‘The Bells, The Bells’

Yes, St. Johns Parish Church Newcastle have a peal of beautiful bells, they are in the belfry under the spire and they used to ring out on Sundays, at weddings and also for funerals, we would like to hear the bells again. History lesson alert..……The early missionaries used small hand bells to call people to worship , with bells being introduced into Christian Churches around 400AD. Their adoption on a wide scale did not become apparent until about 550AD, when they were introduced into France and Italy before spreading to Great Britain by monks and friars coming to join religious orders…….end of history lesson :)

We would like to open our doors to anyone in the church or the wider community interested in bell ringing, there needs to be a viable group for this to be possible, please let Rev. Myrtle know of your interest.

The Rock Garden at St John’s

Our ‘Stars on Sunday’ Sunday School group have taken a lot of pleasure out of creating and planting up the little garden beside the Parish Hall, watching the various plants grow over the past few months and seeing God’s wonderful nature at work. Thanks to Mrs Liz Byrne for continuing to maintain the garden through this difficult time in parish life. Well done to our ‘Stars on Sunday”!

Liz Byrne June 2020

Re-surfacing of driveway completed at St John’s

We are delighted to confirm that the re-surfacing of the driveway has now been completed at St John’s. This was a major undertaking which also included the installation of new kerbing, raising drains and new topsoil at edge of lawns. Our thanks to the contractor, Peter Sands & Sons Ltd of Newry, for a superb job.

Dennis Constable, June 2020

Spire & Tower Project 2019

The major project to repair the spire and tower was completed just before Christmas 2019.  It was an extensive work and all the mortar joints had to be raked out to a specified depth and then refilled.  The finial on the top of the spire was replaced and the lightning conductor was re-installed and certified.  In addition, vent grids have been inserted either side of the upper spire to provide ventilation and ease condensation problems.  The bell platform has been completely refurbished and the six bells have been serviced and certified for use.  There is a fresh appearance to the inner entrance to the porch with the removal of the inner door and exposure of the lovely stone work.

With the contractor Johnston Construction on site and a team of experienced builders the opportunity was taken to attend to other defects on the church.

Further electrical work was undertaken and the flood lights that were situated on the church have been removed and three new flood lights are now ground based at the front of the church.  Furthermore, new overhead lights have been installed over the front door and side door to the church.

This project would not have been possible without the generous grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the very strong financial support from the Parishioners..

The range of photographs show fully all aspects of the refurbished spire and tower:

Dennis Constable, April 2020

Spire & Tower Project

The major project to repair the spire and tower was completed just before Christmas. It was an extensive work and all the mortar joints had to be raked out to a specified depth and then refilled. The finial on the top of the spire was replaced and the lightning conductor was re-installed and certified. In addition, vent grids have been inserted either side of the upper spire to provide ventilation and ease condensation problems. The bell platform has been completely refurbished and parishioners will note that there is a fresh appearance to the inner entrance to the porch with the removal of the inner door and exposure of the lovely stone work.

With the contractor Johnston Construction on site and a team of experienced builders the opportunity was taken to attend to other defects and the following items were actioned:

Repair and paint all guttering and down pipes

Repair and paint the roof beam support ends

Decorate the wood skirting on the back of the flat roof

All ground drain channels cleaned out

Replace any broken roof tiles

Further electrical work was undertaken and the flood lights that were situated on the church have been removed and three new flood lights are now ground based at the front of the church Furthermore, new overhead lights have been installed over the front door and side door to the church.

The final costings are being finalised and it is anticipated that the project will come within budget, although there will be additional costs for the “extras”.

In closing, my thanks to all Parishioners for your financial support for this project. It would not have been possible without your generosity and patience as the time line was indeed long but National Lottery directives determined this.

Dennis Constable, February 2020

St John's Craft and Chat Update

It has been nice to have a few new members joining us over the last months. One in particular, Rita, has been a great help with her excellent sewing on her machine and also in making us reversible shopping bags to sell at future sales.

Members are busy at present completing items to sell at our Christmas Bazaar and some are also working on individual products. 

We are still knitting blankets for the Royal Victoria Hospital both for the Neo Natal Unit  and for young children coming out of Surgery.

Any parishioner can make these items and leave them in the church to be included when we make our next donation.

Due to the Christmas and New Year period there will be no meetings from Tuesday 17th December and we will restart Tuesday 14th January. 

Everyone welcome.

Wendy Rooney, December 2019 

Newcastle Inter-Church Bible Studies

Advent 2019

All meetings at 7.30pm

Wednesday 27th November

St John's Hall

Isaiah Ch. 40

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Wednesday 4th December

Parish Centre, Main Street

 Hosea Ch. 11: 1-4

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Wednesday 11th December

Newcastle Methodist Church Hall

Colossians Ch. 1: 15-23.

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Wednesday 18th December

Newcastle Presbyterian Church New Buildings

Luke 2:22-40

UPDATE : St John’s Spire & Tower Appeal

After a considerable time erecting the scaffolding round the spire and tower the work commenced in late June.  It is planned to be completed by the end of October and with the good weather the work is progressing as planned.

