westwords - spring 2011:westwords - west church … · friday afternoon. at this we give out a...

MinisterRev Daniel J Kane(028) 2565 3111

DeaconessMrs Phyllis Linton(028) 2588 1848

Youth PastorMr Colin Morris07841 669472

Assistant MinisterMr Rodney Moody(028) 2563 8383

Pastoral AssistantRev Elwyn Jones(028) 2586 2603

WestWords email:[email protected]

WestWordsSPRING 2011

Celebrating and Serving Jesus Together

Westwords - Spring 2011:westwords 22/3/11 19:12

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6 Old Galgorm ManorBallymenaBT42 1RY

Dear Friends,

The big freeze that brought most of Britain to a stand-still over Christmasis now, hopefully, a distant memor y and Spr ing means the prospect thatsome war mer w eather is on the wa y. I am al ways mindful that man ypeople we come into contact with are in the depths of a spir itual, oremotional, or relational winter. Our task as a Church fellowship, and as fullycommitted followers of Jesus is to tak e the warmth of Jesus Chr ist’s loveto them and into our communities and star t the thawing process. What achallenge!

Sharing the love of Chr ist with our neighbour s in practical ways is at theroot of our “Food Hamper” ministry. At Christmas time, when many of theroads were almost impassable due to the snow, we delivered almost fiftyfood hamper s to families who reall y appreciated our pr actical concer n.We were directed to some of these families through the w ork of theHope Centre , whilst the names of other recipients came through ourcontacts with the Ball ymena Inter -Ethnic For um and from our o wnmembers. We continue this practical ministry on a monthly basis when wedeliver a f ood hamper to nine families. I encour age y ou to br ingappropriate f ood items to be placed in the trolleys positioned in theChurch vestibule so as w e can contin ue this ministr y. In addition to this“Food Hamper” ministr y, a small group ha ve been meeting at Fr idaylunchtime to pr ay and visit our immediate neighbourhood on a door -to-door basis. This is yet another way in which we can spread the warmth ofJesus’ lo ve among those from a wide and var ied assor tment ofbackgrounds who quite liter ally liv e within the shado w of our Churchspire. More recentl y Ivy Ridge , from the Ball ymena Inter-Ethnic For um,spoke at a combined meeting of Midweek, Home Bible Study Groups andCenturions. In her o wn delightful wa y she challenged us to get to kno wthe Ballymena which is by and large unknown to so many of us, and oftenhidden from public view. One distinct possibility ar ising out of this is thatwe open a fr iendship group in West Church. Given our centre of to wnlocation we are ideall y situated to pro vide such a facility . The plan is toinvite everyone from our neighbourhood to come for a cup of tea/coffeeand to pro vide a place where they can meet each other sociall y. Thismodel is working very successfully in Belfast and Londonder ry.

Easter is a time of hope , and hope is a precious commodity! It lifts ourspirits, helps us through challenging times and f ills ev ery moment withpotential and anticipation. For us as Chr istians, for whom the death andresurrection of Jesus are the foundation of our faith, our hope is perfectlyguaranteed in the victor y of the cross. Jesus’ death was an act of lo ve,grace and mercy that promises a fresh star t for all who believ e, and theassured hope of heaven

May God bless you all with His peace this Easter.

Your minister and fr iend,Daniel Kane

A MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER

FRONT COVERPHOTOGRAPHS

1. Five-a-side Footballers

2. Model Exhibition at PWFashion Show

3. Daniel’s 50th Bir thday

4. Chef Charlie Lynn at work

5. Scouts Founders’ Day service

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2 3

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The Evangelism ministr y team ha ve been v ery activ e these pastmonths, firstly with a Chr istmas initiative.

Two teams went out around the local area doing door to door w orkat around 800 homes. We covered the Waveney area, the CullybackeyRoad, the Princes Street area, Ballymoney Road, Albert Place, MeadowStreet area and the next da y most of P arkmount. Door s w ereknocked, and people were given a Christmas card with an invitation tothe Chr istmas ser vices in West. They were also given a Candy Cane ,with a card explaining the gospel using the candy cane. We also soughtto make people aware that we were willing to pr ay for them. Abouttwenty people w ent out and although the night was v ery cold as itstarted to snow, we had a good time, finishing with chips and prayer inthe Lounge afterwards.

