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Belfast Central Mission

Supporting those who need it most

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12/03/2010Richard's Ramblings - March 2010

I’m late! Normally it is my intention to have my reflections complete and on the BCM web-site by the 1st day of each month, and here it is nearly 2 weeks into March, and I’m only now writing. I suppose I could give a lot of excuses for the fact I’m late, and they would almost certainly be excuses most of you could identify with. But I won’t! Instead, the ...

16/02/2010Short Survey for the voluntary sector

BCM is considering the development of a maintenance and repairs service to be run as a social economy business in the Greater Belfast area. All profits would be used to enhance the services we currently offer to the vulnerable people with whom we work. Services could include: Handy person Housekeeping and cleaning Gardening Painting and decorating We’d ...

01/02/2010Richard's Ramblings - February 2010

Modern-day miracles do happen — it’s hard to believe that, weeks after the Haitian earthquake, people were still being found alive in amongst the rubble. In Australia we would sometimes hear incredible stories of people surviving the hardship of being lost in the desolate outback. At the other end of the spectrum of human activity, the vividness of pictures of drivers ...

15/01/2010Christmas 09 at BCM

BCM’s Christmas programme has enjoyed another extremely successful year. Every year we collect thousands of toys which are generously donated to us from the public. These are then distributed by us to those in need across Belfast. This year we gave out 1,830 toy parcels and 950 food parcels. These help to make a huge difference to many families lives over what should be a joyous and ...

22/12/2009Richard's Ramblings - January 2010

I’ve mentioned in my previous Ramblings a place we used to live called Mallacoota. Mallacoota was a lovely hide-away type town, nestled on the coast miles from anywhere else. About a mile out of town, a stream called the Betka River, flowed into the sea along a shallow winding course through the golden sands of the Betka Beach. I recall one year, early in January, when Wendy and ...

01/12/2009Giving Tree celebrates ten years

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Naomi Long, launched the Giving Tree’s 10th Anniversary at Marks and Spencer on 30th November 2009. The Giving Tree is an initiative devised by BCM (Belfast Central Mission) and St Vincent de Paul. The Giving Tree is covered in gift tags; each tag has the details of a child which is in need of a gift this Christmas. People simply come and pick a tag off ...

01/12/2009Richard's Ramblings - December

As Christmas fast approaches we are constantly reminded of the way in which a season that has at its heart reconciliation, hope and peace, has been claimed by commercial interests. Although I have no diary dates to consult, it seems that this year the focus on Christmas sales began even earlier than usual – perhaps it did as manufacturers and retailers struggle to make up for the ...

12/11/2009Mayor opens new Cafe Grosvenor

BCM (Belfast Central Mission) today opened their new and improved Café Grosvenor on Glengall St. The Café is committed to positive social change and all profits go towards the charitable work of BCM which aims to help those most in need in our society. BCM were delighted to welcome Lord Mayor Naomi Long to the opening where she indulged in some of the café’s delicious ...

09/11/2009Refurbished cafe opening

BCM's Scallop Shell cafe is being refurbished and reopening on Monday 9th November 2009 as cafe grosvenor. As before, all profits from the cafe will go to the charitable work of BCM. Why not come and enjoy one of our special opening offers.

03/11/2009Richard's Ramblings - November

“Life is precious.” Precious is not a word we hear used very often these days. The thought that springs most to mind is from the Lord of the Rings trilogy in which Smeagol/Gollum, desperate for the Ring utters, “My Precious, must have precious.” And those who are Lord of the Rings fans will know the single-minded attention to getting the Ring that consumes a ...

01/10/2009Richard's Ramblings - October

I have noticed that one of the differences between the Education system in Australia and here, is the way in which we deal with teaching Religious Education in Schools. In Australia, the classroom teacher is not allowed to reflect in any overt way a religious perspective or values system. In other words, the theory is that children will be educated in such a way that the material being ...

01/09/2009Richard's Ramblings - September

Hope is a strange thing. Without it life ceases to have any purpose and the process of living becomes a dreary affair as we plod from one day to the next. It is hope which encourages us to expect new possibilities in our lives. It is hope which instils promise into each new day. It is hope which enables us to believe that we can change, grow and develop in the ways in which we ...