Centre photograph of the building team and parish convener (L to R) : Pat Johnston (Johnston Construction of Newry), Pat Rafferty, Pete Kelly, Shaun Quinn and Dennis Constable (Parish convener for project)

24 August 2019

PRESS RELEASE

St John’s Church Newcastle celebrates after receiving almost £82,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to assist with the priority essential repairs to the spire and tower of the church.

The Church of Ireland church St John’s Newcastle, situated overlooking the South Promenade has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £81,200 to assist with the priority and essential heritage project, to repair the rain water ingress into the spire and tower . This generous grant has be made possible by money raised by National Lottery players and generously supported by the church parishioners

Supported through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project which has now commenced will prevent the constant flow of rain water into the spire and tower of the church. This ingress of water has already created internal damage to the inside of the spire, tower, bell platform and the main entrance to the church. If the problem was not addressed it would have led to a possible collapse of the spire and hence closure of the church. It is planned that the repair project will be completed by the end of October. This will ensure that this important local landmark will be secure for generations to come andvisitors to the town can continue to enjoy it as a backdrop.

St John’s church which dates from 1832 has been part of the Newcastle landscape for nearly 200 years. This repair work will ensure that people will still be able to visit the church and enjoy looking at the heritage and the wonderful stained glass windows. In addition, the church holds many treasures of history that stretch back in Newcastle’s history and which are relevant to many people. The repairs which include the bell tower platform will provide for the church bells, which have been silent for so long, to once again to be rung. The refurbished church will be a pleasant venue for concerts, festivals and other activities.

Commenting on the award the Rector Ian Ellis of St John’s said: “We are thrilled to have received this support with thanks to the National Lottery players and are confident the project will enhance the church and sustain it for the use of all people for the foreseeable future.”

24 August 2019

St John’s church and parish hall will be open for services and events as usual whilst the restoration work is being undertaken on the Spire.

Entrance to the church is through the door on the left hand side of the church building.

Car parking is still available at the rear of the church.

Cash for Clothes  

  Collection date Saturday 29th June  2-4pm 

Doing a Spring clean of your wardrobe? Have you unwanted wearable items such as clothes, Shoes,  Belts etc?

We are asking Parishioners and their friends to “Bag up” their unwanted items and drop them off at the Church Hall on Saturday 29th June between 2-4pm and these items will be taken to “Cash for Clothes”. 

Clothes must be  clean and show no signs of damage or stains.

Money raised from this event will be put into Church Funds. 

UPDATE : St John’s Spire & Tower Appeal

The spire and tower at St John’s has stood proudly over Newcastle since 1832.  However, constant exposure to driving rain, wind and storms has caused significant deterioration to the external and internal structure of the spire and tower.  If essential maintenance work is not undertaken now, the church may have to be closed due to health and safety considerations.

The estimated cost of repairs is £143 130. This amount was well beyond what could be raised by parishioners and an application for grant funding was made and was successful through The National Lottery Heritage Fund (LHF) to enable the essential work to take place.  Last year, we launched an appeal to raise £50,000 towards the cost of repairs.  Select Vestry are delighted to be able to confirm that we have now received cash donations and pledges from parishioners and friends of St John’s for just over £50,500.   This has been a tremendous success, in such a short period, and the Select Vestry is grateful for the generous response of so many people.

The application is now being processed and with the essential assistance of the HLF grant it is anticipated that the work will commence on the spire and tower in June and be completed by October.   

May 2019

Parish Health & Safety Notice

Parishioners are informed that matters relating to Health & Safety should be referred to the rector in the first instance. Parishioners are advised not to undertake any maintenance work on parish premises, however minimal or routine, without prior approval.

May 2019

St John's Craft and Chat  Group 

The group received a 'thank you' letter following a donation of knitted 'Trauma Teddies' with the following message: 

“It was with great pleasure that we received a troop of new recruits in station from yourselves to place in our two fire appliances. We can now report to you that having completed all the necessary background checks and initial training that all the teddies passed with honours and have been placed on standby.

“As you are aware 'Trauma Teddies' are only called upon in the most difficult of circumstances by the most vulnerable of people but we are confident that the comfort that they will bring will carry a small light in the darkest of hours through the kindness of your donation.

“From all the staff at Newcastle Fire and Rescue Station.”

May 2019

Financial Matters

At this time of year, we circulate a donation envelope for Bishops' Appeal for World Development. It is right that we give special thought at this time of the year to supporting charitable work with people in need around the world. Your Bishops' Appeal envelope can be returned on any Sunday in December or to the churchwardens or by post to our honorary treasurer, Mr John Williamson, at 31D Dundrum Road, Newcastle BT33 0BG.

The financing of the Spire renovation is of course in hand, and there was a very generous and swift response from many parishioners towards the costs, together with envisaged funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Not least in order to protect the structure, it is intended that the work will commence once the more extreme winter weather is past and when more favourable outdoor conditions arise. However, the state of our general funds is a different story. Because of their vulnerable state as we approach the end of 2018, the Select Vestry wishes to appeal to parishioners for assistance in that regard. 

