Bumper issue of ‘Connor Connections’ out now!

Wednesday October 23rd 2024

The bumper-sized autumn issue of our diocesan magazine Connor Connections is now available from a church near you!

Featuring the very successful Connor Big Sing at Lisburn Cathedral on the front cover, the magazine includes news and features of events and people across the diocese.

There are also plenty of photographs showing life in and around our churches.

In this issue, you can read about Trudy and her Tea Ladies who received recognition in the Northern Ireland Funeral Awards – as Trudy Hull talks about the importance of helping out at funerals, a vital ministry in itself.

We talk to the Rev Isy Hawthorne-Steele, who reflects in the devastating fire in Greenisland Parish Church, and the support the parish has received in the aftermath.

We hear from the young people from Ballyclare and Antrim, who visited Terragona in Spain in the summer on a mission trip with Exodus, and also find out about Ahoghill Portglenone’s mission trip to South Sudan and a visit by a team from Templepatrick to Albania over the summer.

We meet Adrian Anderson, who has played the organ in churches for 50 years, and is a regular face providing the music at Holy Trinity, Portrush; and Andrew Kennedy, a parishioner in Broughshane who was awarded a BEM in the King’s Birthday Honours.

The anti-immigration protests in early August gave rise to fear and heartbreak in south Belfast, and St Nicholas’ and All Saints’ parishioners Johanne Martin and Ashton Porter speak about the fundraiser they organised to help local café owner Mohammed Idris whose business was burned out in the riots.

We look back at Connor Diocesan Synod 2024, and at the 120^th anniversary services in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast.

There is news of a grant to All Saints’, Antrim, for essential repairs to the church tower; an innovative school project in Derryvolgie; and we hear from Carnmoney parishioners who have been involved in a series of interfaith visits.

Find out what our children and young people have been up to over the summer months – activities included a trip to Rathlin for the children, and Streetreach and Summer Madness for our young people.

All this and lots more. Connor Connections is available free of charge from your parish church – make sure you pick up a copy.