Welcome to Craigmore Methodist Church!

Thanks for visiting our website. We are a family church located in the beautiful countryside between the villages of Aghalee and Lower Balinderry. We’d love to welcome you in person, our Sunday Service of Worship starts at 10.30am with tea, coffee and biscuits afterwards.

If you want to find us via your satnav, our postcode is BT67 0ED , or there are signposts on the Balinderry Road you can follow. Follow the Orken Lane, turn left onto the Hollow Road and Craigmore Methodist Church is up the lane on your left. You can also click here for a map!

DECEMBER WORSHIP SERVICES

4^th      10.30am  Rev Christopher Walpole Holy Communion

11^th    10.30am  Rev Bobby Loney Sunday School Carol Service

6.00pm  Alternative Christmas Carol Service Craigmore

18^th   10.30am  Rev David Mullan

 25^th   10.30am  Rev Bobby Loney – Christmas Day Service in Glenavy

 

Please remember there is someone available for prayer in the Church at the end of each service.  If you would like to talk to someone you can find a member of the prayer ministry team towards the back of church at the end of the service.

Sunday School, Bible Class and Crèche meet each Sunday morning during worship.

Please join us for tea and coffee after the service in the Church Hall.

If you’d like a recording of a service, please speak to the person working the sound desk at the front of the Church.

DECEMBER NEWS – What’s on this month

Cliff 2012 Planning evening

Mon 5^th Dec 7.45 at Richard & Nuala’s

You are cordially invited to our first meeting with the Cliff team leaders, Dave Cokayne and Laura Goldsbrough.  Laura, now in her second year at Cliff, is no stranger to us at Craigmore as she was part of the team that visited in 2011. Dave is an intern Evangelist at Cliff this year.

If you know of anyone else who you feel would like to be involved with the organising of the 10 day visit please invite them to attend on Monday 5^th

If you have any questions please contact Richard.

 

Senior’s Christmas Meal

Fri 9th Dec at the Jethro Centre 12.30pm for meal at 1pm.

All seniors very welcome! If you are in that category and you would like to attend, or if anyone can offer transport and help that day, please contact Averil.

 

Alternative Carol Service

Sun 11th December at 6pm

“’The Bethlehem Challenge!”

Wise men are faced with the ultimate challenge to find a new born King!!

Join us at this family carol service for an exciting adventure!

WARNING!!   There will be full lighting effects, DVD, drama and loud noises!

Finishing off with a christmas medley and refreshments!

The adventure awaits you!!

 

Christmas get together for Prayer meeting/ministry and Pastoral Teams at 8pm 15th Dec at Ken and Averil Harte’s home.

Joint Cell Christmas Dinner Monday 19^th December.  Contact Rowan or Philip for more details.

 

DECEMBER NEWS – Looking Ahead

Provisional Date Sat 21^st January evening.

Table quiz and fundraising event in Craigmore Hall

Youth Club and Youth Fellowship

There is lots going on for the young people at Craigmore. For those in post-primary education we have a weekly Youth Club and Youth Fellowship on Friday nights.

Youth Fellowship meets from 7.30-8.30pm in the Upper Room at Craigmore and it’s open to anyone who wants to find out more about God and how to live life with and for Him. There are games, talks, and activities, and the opportunity to worship and pray together. You don’t have to be a Christian to come along; in fact, it’s a great place to ask questions and explore what the Christian faith is all about.

Craigmore Youth Club (CYC) has been running for over 25 years and runs every Friday from 8.30-10.15pm in the church halls. CYC offers a great chance to see friends and make new ones, get to know the fab leadership team, and have a safe place to hang out at the end of the week. There is a Wii, XBox, pool tables, tabletennis tables, football/unihoc, games and a tuck shop.

Once every 4-6 weeks we hold Coffee Bar for those in Year 11 and above from 10.15-11.45pm. This offers a more chilled out venue with tea and toast and the chance to catch up with each other on the sofas upstairs in the hall.

Due to large numbers on Fridays we provide junior and senior youth club on alternate nights, with all-age nights roughly once a month. Anyone in Year 8-9 is welcome at junior YC, while senior YC is for Year 11 and above. The lucky Year 10s may choose which youth club night to attend. For more up-to-date information on when each age group meets please contact Sheena.

Several times a year we take a trip to the Antrim Forum for football, squash, badminton, swimming and bowling, along with a crucial visit to the chippie afterwards! We sometimes hold other special events, especially in the summer, including girls/lads nights, day trips, movie nights, and sponsored events for charity. A highlight in the CYC calendar is our annual Easter Camp held at Castlewellan Castle, where the mixture of water fights, worship, late night fun and beautiful surroundings make each year very memorable!