December 2018

St John's Saturday Indoor Table Sales

Sellable Items required. Please contact  028 4372 4786 for arrangements for collection or drop off in hall on day off Sale. 

Volunteers also required for setting up of stalls on a Friday afternoon or selling on the day, and  Tea /Coffee servers.

If you wish to volunteer please contact Wendy at the above telephone number.

December 2018

SELECT VESTRY'S END OF YEAR APPEAL 2018

Whilst our focus this year has been directed towards the Spire Appeal, St John's parish is projected to be £4,000 in deficit in its general funds on 31st December 2018. This will mean drawing from our relatively limited reserves of £20,000.

However, in order to be properly solvent, the Select Vestry is required by the Charity Commission of Northern Ireland to have appropriate reserves. Withdrawing £4,000 from those reserves at the end of 2018 would leave us in a very vulnerable financial position. 

The Select Vestry therefore asks any parishioner who would wish to make an extra donation to our parish in light of these circumstances to do so by placing it in an envelope marked End of Year Appeal 2018 and  handing it to the churchwardens, or by posting a donation for the End of Year Appeal to our honorary treasurer, Mr John Williamson, at 31D Dundrum Road, Newcastle BT33 0BG. 

The Select Vestry is concerned about the state of our general funds as well as our standing with the Charity Commission and therefore will greatly appreciate any help to offset our projected deficit.

Ian M. Ellis     John Williamson

       Rector    Hon. Treasurer 

December 2018

Christingle

This year, for the first time, there will be a Christingle Service in St John's, on Tuesday 11th December at 7.30pm. 

What is Christingle? It is a service traditionally associated with Advent, with the theme being Christ, the Light of the World. That is what 'Christingle' means – 'Christ-light'. 

It is a very 'different' kind of service, appealing to young and older parishioners alike.

The celebration is named after the Christingles that are lit during the service (we will have them ready in church). Christingles are made from an orange usually decorated with red tape, sweets and a candle. 

Each element of a Christingle has a special meaning and helps to tell the Christian story:

The orange represents the world;

 The red ribbon (or tape) symbolises the love and blood of Christ;

 The sweets and dried fruit represent all of God’s creations; and 

 The lit candle represents Jesus’ light in the world.

We hope that you will make a point of coming along to this service,  and perhaps will bring some friends with you! It will be open to the whole community and I very much appreciate the help received from Sharon Williamson in making practical arrangements. It will be a new venture and I hope will inspire many people to think more deeply about the important underlying theme, Christ, the light of the world.

The Pantry Foodbank

The Rector writes:

Last month, I attended the Annual General Meeting of the Pantry Foodbank, chaired by Mr Terry Nelson of the Methodist Church. The Pantry Foodbank is a cross-community Christian organization with the mission statement: “With God's help, together, we can make a difference”. In his address at this the fourth AGM, Terry said that over those years the Pantry Foodbank had served 3,100 clients and provided some 31,000 meals. Because demand outdoes resources in terms of actual food, some has to be purchased from funds raised throughout the year, between £200 and £220 is spent each week in this way. Terry said there were three reasons for continued demand: first, the current ethos of austerity; second, changes to the benefits system, in particular the move to Universal Credit; and third, the fact that increasingly people are aware of the Pantry Foodbank. Help which is provided is intended as a stopgap for individuals in need and the organizers do  not want to be a cause of dependency on the charity. Clients are helped only after having been properly referred. If anyone wishes to help as a volunteer, the number to call is  07517-766006.

December 2018

The Belfast Phoenix Choir 19 October 2018

UPDATE : St John’s Spire & Tower Appeal

The spire and tower at St John’s has stood proudly over Newcastle since 1832. However, constant exposure to driving rain, wind and storms has caused significant deterioration to the external and internal structure of the spire and tower. If essential maintenance work is not undertaken now, the church may have to be closed due to health and safety considerations.

The estimated cost of repairs is £169,600. This amount is well beyond what can be raised by parishioners and we have applied for grant funding to enable the essential work to be undertaken. In March, we launched an appeal to raise £50,000 towards the cost of repairs. Select Vestry are delighted to be able to confirm that we have now received cash donations and pledges from parishioners and friends of St John’s for just over £50,500. This has been a tremendous success, in such a short period, and the Select Vestry is grateful for the generous response of so many people.

We are now progressing our application for grant funding, through the HLF to enable additional funds to be secured, to enable the essential maintenance work to be completed. It is hoped that confirmation of the HLF grant will be received by late October.

St John's Summer Extravaganza Parish Fete

Saturday 14 July 2pm to 4pm at the Parish Hall just behind St John's church at the Rock in Newcastle

There will be lots of attractions at this year's extravaganza including barbecue, music by Jazz Jam, stalls, children's activities and teas. Admission is £3 with children free of charge. Canon Ian Ellis would extend a warm welcome to locals and visitors alike. "It's always a highlight of the summer season for means I know many others enjoy the get together and the unbeatable fete atmosphere. It's planned to be both indoors and outdoors, weather permitting, so anyone coming along will be able to enjoy the expected good weather to the full. Everyone will be most welcome" said Canon Ellis.