01/08/2009Richard's Ramblings - August

I want to share with you some (slightly adapted) thoughts which occurred to me some years ago following one of our holidays while still living in Australia. I think we managed to cover most of south-eastern Australia in the three weeks we were away, travelling about 2000 miles by car! Although there is obviously much more to Australia than southern New South Wales and Victoria, travelling ...

29/07/2009Book one of our excellent Autumn Training Courses

BCM Autumn Training Courses BCM Training Services endeavour to assist you in addressing and meeting the challenges of training your staff by providing you with our quality range of courses, or, through bespoke programmes designed, tailored and complemented to meet your needs. All programmes can be delivered in BCM’s Grosvenor House, or in a venue suitable to your requirements. Our ...

01/07/2009Richard's Ramblings - July

I have had the privilege of living in many different places. I spent part of my childhood in coastal and highland Papua New Guinea;my teenage years on a dairy farm in Victoria, Australia;I was an Aircraft Engineer in Melbourne;I’ve lived in Australia’s Northern Territory, in a monsoonal paradise called Kakadu National Park; And as a Minister have ...

19/06/2009A good news story!

It’s been a tough year so far with so much talk of credit crunch and politician’s expenses. So, in an effort to lift the mood a little, we have decided to focus on what is good and positive. There are many good things about being connected with BCM in whatever capacity. Not least of these is the privilege of being part of a team which is clearly focused on ...

19/06/2009BCM's Roving Ambassador

It’s probable that by now you might have either heard of or maybe even met the Rev. Chris Fraser. But are you aware of what his role is within BCM? Part of his brief is to be a “Roving Ambassador”. It is his intention to be a face-to-face contact between local churches and BCM. So to that end, he is available to visit churches and share with them the great work ...

19/06/200950% off Conference room hire

An amazing 50% off all room hire is being offered by Grosvenor House Conference Centre for the months of July and August 2009. BCM’s Conference Centre, Grosvenor House, lies in the heart of the city’s commercial and arts quarter, just behind the Grand Opera House in Glengall Street. It houses a varied selection of conference suites, adaptable to many scales of event; from ...

03/06/2009BCM celebrates Volunteer Week!

BCM (Belfast Central Mission) rely heavily on their loyal vounteers to help out with their various projects. As a way of saying thank you, all the volunteers were treated to a great day out. They were brought to the UTV studios in Belfast were they went on a tour of the whole building. The volunteers saw all the studios, news rooms and even got to meet Pamela Balantine and see where Julian ...

01/06/2009Richard's Ramblings - June

While on holidays some time ago I read a story by Robert Ludlum called “The Matarese Circle”. One of the issues raised in this story related to the cost we might be prepared to pay in order to ensure world peace and a strong well functioning economic system. One particular group of people were of the opinion that the political system had outlived its usefulness and a (small) group ...

01/05/2009Richard's Ramblings - May

Some years ago we lived in an isolated community in Australia. The nearest place from which to buy electrical good – that had any range to speak of – was 4 hours drive away. Needless to say, every effort was made to keep old implements running. While we lived there, our washing machine decided it had done enough work! It has been leaking water for quite some time ...

08/04/2009Summer scheme befrienders needed

Would you like to do something worthwhile this summer? The Eagle Project is running a summer scheme for children with Autism and we need voluntary befrienders. If you have some experience of working with children and can spare two mornings or afternoons each week from mid July to the end of August please get in touch. (Over 18s only, car ownership an advantage).Support and training ...

01/04/2009Richard's Ramblings - April

I remember watching some of the T.V. shows years ago in which feuds were so deeply entrenched in the habits of warring families that it was impossible to ever sort out how the feud began, let alone why it continued. Both sides of these feuds were fundamentally convinced that it was the other side which was at fault. They seemed equally convinced that their action of retaliation against ...

12/03/2009BCM HQ staff raising money for Comic Relief

BCM HQ staff joined in the fun of Red Nose Day to raise funds for Comic Relief. Visitors to the cafe and conference centre were somewhat bemused to see strange looking individuals walking through the building in rather bizarre outfits. Comic Relief has recently given a substantial grant to fund some of BCM's work with vulnerable young people and staff were keen to 'give something ...

