Quaker Ministries in Northern Ireland - Part 5 "Moyallon Centre" . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV




Moyallon Centre

During the second week of the Pilgrimage we stayed at Moyallon Centre, in the Armagh countryside, near Portadown, in Northern Ireland. Moyallon was our base for the week for sleeping, breakfast and some of our evening meals - including two evenings when we hosted 'shared meals' with some of our Ulster Friends, relaxing and personal and group reflection.


View of our 'neighbors' from
my bedroom window

The building itself is relatively new having just opened in April of 2006. It's an absolutely lovely, modern 'purpose-built' facility and yet at the same time it is very simplistic in many ways. This centre is perfect for retreats or residential meetings as well as camp. The first floor has the office, restrooms, a lobby area, meeting room, dining room and kitchen. Upstairs there are lovely four and six bedded ensuite rooms which accommodate up to 62 guests.



Lobby area

The lobby area was a place for us to gather, first thing in the morning, after breakfast before we took off for the day, when we returned from our day trips and after dinner. That is where we would sit and connect to the wifi - to check emails, Facebook and other sites. In other words, the place where we could 'keep-in-touch' with family and F/friends back home and with some of our Irish Friends. I sat here each morning and evening working on my blog posts, I admit a bit longer and later than I should have too many nights, but it was quiet and there was a lovely view of the flower bed just outside the doors.


Hanging out in the kitchen

There is a nice sized, fully equipped, kitchen - where we had plenty of room for all six of us to gather to cook together and clean-up after meals. Amazing how Friends seem to spend so much time gathered together in kitchens cooking and in conversation together - one of the ties that binds us together.
 

The dining room was also a good sized with plenty of room for us to entertain our visiting Friends. The tables and chairs in the dining room, we were told, came from the restaurant that Richhill Friends Charles G & Emma Lamb had. We had heard about their restaurant and I enjoyed hearing that's where these furnishings had come from - glad to see that they had been able to re-purpose these items.





Dinner with some of
our Ulster Friends

We invited local Ulster Friends to join us two evenings, while we were there, for 'shared meals.' We didn't know who was going to show up, so this was always a pleasant surprise to see who came to share with us. As is typical of pitch-ins at my local Meeting, we were not lacking for something to eat at either of these and we had an odd but good assortment of foods, typical of our Monthly Meeting Meals, and we all managed to find  more than enough to eat. Tuesday evening seven Friends, from six different Meetings and Thursday evening eleven Friends, from five different Meetings, came to Moyallon and joined us for food and fellowship. What a wonderful blessing these gatherings were for each of us.


Two of our Ulster Friends

I enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about our Irish Friends, the Meetings they represented and also a bit about some of them individually. Friends in Ireland have a long and interesting history. In return, they also learned a bit more about each of us, our Meetings and the journey we were on. Some of our Irish Friends asked us some pretty tough questions, making me really think and dig deep for answers. We had some individual conversations around the table but also got into some larger group conversations as well. I certainly enjoyed the good food and the fellowship we shared.

 

My bed

We were the only guests that week, and we each had our own room (with 3 bunk beds) and bathroom. This was nice as I know I was able to spread out a bit and I wasn't rushed getting up and ready in the morning and I didn't disturb anyone when I'd come up late to go to bed. It was nice to have my windows open all day and night for the fresh air. I found it interesting that there were no screens on the windows, not just at Moyallon, but anywhere we went. I almost expected to walk into my room or get awakened at night by something flying around my room - but that never happened. 



Wallhanging
in the stairway

Hanging on the wall in the stairway is a lovely wallhanging. When we were over walking through the Moyallon Meetinghouse we were told the story behind this wallhanging - the significance of the fern and window in the center and the red 'bricks' along the border. There is the scripture quote at the top "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10. And a quote from George Fox across the bottom "There is one even Christ Jesus that can speak to thy condition." I found it interesting that these two pieces were together on this one wallhanging. The scripture quote was used recently as the theme for USFWI (United Society of Friends Women International) and the quote is one from George Fox that I hear often.


