Lenten Theme - What the Cross tells us about God.
Service Theme - A Suffering God.
Our God is no stranger to suffering. The cross shows us our God as a victim of suffering.
Venue - St Bride’s Church, Doagh.
Church address - Kilbride Road, Doagh, BT39 0QA.
Rector - Rev. John McClure.
In the Church of Ireland, those members over 18 and who subscribe to Parish funds can, if they are registered in what is called the Register of Vestry Members, attend and vote at the annual business meeting which is referred to as the Easter General Vestry.
At that annual business meeting an election is held to appoint 12 people who will deal with the business affairs of the parish for the following 12 months. Those elected, together with the Churchwardens and Glebewardens, are referred to as the Select Vestry. The annual accounts are also presented at the Easter General Vestry.
This year’s Easter General Vestry meeting will take place in the Parish Hall immediately after the Service of Morning Prayer. Tea and sandwiches will be available.
Lenten Theme - What the Cross tells us about God.
Service Theme - A Calling God.
The cross is also the shape of our lives when we respond to Christ’s call to take up our cross and follow Him.
Venue - All Saint’s Church Hall, Antrim.
Church Hall Address - 24 Railway Street, Antrim, BT41 4AE.
Rector - Ven. Dr Stephen McBride.
Photo credit - Heritage Service Dunfries and Galloway Council
M.V. Princess Victoria Memorial close to Larne Harbour
The sinking of the M.V. Princess Victoria on 31st January, 1953.
The Stranraer-Larne ferry, the MV Princess Victoria, sank on 31 January 1953, with the loss of more than 130 lives. Less than 50 people survived this maritime disaster
Stephen Cameron, a noted maritime historian, will give a talk on this dreadful event, its causes, the people involved and the effect on communities on both sides of the North Channel.
Venue - Parish Hall
Entrance by ticket at a price of £5.00 which includes a light supper.
Note - Admission by paying at the door on the night can not be guaranteed.
Tickets are available from members of the Ladies’ Committee, in church at the end of Sunday services, or by contacting the webmaster by using the Contact page on this website.
And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Christian Aid Week runs from Sunday 11th - Saturday 17th May and this year it will focus on the poverty in the communities of Burundi where over 70% of people face hunger and poverty every single day.
Last year the parishioners from Kilbride were very generous and the very commendable sum of £882.00 was raised. As in previous years, envelopes will be placed in the Church pews.
Thanks must go to Barbara Rea for co-ordinating this annual collection once again.
Lenten Theme - What the Cross tells us about God.
Service Theme - A humble God.
The cross teaches us about how far God is willing to go for us. How thankful we ought to be that He was willing to humble Himself and despise the shame of the cross (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Venue - St Patrick’s, Templepatrick.
Church Address - Antrim Rd, Templepatrick, Ballyclare BT39 0AT.
Rector - Rev. Jeremy Mould.
Lenten Theme - What the Cross tells us about God.
Service Theme -A Loving God.
The cross settles for all time the question of whether God loves us. The cross becomes a picture of the essence of God’s love.
Venue - Gartree Church, Crumlin.
Church Address - Langford Lodge Estate, 85 Largy Rd, Crumlin BT29 4RS
Rector - Rev. John Farr.
Lenten Theme - What the Cross tells us about God.
Service Theme - A Redeeming God.
God has paid the price for our sins completely. We are redeemed because of the cross.
Venue - Christ Church, Ballynure.
Church address - 21 Church Road, Ballynure, BT39 9UF.
Minister - Rev. Jonny Campbell-Smyth.
Christ Church, Ballynure
Crime prevention talk by PSNI (Stuart Gibson)
Venue - St Bride’s Church
During this morning’s service of Morning Prayer there will be a reflection on the lives of those people who passed away during the past five years during the COVID-19 pandemic. They may have been a parishioner or a close family member of a parishioner or a dear friend. Many who died during the height of the pandemic were not afforded the funeral service they might have expected but they will all be remembered as we as a church commemorate lives lost.
The day will also be an opportunity for everyone to reflect on the sacrifices made and the impact on our daily lives, and to pay tribute to the work of health and social care staff, frontline workers, researchers and all those who volunteered and showed acts of kindness during this unprecedented time.
The World Day of Prayer (WDP) service is always held on the first Friday of March. Although written by Christian women from around the world, it is a gift to the whole church – men, women and children – and people of all ages and races come together to worship on this special day every year. But the movement carries on its work all year round – with informed prayer, and prayerful action. It supports many different projects and works with many groups. The UK committee is made up of representatives of many denominations and they work as Christians together, to share the good news of Jesus, and show his love.
