MC CRACKEN CHRON CLE
Easter 2020
Northern Ireland Charity Number NIC104215
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Church Office 90683201
mccrackenmemorial@gmail.com
www.mccrackenchurch.com
LETTER FROM BA RRY
Dear Friends,
?Thanks be to God. He gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.?
This is going to be a very different Easter. But
let me remind you of the very first Easter and
that little community of anxious believers,
shut-in behind locked doors, afraid to venture
out, not because of a pandemic, but because
of fear of persecution, maybe even fear of
Jesus.
When Jesus, their Master had been arrested
and tried, His followers, although they had
sworn their allegiance to Him, quickly scattered
and fled in fear that they themselves would
also be arrested along with Him. Their fear greatly increased as they heard the
eye-witness accounts of what had happened the next day when Jesus was horribly
and unjustly crucified outside the city walls. And then on the third day of their
isolation, these confusing reports of an empty tomb.
But the disciples?social distancing proved to be no barrier for the Risen Jesus. Jesus
appeared right in their midst. He stood among them and instead of rebuking or
condemning them said, ?Peace be with you.? He forgave them and blessed them
and reinstated them and some weeks later empowered and emboldened them by
giving them His Holy Spirit.
It is this same Holy Spirit who has empowered and strengthened God?s people
down through the centuries through all kinds of hardships and challenges from
persecutions to pandemics, from world wars, to natural disasters. And as the Spirit
enabled, so Christians have born witness to the power and reality of the Christ who
is Risen, through their faith, love, hope, and service.
Someone shared with me recently about the Christians of the Bavarian town of
Oberammergau in present day Germany. During 2 the terrible bubonic plague of the
17th century the people of this village began to pray earnestly for God?s deliverance
and together pledged that if God spared them they would witness to the power of
God in the Easter story by staging a Passion Play every decade. The play has
continued for all these years, drawing a crowd from all over the world, and
involving a cast of thousands, half the town. You have to be a resident of
Oberammergau for at least twenty years to get a part on-stage or back-stage.
This year ironically it has had to be cancelled due to another pandemic, although
the organisers are confident of being able to stage it again in 2022.
It?s a useful and rather poignant reminder of how those who have gone before us
turned to God in prayer in times of crisis, and witnessed to the power of Christ?s
death and resurrection which they themselves had genuinely experienced in those
challenging times. This week our church leaders have together made a united call
to all of us to pray on Palm Sunday 5 th April between 3 and 4pm asking God to
deliver our land and our world.
We too can be confident this Easter that, like He did for the first little church, the
Risen Jesus can still come to meet with us behind our closed doors. We can be full
of hope that, with God?s help, as a Church we will come through this challenging
time to once again physically, joyfully, worship together as a witness to his Easter
resurrection power in our lives.
Let?s use the time at home to pray this Easter for one another, for our world, as
well as for ourselves, that God would not just give us victory in this battle against
?coronavirus?, but that we might know in a fresh way His victory and peace in our
own lives, and meet Him afresh.
Christ is Risen!
CONGREGA TIONA L RECORD
At rest
18th January Christine Biggart
12th February Nancy Watters
15th February Fred Stinson
17th February Elizabeth Armstrong
THA NK S
FOR
THE
FLOWERS
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March:
Audrey Glasgow
Yvonne Jones
Ruby Moore.
Eunice Rankin
Flower Committee Member
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4
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5
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M EET A N ELDER
Tell m e a lit t le bit about yourself.
I was born in the early 1950?s to good traditional
Presbyterian farming stock in South Antrim.
Childhood activities centred around the farm, the
seasons and lots of illegal underage tractor driving!
My parents were both actively involved with the
church but it was the humble unwavering faith of my
mother which still evokes so many memories. As was
the norm at that time Sunday revolved around
church attendance plus morning and afternoon
Sunday School. I was a member of the Life Boys and
then the Boys Brigade until I went to Ballyclare High
where the attraction of their Scout Troop proved too
strong and my time in the BB came to an end. After
deciding that I didn?t want to pursue a university
degree or a farming career I found myself training as an accountant and most of my jobs
since have revolved around accountancy and finance. Through work I met Marie and
after we married we went to live in Lisburn where we both worked at the time and
moved to our present home 40 years ago from where we will hopefully be moving soon
to the leafy avenues of BT9.