09/03/2009Gala Ball success

Saturday 7th March 09 marked a very special occasion for Belfast based EAGLE (Embracing Autism through Guidance Love & Education) project. The EAGLE parent support group held a Gala Ball at the Hilton Hotel to celebrate the wide range of work carried out by the group in helping children with autism and their families over the past four years. Compere for the evening was Tara Mills ...

02/03/2009Richard's Ramblings - March

It is amazing how our perception of reality manages to adapt to the situations in which we find ourselves. I find remarkable the way in which politicians, for instance, manage to recall past comments and their meanings in a completely different light to that which seems apparent to the rest of us. However to suggest that such inventive memory is confined to politicians would be ...

01/02/2009Richard's Ramblings - February

The year is well under way and life has begun to settle down into “normal” mode - whatever normal means! For some of us “normal” no doubt includes boredom, monotonous routine and daily drudgery. For others “normal” may include the excitement of new routines, new jobs, changed responsibilities and the hopes that accompany change. One thing about ...

20/01/2009Street collectors thanked

On a cold but dry Christmas Eve, young and not so young volunteers gathered in Belfast to collect for BCM in our traditional street collection. Many have been taking part in this annual event for many years while others came for the first time. It was humbling to see the dedication of each person who went out to collect donations from last-minute shoppers flocking to Belfast. ...

01/01/2009Richard's ramblings - January '09

Welcome to the New Year! It seems as if no time at all has passed and we are into a new year. I don’t know about you, but over the last few weeks of 2008 I had heard so many people say how quickly the year had flown by. I wonder whether we will find ourselves saying exactly the same thing at the end of 2009? I suppose there could be quite a few reasons for feeling the year just past ...

17/12/2008Richard's ramblings - December

Most days I check out the Australian news via emails from two Melbourne newspapers. Over recent weeks there have been articles about the rain that was so desperately needed having arrived. And yet, despite good rains the water reservoirs are still below the level they were at, at this time last year – and that was very low. The rains simply soaked into the parched soil and ...

08/12/2008Befrienders needed

As a development of our LITE 60+ Project, we are looking for volunteers to befriend older people in the community on a one-to-one basis. Training will be provided together with on-going guidance and support to help befrienders carry out their role. Out of pocket expenses are available. If you are over 21 years of age and would like to find out more please contact Janet at 90241917 or ...

08/12/2008Christmas Services

Grosvenor Hall Methodist Gift Service & Carols 14 Dec 11.00am Family Worship 21 Dec 11.00am Christmas Eve Communion 24 Dec 11.15pm Christmas Day Family Service 25 Dec 10.30am Sandy Row Methodist Gift Service 14 Dec 11.00am Community Carol Service 14 Dec 6.30pm (to be held at St Aidan’s Church of Ireland, Blythe St, Belfast) Carols by candlelight 21 Dec ...

01/12/2008Christmas at BCM

It’s that time again. The shops are filled with Christmas goodies and the pressure is on! Here at BCM, rooms have been booked for the storage and sorting of toys and food, lists compiled of families/people in need following hundreds of applications for assistance, and letters issued to organisations and individuals who have supported the programme so generously in the ...

23/10/2008Richard's Ramblings - November

Richard’s Ramblings… Just over a month ago major forest fires in California were in the news. Thinking about those fires which caused loss of life and property brought back to me an image from one of the houses we used to live in, in Australia. One morning as I stood at the kitchen window daydreaming whilst washing the dishes, I recall reflecting upon the beauty of the bush ...

01/10/2008Richard's Ramblings - October

One of my favourite pictures makes it to the centre of my thoughts at the moment. Every now and then I reflect back over experiences from each of the places I have lived. Again my thoughts turn to the small community of Mallacoota in far eastern Victoria, Australia. While living there some years ago, a man called Woody who was well known across the community died. Many members ...

09/09/2008BCM Training Services

An estimated 3 million people are employed in the health & social care sector across the UK. In Northern Ireland there are approximately 40,000 with one third working across statutory and criminal justice sectors and 27,000 in the voluntary and private sector. Government requirements for employers expect modernisation and increased standards of care, across all sectors, for service ...

