Death and Re-Birth

This weekend twenty-four years ago, the first ‘Autumn Soul’ weekend for Youth Fellowship groups of The Methodist Church in Ireland took place in Bangor, Co. Down. Run by a group of young volunteers overseen by David Neilands and led by Julian Hamilton from the Department of Youth and Children’s Work (now IMYC), we took over … Read moreDeath and Re-Birth

The Gift of Knowledge

I’ve been working on helping the Methodist Church in Ireland get ready for the General Data Protection Regulation. Here’s an article I wrote originally for the Methodist Newsletter… +++++++++++++++++++ If you subscribe to the Methodist Newsletter, there is probably a list somewhere – perhaps a scribbled note, maybe on a digital spreadsheet – with your … Read moreThe Gift of Knowledge

A Word for Ballynahinch Methodist Church

This morning, our local church expressed their thanks for our ministry amongst them over the last five years. It’s a bit of a weird transition – I’ve been on compassionate leave since Christmas, and the lovely Ruth Craig has been the minister since July, but we still live in Ballynahinch and consider the Methodist Church … Read moreA Word for Ballynahinch Methodist Church

Myelodysplasia Thank Yous

Earlier today I posted thirty-five tweets, telling our family’s story of the last seven months and saying thanks to lots of people. But not everyone is on Twitter, so here they are for your delectation in one post, thirty-five chunks of 140 characters or less (unless I’ve changed the Twitter handle to an organisation’s real … Read moreMyelodysplasia Thank Yous

Refugees

I just signed a few petitions and sent a letter to our MP regarding the mounting crisis facing people attempting to escape war, persecution and poverty in their own countries, by travelling to Europe. What if every church in the UK and Ireland took in just one family? Here’s the letter:————————————— Dear Mr Shannon, My … Read moreRefugees

A Discipline Disaster

I had a birthday recently – not a particularly significant one but it’s been well celebrated and I’ve appreciated the warm wishes coming from friends and family that we’ve connected with over the years. I have a facebook policy where I don’t tend to post birthday greetings on other folks’ walls because I’d only miss … Read moreA Discipline Disaster