Since then a small team has continued to do door to door work eachFriday afternoon. At this we give out a leaflet sho wing some of whatwe do in West and we also off er prayer. Through this we are getting to kno w individuals in our local area m uchbetter, what their needs are and therefore how we in West can help them. So far we have had a very encouragingresponse, with several people asking for prayer.

Please pray for us as we go out on Fridays between 12.00 and 2.00. If you would like to know more, or would liketo help us on a Fr iday please talk to Rodney. We also intend to get a lar ge team out on Tuesday the 12th April toinvite people to our Easter progr amme. We need your help! Details will be in the church b ulletin.

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THE EVANGELISM TEAM

“Therefore, my dear brother s, stand f irm. Let nothing mo ve you. Always give yourself to the w ork of the Lord,because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain. ” 1 Cor 15:58

For some time, the Lord had placed it on Daniels’ heart to start a “men’s group” in WestChurch. Centurions is this vision.

The reason f or the name ‘Centurions’ comes from Luk e chapter 7. Jesus isamazed by the Centurion and says to the crowd ‘I tell you, I have not found suchgreat faith even in Israel.’ This is what we aspire to.

Centurions meet fortnightly at 7.30pm on Thursday evening in the lounge . It is anopportunity for men in the congregation to come together (o ver tea/coffee!) forfellowship, worship, pr ayer and bib le study in a v ery relaxed atmosphere . There isalways good banter!

Since September, we have been working our way through the “Just 10” ser ies on theTen Commandments, sharing thoughts, ideas and opinions on the topics r aised.

We have all been truly blessed by Centurions. Relationships with each other have grown, and most importantly ourrelationships with God have deepened. We have been encouraged by those men who have joined us throughoutthe year, and new member s are always welcome.

CENTURIONS

Door to Door Ministr y

by Chris Bloomer

by Chris Bloomer


The men’ s cur ry night, or ganised b y the Centur ions as an outreachevent, was held at Montgomerys on Thursday 17th February and provedto be ‘great cr aic’. Apart from lots and lots of cur ry, there was greatmusic provided by Sam Murray, a little table quiz to get our grey matterfired up , and of cour se Mitch from Cro wn Jesus Ministr ies ga ve aninteresting talk and promoted his new book ‘Snatched from the Fire’.

With over 50 men from West in attendance, it was a great night. Mitchwas very down to earth speaking about his love of darts and BMX bikes

as he proclaimed the gospel,challenging each per son torespond to Chr ist. WesleyEllis from Compassion UKwas also at the event giving us the oppor tunity to sponsor a child.

We must pass on our sincere thanks to Charlie, Stephen and Scott whodid most of the organising of the event, and to the staff at Montgomerysfor looking after us so well.

Mitch’s book ‘Snatched from the Fire’ can be purchased from all goodbookstores, so why not treat yourself?

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SOME LIKE IT HOT! - THE MEN’S CURRY NIGHT

Men United is a w eekly meeting of men in the Coff ee Lounge each Wednesdaymorning from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and is very much part of the Men's Ministrywithin West Church. The aim is to meet f or tea/coffee, chat and enjoy fellowship.It is not restr icted to West Church members but is open to all.

The year ended with a Chr istmas lunch held on 15 December in the Minor Hallwhen over 40 members and guests attended. Members enjoyed an excellent mealserved by ladies from a Home Group within West Church and were entertainedby a quintet of flautists from the Young Conquerors Flute Band. Prior to the luncha most humorous monologue was given by Eileen Mol (aided by her husband Jim)and after the meal Eileen ga ve a challenging message on the real meaning ofChristmas.

The lunch raised over £400 which was dispersed to the following Charities: MacMillan Cancer Support, NorthernIreland Children's Hospice, Sands ( Stillbir th and Neonatal Death Char ity ), and Riding for the Disabled.

New members are always given a warm welcome so why don’t you come along?

By Rodney Moody

“Please Sir, can I have some more?”