05/09/2008100th birthday celebrations

Happy Birthday to Kirk House resident Ellen Kirker who reached the grand age of 100 on 16 August 2008! Friends and family gathered on the special day for a celebration lunch, complete with balloons and cake for the birthday girl. Kirk House (BCM’s residential accommodation for older people) has been home to the centenarian since October 2002. (L/R Brian Burns, (BCM), Ellen ...

05/09/2008Christmas dining at BCM

It may seem like a long way away, but try as you might to ignore it… Christmas is fast approaching! So rather than dwell on the copious hours that will be spent on frantic trips around heaving supermarkets, why not book your ’me time’ now and have lunch/dinner at BCM? See our Christmas menu, offering varied choices at competitive prices in the Scallop Shell at ...

26/08/2008Richard's Ramblings (September)

Fear of the unknown is an extremely powerful thing which often causes people to act in ways that to an objective observer seem unbelievable. Examples of this kind of fear are scattered throughout the pages of history, and still manage to affect our lives in many ways. Having spent most of my life in Australia, one example of unreasonable fear of the unknown that I’ve done some ...

11/08/2008Charity Football Match for EAGLE

On Sunday 10th August at Abbeyvilla Football Grounds, select teams from Millisle and Shankill Road, Belfast went head-to-head on the pitch to raise funds for children with autism. Organised by a dedicated and enthusiastic group comprising of local businesses and families that have benefited from the EAGLE service, the event followed on from the success of last year’s match which ...

01/08/2008Richard's Ramblings (August)

One of the places we lived in Australia was a little town of not much more than 1000 people called Mallacoota. Mallacoota was quite isolated, with the nearest bigger town being 1 ½ hours drive away. On occasions my work as a Minister meant I spent quite a bit of time travelling around some of the more remote areas surrounding Mallacoota. If Mallacoota was isolated, then the ...

10/07/2008Local band support the EAGLE Project

A massive thanks to one of West Belfast's up and coming young bands, Remote Assistance, who raised over £600 for the EAGLE Project at a recent gig in the Black Box. The night proved to be a huge success, and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. Our sincere appreciation to all the guys in the band, to Nuala for organising the ...

02/07/2008AXA Insurance sponsors Tea Dance

Another successful Tea Dance was held in Grosvenor Hall on Friday 27th June. The event was sponsored by AXA Insurance and four volunteers from the local office helped out. (Deborah Mercer (not shown), Lynn Mercer, Sian Reid and Marianne Cathcart (l to r) and Janet Sewell, BCM. Over 100 older people danced the afternoon away before indulging in tasty refreshments prepared by ...

02/07/2008New service for older people is launched

A new service helping older people in South and East Belfast has been officially launched by BCM (Belfast Central Mission). LITE 60+ will support local people over the age of 60yrs who need help to continue to live in their own homes. Services provided include help with the maintenance, safety and security of their home, help with benefits as well as other practical and emotional ...

01/07/2008Richard's Ramblings (July)

One of the things I don’t miss about the places we lived in Australia are the spiders! In most of the places we lived, spiders seemed to flourish. I’ve mentioned Mallacoota before in my Ramblings, and it features again in my memories of spiders. We moved into a house in Mallacoota that had just been re-roofed, and with the disturbance of the roof came an unbelievable ...

13/06/2008BCM Volunteers at the Palace

Ernie and Kathleen Whitten represented BCM’s volunteers at a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the 5th anniversary of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

13/06/2008Happy Birthday LITE Project!

May 2008 was a month for celebration as the LITE Project 16-25 in North Down and Newtownards celebrated its third birthday. Working with vulnerable young local people aged 16-25 yrs, the staff have successfully equipped more than eighty with the skills they need to live independently. Dave James who coordinates the scheme says, “These young people come from a variety of difficult ...

01/06/2008Richard's Ramblings (June)

Richard’s Ramblings… Unlike now where I largely work from the BCM offices, for most of my ministry I have worked from home. There are privileges attached to working from home! I recall a day when we were living in a seaside town in Australia called Mallacoota. My desk faced my office window, and when thoughts were a little slow in coming, I would often find myself ...

