BALLINDERRY Presbyterian Church
Ballinderry Presbyterian Church
We are located just off the main Airport Road between Nutts Corner and Moira. We are a homely congregation of approximately 90 families set in the heart of the community which it serves. The purpose of Ballinderry Presbyterian is our worship of the Triune God; therefore one of the central parts of the church’s week is our meeting together for worship each Sunday morning.
We acknowledge that the Christian life is more than just a Sunday morning service and during the week we have other opportunities to meet for Bible study, fellowship, bowls and other activities.
Kirk Session
There were four Kirk Session meetings in 2023.
The main reason for these meetings was to discuss how to implement the recommendations made in the consultation report.
Committee
The church committee meets to discuss issues involving the smooth running of the church. It is made up of the Elders and elected members of the church. The committee normally meets twice a year, but a meeting can be called at any time should the need arise.
At the Feb 2023 meeting the treasurer gave an overview of the church finances for 2022. The accounts were discussed in detail by the committee and as the accounts have been audited by our auditor, the committee approved the accounts.
Most other business conducted by the committee is in relation to the fabric of the church, church hall, manse and graveyard property.
Sunday School
Sunday School met every week during the year from 10:25am – 11:05am in the church hall and catered for children and young people within the church family from aged preschool18. There were 48 children registered last year, with the majority of members attending regularly. Our aim is to help the children find a faith that is real for them through the teaching of the Bible. Using our own teaching plan and prepared lesson resources, we delivered a year of ministry focussed on two main goals of helping the children develop an understanding of scripture in a way that they will remember and recall throughout life, and skills of discipleship to share God’s word with their peers.
This year we focussed on increasing the social activity offering outside of Sunday mornings. We held a number of gatherings in our halls, as well as organised outings for kids, and for families to farms, swimming pools and restaurants.
The nativity play in December was very exciting, and we were so encouraged by the enthusiasm of our teenagers in particular who showed no hesitation of wearing a costume and acting on stage, to set a great example to our younger children. After the service, the children received all the praise they gratefully anticipate from the congregation each year.
During services, our ministers have made a fantastic effort to coordinate family services in October and November to encourage the children in church family life.
Also, our previously slightly unanimated congregation were in full support of encouraging the children in utilising praise and worship in their faith. Members of all ages engaged fully with actions to children’s praise songs that were played during services and younger children’s faces lit up with joy, seeing everyone enjoy the songs they love so much.
We also organised a gift service for the work of Belfast Central Mission. Children all brought gifts to be distributed to the local children in need; they also encouraged the congregation to participate by bringing in gifts as guided by the needs of the charity.
Our now annual residential was fantastic fun, held again at Greenhill YMCA in Newcastle. We enjoyed a weekend of fantastic outdoor activities, meals together and some reflection time as a group in the mornings and evening. This really helped our children and young people engage with each other, further encouraging the concept of a church family.
2023 was a truly successful year, not just for our ministry to children, but for our growing number of leaders within the organisation. We have seen an encouraging number of young people express a desire to help as young leaders, some even completed PCI training to enhance their skillset in this area. Other leaders completed PCI training on challenging topics such as LGBTQI+ and how the Church is reacting to this community, so that they can guide the ministry message accordingly.
Lastly, the leaders from our youngest group ‘Juniors’ have been so proactive in establishing schedules and helpers for the demanding cohort of energetic children. They have taken great care to thoughtfully create interesting and dynamic lessons, entirely encompassing the needs of children and parents. This foundation stage of our children’s ministry is a vital part of establishing young childrens’ understanding their faith, affirming the earliest knowledge of scripture, and praise through play, craft, story-telling and videos.
Choir
Ballinderry Pres. Church Choir is made up of various talented soprano, alto, tenor and bass singers who lead praise in church every Sunday morning and at poignant services throughout the year. Led by George on the organ, a very popular choir leader, they aim to embrace traditional and modern praise to encourage the entire congregation to sing out. Not every choir member reads music, so if you’re keen to join us, don’t let that stop you. We’re a committed bunch that enjoy a laugh at rehearsals and thrive on serving through praise.
Bowling Club
The bowling club meets every Tuesday evening during the winter months in the Church Hall from 7.30-10.00 pm. It is open to any member of the church and also to local people who wish to join. We currently have about 20 members from all age groups and we enjoy evenings of fun and fellowship as we play bowls. There is also time for a cup of tea and a chat during the evening. The club is part of a local league and we play matches against other clubs in the area.
Tots Group
We meet every Wednesday morning at 9.15 to 11.15am. All parents, grandparents and guardians are welcome. It is for ages from birth to 4 years old.
The leaders set up the toys, craft and story area.
All the children are encouraged to play with a wide range of toys and showing how to share.
At 10.15am the children sit at the table and wash their hands and say grace. The children get pancakes, grapes, cheese and water. There is also refreshments for the adults.
Then we normally finish up the session with more playing and singing.
We plan to have visitors at special times this year.
Mid-Week Group
Ballinderry Presbyterian Church Mid-week Prayer and Study Group meet on Wednesday evenings, on a fortnightly basis, from 8 to 9pm from September through to May. The group is open to anyone affiliated with Ballinderry PC who wishes to attend and is led, each evening, by a nominated leader. Whilst the study material can vary, the format of each meeting is the same.
A time of study and discussion is followed by a short time of prayer concentrating on subjects such as the persecuted church and local issues pertinent to the congregation. The primary aim of the group is to enable attendees to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ so that they are better able to meet the demands of living for Christ in an increasingly secular culture. A secondary aim is for the members to grow in fellowship with each other. The group is attended by on average by ten people.
Youth Club
Youth club meets on a Friday night from 6:30pm to 8:00pm every other week from September until Easter. It is for children from P1 to P 7, split into key stage 1 and key stage 2. There are 10 leaders and 3 teenager helpers. We aim to provide a fun program which finishes each evening with a 10 minute talk about the Christian faith. We try to build relationships with the children through the games so that there is a comfortable environment where we can answer any questions that they may have about the Christian faith. There are between 35 to 40 children who attend each evening and the majority of them are not members of our Church but children from the local community.
C.H.I.L.L. (Christ’s Help In Living Life)
Chill meets on a Sunday Morning from 10:15-11:00 during school term time. It is for children of secondary school age with 7 leaders who take turns to teach in blocks of 2-6 weeks. In addition to Sunday mornings, we also arrange 3-4 outings per year. The aim of the group is to build the Christian faith of the teenagers of the congregation, while developing the personal relationships between each other.
This is achieved in a safe, comfortable and enjoyable environment and that children look forward to attending. There are up to 20 children attending at some point throughout the year, with an average of 7 coming each week. Almost all the children are members of our church, but friends and extended family are occasionally welcomed as guests. Outings are arranged to ice hockey, bowling, caving, etc., depending on the wishes of the group.
P.W. (Presbyterian Woman)
PW is a women’s fellowship for all ladies in the congregation over the age of 18 years. It is held on the 2[nd] Wednesday evening of the month (Sept-April) at 8pm in the Church Hall.
Meetings last for about 1 hour followed by a cuppa and chat! The programme is varied and includes a mixture of activities for example craft activities to mission nights. The local programme is co-ordinated by a committee of 7 ladies. The organisation is under the banner of the wider Presbyterian Women’s organisation and there is opportunity to attend a number of link meetings throughout the year and meet with ladies from other congregations. There are approximately 25 members.