The Sunday School agent of the Dublin Munster Presbytery calls on all Sunday School teachers and youth leaders to try to involve the young people in their charge in projects "likely to make a wonderful difference in the lives of children with special needs."
Project 1999-2000 has as an aim the provision of much-needed resource material for teaching in Sunday Schools and youth clubs in Brazil, Malawi and Jamaica, where overseas members of the church are working.
Nor is the thought that help is needed and begins at home forgotten. Support is also proposed for "children with life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses". Help can and will be given to build the first children's hospice in Ireland, a place where children, with their families, will receive the special care they require and deserve.
And help will also be given to provide children with special needs at Stewart's Hospital and school in Dublin, with much-needed transport, a school bus.
Congregational representatives (ministers and elders) at the meeting of the Dublin-Munster Presbytery in Gardiner Row on Tuesday, October 5th, are asked to collect and take to their congregations materials detailing these projects.
Ministers of the church and members of congregations will wish to congratulate Ms Mary Curtin of Radio Telefis Eireann (Religious Programmes) on her appointment by the Vatican as press liaison officer to the English-speaking world media, for the European Synod of Bishops meeting in Rome next month.
She is the first woman and Irish person to receive such an appointment.
Besides her responsibility for the direction of such thought-provoking religious programmes as Cross Currents, she is often with Presbyterian congregations North and South producing broadcasts of Sunday morning services. Her professionalism and courtesy are bywords.
The Rev Terence P. McCaughey gave the Father Michael Hurley Lecture at the Columbanbus Community premises on the Antrim Road in Belfast on Monday evening last. He spoke on the nature of the world in which we live, with a sub-theme, the context of Christian obedience.
The attendance was full and comprised ecumenists, clerical and lay from all the denominations. The Rev Dr David Lapsley, minister emeritus of Fisherwick Presbyterian Church, was in the chair. Such prominent Northerners as Ms Monica McWilliams and Dr Maurice Hayes have given this annual lecture.
The Columbanus community was founded a number of years ago by that indefatigable ecumenist, Father Michael Hurley SJ, who some years before had founded the Irish School of Ecumenics.
The annual Sale of Work of the Leprosy Mission will be held in the Hall of Christ Church, Rathgar, on Saturday October 2nd, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Stalls will offer sweets and biscuits, books, country produce, cakes, bric-abrac, fancy goods etc.
Morning coffee and tea will be served with home-made biscuits, the cost included in the £1 admission. Buses 14, 15a, 15b, 15c and 47 to the venue.
The Leprosy Mission was founded in 1874 and recently celebrated 125 years of splendid, unique service. An Irishman, Mr Wellesley Bailey, founded it in interesting circumstances.
He travelled to India to see his brother, a policeman there. It is suggested he had ideas of joining the force himself. An opinion is that he stayed with a German missionary family who fostered in him the missionary impulse.
He was eventually to meet with lepers totally uncared for, and was led by this meeting to seek the help of friends in Ireland to begin this great work of specialised caring.
This mission serves in 30 countries, an indication of how widespread is this affliction. But work is mainly carried on in India and Africa. This year the mission is funding work in five different areas in India.
Last year it provided a fully-equipped hospital in Myanmar, the former Burma. The need is great. Patrons are urged to rally round.
The Alcohol and Drug Addiction Committee continues to commend a video prepared for it. Entitled The Score and proving most helpful this award-winning video, together with a small informative handbook, is available from Church House, Belfast.