connect

Your guide to whats going

on in Waringstown

Feb 16 - May 16

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Welcome

to the second edition of our Community

Newsletter!
For those of you who missed the first one, my
name is Neil Harrison the Community Pastor for
Waringstown Presbyterian Church. CONNECT is a fourmonthly publication for every home in Waringstown, that
helps us to connect with, and inform people about
everything that happens in our church, as well as wider
community groups.
We have been greatly encouraged with the response to the
first edition with many people expressing their appreciation
for the information, as well as articles of interest. Some of
our community groups, such as Little Lambs and the
Luncheon Club, have seen new members joining as a
direct result of the magazine, and that makes all the efforts
worthwhile!
This time we have increased by four pages to allow us to feature a greater number of
articles of interest. Those highlighted in this edition include a summary of Messy Church,
a travel journal of a Cycling trip to Iceland, a profile of The Basement Youth Centre, a
feature on Craigavon Food Bank and a fascinating interview with one of Waringstowns
most senior residents!
CONNECT 61 is the new name for our main street premises and will hopefully have
signage in place very soon. The building is home to Eden Coffee House as well as an
office/meeting room on the top floor and The Basement Youth Centre underground. We
want to see this facility well utilised by our church and community groups, and so it is
encouraging to welcome a new Macmillan Cancer Support Group to CONNECT 61 on
1st February (more details on page 4), as well as Girls Group for p5-p7 that started in the
Autumn (see page 4 for more details)
Should you wish to enquire about the use of the facility, or
make a booking, then contact me using the details found
on the back page.
A huge amount of THANKS must go to the team of
volunteers who have undertaken interviews, written articles
and used their creative skills to enhance the look of
CONNECT. I hope you find it both useful and interesting!

I have come that they may have life,

and have it to the full.
2

Welcome

Words of Jesus as found in John 10:10

The recent death of the music icon, David

Bowie, has been a big talking point. One of the
tribute articles I read online was entitled, Who
was the Real David Bowie? He redefined himself
so many times during his life and career, it was
hard to know the actual man.
Jesus once asked his closest followers, Who do
people say I am?The things that he was saying
and the miracles he was doing made Jesus the
talk of the country and people had all kinds of
ideas about his identity. Jesus followed it up with
another question which got to the heart of what
they, his disciples, thought of him. But what
about you? Who do you say I am? Whatever
other people think about Jesus, it always comes down to our response. These questions
are recorded in the Bible, in Marks Gospel, his good news story of the life of Jesus
Christ. Followers of Jesus believe this is the ultimate good news story, and we need
good news in a world of war, broken relationships, sickness and hurt.
In Waringstown Presbyterian, we are all about knowing Jesus and making him known.
That begins with knowing who Jesus really is and why he came into the world. On
Sunday mornings around and after Easter, during our worship, we will be looking at
Marks good news stor y in the Bible and
discovering the truth about Jesus and why we
need him more than anyone else. We would love
to see you coming along. When Jesus first asked
that question, one of his followers, Peter,
answered it in the most amazing way. In Mark
chapter 8 verse 29, he says, You are the Christ.
Peter is saying that he believes that Jesus is the
special one who has been sent by God to rescue
people from sin and its consequences. The One
who has come to bring us into relationship with
God. Thats who we believe Jesus is. Thats why
we worship him, follow him, share him with others
and want to see you finding true life in him. Who
do you say he is? We hope you enjoy this edition
of Connectand find it useful.
Philip Thompson, Minister,
Waringstown Presbyterian Church

GOLD

THEWOMEN'SMINISTRYOFWPC

We would love you to join us at 8pm in

the Craig Hall at WPC on...
Thurs 11th Feb: Love for Life
Thurs 12th May: Billy Patterson

"We love because he first loved us"

1John4:19

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P

Church Life

Some people think that church is a really clean place. Everyone who comes along
has got their life together: they have nice clothes, no cares or worries, and
everything usually manages to work out just fine for them! The reality of course is
that church isnt like that at all. Its full of people who are worried, stressed out, have
problems and well, in realityits all a bit messy!