Venue: Templepatrick Presbyterian Church, 750 Antrim Rd, Templepatrick, Ballyclare BT39 0AP
Time: 8:00pm
The Christian women of the Cook Islands have been invited to write the programme for 2025.
The Theme - I made you wonderful.
For more information on this event and for downloadable resources please visit the World Day of Prayer website by following this link - WWDP
Lenten Theme - What the Cross tells us about God.
Service Theme - A Just God.
The cross shows us God’s judgement on our sins. We are called to repent in light of the judgement of God.
Venue - St Patrick’s Church, Antrim.
Church Address - 50 Parkhall Rd, Antrim, BT41 1BU.
Rector - Rev. Ian Magowan.
Townlands in the Parish of Kilbride - A talk by Andrew Kane
Andrew Kane, a parishioner in the neighbouring parish of Templepatrick and Donegore, works for the Ulster Historical Foundation and has recently completed a reference book entitled “Townland Atlas of Ulster.” He will be visiting Kilbride to give a talk on this new book, with a particular emphasis on the townlands in the parish of Kilbride.
Andrew works as a research consultant for the Ulster Historical Foundation, handling a wide range of tasks, mainly genealogical and specialist commissions, as well as assisting in the delivery of the Foundation’s courses. He has published the well-received Town Book of Coleraine (2016) and has contributed to genealogical journals and magazines. He is a regular speaker on local history topics and has been a contributor to several television and radio programmes at home and abroad. Andrew is a Trustee of the North of Ireland Family History Society and takes an active role in several local history groups in the Coleraine area where his family has lived for at least 12 generations.
Parish of Kilbride
Cill Bhride is the Irish name for the parish of Kilbride, meaning the church of Brigid (or Bride as we use in the name of our church). It is known that there are ruins of a number of churches within the parish of Kilbride and it may be that one was dedicated to one of the most prominent Irish saints, i.e. St Brigid, to whom our present church is dedicated.
There are 17 townlands in Kilbride;
Ballybracken, Ballyhamage, Ballywee, Crawfordsland, Douglasland, Drumadarragh, Duncansland, Fifty Acres, Holestone, Kilbride, Loonburn, McVickersland, Moss Side, Owensland, Strawpark and Walkmill.
This new publication maps all 16,000 townlands in the 9 counties of Ulster and the administrative units of church and state into which they have been organised. In an attractive and easily understood layout, these units are shown in the context of land ownership in the 17th century, a pattern clearly recognisable until a century ago when the Land Purchase Acts broke up the estates and facilitated tenant farmers buying their own land. By using the maps and index, family and local historians can easily grasp the essentials of our ancestors’ lives – where they worked, paid their rent, went to church and market, etc.
The Mission to Seafarers - a talk on the Mission by the Rev. Mark Reid. Mark is no stranger to Kilbride having been a parish reader in St Bride’s for three years prior to being ordained as a deacon, licensed to Glenavy parish, in 2006. Mark was appointed as chaplain to the Mission in January 2023.
Rev. Mark Reid (image courtesy of Diocese of Connor website)
The men’s group meeting will be held in the Parish Room when a talk will be given by Professor Brian M. Walker of Queen’s University, Belfast. The subject of this talk will be the service of two chaplains in wartime; Rev. John Redmond during WW1 and Rev. Leslie Walker during WW2.
Rev. John Redmond ended his ministry in the church as Rector of Kilbride in 1951 before retiring to his home county of Armagh.
Brian M. Walker is an historian and a political scientist. He is professor emeritus of Irish Studies at Queen’s University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and an honorary member of the Linen Hall Library, Belfast. He was formerly Director of the Institute of Irish Studies at Queen’s, Chairman of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, President of the Linen Hall Library and President of the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society. Currently, he is President of the Belfast Literary Society, President of the Federation for Ulster Local Studies, President of the Belfast Civic Trust and Treasurer of the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society. He is on the council of the Irish Association and is a member of the Church of Ireland Working Group on Historical Centenaries.
This should be an extremely interesting talk.
Refreshments will be provided.
All parishioners and friends are welcome to attend.
Rev. John Redmond
Riding for the Disabled Association NI - a talk and video presented by Avril Nicholl, MBE.
Venue - Parish Room
This will also be a ‘lucky dip’ gifts evening.
This meeting has to be re-scheduled due to the bad weather.