WORLD AIDS DAY – 1 DECEMBER

December 1st is internationally recognized World AIDS Day

33.3 million people in the world are HIV+.

2.5 million of these are children.

Drugs can slow the process so that people can live a longer and near normal life.

Drugs can also prevent transmission from mother to unborn child.

There is medical hope.

 

A REAL STORY ABOUT REAL PEOPLE

Lusaka, Zambia – 2011

Two years ago, Rodah Banda had to make the biggest decision of her life – whether to terminate her pregnancy or leave her husband. He threatened to end their marriage if she enrolled in a programme designed to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the HIV virus. Rodah was HIV+.

Today, Ms. Banda is the proud mother of Joseph, a healthy 2 year old who is HIV negative. Those two years ago, Rodah decided to enroll in the course and received a Mother-Baby Pack which contained medicines including anti-retro viral drugs. The careful use of these drugs prevented the virus from being transmitted to her unborn son. Unfortunately her husband died when she was 9 months pregnant.

Rodah says “the pack gave a new meaning to my life. I am a happy woman, despite facing the daily struggles of unemployment and lack of food in my household.” Rodah has been a role model to many in her community where women are afraid to disclose their HIV status and make use of health services. She continues to speak out and encourage pregnant women living with HIV to seek out these services.

There is still much stigma around AIDS and there is much fear. But there is also much courage.

Men’s Breakfast – Latest News

Please put into your diary Saturday 25th February for the next Men’s Breakfast.  Arthur Williams has accepted our invitation to come along that morning. He is a founder member of the Stauros Foundation, and you can look up WWW.STAUROS.COM for more details.

When he became a Christian following a long battle with alcohol addiction he spent some time at Cliff College and has been an evangelist ever since (and was a Methodist Local Preacher!).

Through Dr Phil’s work as a GP, he has come into contact with alcohol and drug addicts who have been helped by this organisation and been led to Christ through fellowship with Stauros members so we are very excited to welcome him to Craigmore!

Senior’s Christmas Meal

The Senior’s Christmas Meal will be held on Friday, 9 December at the Jethro Centre, Lurgan at 12.30pm for the meal at 1pm.  All seniors are very welcome!

If you are in that category and you would like to attend, or if anyone can offer transport and help that day, please contact Averil.

NOVEMBER NEWS

Purpose Driven Life

Mon 7^th, Mon 14^th and Mon 28^th November 8pm at Philip and Arlene’s.

This month we begin a 6 week bible study course designed by Rick Warren called “The Purpose Driven Life.”  The six meetings will spread over 3 months until mid January 2012.  We especially welcome and encourage people who are not currently involved with cell groups to be part of this fellowship.

If you missed the first week, it is not too late to join us on the second week and new members will always be welcome at anytime throughout the duration of this 6 week course.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Find out and seek God’s purpose for your life!

 

Mini Monday

Mon 21^st 8pm in the Upper Room Craigmore.

Time to spend together in worship and prayer to our God.

Noel Mills will be joining us for the evening of fellowship.

 

Pastoral Team Meeting

Wed 23^rd November at 7.45pm for 8pm in the Upper Room

 

Men’sBreakfast

Sat 26^th November 8am

Time for men to meet together and grow together within out church.  Also excellent opportunity to invite people who do not attend Craigmore to share fellowship with us!

On this occasion we look forward to Reverend Charles Harris joining us.  Charles is minister of Glengormley Methodist.

If you know of a potential future speaker please pass on details to Philip or Noel.

PS – watch out in the new year!  The men have promised to make breakfast for the ladies and children of the church!  Worth seeing and looking forward to!

Men’s Breakfast

The men of Craigmore Methodist meet on the third Saturday of every month for a hearty breakfast and an opportunity to hear how God is at work in people’s lives as we invite a guest speaker each month to share with us. We meet at the not-too-early time of 8am. Please keep an eye on this website and the church announcements for when they will be happening and who will be joining us. We would love to see you there!

Contact Dr Phil Lusty or Noel McKee if you have any enquiries.

Music and Worship

There is a constantly growing heart for worship at Craigmore, and this team seeks to see how we can express this through music.

Over the years many musicians have picked up their first instrument in Craigmore and gone on to serve further a field in this area – largely as a result of a very supportive and encouraging congregation!

Our heart is to draw close to God and to give Him the amazing praise He deserves, to remember His greatness and become aware of His glory, that we might praise Him more!

We exist to bring God ‘more than a song’, and our hope is that, when expressed in music, this desire in us will be infectious.

Music team co-ordinator: Steve Harte