THE CHURCH is no less subject to change than any other part of the community, and as lifestyles change the church has to adapt to meet new needs and challenges.
In the 1890s the Methodist Church established city missions in Dublin, Belfast and Derry whose social concern was expressed in providing food, clothing and fuel for poor people living in the poorer areas of the city centres. There are now five such organisations under the aegis of the church. In addition to the usual programmes of worship and church activities they operate much more varied programmes
One which made a radical change was the North Belfast Mission, which moved out of York Road to Rathcoole, and changed its name to the Newtownabbey Mission. It has a Friendship Centre which provides a venue with a variety of services for the elderly. For the same senior age group it gives a daily telephone call to those living alone, thus providing reassurance and care.
For the children there are parent and toddler groups. Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (Asist), which helps carers to recognise and respond to those at risk. The most recent addition to its programme has been the establishment of a weekly session of cognitive behaviour therapy, in which every place was immediately filled.
The Dublin Central Mission has changed its venue more than once, and in its Abbey Street premises now welcomes many newcomers to the city. It has formed an inter-racial and international community. Here too it has a weekly healing ministry. Its administration is now located in Sandymount, where it manages a nursing home, a day care centre, and an Alzheimer's centre. At its Clooney Centre the Londonderry City Mission has a family centre which addresses the local family problems highlighted by the Unicef report in February last year. It also works with the Surestart scheme, a government programme for families with children under four years of age, providing general health support, and speech and language therapies.
The Belfast Central Mission has been on the same site at Glengall Street for 80 years, but was rebuilt 10 years ago. On the ground floor it has a restaurant, The Scallop Shell, open to the public. One of its services to children is to provide summer holidays at Childhaven in Millisle.
The newest mission is that at east Belfast, which was founded in 1985. It has programmes for the homeless and the unemployed, operates meals on wheels and runs two charity shops.
Several of the missions have established sheltered housing for the elderly.
President of the Methodist Church, the Rev Roy Cooper will tomorrow preach at the churches in Donegal and Ballintra. On Saturday next he will participate in the Taizé Vigil Service at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, and on Sunday, April 27th will address the morning worship in the Jennymount church in Belfast.
From Monday, April 28th to Saturday, May 3rd he will join the two Archbishops of Armagh and the Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly in a visit to the Holy Land. This will be a pilgrimage and an expression of concern for those suffering the present conflict.
The morning worship to be broadcast by RTÉ Radio 1 on April 27th will be led by the Rev Richard Russell and the congregation of the church at Craigyhill in Larne.