2016

Since September we have been running Messy Church bi-monthly, on a Sunday

afternoon. Its not quite proper church but in so many ways I think Messy Church
shows us what church life is all about!
Firstly, people just come as they are. Secondly, its for families - this is an integral
part of Messy Church. We dont just leave our kids off, we join in with them. Thirdly,
its full of smiles and laughter. We have crafts, games, dramaslots of
opportunities for everyone in the family to enjoy themselves. Lastly, we worship and
hear stories from the Bible in a way that engages everyone, from the youngest
right up to the very oldest, and then share a delicious meal together to finish off.
Messy Church is a unique opportunity to get a glimpse of what church life is all
about; in a fun, friendly, informal and frenzied kind of way. Our hope in running
Messy Church is that we can create a space where you will feel comfortable to
come through our church doors and engage with God in simple and enjoyable
ways. Wed love you to come along on 31st January to see what its all about and
discover just how messy church can be!
Article by Mark Hawthorne

31 January 3pm
20 March 3pm
22 May 3pm
19 June 9.30/11.30am

WPC Cycle Iceland

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7,000 feet climb
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6 good people

Last Christmas a text came through from Richard Smyth which sounded too
good to be true "who fancies a cycling & camping trip to Iceland in May?
Some people thought it was mad; needless to say flights were booked by the
New Year.
We continued to cycle every Saturday and as winter turned to spring; the reality
of the trip hit home and the excitement grew. Following a few meetings, we had
a route planned and a checklist that Bear Grylls would be proud of. The cycling
was going to be ok, but carrying 20kg on panniers was going to be a new
experience.
Arriving in Reykjavik was colder than expected for May. Our route was the famous
Golden Circle which loops around part of the south of the island with many
tourist attractions along the way. The first campsite was only 30 miles from the
airport; with the tents pitched and gourmet boil in the bag meals cooked from
the toasty hostel kitchen we were set up for the night.
The first full day in the saddle took us north out of Reykjavik to ingvellir National
Park where you can see the cracks and fissures of the N American and Eurasian
tectonic plates which are slowly splitting apart. This was also the site of Icelands
first parliament for centuries and where Christianity was passed and accepted in
Iceland in 1000AD, check outwww.thingvellir.is. After a few slow hours we made
it to Geysir and camped next to Strokur Geyser which bubbles and erupts
roughly every 10 minutes. So wonderful to see, we were all like big kids watching
the spectacular bursts into the sky.
The next day was a short trip to the spectacular waterfall at Gullfoss where the
Hvt river falls 100 feet into a ravine, creating a constant mist and rainbows; truly
awesome. The wind picked up and rain came in the whole way to our next
campsite, but we found good shelter along the way for carbs & coffee and
treated ourselves to a gourmet burger that evening in Selfoss, but no-one was
brave enough to try the local delicacy - pickled shark fin.

Church Life

On the final day we opted for the shorter climb over the longer, flatter coastal
route which turned out to be higher than the Glenshane Pass. As the wind and
rain increased, we were saved by a small truck stop serving traditional Icelandic
lamb soup - warm, salty and perfect. Back through Reykjavik and out to the
airport against a headwind felt longer and more barren than the first day.
Our only regret is that we didnt make it to the Blue Lagoon, but maybe next time
with the family and a car! Iceland was a great memory with some wonderful
sites, good people and fellowship working together. Thankfully our next WPC
cycling trip this spring will be a bit warmer in Spain.
If you enjoy cycling then why not join with WPC Wheelers on Saturdays. Full
details are below.
Article by Gareth Morrow

Monday
11am-2pm (WPC Hall)
Luncheon Club (Senior Citizens Lunch)
Contact: Melvyn 07854 875170

Tuesday
11am-5pm
Church Office Open
Contact: Barbara 02838882654

6.30pm-7.45pm (WPC Hall)

10am-12pm (WPC Hall)

Rainbows (Girl Guiding for Ages 4-7)

Contact Joanne:
joannecockroft@hotmail.co.uk

Retired Mens Fellowship (Bowls&Coffee)

Contact: Melvyn 07854 875170

6.30pm-7.45pm (C of I Halls)

Anchor Boys (BB for p2-p4, places limited)

Brownies ((Girl Guiding for Ages 7-10)

Contact Lynda:
lyndajackson390@btinternet.com

8pm-9pm (WPC Hall)

Guides (Girl Guiding for Ages 10-14)
Contact: Lynn 07761 902767

8pm-9pm (WPC Hall)

6.45-7.45pm (C of I Halls)
7-8.30pm (C of I Halls)
Junior Section (BB for p5-p7)

7.30-9.30pm (WPC Hall & C of I Halls)

Company & Senior Sections (BB for yr8+)
Contact: Joe 07970 555303
or waringstownbb@live.co.uk
or Waringstown BB Facebook Page

Senior Section (Girl Guiding Ages 14-26)

Contact Laura: lmkinloch@hotmail.co.uk

8-10pm (WPC Hall)

Banner Making
Contact: Barbara 07525 265665

Friday
7-9pm (WPC Hall)

8.15-11am (Polypipe Factory, Dromore Rd.)