13/05/2008Kirk House spring fayre, another great day

Kirk House Residential Home held its annual spring sale on Saturday 10th May. It was a bright sunny morning and the crowds flocked in to sample the delights of the bric-a-brac and cake stalls and to enjoy a cup of tea.

01/05/2008Richard's Ramblings (May)

"Hey! You did a real good job at that!" "I get a real kick out of seeing the way you relate to your children!" "Your home is a great place to visit. I always feel welcome!" "Being with you makes me feel important, useful!" "You have a way of making people around you feel better after being with you!" "It's ...

01/04/2008Richard's Ramblings (April)

A few months back I calmly identified the Sat Nav that was ideal for my needs, so that it could be given to me for my birthday. It cost a little over £200 — well it wasn’t that calmly actually. There was a lot of humming and haa-ing and agonising over the decision as to which Sat Nav would be most suitable and whether the cost was justified. In fact all the review ...

07/03/2008IFA Conference attracts big names

Grosvenor House was buzzing today as we hosted the prestigious Conference for 'Football without Frontiers' being run by the Irish Football Association (IFA). The event was attended by several hundred football fans and volunteers and a list of well known faces from the world of football including Brian Hamilton, Ian Rush, Graham Taylor, Brian Kerr and Craig Brown. The conference was ...

06/03/2008Holidays for older people

Every year BCM (Belfast Central Mission) runs four holidays for older people. Each holiday lasts for seven days and takes place at Childhaven, BCM’s holiday centre on the coast at Millisle.This year’s holidays will take place:- 23 - 28 May, 6 - 13 June, 24 June - 1 July, 3 -10 July. Cost per holiday - £175 per person (full board) Come & join us for fun, ...

01/03/2008Richard's Ramblings (March)

As many would know I come from Australia. In one of my appointments as a Minister in Australia I had to travel on average 650 miles per week. Much of this driving was along remote country roads. I recall on one occasion, whilst travelling home from a city called Traralgon around dusk, seeing many kangaroos and wallabies along the roadside. Thankfully none were too close to the ...

26/02/2008IFA to hold Conference at Grosvenor House

Grosvenor House Conference & Training Centre is looking forward to welcoming a host of football celebrities on 7 March 2008 as they gather for the Football without Frontiers Community Champions Conference. Grosvenor House is delighted to have been chosen as the venue for this prestigious event and preparations are well underway for welcoming a host of ...

28/01/2008Richard's Ramblings...

After a short break, Pause for Thought makes a reappearance on the Web site in a different guise. Having now been at BCM for almost 6 months, I still feel as though I’m the New-Boy on the block. Almost weekly I become aware of some new aspect to BCM’s work, or gain a clearer understanding of the intricacies of particular projects. It is an exciting and encouraging place to ...

25/01/2008Kirk House celebrates

Every year both residents and staff approach Christmas with eager anticipation and Christmas 2007 was the same as usual with one exception. Indeed it was a season of mixed blessings because Kay Richardson (Senior Care Worker, on the left of the picture) was retiring after 14yrs at Kirk House and the Christmas lunch was our opportunity to say farewell to her. Everyone enjoyed a lavish meal, good ...

25/01/2008Christmas at Quayside

A group of young people at Quayside organised a fantastic Christmas dinner for 14 service users in our area. The dinner took place on 14th Dec in Newtownards Methodist church hall. It was thoroughly enjoyed with a real turkey meal (courtesy of M&S), wonderful roasties (courtesy of BCM) and yummy cheesecake and pavlova (courtesy of Dermot and Rena). The young people who attended ...

11/01/2008Christmas Eve Street Collection

Another very successful street collection took place in Belfast in aid of BCM on 24th December 2007 and raised a total of £9,013.47. It was a cold but dry December day and volunteer collectors turned out in force before hurrying home to carry out their final preparations for Christmas day. Our sincere thanks go to all those who donated, collected, counted or helped in any other ...

