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Trinity Methodist Church,
Knockmore Road,
Lisburn,
Co. Antrim,
BT28 2EA
N. Ireland
Minister:
Clive Webster Tel 028 92621282
Lay Pastoral Assistant:
Angela Sofley Tel 077 9537 0848
Margaret & Alan McIlhenny's trip to South Africa
Margaret and Alan will be travelling in South Africa over the next 7 weeks - their itinerary and some prayer requests are posted below - please remember them in your prayers!
AUGUST 2nd Depart for South Africa 3rd - 6th Johannesburg Curriculum Development 7th - 9th Duiwelskloof Staff Training 13th Swaziland Meeting with Minister of Education 14th - 21st Cape Town Staff training and planning meetings 22nd Midrand Planning meeting 23rd - 25th Pietersburg Staff and volunteer training 27th - 31st Johannesburg Office & government meetings SEPTEMBER 3rd - 6th Makhado Staff and volunteer training 10th - 11th Pietermaritzburg Volunteer training 12th - 15th East London Staff training 17th - 18th Johannesburg Curriculum development 19th Pietersburg Staff and Volunteer training 20th Overnight flight home
Prayer Points
- Six open School Centres have been set up, each with a Manager responsible for volunteers from Churches and Christian Schools, who teach the street children and orphans in their communities. Please pray for the further intensive training that Alan will give to these managers and volunteers in using the various specially produced educational materials.
- Vivian Subramoney is Alan’s very capable and gifted counterpart in the ACSI Johannesburg office. His work load has increased so much, it is now necessary to appoint an assistant. Please pray for God’s choice of the right person.
- There are many children living in sub-human conditions. Please pray for the “Open School on the Dump”, which is reaching out to children who survive by scavenging on the rubbish tip in East London
- Through a miraculous meeting (ask Alan about this!) God has opened up the way to begin work in Swaziland. Please pray for the meetings in August/September with the Minister of education there.
- Please pray that Alan and Margaret will have safe travel, good health, and be open to God’s leading.
- Please pray especially that the children will see God’s love and compassion through the staff and volunteers teaching them, and that many will give their lives to Him.
Methodist Missionary Society (Ireland)
Dr Alan McIlhenny, a member of Trinity, is partially supported by the Methodist Missionary Society (Ireland) to work with the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) as International Director for Children at Risk Ministries. Margaret, a librarian, is very involved in Trinity as a Sunday School teacher, Mission Secretary and teaching "English Plus" classes. Alan works from home in Lisburn to develop strategies and prepare teaching materials to help educate children at risk such as the AIDS orphans in this picture. These children are among the 1.6 million children in South Africa unable to attend school because of poverty, the need to work, or to care for younger orphaned siblings or dying parents. South Africa is not alone; as the AIDS pandemic tightens its grip, the future for a growing number of children across the world is bleak.
Alan travels regularly to South Africa to train volunteers at the seven resource and training centres, ASCI has established at key Christian schools and churches. At these centres, Alan and his team train volunteers to take a "school-in-a-bag" on a regular basis to small groups of children who are prevented by their circumstances from attending school. The volunteers are Christian teachers, church members and senior students from Christian schools.
The "school-in-a-bag" contains a specially written literacy and mathematics course called "Count Me In", character development, life skills and health education materials, a Bible-based counselling programme and all the necessary stationery and teaching resources. The course is called "Count Me In" to reflect that God loves these children that society has rejected, abused and neglected. He wants them to belong to him, and invites them to ask to be counted in to his kingdom. Each Open School is owned and managed by a local church or Christian school, attendance is free and classes operate at times and places convenient for the children they serve. ACSI plans to open five more support centres in South Africa and then expand into neighbouring countries in 2007.
For more information, or to receive monthly requests for prayer, email alan_mcilhenny@acsi.org or visit
www.educatingchildrenatrisk.org
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JMA (Junior Mission for All)
Young people in Methodist Churches are encouraged to take an active interest in Christian mission through collecting for JMA. Half of the money raised goes to Home Mission and half to Overseas Mission Projects. The JMA organiser for Trinity is Edith Greenfield.
Tearfund
Tearfund is a Christian relief and development charity, passionate about seeing God's justice here on earth. Tearfund's vision is to transform the lives of millions of the world's poorest people, in a positive and sustainable way.
That means that Tearfund does not just help meet basic physical needs, like providing fresh water, sanitation and healthcare; when people are living in extreme poverty, hope is every bit as essential as food and water. That's why Tearfund is committed to the principle of integral mission. That means giving practical help alongside hope, through emotional and spiritual support; helping those in need regardless of race, gender or religion. More information can be found on their website www.tearfund.org
Trinity Tithe
For every £100 that Trinity receives in the offering plate week by week, we give £10 to mission. We support the Methodist Missionary Society, Home Mission, and the Methodist World development and Relief Fund in this way, and also give directly to the work of Alan McIlhenny and Tearfund.