Author: Lauren Harte

The Parish Lenten ‘Soup and Cheese’ Lunch due to be held this Sunday, March 12th has regrettably had to be cancelled due to issues with the ceiling in the parish hall and the hall roof and, of course, safety concerns. We do apologise. Instead we will have a retiring collection and serve tea, coffee and biscuits at the front of the church after the service.

This year donations will be shared by two organisations. The first is the Welcome Organisation, Belfast, which offers support for the homeless, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Its services include a Drop In Centre, Street Outreach Teams such as those that work with the rough sleepers in our churchyard, Crisis Accommodation for Women, a Floating Support Service for those who have been homeless but have now accessed accommodation, and a Mobile Health Unit.

The second organisation is Mary’s Meals which is currently feeding nearly 2.5 million children in the poorest communities of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. It spends 93p in every £ on their feeding programme, leaving just 7p per £ for administration expenditure. It used to take £15.50 to feed a child in a place of education for a whole school year but now it takes around £19.20.

‘The promise of a good meal attracts these hungry children into the classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a better future.’

You can donate by electronic transfer to the St George’s bank account: (Sort-code: 98-00-10. Account: 09028029) using if possible the reference Lent Appeal for clear identification. If you donate in church please use a yellow Gift Aid envelope (in the pews) and mark the envelope Lent Appeal.

The Welcome Organisation and Mary’s Meals will be very grateful for our support.

We were much looking forward to resuming our regular parish lunches so the ceiling problems in the parish hall are a big disappointment but we will look forward to the repair of the roof and a return to our normal social parish life. Thank you for your understanding.

The most recent ‘in person’ Parish Lunch, a Lenten Lunch, took place very successfully three years ago and fortuitously two weeks before the first COVID lockdown. (In 2021 we somehow managed a virtual Lenten Lunch).

It is now time to start these social and fundraising gatherings again. We are therefore arranging a Soup and Cheese Lunch for Lent this year. It will take place on Sunday, 12th March in the Parish Hall following the 11am Choral Eucharist.

 This year we are asking for donations to two organisations. The first is the Welcome Organisation, Belfast, which offers support for the homeless, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Its services include a Drop In Centre, Street Outreach Teams such as those that work with the rough sleepers in our churchyard, Crisis Accommodation for Women, a Floating Support Service for those who have been homeless but have now accessed accommodation and a Mobile Health Unit.

The second organisation is Mary’s Meals which is currently feeding nearly 2.5 million children in Syria, Yemen and South Sudan as well as many other places. It spends 93p in every £ on their feeding programme. It used to take £15.50 to feed a child in a place of education for a whole school year but now it takes around £19.20. Mary’s Meals is in urgent need of support.

We invite you to come and join the lunch so please make sure that your name is added to the list of those attending so that we can gauge numbers. The list will be available after our Sunday services and in the church kitchen on weekdays until Sunday 5th March.

Our Ash Wednesday services tomorrow are at 7.30am, 10.30am, 1pm and 7.30pm. All Eucharists with imposition of ashes. The 7.30pm service will be a Choral Eucharist with music by the Parish Choir.

The Feast of Epiphany falls today, January 6th. This Sunday, January 8th, we will hold our Epiphany Carol Service with the St George’s Chamber Choir at 5 pm and extend a warm invitation to you all.
Carols and music by Warlock, Walford Davies, Darke and more!
St George’s wishes you a Very Happy and Peaceful New Year.