Friday Fun Club (Youth Club for p5-p7s)

Held fortnightly.
Contact: Suzie 07706 797647

WPC Wheelers (Mens Cycling Club)

See page 7 for more details
Contact: Richard 07878 327196
or richardpatterson101@tiscali.co.uk

7-9pm (WPC Hall or Caf Eden, Connect 61)

Fusion (Youth Fellowship for Ages 11-14)
Rotates venue depending on Fun Club
Contact: Chris 07725 170295

9-11pm (WPC Hall or Caf Eden, Connect 61)

20:20 (Youth Fellowship for Ages 15-18)
Rotates venue each week
Contact: Chris 07725 170295

Saturday

Weekly Diary

Wednesday

Thursday

6.30pm-7.45pm (C of I Halls)

11am-5pm

Rainbows (Girl Guiding for Ages 4-7)

Contact Janice: cascum49@yahoo.co.uk
or Judith: jp.hinds@btinternet,com

Church Office Open

Contact: Barbara 028 38 882654

6.30pm-7.45pm (C of I Halls)

Little Lambs (Baby & Toddler group)

Contact: Ruth 07879 665308

Brownies ((Girl Guiding for Ages 7-10)

Contact Zoe:
zoemcwilliams@hotmail.com

10.30am-12pm (WPC Hall)

7pm-10pm (WPC Church)

Music Practice (For Sunday worship)
Contact: Sam 07976 369668

7.45pm-9.15pm (C of I Halls)
Guides (Girl Guiding for Ages 10-14)
Contact Jill:
jillmcwilliams76@hotmail.com

8-10pm (WPC Hall)

Table Tennis Club
Contact: Clifford 07919 491597

8-9.30pm (WPC Hall)

First Wednesday (Mid-week Bible study)
First Wednesday each month

8-9.30pm (WPC Hall)

Central Prayer Gathering
Third Wednesday each month

7.30-10pm (The Basement, Connect 61)

The Basement Youth Centre
Youth centre for ages 11-18 offering a range of
programmes and projects during the year.
Come along and see what you think!
Contact: Neil 07745 534886

Sunday
9.30-10.45am (WPC Church)

Morning Worship
10.45-11.30am (WPC Hall)
Coffee Time between services

11.30am-12.45pm (WPC Church)

Morning Worship
6.30-7.30pm (WPC Church)

Evening Worship

is located in the CONNECT 61 building beneath Eden

Coffee House and is accessed via the steps adjacent
to the Country Chippy. The Basement opened its
doors almost 10
years ago at a
time when it was
apparent there were large numbers of young people in
the village who had nothing positive to invest their time
in which was leading to risk-taking and anti-social
behaviour.
The Youth Centre is open for Drop-in on THURSDAYS from
7.30-10pm for ages 11-17. The facilities on offer are a
pool table, computers, xbox and a tuck shop! This
becomes our main point of contact with young people
and is a platform for engaging them in tailored projects that develop confidence and selfesteem and expand their horizons. Recent projects include the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme
in partnership with the Boys Brigade, a sexual health project in partnership with Love for Life
and a Fixers film-making project. In the past we have
also taken groups to Kenya, Romania and Poland to
engage in a variety of practical work and mission
opportunities.
Our current tribe of approximately 30 young people
have found difficulty in locating an area in the village to
hang out due to the lack of open public space in
Waringstown. The Basement therefore, has become a
safe place for them to be with friends without fear of
opposition.
In the Autumn term we enjoyed trips to ice-skating and We Are Vertigo which always finish
with the obligatory trip to McDonalds! An absolute highlight of the year had to be our
Christmas Dinner! We were overwhelmed by the generosity of local businesses in the village
who supported this with donations of food. Huge thanks to Trader Ds, Ruddells Fruit Shop,
The Mace, The Country Chippy, Eden Coffee House and Dewarts Service Station. With the
culinery help of our volunteers we stuffed our faces with turkey, ham and roasties along with
all the usual trimmings!
At the Basement we are deeply passionate
about helping young people reach their
potential in all areas of life. We believe a
relationship with Jesus Christ to be central to
this, and so it is something that is apparent in
the DNA of The Basement, and is embodied
through our relationships, actions and words.

10

Community News

I recently asked the young people what they liked about The Basement and here are some
of their replies:
It feels like home, a place I
can escape to and feel safe.
I feel wanted there and so it is
a place I want to be at.

