Ballinderry Moravian Church, Northern Ireland - Jan 2026
Recently most of the pews have been removed from our church building and replaced with chairs. This change has made some new activities possible. Cubs, Beavers and Squirrels now meet regularly with over 50 children attending. In February we held a fun craft evening making cards and decorations for Valentine’s Day. We also hosted a very popular Makaton language programme session. A Tai Chi class has been running during the Autumn and two Christmas wreath making workshops are already fully booked. As well as these new activities, existing ones benefit from the extra space. Our community coffee morning on Tuesdays continues to provide a warm, welcoming space for local people to meet and make friends over coffee, scones and shortbread. A well-established book club of around ten enthusiastic readers meets once a month and discussions can be lively!
Our close association with the local residents’ association has resulted in some exciting events. Last Christmas we together formed a group of carol singers and sang around the village, finishing up at the church for warm drinks and a singalong. We held a concert to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, with two groups of local Irish dancers taking part. Our reconvened carol singing group led the audience in a selection of traditional Irish songs. The evening began with a short introduction to St Patrick provided by Br Jared Stephens and ended with a bowl of Irish stew for everyone. Also in March, a local girl, Lucy Best, won two gold medals and one bronze for skiing at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Italy. Our improved facilities allowed us to host a reception for her, organised by the residents’ association. The church was packed to capacity for these events and for many it was their first time inside our building. We hope it won’t be their last!
What next for Ballinderry? Recently we began a new series of Bible Studies on Thursday evenings, and we have opened our doors for our popular annual Christmas Fair. We look forward to more Christmas carol singing and, of course, our annual Christingle service. Major renovation work has started on the Manse attached to the church building and we look forward to further improvements to the main church building in due course. As we look back, this year has been one of many changes and God has blessed us with a group of workers with a love for the Ballinderry community. We look forward to what He has in store for us in the future.
Srs Marilyn Marshall and Dorothy McMillan