Guests at the Cur ry Night

MEN UNITED - CHRISTMAS LUNCH

Eileen Mol (Mrs. Mop) and Santa

FUN, FELLOWSHIP & EXERCISE!Every Tuesday Night - 9.00pm - 10.00pmWellington ChurchText/Call Mark McKane if interested - 07785 388606

by Tom McLaughlin


The Help grocer ies ministr y star ted over a year and a half ago whenthe idea of making up Chr istmas hamper s was mentioned to MenUnited (The men who meet in the lounge each Wednesday morningfor a coffee and a chat!).

Alex McKee , the Men United leader , occasionall y or ganises visitingspeakers, and he and Ian Cr aig asked Mark Hamill to come along totell us about his w ork with families in the Nor th end of the to wn. Asa result of his inspiring talk which highlighted some of the needs of thelocal families, Men United star ted to collect grocer ies for about 8-10weeks leading up to Chr istmas, and w ere amazed at the quantity offood they gathered in that space of time. The hampers were made upand distributed in time for Christmas 2009.

The realisation of ho w powerful this w ork could become star ted todawn, and if the whole congregation came on board, those in needcould be helped no w and again. So it was announced one Sunda ymorning and a big cardboard box was placed in the church vestibule...the rest is histor y and ev ery third Sunda y in the month, generouspeople of our church bring in groceries and load them into our Helptrolleys.

What is the vision for this ministry? After Chr istmas 2010 whenalmost 50 hamper s w ere deliv ered to needy families, w e came tounderstand that there was an ongoing ministr y to ‘Help’ people incrisis. This was also an oppor tunity to star t building relationships withthese needy families b y sho wing the lo ve of Jesus through ourgenerosity - A simple act of kindness!

Our hope f or this ministr y is that as the n umber of church helper sincrease, it will enab le us to ha ve the same per son deliv ering thehamper each month, thus allowing us to build up a strong relationshipwith each of the families. In Jan uary w e made up and deliv ered 9hampers, in February the response was ter rific and we easily filled 13hampers....what next!.

Who are we helping? There are issues of conf identiality as thesefamilies are proud and sometimes char ity is not al ways w elcome.However, we can give you an idea when the label on the hamper says‘single mum and 3 kids, or single mum and 5 kids or single lady.

There is the issue of dependency if too much help is offered, so we usually deliver a hamper monthly. The issue ofsubstitution also has ar isen - if w e deliver essentials too often, then an y spare f ood money can be used to fueladdiction... an area f or specialists to deal with and not f or the church to meddle in. Should a mar riage break up ,then sometimes a m um is suddenl y left to cope alone and it does tak e time to estab lish suppor t from SocialServices, so we help in the inter im period.

Do you know someone in need? The names of families who receive hampers come from various sources and areabsolutely confidential – first names only! And YES you have been helpful in this area and the number of recipientshave increased. We welcome names of possible recipients... if you know of a family in need, speak in confidence toPhyllis.

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WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR HELP GROCERIES?

Karen, Phyllis and Alan with Help grocer ies

The Scouts presented the Church with a contr ibutiontowards the Help Ministr y. This was received by Tom

Bloomer on behalf of the congre gation and will be used f or‘Special Help’ for the families we support each month.

by Tom Bloomer


I asked Kara to tell us a little about her new CD , how she came to choose hersongs and the process of recording it.

The CD is called P ebble in the Pond and was inspired b y the life of my cousin,David Hamill, who died in March 2007. I had often thought of making a CD asI love to sing, but never had a motive.

When a stone is dropped into a pond it quickl y disappear s from sight, but itsimpact leaves behind a ser ies of r ipples that broaden across the water . In thesame way, David’s life, one lived for Christ, left behind an influence for good thatreached the lives of so many.

I star ted in 2008 discussing songs, musicians and ideas for the project, and enlisted the help of Jonathan Rea, whoI know through the New Ir ish Choir. I made a list of my favourite songs; one’s that I often sang in church and oneswhich were relevant to David’s life and faith. After consideration I chose a mixture of traditional and contemporarysongs which I thought were appropriate for a range of musical tastes. Jonathan agreed to do the ar rangements ofthe songs I had chosen and so discussed the style and interpretation I wanted for each hymn. He put me in contactwith Sam Johnston who is a sound engineer from Bangor , and he agreed to record the tr acks for me.

