Slideshows:
Below are a selection of slideshows showcasing some of our many events and activities. Please click on any of the images to see the slideshow in a larger format.
Children and Youth Work
At no other time has there been more pressure on our children and young people to conform to the pressures and influences of the world around them, at Living Hope we teach all the children and young people we work with that the best choice they can make is to follow God, that their lives have a purpose and that purpose is found in knowing God and making him known.
Mother and Toddler
Meeting every Monday morning from 10-12 the Mother and Toddler Group have a wonderful opportunity to come along and meet new friends in a safe environment where young ones get the chance to play, make crafts, dress up and enjoy a snack, for the mothers there is an opportunity for building new friendships and helpful advice on a range of issues to do with a mothers health and taking care of their little ones. Over the year there is the opportunity to go on exciting trips to fun places not forgetting a visit from Santa and a special graduation service at the end of the year. We give you a warm invitation to come and join us on Mondays anytime between 10 and 12.
Gillian Taylor, Maureen Newell & Terry Lavery
Crèche
Whist the services are happening on Sundays we run a crèche for those children aged between 2 and 7, here they get the opportunity to sing songs, learn bible
stories and make new friends. Parents
can relax and enjoy the service knowing
their children are being cared for and learning about the bible.
Patricia Francey & Sarah Reavey
Explosion
Explosion is the name of the Living Hope Youth Group that meets every Tuesday evening from 8.00-9.30pm for young people of secondary school age. We have between 40 and 45 attending weekly as we work through the ‘Youth Alpha’ course answering the question ‘Is there more to life?’, we believe there is for these young people and seek to show them a life of direction and development that can only be found in following God. Throughout the year the young people have the opportunity to get involved with the band, the drama group and volunteering their time in other activities within Living Hope Belfast. We also run 2 camps a year and several of the young people have had the opportunity to get involved in the ‘Worship Explosion’ Camp, this year held in County Tipperary. If you are a teenager looking for something to do, come on down to Living Hope on Tuesday evening.
Running every Tuesday afternoon from 2-4pm for those children living in the Lower Shankill community of primary school age. The After Schools Club has a range of the best of games for children to play such as Playstation 3, Nintendo WII, Snooker, Table Tennis and a variety of crafts and outdoor equipment. The children have the opportunity to learn how to play together and share in a safe environment.
KFC stands for Kids for Christ, the name of the Living Hope Kids Church meeting every Thursday evening from 7-8pm. In one hour we cram in lots of loud singing, prizes, messy games, memory verses, bible stories, object lessons, dramas and videos all with the aim of teaching children the greatest message of all. We believe that prevention is better than cure so we build into our weekly programme the simple yet greatest truth that ‘choose to live you life for God’.
We average around 120 children attending every week and throughout the year they get opportunities to go away for two weekends – one in October and one in May, as well as an invitation to the Living Hope Summer Play Scheme which has now been running for 8 years. We also give away advent calendars, Christmas Presents, Easter Eggs and at the end of May we have a special prize giving service in the Church where we reward all the children who have attended throughout the year. You are welcome to send your child on a Thursday evening as long as they are attending primary school, we have 2 buses that serve the mid Shankill area and Woodvale.
Deeper began in September 2006 after a number of young people had decided they wanted to go deeper in their Christian walk. The group meets on Friday evenings 3 times a year for 6 weeks at a time and it develops their study of the Bible, their prayer lives and their service as young people.
Athena Davis
Child Protection
Living Hope Belfast works with over 200 children and young people a week through the variety of activities mentioned above. All workers are police checked and vetted through Access Northern Ireland of which Living Hope Belfast are a registered organisation. We operate strict child protection guidelines and annually train and update our workers in child protection procedure. A copy of our policy is available to anyone interested.
