Building on good ‘Foundations’
‘Foundations’ has built upon its very successful first meeting in February with 130 attending a second evening of fellowship, worship and teaching in the Dock Cafe.
Foundations is an initiative aimed at people in their 20’s and 30’s involved in the Church of Ireland who want to grow and share their faith together. These first nights are to encourage the use of spiritual disciplines in the Christian walk and the focus on Saturday 20 April was the discipline of celebration.
Andrew Brannigan was the speaker and he highlighted 5 practices that underpin celebration – gratitude, appreciation, generosity, fellowship and joyfulness. The group had a chance to discuss what they’d heard and share their experiences in smaller groups (and to celebrate with a variety of edible goodies). As an encouragement to practice the discipline of celebration, each person took home several keyring reminders that would act as prompts throughout the day.
It was also a cause for celebration that Revd Barry Ford was able to welcome Foundations’ Patrons, Bishop Ken Clarke and his wife Helen (pictured below). They shared about their role in praying for and supporting the Foundations team and prayed over the group gathered in the Dock Cafe.
”We are very encouraged by the response on this second night,” said Andrew, “and delighted that Ken and Helen were able to join us. Their life and ministry experience will be a valuable asset to our team and this group.
“The conversation is carrying on through our Facebook page. So far about 200 people are connected and regularly involved with Foundations through social media.”
Find out more about Foundations at:www.facebook.com/foundationsireland. The next gathering is on June 8.