I then had to choose m usicians who would play the ar rangements, all of whom knew Da vid or were affected byhis story, and after a few practices we individually recorded each musician and put the tracks together as we wentalong. When all the backing tracks were done I recorded my vocals and Sam then mixed and edited the final audiotracks.

During all this I had to organise a graphic designer to draw up designs of the front and back cover and informationbooklet. When both audio and visual w ere complete I sent master copies off to England to be duplicated andpatiently waited for the delivery of the finished product.

Pebble in the Pond was launched in Montgomerys on Saturday 27th November 2010, despite the snow. The CDsare £10 and the proceeds are going to Cardiac Intensive Care Research in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. Theyare available in the church libr ary, Montgomerys Restaurant, the Mustard Seed Café and Bookshop in Cull ybackeyand Lynburn Bridal on Mill Street.

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PEBBLES IN THE PONDby Kara Burnett


Our Youth Fellowship, together with thousands of local y oung people ha ve given the Bib le ‘a new v oice’ with aninnovative audio recording. Over the past n umber of y ears, we have taken several groups to Summer Madness,Ireland’s largest Christian festival and this year they have been behind the ‘Big Bible Boo’ which has sought to markthe 400th anniversary of the King James version of the Bible. John Kee who has spearheaded the campaign said thatthe aim of the project is “to highlight that the Bib le is as relevant to young people today as it was 400 years ago”.We here in West Church whole hear tedly believe this to be tr ue!

So folk in our Youth Fellowship signed up and added their Ball ymena (and American) accents to the mix alongsideschools and youth groups from Cork, Sligo, Coleraine and Clougher to name a few. Such is the support that out ofthe 1189 chapters in the Bible we will only be able to record 12 of them. This will be the book of Daniel which wewill also be studying over the coming weeks.

In the Autumn this audio v ersion of the Bib le will be made a vailable online in conjunction with the ‘Essential 100Reading Plan’ backed by Scripture Union, Youth For Christ but don’t wait until then... pick up yer Bible and get stuck in!

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YF HELPS GIVE THE BIBLE A NEW VOICE!

There ha ve been changes made to our Sunda y mor ning y outhprogram. For the past n umber of y ears y oung people ha ve beengathering w eary ey ed in the Lounge at 10am in anticipation of ahealthy, or should I sa y not so healthy breakfast. The order of the da ywas usuall y chocolate spread with toast and I m ust emphasise it isusually in that order! Over the years Breakfast with God has provideda space for young people to come and ha ve breakfast before churchbut more importantly spend time with others looking at God’s Word.In recent years we have gone through the CY course (a youth editionof Chr istianity Explored) and ha ve studied individual books andthemes in the Bib le. However time was called on Breakfast with Godas it was f elt that a meeting point dur ing the mor ning ser vice was amore pr actical approach as this is when the rest of church famil ymeets for worship and Wild West. To mark the transition we had a bigfry up on Sunday 27th February which I’m sure you all could smell!

This has pa ved the wa y for Switch, which cur rently r uns fortnightly.Young people (Years 8-12) simply leave church following the children’saddress and make their way to the Lounge. Switch had previously metonce a month b ut the success of the progr amme was clear ly visiblewith up to 25 young people attending on some Sundays and has beena key meeting point f or individuals. Switch has also been valuab le inencouraging young people in engaging with other aspects of our YouthMinistry progr amme such as Fr antic and Youth Fello wship. At themoment we are working our way through a ser ies ‘If I could ask Godone question...’ If you are of this age bracket please come along and ifnot please encour age y our brother , sister , gr andchild, mates andchildren to attend. Switch provides a varied programme with videos, music, discussion and dialogue as we open upthe Word of God and see how relevant it is to our liv es. We hope to see you there!

Can I also say a BIG THANK YOU to those who have been committed to BWG over the years - Tommy Nelson,Kathy Burnett, Charlie Lynn, Ruth Bloomer and Char lotte Kane. Please also remember Switch in y our prayers.Switch Sundays are: 13th and 27th March, 10th and 17th April, 8th and 22nd May, 5th June.

A ‘SWITCH’ FROM BREAKFAST WITH GOD

The Switch team in rehear sal

Breakfast with God on its last mor ning

by Colin Morris

by Colin Morris


Being a Wild West leader

Scott, would you tell me a little about how you got involved in Wild West?