What about your journey in fait h, w hen did you first becom e a Christ ian?
I don?t remember a time when I wasn?t involved with the church and church organisations
to some extent. I was a Sunday school teacher and a member of church committee but
as the years passed I felt less and less connected to the Church and its relevance to daily
life. However approx. 10 years ago for one of Alex Wimberley?s ?bring a friend to church?
services Julie and Alastair (Dick) invited us along to McCracken and immediately I felt that
there was something different about this place, somewhere I could connect to, where the
message preached and practised was relevant for the 21st century and the world we live
in and, as the saying goes, the rest is history.
Couple of quick quest ions, w hat 's your favourit e hym n?
There are so many beautiful hymns in our hymn book all of which sound the better when
sung in a well filled church but it is hard to go past the 23 rd Psalm either the traditional
rendition or one of the more modern versions or Praise
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My Soul the King of heaven.
Any favourit e Bible Passage?
Again so many passages for so many occasions but I Corinthians 13, faith, hope and love
sums up so well what a Christian faith should mean and Luke 5, and Jesus?challenge to
the disciples to try fishing in deep waters, is just as relevant to us today as it was to the
disciples 2,000 years ago.
Finally, t ell us som et hing t hat t he congregat ion w ouldn't know about you, any
secret s or guilt y pleasures? For relaxation I like nothing better than some serious DIY,
be it a bit of building, some painting, plumbing, tiling or a few electrical repairs.
ELDER IAN MAWHINNEY
STA YING FIT IN
LOCK -DOWN
St aying Fit in Lock-Dow n, Spirit ually, Em ot ionally and Physically!
Social Media for some is proving to be a something of a life-line at this time, a great way
of constantly feeling in touch with others, besides phone calls. All of us are different,
some are quite happy with their own company, some have lots of hobby?s and skills to
which they can turn their attention. For others that element of social interaction is really
important to get them through the day.
All of us, however need a balance of activities each day which we normally get without
having to think about it, but when we?re shut in of course we need to be more intentional
about keeping the mix right. It?s important that we don?t spend most of the day listening
to the news, and that equally we don?t occupy our minds all day with social media. Yes
use it, but for your emotional wellbeing it?s good to take a break from it and from the
news and do something relaxing, something distracting. Go out into the garden, listen to
a nice piece of music, sing a song of praise, pray and reflect on God?s Word to you today.
Things that are good for the soul.
To stay well spiritually it?s important that we take time to read the Bible and allow God to
speak to us. Use the time to deepen your own relationship with God. Some are happy
simply to read through their Bible book by book, chapter, by chapter which is great.
Others like to use a daily devotional book to guide them in their Bible reading and prayer.
Some of these are available online in different formats such as:
Every Day w it h Jesus - Available to purchase and read on Kindle.
Daily Bread ? Also available for Kindle.
Tides ? a resource produced by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland that can be sent daily
to your email. To sign up go to:
https://www.presbyterianireland.org/Resources/Prayer/TIDES.aspx
UCB Word for Today ? A free daily reflection which you can set up to be delivered to
your email inbox. To sign up go to: https://www.ucb.co.uk/myaccount
Alpha ? Bible in One Year App (BIOY) ? a series of 7 Bible readings each day with some
commentary which is available as a downloadable App.
If you would like help with accessing any of these feel free to contact me.
It?s also important of course to stay fit physically and keep moving as best we can.
Someone kindly informed me of a helpful YouTube Video by Joe Wickes (P.E. With Joe)
who sets a short daily exercise routine, one for younger generations and one for seniors.
They must have thought I could with it. You?ll not know me when you see me again!!
Stay well,
BARRY MCCROSKERY
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DID YOU K NOW?
ZOOM !
Plat form : Zoom
What It Is: Video and/or audio conferencing call for 40 minutes (on the free plan) for
up to 100 participants.