I love the basement because it is

somewhere where I can hang out and relax
with my friends and not have to worry
about getting into trouble on the streets

It is simply just somewhere

where we can go to see our
friends, and the leaders are
always very welcoming

We are incredibly thankful to our 5 volunteers who help with The Basement Youth Centre ,
without whom we simply would not be able to open the doors! With their help, the young
people experience the support of more caring adults through the challenges that come in
teenage years.
Should you share our heart and ethos for young people, and be interested in volunteering
with The Basement, then please contact Neil using the CONNECT contact details on the
back page.
If you are aged 11-17 and would like to come along to The Basement then you would be
made very welcome on Thursdays 7.30-10pm!
Article by Neil Harrison

Local cricket stalwart, Roy Harrison

has been awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours
List. Roys award is in recognition for his outstanding
voluntary service to cricket and there can be no more
worthy recipient.
Roy has given an exceptional service to Waringstown
and Irish Cricket. In the era of professionalism it would
be impossible to put a value on his contribution as a
player, administrator and supporter of the club he has
served in virtually every capacity. One of six brothers, he
was the mainstay of the team in the 1960s and 1970s when the Villagers were arguably the
best club side in Ireland
In later years he was honoured with the NCU Presidency and Ireland Presidency. The
Waringstown clubhouse is named the Roy Harrison Pavilion in his honour.
Im thrilled to receive this honour, said Roy. It was totally unexpected and a great surprise. It
is not only an honour for me, but for
Waringstown Cricket Club and cricket as a
whole.
As a player Roy was combative and fiercely
competitive, but in retirement he is a terrific
ambassador for the game.
They say behind every great man is a great
woman and in Muriel, Roy has the perfect wife
who shared his passion and love for
cricket.
The Harrison brothers with their father.
L-R: Garfield, Ian, Jimmy, James, Barry, Roy, Deryck.

Article by Simon Fitzpatrick

11


Craigavon
Area Food Bank
During the Christmas season of giving and good will, I had the
pleasure of visiting the Craigavon Area Food Bank in High
Street, Lurgan. With centres located in Lurgan, Drumgor,
Portadown and Tandragee, the food bank has been ran by
volunteers since November 2012- in order to ease the hidden
hunger within our community.
The food bank works upon a referral system- meaning that
people can only claim food parcels if they have been given a
voucher by a referral agency, ranging from social workers, GPs,
community groups such as Portadown Intercultural Group, SVP,
the Salvation Army and clergy. A family or individual can
access 3 to 4 vouchers within a 6 month period to help ensure
that the system is not abused as the food bank is meant to be
a stepping stone to help people get through their longer term problems.
As a faith-based organisation, the volunteers at the
food bank will talk with those who visit the food bankdescribing it as a big part of what we do. They offer
support in linking people to further help for their long
term problems- such as debt or domestic violence.
However, one of the main reasons for referral to the
food bank is because of low income. Through this
amazing service, families and individuals can afford
to heat their homes and eat sufficiently this winter.
One story, which really moved me, was that of a
Polish lady, who worked hard to provide for herself
and her family. She came to receive food and was
apparently very talkative and appreciative of the
service. The very next day, she returned to the centre with a cake she had baked for the
volunteers working there. The fact that she had so little but gave so generously moved me,
and shows how much this charity means to members of our community.
In 2014 alone, the food bank provided 3,605kg of food to the community. However, they
rely entirely on donations and voluntary support.
There are many ways in which we can give back:
primarily through food donations-such as nonperishables like tinned meat, tinned fish and UHT
milk. You can find drop off points at your nearby
Tesco (who add a 30% cash donation to anything
given) or even in the CONNECT 61 building we
have a drop-off box on top floor landing. Hunger
is a both a widespread and local problem - why
not play your part in easing it?
Article by Rebecca McNeill