Path in the woods

I think that what I enjoyed the most about Moyallon Centre was the peace and quiet I found there. The Centre sits way back off the road, back behind the Moyallon Meeting House. There are fields on two sides and a cemetery on the other. Often one or more of us would venture outside and walk around the grounds, often with a camera in our hands. I often found myself sitting in quiet reflection, walking around outside, sitting in the lobby or my room. It was so easy to just get lost in my thoughts and tune everything and everyone else out. While at Moyallon, in the quietness I found time to write and publish five posts to my blog.

I included the words to the Moyallon Camp grace in one of my previous posts, but feeling I should post them here again. The words just seem to keep growing on me, the more I read them. I'm still looking for the tune. This grace has been sung before each meal at every camp since 1934 . . . I love that sort of history:

 

'He giveth heavenly measure

Pressed down and running o're.

O what a priceless treasure,

Glory for evermore!

He supplies my every need,

He supplies my every need.

I do believe and His love receive.

He supplies my every need.'

 

Moyallon Centre certainly is very warm and inviting and I enjoyed the time I had there to sit and reflect back on where I had been and what I had done. I remember one of the local Friends, who works with Moyallon, telling us that they actually have more non-Quaker groups using the facilities than Quaker groups - which makes this such a wonderful ministry. What a blessing Moyallon Centre is . . . not just to the Irish Friends but also to visiting Friends, like our group, and their community!



Sunset at Moyallon Centre

 




Quaker Ministries in Northern Ireland - Part 4 "Bessbrook" . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV



 

Our 'host'

We visited Bessbrook, a historic Quaker planned mill community in Northern Ireland. I really enjoyed this visit very much, from seeing one of the homes, complete with a lovely fire burning in the fireplace, and hearing about how life would have been. To me, this was very much like a visit to Conner Prairie here in Indiana - historical pioneer village set back in the year 1865. Our host for this is a member of Bessbrook Friends Meeting. 



Number 6,
College Square
East

Our visit took us to 'Number 6, College Square East.' It was built and first occupied in 1881, and has been acquired by Bessbrook Development Company and restored to its original lay-out. It has been furnished to show the living arrangements of a 'late Victorian linen-mill worker's family.' According to the plaque by the front door.

Kitchen -
looking in
from the
backyard

Front room on
the ground floor

There were just 3 small rooms on the ground floor - a sitting room in the front and a small 'mother-in-laws' room and kitchen area in the back. Upstairs there were two rooms - one across the front, about the same size as the sitting room below, and one across the back, about the size of the two rooms below it. Not all of the rooms had 'proper' furnishings in them, expect they might be a bit hard to come by, and they were using the 'mother-in-laws' room for an office and the backroom upstairs had a display case and several old photographs on the walls - a kind of museum setting along with some boxes. What was there was very sparse furnishing and I expect there wouldn't have been much more when the family lived there.



Bessbrook
Meetinghouse

After seeing and hearing about how life would have been, we drove over to Bessbrook Meetinghouse where we were warmly welcomed by several members of the Meeting, and the granddaughter of one of the members, and enjoyed cups of tea and some delicious biscuits and wonderful conversation.



Conversation
in the
Meetingroom

Our host then paired us up with a member of the Meeting for some one on one conversation. After a bit, we all moved into the Meetingroom for a bit of conversation followed by 15-20 minutes of worship.





Tea and biscuits
waiting for us

Clerk of Bessbrook Meeting signing 
my 'Letter of
Introduction'

Quaker Ministries in Northern Ireland - Quaker Service - Part 3 . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV


Quaker Service sign

Wednesday, July 31st - We visited the Monica Barritt Visitors' Centre at Maghaberry Prison.



Children's playroom

When we first arrived we had a few minutes to look around the Visitors' Centre and then we went and sat down with several staff members and learned about the services offered and some of the obstacles that they face over tea and biscuits. We then went over to the building next door that houses the Quaker Connections programme.

The Visitors' Centre is located in the car park, approximately 400 yards from the main entrance to the prison. The Centre supports the families and friends of prisoners, when they come to visit, providing a range of services within it's safe, friendly and non-judgmental environment - a place where all are made to feel welcome. The Visitors' Centre works in partnership with the Northern Ireland Prison Service and other agencies.