The festivities begin this evening with the switching on of the Christmas tree lights just outside the Parish Hall. Come along and join in the fun organised this year by 1st Kilbride Scout Group. And don’t be surprised if a special guest dressed in red and with a big white beard makes an appearance!
Following the success of the poppy display in Kilbride Parish Church last year the church is once again decorated with 850 poppies, knitted and crocheted by parishioners and friends, in remembrance of the fallen of the parish in two world wars. This year the church features displays created by children from Kilbride Central Primary School, Doagh Primary School and 1st Kilbride Cubs Scouts.
The church is open for viewing on the following days;
Tuesday 29 October, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Wednesday 30 October, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Tuesday 5 November, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Tuesday 5 November, 6:30 – 8:30pm
The poppies can also be seen before or after the church services on Sunday 3 November and Sunday 10 November (Remembrance Sunday). Services begin at 11:00am.
The address of Kilbride Parish Church is Kilbride Road, Doagh, Ballyclare.
Kids4School
Speaker - John McCullough
Venue - Parish Room
Harvest Thanksgiving Service.
Preacher - Very Rev. Dean John Bond
The church will be decorated for this very special service. If you would like to donate any foodstuffs the church will be open to receive it on Saturday morning, 21st September.
Immediately following this service there will be a Harvest Lunch served in the Parish Hall. This will be organised by the Ladies’ group and it will be a fundraising event for Women’s Aid ABCLN, a charity working to end domestic abuse. Women’s Aid ABCLN provides confidential support, information and emergency accommodation for women and children who are affected by domestic abuse across Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Larne and Newtownabbey.
Pamper evening demonstrated by Lynn from Tropic beauty products.
Venue - Parish Room
Drive to Glenarm along the A2 coast road from Ballygally and past St Patrick’s church on the road out of Glenarm towards Carnlough. Meet in the car park just past the church (beside the children’s play park and toilet block) at 6:50pm
Walk over the footbridge and over to the marina and then into the village, up Toberwine Street and on to the entrance to the forest. Walk the long loop around the forest following the red waymarkers and then back to the village. Look out for red squirrels on the walk.
Difficulty rating - 5
Distance - 6.5 km
Full day excursion.
Following the past three year’s very successful trips to Rathlin this will be another chance to explore more of the island. The bird sanctuary at the West Light should still be busy with birds although the breeding season is largely finished.
Various walking routes are available on the island and there is also an option to hire bicycles.
Visit the Rathlin Ferry website to book. Leaving Ballycastle on the 10:00 sailing and returning from Rathlin at 17:00. The ferry is free for those holding a valid travel pass.
Meet at the Minnowburn car park near Shaw’s Bridge at 6.50pm. Follow this link for full details - Giant’s Ring
Difficulty rating - 5
Distance - 6 km
Meet at the forest car park on the Upper Ballyboley Road at 6:50pm. Walk will be on forest tracks which can be rough in places.
Difficulty rating - 4
Distance - 7 km
Meet at the public car park just off the Croft Road in Carnlough at 6:50pm. Going through the village turn left at the Spar. Cross over the crossroads and drive up to the small roundabout. Turn left again and park in the car park at the end of this avenue. Starting to walk at 7:00 pm. This walk is almost a repeat of a previous year’s visit to Carnlough crossing below the cliff face and over the mine workings to the Croft Road and then back to the village. There are lovely views of Carnlough Bay from the mine workings.
Difficulty Rating - 4
Distance - 4 km
Drive to the National Trust car park at Minnowburn just off the Ballylesson Road near Shaw’s Bridge in Belfast. Walk starts at 7:00pm.
The walk will be along the River Lagan walking upstream up to and across the first footbridge, then back down the river to Clement Wilson park and on to the lock-keeper’s cottage before returning to the car park.
Length - 4 to 6 km dependent on the turning point.
Difficulty - 4 (a fairly flat route throughout)
Follow this link to WalkNI for a map of the Lagan Two Bridges Walk
Meet at the Redburn Country Park car park in Holywood at 6:50pm. This is located just off the Old Holywood Road and is close to Holywood Care Home. A steep ascent right from the start to the top of the park.
Difficulty rating - 8
Distance - 6 km
Drive to the Ards Shopping Centre just off the roundabout on the approach to Newtownards and meet beside KFC at 6:50pm. The walk begins at this car park.
Follow this link for more details on the area - Scrabo Hill
Difficulty rating - 7
Distance - 7 km