12

Community News

13

A Walk
Down Memory Lane

Waringstown born-and-bred Neil Harrison, and blow-in Christina Rutherdale had

the chance to catch up with Mrs. Mary Clarke, one of Waringtowns longest
residents and have a glimpse at changing life in the village.
How long have you lived in the village?
All my life I was born in 1920! I grew up on the Bann Road at the Burn Hill. My
family are from this area: my grandfather, Arthur Hylands, lived at the Granary,
Banoge. I remember there being a girls school and a boys school, and having
three teachers.
What would you say the biggest change has been?
People are a lot wealthier now: I remember the person who made my suit,
whereas now you would just buy one. We didnt get new clothes regularly, and
those we did have, lasted many years. When I was young, Waringstown was a big
centre for hand-looming. There was a hand-loom weaving factory on past
Whaleys Lane, built by Penningtons, where I worked for a wee while, and every
home had a hand loom in their front room. It died out for a time, but Jack
McCollum started up weaving at Penningtons factory again when I was 25.
How did the war affect you?
I was quite young then, but my mother took in two evacuees from Belfast. A lot of
the men in the village went away and a lot of the
women married soldiers. My friends and I went to
Dublin one day to get new dresses at the time it
was a big deal, as clothes, along with other
everyday items, were rationed in Northern Ireland.
We went in our tattiest clothes which we discarded
in a public toilet once we got our new frocks
wearing the new clothes was the only way we
could smuggle them over the border! When the
war had finished, my husband, Tom, and I went to
Belfast to celebrate. I dont recall the exact details,
but there was a huge party in all the streets and
the atmosphere was amazing!
What kind of community events did you attend?
Waring House used to have a village fete. I
remember having to man a cake stall and Id
forgotten to bring a tablecloth to it! Waring House
L-R Marina Douglas, Mary Richardson, Lizzie
McCrory, Mary Clarke.
had beautiful gardens, which were open to the
This photo (approx. 1940), was taken in the
local public and we often went for a walk around
weaving factory now known as Weavers Lane
and Mary is wearing the smuggled dress!
them on a Sunday afternoon.

14

Community News

What do you think about the village now?

Its bigger, and there are a lot more people who have moved into Waringstown
before you could have walked down the street and you would have known
everyone. People arent in and out of each others houses as much, but they are
still friendly. I have great neighbours
and friends who are happy to help
me out when I need it
We really enjoyed our brief walk
down memory lane. Do you have
any stories about life in Waringstown
you would like to share? If so,
contact us via the details found on
t h e b a c k p a g e, o r j o i n t h e
conversation on our Facebook
page.
Article by Christina Rutherdale
Mary Clarke with her son Alan

Lorraines Flourless Valentine

Ingredients
Sponge
Butter for greasing
6 medium eggs separated
250g caster sugar
350g ground almonds
1 1/2 tsp baking powder sifted

Filling
250g mascarpone
25g icing sugar plus extra for dusting
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g raspberries

Icing
150g sieved icing sugar
2 tbsp sieved fresh orange juice
A little pink for colouring paste or liquid

To finish
Whole raspberries to decorate

THE WARINGSTOWN

VALENTINES

BAKE OFF

Method
1. Butter 2 cake tins and preheat oven to 200C/180C/
gas 6.
2. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large
bowl but don't let the mixture become too pale and
thick
3. Stiffly whisk the egg whites in a medium-size bowl
and fold into the egg and sugar mixture in three
goes, then fold in the ground almond and baking
powder.
4. Pour two thirds of the mixture into one tin and and
the remaining third into the other
5. Bake the larger cake for 30-35 mins and the
smaller for 20-25 mins or until the top feels springy to
the touch.
6. Leave to cool.
7. Blend the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla
extract in a bowl then fold in the raspberries. In
another bowl, mix the ingredients for the icing until
smooth.
8. Spread the filling onto the larger cake and place
the smaller cake on top. Then coat the top with the
icing and decorate with raspberries

15

Our last competition

had no entries
unfortunately, but we are confident that this one will
attract great interest for 2 reasons:
1. It involves cake, and everyone loves cake!
2. Its a rollover so the prize value has doubled!
Heres how to enter:
Bake a sponge cake and decorate it with a
Valentines theme of your choice. You can use
whatever sponge recipe you want, or why not
try the healthy and tasty gluten free recipe on
the previous page, provided by our very own
Lorraine Taylor.
Take a selfie with the cake and send it to us using the contact details below.
Closing date for entries is Monday 15th February 2016.
The winner will receive a 10 voucher for Eden Coffee House in Waringstown to treat
yourself to some of their baked goods! The winning selfie will appear in the next edition
of CONNECT!
[Terms and conditions can be found on our Facebook page (notes section) or a paper
copy can be requested by contacting Neil using the details below]

to he ar
We wo ul d lo ve
ck on th is
so m e fe ed ba
ase use the
Newsletter. Ple
below and
ils
ta
contact de
respond as
we will aim to
!
soon as possible

Neil Harrison
Community Pastor
Waringstown Presbyterian
T: 07745534886
E: neil@waringstownpc.org

16

Competition

Facebook Page: Waringstown

Presbyterian Church