Four of our parishes will be in celebratory mood today after learning that they’ve become the first to benefit from the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe’s new Mission Fund Grant Scheme which was launched at last year’s Diocesan Synod to explore “creative ways of financing mission in the Diocese”.
Glendermott, Christ Church Derry and Termonamongan (Killeter) have each been awarded £5,000, while Kilbarron (Ballyshannon) is to receive €5,000 for projects seeking to “reach those with little or no connection to church” in their respective communities – a vision identified by the Church of Ireland’s Pioneer Ministry.
Glendermott’s award will help to fund a youth worker (already part-funded by the Benefact Trust) who’ll work with teenagers dealing with isolation and mental health issues. It’ll also support the parish’s wellbeing hub, provide Alpha courses and help Glendermott to run wellbeing courses in conjunction with Christians Against Poverty, GriefShare and Hope.
Christ Church Derry’s grant will underwrite ‘Unpacking the Passion’ – a new aspect to the Walled City Passion play performed on Londonderry’s iconic city walls over the past number of Easters. The new element is a response to an increasing demand from local schools to provide direct engagement with the school community at primary and secondary level. The funding will help deliver interactive sessions with five schools in the run up to Easter, and ensure pupils can attend promenade performances of the drama.
The Parish of Kilbarron’s award will support community outreach at the newly-refurbished St Anne’s Hall in Ballyshannon. The grant will help pay for computer equipment and broadband internet to extend the range and volume of courses and events to upskill those looking for work or to re-enter education. It’ll also be used to tackle isolation among older members of the community who’ve no IT skills or access to the internet, and to assist the integration of the burgeoning refugee community by facilitating English language classes.
The Parish of Termonamongan’s grant will go towards a community café and catering facility at the newly refurbished St Bestius Church. It’ll be used to engage with people who don’t currently belong to the Church and to address rural isolation. The café will also be used as a relaxed and informal venue for engaging with visitors to the Church who aren’t regular parishioners, especially local school groups visisting St Bestius’ as part of their history, art, religion and music studies.
The Diocesan Mission Fund was launched at last October’s Diocesan Synod to encourage parishes to consider ways of realising the Church of Ireland Pioneer Ministry’s vision to “reach those with little or no connection to church”. It placed a particular emphasis on people rather than buildings; new projects rather than recurrent expenditure; mission and outreach rather than maintenance; and projects and programmes rather than structures. The grants were announced by the Diocese’s Finance and General Purposes Committee.