I volunteered to help out in our Senior Sunday school five years ago, after an appeal for some new leaders/helpers. In those days West Church Sunday school still met bef ore church and I was already dropping Joshua off at JuniorSunday school so thought I would take the oppor tunity to get involved.At that time, most, if not all of the dedicated Sunda y school teachers were female. I thought it was impor tant thatour children and in par ticular our w ee boys, see that men could and should also be in volved in church and beconfident and comfortable in their faith.

That same y ear Sunda y school underw ent a facelift and was tr ansformed into “Wild West” (thanks to Stuar tGilmore for the name) which meets during the church service. I was enlisted as one of the leaders for the Xstreamgroup which meets in the Cr aig Hall and cater s for children from P4 to P7. Karen Black and I alter nate monthabout dur ing term time as leader s and are suppor ted by a great b unch of other leader s and helper s, both maleand female and of all ages.

What happens at Wild West?

On a typical Sunday we a meet in the Cr aig Hall str aight after the children’s talk in church and then ha ve a shor ttime of praise, singing one or two of the children’s favourite songs. In the remainder of our time we follow materialfrom the Light ser ies which is supplied b y Scripture Union. Each session explores a diff erent Bible passage and isdesigned to help the children discover more about God and respond to Him.

We star t with a “Switch on” activity which is usually something interactive and fun like a game or quiz which helpsto introduce the main theme of the session. We then generally split into smaller groups where we look at the Biblestory more closel y in a var iety of ways including quizz es, role pla ys or cr aft. Finall y we see what lessons w e canlearn from the Bible story and how we can apply them to our lives in practical ways. We then close in pr ayer.

What has being a leader meant to you personally?

Getting involved in Wild West has been a very rewarding experience for me. It is a pr ivilege and big responsibilityto be entr usted with helping our children disco ver more about God. It has also been a great wa y of getting toknow other people in church including the children, their parents and the other helper s.

Why not come and give it a try, you will be blessed.

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INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT WHARRYby Colin Morris

CRAFTY PERSON NEEDED FOR WILD WEST!We need to recruit an additional person to work with our

Splash (P1 - P3) group from September 2011.If you enjoy and are good at craft work, and could lead a team in this Ministr y for 3Sunday mornings in the year, please speak to Jennifer McLernon as soon as possible.

There would be support in developing ideas and preparing material for Har vest,Christmas and Easter.


PW has had a b usy schedule since meetings resumed lastSeptember. The session kick ed off with Besiana Nelson asour speaker, telling us about her preparations for service inKosova.

We then had Callum Webster from the Chr istian Instituteinform us how our voice can make a diff erence in var iousmoral ethics and la ws in toda y’s secular society . Our‘homegrown’ speakers - namely Sam Murray, Daniel Kane ,Alison Ramsey and three West war riors (Suzanne Bo yd,Peter Crutchley and Gordon Brown) - shared with us howthe Lord is mo ving in their liv es toda y “stirring them toaction”.

In November we tried our hand at a new venture when wehosted a Fashion Sho w as our ann ual fundr aiser. Theevening was enjo yed b y all who attended, and w e w eredelighted at its success as the f inal total rose to animpressive £1510.

Joli’s of Ballyclare provided fine examples of ladies and gentsfashion. Shoes w ere from Bonita, also of Ball yclare, and allthe girls agreed they were fabulous. In fact, quite a few pairsmade their way back to Ballymena!

French Connection, Sandwich and Skunk Funk w ere someof the designer br ands modelled by the ladies while Duckand Cover, Wrangler and Lambretta were shown off by themen. There w ere 38 models in total, r anging fromteenagers to grandparents - all willing amateur s who freelygave their time to help us out. Never has so m uch talentbeen present in the Cr aig Hall at one time!

Our compere f or the ev ening was Bob Esler and hisprofessionalism coupled with his wit and banter made theshow go with a bang. A sincere thank you goes to all thosewho par ticipated in an y way- be it modelling or pro vidingsupper -as well as to all who attended.

So you see , if y ou miss PW y ou don’t kno w what y ou’remissing!

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PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN NEWS

Steven Montgomery

Laura Craig on the catwalk

Mr Cool - Stephen Bur nside

by Laura McKane


Samaritans - Talk To SomeoneYou can talk to Samar itans at an y time of the da y ornight.