11/01/2008Christmas Review

Christmas at BCM was a very busy time as we prepared to gather in, sort and distribute food and toys for those in need throughout the local community. Donations were received from churches, schools, local businesses and individuals and we were delighted and humbled by the generosity shown by so many people. The Giving Tree in Marks & Spencer, Belfast (run jointly with Society of ...

14/11/2007Christmas 2007 at BCM

Yes it’s that time again, and try as you might to ignore it….Christmas is fast approaching! You’d be forgiven for wondering where the past year has gone yet preparations for BCM’s hectic Christmas schedule got underway many months ago. Last year’s programme proved very successful with 1255 children receiving toy parcels and over 700 food hampers ...

23/10/2007BCM & SVP Sponsored Walk

Saturday 13 October saw people from various ‘walks’ of life put their best foot forward for charity at the BCM & St Vincent de Paul ‘Walk the Talk’ sponsored event. In aid of local people in need, the cross-community walk celebrated the close working partnership between the two organisations. Over 50 individuals braved the route at Belvoir Forest Park, ...

02/10/2007Generous donation for EAGLE

A massive thank-you to Isabella Carr and everyone at the Nazareth House Care Home who raised £255 on behalf of the EAGLE Project. The generous donation will go towards supporting children with autism and their families. L-R Lizzy Scott (EAGLE Project Worker), Heather Taylor (Project Manager), and Isabella Carr.

17/09/2007Goals Galore at EAGLE Football Match

Abbeyvilla Football Grounds was the place to be on Sunday 9th September, as select teams from Millisle and Belfast went head-to-head to raise funds for the EAGLE Project. The event was organised by a dedicated and enthusiastic group which comprised of families that had availed of the EAGLE service, and representatives from local businesses. Ticket sales and sponsorship for the match, ...

23/08/2007Summer Appeal

Our Summer Appeal is now online. If you would like to donate to the work of BCM you can either click on DONATE at the top of the page or click here for further information on other ways to make a donation. Thank you.

17/08/2007A new Superintendent at BCM

August 2007 saw a new addition to the BCM family as Rev Richard Johnston stepped into the role of Superintendent. Prior to BCM, Richard spent five years at Centenary in Dublin. Originally from Australia, he was ordained in December 1991 and had a number of appointments, the first of which was a three-year placement at Rupanyup in rural Victoria. The small isolated town community of ...

17/08/2007Summer Holidays at BCM

The Summer season has always been an eventful time at BCM and this year has been no different! A series of four one-week trips took place over May and June at the Mission’s Childhaven Centre, catering for 77 older people, after which the children’s holiday programme took over. With the help of dedicated volunteers and following months of preparation and planning, young and ...

09/07/2007Scallop Shell gets Four Stars!

We are delighted to announce that the Scallop Shell Restaurant has recently been awarded four stars in Belfast City Council's Scores on the Doors scheme. Any business selling food is given a 'star' rating to show how well they comply with food safety standards, five being the highest. The Scallop Shell was established in 1997 and has been a popular eating place for many local business people ...

28/06/2007Floating Support update

As mentioned briefly in January’s In Focus, BCM has received funding to develop a new community based Floating Support service for older people in South Belfast. Floating Support services are a relatively new idea. They seek to provide housing related support to people in their own homes and BCM already runs the LITE Project which is Floating Support for young people. This new ...

27/06/2007The heart of BCM

Our website aims to give you a picture of the work which is going on throughout BCM. You may wonder why we do it. The secret lies in the fact that at the very heart of BCM there is a worshipping, praying, lively congregation for whom Grosvenor House is spiritual home. God has called us to be a place of welcome, worship and support in Belfast City Centre and we share the news of His ...

27/06/2007Goodbye Donald Ker

It is with our best wishes that we say farewell to Rev Donald Ker, Superintendent of BCM since June 2003, as he moves on to his new post within the Methodist Church in Ireland. It’s been a very busy four years for Donald since he came to join us. In a statement made in the Sept ‘03 issue of In Focus, he stated that he was “...very excited, and a little ...

