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This Friday, 18-04-97 at 12.30pm in Ballysillan Presbyterian Church sited at 773 Crumlin Road, Belfast, a unique partnership in youth work involving a congregation of the Presbyterian Church and the government will be launched.
Ballysillan Presbyterian Church and Making Belfast Work are the joint partners in a £200,000 project to develop excellence in youth work which,through a package of activities, will create a programme aimed at building helpful relationships with young people in the area.
'As a congregation our goal is to make a proper and useful contribution to the local community,'explained Ballysillan's minister, Rev Norman Hamilton. ''About three years ago we reviewed the ministry of our congregation and identified our strengths and weaknesses to assist us in planning for the future. Our strength was clearly our work with young people and particularly the quality of committed youth leadership we had in the congregation. However the weakness was the quality and unsuitability of our facilities and accommodation for developing this work.'
Plans were devised and the Ballysillan congregation committed £80,000 to renovating the property. Alongside this, MBW saw the potential of the proposals and, following a full economic appraisal by the DOE, added a further £130,000.
Throughout a typical week a variety of the usual youth activities is organised. These are combined with innovative more structured activities like the programme which was run last Christmas to highlight enterprise and business development. The young people set up a 'shadow' trading company making candles, cakes and Christmas decorations which were sold alongside products made in the third world.
Mr Hamilton praised MBW for getting involved in the project. 'It is only right and proper to commend Making Belfast Work, the North Belfast team Leader Ms Roisin McDonough, and their staff for recognising the work that can be done for the welfare of the whole community by the church in a partnership programme like this. I hope this project will be a model of what can be done when a local congregation which sees its future clearly, and is both willing and able to put its own money; its own effort; its own skills into a partnership with others - for the long term benefit of everybody.'
The opening ceremony will performed by Mr Cecil Walker and will be attended by representatives of government agencies, the local community and the church.
Ballysillan Youth are creating a web page at http://www.geocities.com/heartland/hills/6991
Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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