What does Samaritans do?Samaritans volunteers listen in confidence to anyone inany type of emotional distress, without judging or tellingpeople what to do.

Samaritans don’t off er advice , b ut b y encour agingpeople who contact us to talk about their f eelings weare able to help them explore all the options they have.Samaritans believes that giv en the time and space towork prob lems or diff iculties through in conf idence,people can f ind an inner strength and per spectivewhich lets them find their own way forward.

What happens when I contact Samaritans?A tr ained Samar itans v olunteer will answ er and giv eyou the chance to talk about what’ s happening in yourlife and how that is affecting you. Samaritans volunteersare tr ained in man y of the same techniques asprofessional counsellor s, but they w on’t judge y ou ortell you what to do.

By listening and asking questions, the volunteer will helpyou explore y our f eelings and w ork out the wa yforward. The volunteer will often ask if y ou are f eelingsuicidal. This doesn’t mean that you must be suicidal tocontact us but we always ask because it can be a hugerelief for someone to admit ho w bad they are reall yfeeling.

You can talk to Samaritans for as long as you want andyou needn’t tell us y our name or an y per sonal detailsat all if you don’t want to.

Common reasons to call Samar itans are:• Relationship and family problems • Loss, including loss of a job , a fr iend or a famil y

member through bereavement • Financial worries • Job-related stress or overwork • College or study related stress • Body image issues

"I really liked the way the woman dealt with m yproblems. She w as very calm and did not judge .She seemed to under stand and appear ed

generally inter ested and sympathetic with m ystate.”

Samaritans caller

Volunteers offer support by responding to phone calls,emails and letter s. Alternatively, you can often drop into a branch to have a face to face meeting.

"There's v ery fe w places you can go to in theworld wher e you can pick up a telephone andanother human being, no matter wh y the y'redoing it, will listen to you unconditionally . If youwant to pour out in a phonecall, they will listenfor hours, for as long as you need them to."

Samaritans caller

Volunteering with SamaritansVolunteering can change someone’ s lif e. Your o wn.What does it tak e to v olunteer with Samar itans?Qualifications are not a requirement – lif e exper ienceand the ability to listen without judging are moreimportant. Your commitment w ould be just a f ewhours a week. You need to be over 18, but there is noupper age limit. Comprehensiv e tr aining is pro videdand ongoing support and mentoring is always available.Do y ou think y ou could consider becoming avolunteer?

If you think that you are able to offer a commitment asa Samaritans volunteer, or if you would like to help withfundraising, Ballymena Branch would love to hear fromyou – please contact the br anch on 028 2565 0000(Monday to Thursday between 4.00 and 10.00pm oranytime Saturday and Sunday) for more information.

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THE SAMARITANSContinuing our awareness of local community groups, I asked Melanie from the Samaritans in Ballymena to tell us abouttheir work.


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CHILDREN’S PAGE


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CHURCH RECORDS

BAPTISMS“T hey brought children to Jesus, He took them up in H is arms and blessed them”.

12.12.2010 Ben William McMaster 27 Shane Manor, Broughshane

12.12.2010 Adam Nelson McMaster 27 Shane Manor, Broughshane

12.12.2010 Luke David Graham 10 Riverside Broughshane

WEDDINGS

7.10.2010 Aaron McFetridge & 33b Lenagh Road Randalstown, Antrim and Gemma Hughes 12 Brooke Park, Ballymena

DEATHS“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord”

19.11.2010 Mrs Mary Elizabeth (May) CroweMoorland Close, formerly 33 Clonavon Terrace

7.12.2010 Mr William (Will) Arthur144 Doury Road, Ballyloughan

22.12.2010 Mr Kenneth (Ken) Parker65 Albert Place

28.12.2010 Mrs Eileen Wilson22 Millbrae Fold, Broughshane

6.1.2011 Mr Raymond McKayAntrim Care Home, formerly 217 Ballymoney Road

21.2.2011 Mr Jack BurnettGlenravel Fold, formerly Shandon Park

23.2.2011 Mrs Maureen Alexander41 Leighinmohr Avenue


westwords - spring 2011:westwords - west church … · friday afternoon. at this we give out a...

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