Kitchen

Services provided in the Visitor's Centre include: information and advice, family induction, non-directive counseling, advocacy, café and tea bar, child care, shuttle bus to the prison and also from the local bus station to the Visitors' Centre.  Other services provided include child centred visits and family focus weeks within the prison.
 



Display in Quaker Connections area

Quaker Connections is a new volunteer programme based at Maghaberry Prison. It provides further support to those in custody and their families. There are various volunteer opportunities available with Quaker Connections. One can volunteer to be a member of the befriending team for isolated inmates, those inmates who don't have any visitors, or the family support team. They also have opportunities to work with their Alternatives to Violence Project and children's work.

Some of the staff

I was concerned to hear that the inmates are given the first and last name of the volunteer that has befriended them. I can understand that the Quaker Connections staff needs the full name of the volunteers and the Prison staff - to run background checks, but the inmates, no. We were told that the inmates have to know the name of their visitors, as they have the right to refuse to see them. OK, makes sense, but if the inmate knows that 'John' is their befriender, isn't that enough? My concern for this was strong, as we had heard several times that one who knows Irish names can tell by your last name where you're from - what community you live in . . . do I really want an inmate to know that??? When we got ready to leave, the woman we had been talking to about the Quaker Connections programme said I really had her thinking about this now . . . So, will that piece of this programme change because of what I said? If the policy is changed, so that the inmates will only know the befrienders first name, will that then bring more volunteers in to this programme? Maybe.



Lunch - soup, sandwiches,
drinks and cake

Quaker Service and the programmes it provides is just an amazing blessing, not just to those that they serve but to the staff and also to those that they share it with.

After visiting these different programmes and they are different, I came away feeling extremely uplifted and blessed.


Wondering . . . what is it that can be take away from all of this? Is there some piece, or pieces of any of this that can be taken away and used here? In the US? Elsewhere in the world? What is it about this/these ministries, Quaker ministries that speak to you?

 

 

 

Quaker Ministries in Northern Ireland - Quaker Service Part 2 . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2    KJV

We've left the Quaker Service Office and continued on our journey . . . Our next stop was up the hill, and what a drive that was, up to Quaker Cottage.



Quaker Cottage

I really enjoyed our visit to Quaker Cottage, I guess because it was some place that I could really relate to, on several different levels - having a degree in Elementary Education, having worked for 13 months in a Day Care, working with our Kid's Club program at Mooresville Friends Meeting, working with Morgan County Weekday Religious Education classes and my work with Scouting and Guiding programs.



Little ones play area

Quaker Cottage supports mothers and their children from some of the most disadvantage parts of north and west Belfast. It's a cross community family support centre that provides much needed services to these families. Referrals are usually made by social workers or health care staff. They provide support to those who have experienced trauma and that are having trouble dealing with the day-to-day management of their homes. Typical issues of the mothers that attend are abuse, alcoholism, anxiety, bereavement, depression, domestic violence and parenting . . . a lot of the same issues that mothers have around here, but under much different circumstances.



School aged room

Mothers and their young children come to Quaker Cottage two days a week for eight months and then one day a week for four months. Older children come one afternoon a week during the school year and participate in an after school programme. A special summer programme is also arranged for these children. There is also a teenage programme during the afternoons, evenings and on occasional weekends. From time to time residential outings are also provided for the families.



Teen room

Quaker Cottage provides a safe and caring environment for the participates. Increasing self-esteem, greater family understanding and co-operation, improved social and life skills are all benefits of the Quaker Cottage programmes.


Some of the Quaker Cottage staff

Now, with all that said, on our visit to Quaker Cottage, we had the opportunity to sit down over cups of tea served with sweets (chocolate!) and have a nice chat with the staff. Their time with the moms and children was over for the day, so no distractions. The staff members include few paid staff and many volunteers - some local and some there as 'Friends in Residents' staying from 3 months to a year. Through the conversation and the tour that followed one was able to sense the passion that each member of the staff had for Quaker Cottage, it's programming and for the families that they work with. The short stories and comments that they made gave me a real sense of the work that they do and the difference this programme is making in the lives of those who participate in it.





