Streetreach 2024 on the north coast

Monday July 8th 2024

All set for Streetreach action: Picture taken at White Park Bay Youth Hostel, where the team was based.

Streetreach 2024 took the north coast by storm last week, with the young Connor team stepping out in mission in the local area. [GALLERY BELOW]

For a second consecutive year, Streetreach partnered with the Grouped Parishes of Ballyrashane & Killdollagh, the Grouped Parishes of Ballintoy & Dunseverick with Rathlin Island and St Patrick’s, Coleraine, & St Andrew’s, Ballysally, for the four-day programme which got underway on Tuesday July 3.

The team was based at the White Park Bay Youth Hostel, arriving on Tuesday afternoon, with dinner, devotions and some down time that evening.

Over the next three days the young people from parishes across Connor Diocese took part in morning devotions, worship, team discussion, and practical activities including running a kid’s club and outreach work in the area.

Evening activities include outreach in Ballybogey and Ballysally, and each day finished with a debrief held in a different participating church. The young people headed home last Friday night after a very busy two weeks – some came to Streetreach after participating in the four-day Summer Madness festival in Portglenone.

We caught up with the Streetreach team on Wednesday afternoon, July 4. The outreach team was busy preparing flyers and chocolate to give out to people they met. They were visiting homes of families connected to the parishes through baptism or marriage, and also sharing prayers on the streets of Ballysally.

The Wednesday afternoon practical team was in Ballyrashane Glebe Hall, cleaning and setting up for an afternoon tea for elderly folk in the area. Team members were also helping the Rev Amanda Adams get stuck into clearing overgrown vegetation in the graveyard at the lovely Church of St John the Baptist, Ballyrashane.

And in Kilmoyle Primary School, the members of the Kid’s Club were running an afternoon of energetic activities for younger members of the churches hosting Streetreach, with games in the gym, arts and crafts in a classroom, and storytime led by Connor Children’s Ministry Development Officer Victoria Jackson in another classroom.

Although the weather proved mixed, there was lots of sunshine on the north coast for this year’s Streetreach. Well done to all the young people and their leaders for a fantastic few days.

You can see more action from Streetreach 2024 in this VIDEO shared by Connor Youth.