Requirem ent s:
-A smartphone, iPad, or computer with internet access. (If using a smartphone or iPad,
please download the Zoom Cloud Meetings App from the App Store)
Quick How -To:
-For Leaders:
oSet Up:
1. On a computer, create a zoom account by going to zoom.us and
following the directions with your email address. Basic Accounts are
free.
2. Once you have created your account, you can schedule a meeting
by clicking the ?Schedule a Meeting? link in blue on the top of your
screen.
a. When you create your meeting, please enter the parameters
you require for your meeting ? time, duration, etc.[note: there is a
limit to 40 minutes for a free account. If you need longer than 40
minutes, you will need to schedule 2 meetings, go for 40 minute on
the first meeting, close out, then re-connect to the second meeting]
b. The zoom system will default to automatically generate a
?Zoom ID.? This is the code your participants will enter to
virtually join the meeting at the designated time.
c.We recommend that you turn the video component of your
meeting ?ON? for both hosts (leaders) and participants. Seeing
each others faces can help us feel a little more sane and
connected.
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d. The audio will work best when through a computer ? make
sure people have their sound on!
3. Once your meeting has been created, you can send your meeting
information to your participants via calendar invite (Google, Outlook
or Yahoo), or by copy and pasting the Join URL and Meeting ID into an
email.
Click here to watch a one minute tutorial video on how to create a Zoom Meeting
o Running the Meeting:
-For Participants:
1. To start your meeting, log into your zoom account and click on ?My
Account? in blue in the upper right hand corner.
2. Click the ?Meetings? link on the left side of your screen, under the Personal
Tab.
3. You can see your list of upcoming meetings here. Select the meeting you
want, then click the button labeled START.
4. If on a computer, a pop up should say ?Allow access for zoom.us? ? click
allow (or yes).
5. If on a computer, select join using the Computer Audio.
6. If on an iPad or Phone, you will want to download the Zoom Cloud Meetings
App from the app store for the best access.
7. If on an iPad or Phone, allow access for the camera and microphone for full
access to your meeting.
8. Congrats! You are now logged into the meeting! Make sure your sound and
video are turned on. You can set your microphone to ?mute? that will mute
your ability to be heard, but you will still be able to hear anyone in the group
not on mute.
1. Open the email you received from your small group leader.
2. If you will be joining the meeting through a phone or iPad, please download
the Zoom Cloud Meetings app in the app store.
3.Click on the link labeled ?Join Zoom Meeting.? The link should start with
https://zoom.us/....
4. When prompted, enter the Meeting ID given to you by your leader.
a. If on a computer, a pop up should say ?Allow access for zoom.us? ?
click allow (or yes).
b. If on a computer, select join using the Computer Audio.
c. If on an iPad or Phone, the meeting should open in the Zoom app.
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d. If on an iPad or Phone, allow access for the camera and microphone
for full access to your meeting.
5. Congrats! You are now logged into the meeting! Make sure your sound and
video are turned on. You can set your microphone to ?mute? that will mute
your ability to be heard, but you will still be able to hear the leader and those
not on mute.
Click here to watch a one minute tutorial video on how to join a Zoom Meeting.
BETHA N DILLON
BITS A ND
THE DRA M A SOCIETY
After twenty-five years as
founder and producer of the
Drama Society, Eileen Lamb
has decided to retire. We
thank her for all her hard
work and "encouragement"
over the years.
It was great to have excellent
audiences at "Strictly for the
Birds" especially as we had to
10 bring in extra chairs on the
last night. We thank you for
your support especially as
money raised goes to
charities both at home and
abroad. We are particularly
proud of the McCracken House which was built in Sri Lanka and given to a family as their
home.
Some of the actors are also retiring so here is an opportunity for new members to take to
the stage. Please let us know if you are interested in joining Drama in September.
PIECES
STRICTLY FOR THE BIRDS,
ULSTER TA TLER
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10
16
K IDS CORNER
To get more copies follow us on
www.mccrackenchurch.com/news
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