12/06/2007Note from Gerry

(taken from justgiving.com website and written by Gerry – the intrepid cyclist himself). “Update: Sun 27th May - Done and Dusted.....866 Miles : Fastest Day - Day 1 - average speed 16.5 miles per hour Most Miles in one Day - Day 5 - 126 .18 - she lied where the Hotel was! Longest Day - The last! - 7 Hours 47 mins - I wasn't going to get back on ...

01/06/2007Pause for thought - Monkey or cat?

Should you ever find yourself in the Abbey Church on the island of Iona in Western Scotland you’ll sense that you’re entering a building which has been a house of worship for centuries. There’s a special little detail up towards the front of the church. High up in the old stone-work one of the masons who first built the abbey must have felt like having a fun day. On one of the ...

01/05/2007Pause for thought - "Love your enemies"

These are interesting times in Northern Ireland where we work. Politicians who seem to have hated one another for generations are working together in government. In time we’ll see how effective they are but for now we see new relationships forming where before they didn’t exist. Change at a political level makes us think again about change at a personal level, and we listen again to ...

24/04/2007Volunteers needed for summer months

Would you like to do something worthwhile with your spare time this summer? The EAGLE Project is running a summer scheme for children with autism and we need volunteer befrienders. If you have some experience of working with children and can spare two mornings or afternoons each week from mid-July to the end of August please get in touch. (OVER 18's ONLY, car ownership an ...

24/04/200710,000 raised by local people at the Park Centre

Over the last two years, visitors to the Park Centre have been digging deep to help local children with autism. The EAGLE Project has been the Centre’s chosen Charity of the Year since April 2005 and visitors to the mall have donated £10,000 to the project. A ‘Thanks & Farewell’ event, which included balloon modelling and face-painting, was held last week to mark ...

02/04/2007Easter Pause for Thought - Don't be afraid

You would be surprised at how often those words are spoken by the risen Jesus when meeting with his disciples. Maybe they remind us that, while Easter is a joyful time of hope and celebration, it’s a time when we can also know fear. This may sound strange, particularly if spring days are sunny. We sing and enjoy the Easter hymns of course; (there’s a lovely line in an Easter poem ...

29/03/2007Football pays a dividend for BCM

What a successful night! Ten enthusiastic volunteers held a street collection outside the grounds of Windsor Park in Belfast, prior to the European Cup qualifier between N Ireland and Sweden. It was a successful night, not only for the home team but also for the dedicated collectors who raised a massive total of £1,073 towards the work of BCM. Our sincere thanks to those who ...

13/03/2007New service for older people

BCM has received funding to develop a new community based support service for older people in South and East Belfast. The Project aims to empower and support older people to remain independent in the community and continue to live in their own homes for as long as possible. The Project will be delivered in partnership with South and East Belfast Trust and is funded by the Northern ...

13/03/2007Kirk House - a well run unit!

In October 2006, Kirk House had its Annual Inspection carried out by the Registration and Quality Improvement Authority (N Ireland). While we have come to expect plenty of plaudits for Kirk House over the years, it is always very satisfying to have the standard of care on offer endorsed by an independent body. The Inspector was full of praise for the sterling work carried out by the Manager ...

13/03/2007Pause for Thought - Who are you?

Have you ever noticed the special bond which can grow between grandchildren and their grandparents? Grandchildren show a freshness and energy which grandparents enjoy, while grandparents have time to share and stories to tell. It’s important for grandchildren to hear the stories of their grandparents. The knowledge, memories and lore which have played a part in shaping one generation after ...

22/02/2007President visits BCM

President Mary McAleese (President of Ireland) visited BCM today. Already well known for its cross-community work since the early 1900’s, BCM (Belfast Central Mission) recently came to the President’s attention because of its work with vulnerable young people. President McAleese was formally welcomed to BCM by Rev Donald Ker, Superintendent, and Brian Burns, ...

05/02/2007Pause for Thought - the mystery of God

In BCM, as in any organisation which seeks to offer care and support, we have a number of structures and systems, and we seek to keep up to date with best practice. Policies, procedures, health and safety alertness, risk assessments and audits of various types are all important when a number of people seek to work together and use resources. In this culture we’re particularly good at ...

11/01/2007Job vacancies at BCM

Check out our latest job vacancies. Click here.