• 21 February 2020

Killough outreach gets grant boost

The diocese’s outreach work in Killough Village has been awarded a grant from The Church of Ireland Orphans’ and Children’s Society (Antrim and Down).

A sum of £12,000 has been granted for the first year and will be used to further resource outreach in the coastal village just outside Downpatrick.

The work is run by Colin and Sarah Irwin who, in September 2015, began to explore the needs of the community as part of the Church Planting initiative. They identified a lack of provision for children and young people and in November that year started a Wednesday night Kids Club for primary school children. On that first night 13 kids came along and four years later, around 40 children attend regularly.

In September 2018 they went on to launch a Youth Club to cater for the children who had outgrown Kids Club. Youth Club is for Years 8 and 9 and currently around 15 young people come along.

Over the years, Colin and Sarah, who are both teachers, have also been running different activities in the village for the whole family including; Messy Church, lads club, holiday clubs, carol services, Streetreach and several family fun days.

They say: “We have been so blessed by God and what He is doing in this village and how he has been using us and our small team of volunteers. The outreach grant is a real boost and will help us do more for the community. Our prayer for Killough is that His Kingdom comes, and more adults, young people and children will have a living faith in Jesus!” 

Please pray for Sarah, Colin and the volunteers, that God would continue to move in Killough and that more people would come to faith.