,  “if  you  don’t  ask,  you’ll  never  know!”.  It’s  about  not  being  afraid  to  ask  questions  or  try  new  things.     Her  favourite  verse  is  Romans  8:  38-­‐39  and  she  is  comforted  by  the  reminder  that  nothing  can  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God.  She  loves  the  song,  covered  by  Randy  Travis,  Shout  to  the  Lord.  Bannside  has  helped  her  grow  in  her  faith  because  she  has  lots  of  people  her  age  around  her  and  she  knows  she  isn’t  the  only  person  trying  to  have  a  faith.            Who  is  she?    

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 You  are  not  alone.                                                                      You  belong                                                                                                                  It  gets  better.  These  are  a   few  of  a  handful  of  powerful  messages   that  an  elegantly  designed  “belonging  intervention”  by  social  psychologist  and  Stanford  assistant  professor  Gregory  Walton  conveys  to  study  participants  who  are  going  through  a  difficult  period.    The   intervention   uses   a   technique   known   as   “attributional   retraining”   to   help  people  shift  blame  for  negative  events  from  “It’s  just  me”  to  “  I’m  not  alone,  and  there   are   others   going   through   it.”   The   goal   is   to   convey   to   the   subjects   that  when  bad  things  happen,   it  doesn’t  mean  they  don’t  belong   in  general.  Why   is  this  important?    “We  don’t  have  a  word  for  the  opposite  of  loneliness,  but  if  we  did,  I  could  say  that’s  what  I  want  in  life.”  So  began  a  stunning  meditation  by  Marina  Keegan,  a  22-­‐year  old  Yale  graduate  who  died  in  a  tragic  car  accident.    What  is  the  opposite  of  loneliness?  Is  it  belonging?  Because  as  humans  we  need  to   belong.   To   one   another,   to   our   friends   and   families,   to   our   culture   and  country,   and   to   our   world.   Belonging   is   primal,   fundamental   to   our   sense   of  happiness  and  well-­‐being.    Belonging   is  a  psychological   lever   that  has  broad  consequences,  writes  Walton.  Our   interests,   motivation,   health   and   happiness   are   inextricably   tied   to   the  feeling  that  we  belong  to  a  greater  community  that  may  share  common  interests  and  aspirations.   Isolation,   loneliness  and   low  social   status   can  harm  a  person’s  subjective   sense   of   well-­‐being,   as   well   as   his   or   her   intellectual   achievement,  immune  function  and  health.      (This  extract  was  taken  from  an  article  by  CNN  journalist    Amanda  Enayati)  

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Over the past couple of months you have been hearing about Messy Church. You may have forgotten exactly what you heard, you may still have a few questions or you may have missed it completely! So to bring you up to date ……….. What is Messy Church? Messy Church began in April 2004 in an Anglican church near Portsmouth. It is a church for people (families and individuals), to come together and enjoy being together. We will make things together; eat together and celebrate God together through his word, through music and through prayer. Everyone will be made very welcome. What is special about Messy Church? The most important thing about Messy Church is its central aim of welcoming individuals and whole families together. A sense of belonging awaits everyone who comes to Messy Church. This is for all of us in Bannside (men and women, girls and boys, young and old) as both participants and leaders, and for people in the community who have another church connection or no church connection. If someone has not attended church for a long time or indeed has never attended, they will find a place where they can explore and grow their Christian faith in a warm, safe and fun place. What will we be doing?

Ø Arrival and registration Ø A welcome and short introduction Ø There will then be a range of craft and other activities to choose

from, all related to the theme or Bible story which we will be focusing on.

Ø We will come together again for an interactive celebration with music, stories and worship.

Ø Food is always important! We will share a hot sit-down meal (with vegetarian options). This will provide an opportunity to get to know one another a little better.

Ø Home or you may wish to help clear up. When is the first Messy Church in Bannside? Sunday 29th March from 3.00pm to 5.00pm – Please bring your friends and neighbours and join us for an afternoon of fun, of hearing Bible stories, making crafts and sharing a meal. We look forward to seeing you there !

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY IMPACT  Coffee  Club  @  Captain  Cooks.  30th  January,  13th  and  27th  February,  13th  and  27th  March.  3.45-­‐5.00pm.  All  Year  8s  and  above  welcome!  Presbytery  Youth  BIG  NIGHT  OUT    for  IMPACT.  15th  February.  Meet  at  church  at  6.30  to  travel  to  Loughbrickland  Presbyterian.  League  of  Church  Loyalty  Service  22nd  February  PW  Service  8th  March  Discovery  Service  22nd  March    Lenten  Bible  Studies:  The  Church  in  the  Middle  East.       22nd  February—Bannside:  Christians  in  Syria        1st  March—St.  Therese’s  Parish  Centre:  Christians  in  Egypt     8th  March—Holy  Trinity  C  of  I:  Christians  in  Israel  15th  March—Non-­‐Subscrib.  Presbyterian:  Christians  in  Lebanon     22nd  March—Methodist:  Christians  in  Palestine    Good  Friday  Service  3rd  April.  7.45pm  Easter  5th  April  Messy  Church  29th  March.  3.00-­‐5.00pm.  Church  Hall.  Come  see  what  this  exciting  new  ministry  is  all  about!  All  ages  welcome  to  come  and  participate.  Bring  a  friend!    

Mystery  Member        

The theme for the March issue will be Good Relations

The deadline for submissions is 25th

February 2015 Email: [email protected]

Emma  

Doherty