 

Quaker Ministries in Northern Ireland - Quaker Service Part 1 . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV



While in Northern Ireland, we visited and learned about several Quaker Ministries and learned about the work they are doing in and for their community and those that work in them - the paid staff and the volunteers. I thought I'd share a bit about them here with all of you.
  
 Monday, July 29th - Our first full day in Northern Ireland was spent in Belfast.
 

South Belfast
Meeting House

After we parked the van at the South Belfast Meeting House, we rode the bus into West Belfast where we took a Black Taxi Tour, walked around town a bit, visited the Linen Hall Library and had lunch at The Bobbin Coffee Shop inside City Hall. We then took the bus back to where we had gotten on to begin hearing about some of the Quaker Ministries. There's a lot to share here, so let's get started!
  

Donating jeans

We began with a quick stop in the Quaker Care shop to drop off a pair of jeans that one of our Friends couldn't seem to find room for in her suitcase when she returned to the States - we promised to donate them to Quaker Care when we visited. We then went upstairs where we met with the Director of the Quaker Service Office and enjoyed a cup of tea and some biscuits while she gave us a brief overview of the services they provide at Quaker Care, Quaker Cottage and the Monica Barritt Visitors' Centre.

Quaker Service Office is the 'umbrella' for this group of ministries. I found it interesting that these are 'Quaker' ministries and yet there are a lot of non-Quakers working in the ministries. That being said, the ministries are done following Quaker ways. The best way to really tell you who they are is to use their own words, from one of their brochures:


Quaker Care - first floor on left
Quaker Service blue door on right

"Quaker Service is the charity formerly known as the 'Ulster Quaker Service Committee,' which has been providing services since 1969. Quaker Service contributes in a practical way to the understanding and reduction of the causes of violence, suffering and social deprivation on our communities in Northern Ireland. We provide services to support vulnerable and undervalued individuals, families and children and when necessary, speak on their behalf."

Quaker Service provides support to disadvantaged mothers and children and supports those who are in prison and their families. They do this with donations and funds generated at Quaker Care and through the programmes they operate at Quaker Cottage and the Monica Barritt Visitors' Center.

Quaker Care is a 'resale shop,' and Quaker Service depends on the 'unrestricted' funds generated from sales. Quaker Care was established in 1998. There are two shops in Belfast, the one we visited on Lisburn Road and the other one on Woodstock Road. All profits from the shops help Quaker Service deliver much needed services for disadvantaged and vulnerable families in Northern Ireland. Quaker Care provides volunteer opportunities to many and it helps to raise the profile of the charity.
 

Next we're off to see and hear more about Quaker Cottage . . .

 

A Teaching Ministry . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,
Let me now go to the field, 
and glean ears of corn after him
in whose sight I shall find grace.
And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV

Why are you going on the Pilgrimage to Ireland?

Right now this question remains to be answered. I can’t count how many times over the last seven months that I’ve been asked why I was going on the Pilgrimage to Ireland. What was it that was calling me to go? I still don't know why the idea of this pilgrimage called to me so strongly in February; or continued calling to me during the months leading up to it; or during the Pilgrimage; or now, nearly four weeks after returning home. And I was told that it's OK, give it time. But, maybe this post will help, at least in part, begin to answer that question . . .

To be quite honest, I haven’t really thought about this question the last few weeks. That is until yesterday afternoon when this question just happened to come into my mind as I was driving. As I drove over to town, a whole conversation went on in my head and I thought I really needed to jot this stuff down, you know . . . journal it. Now I so wish I had one of those little tape recorders so I could have just had this conversation out loud and recorded it – would have made writing it down so much easier! Something to put on my list of ‘must haves.’ Well, I finally got to a place where I could start writing my thoughts down and the more I wrote the more it was beginning to sound like something I should post on my blog, but then again, maybe not. Well, here’s what came out of my conversation with myself . . .

So, WHY did I go on this Pilgrimage? What was it that God wanted me to see? Experience? Be a part of? or Do? Has God already revealed the answer to me and I just haven't seen it, or heard it, yet? Is the answer right in front of my face? It could be any one of these possibilities!

However, my thoughts yesterday afternoon turned to include a recent comment made by a Friend about at least some of my Blog posts.

This Friend wrote to me: “And I think your posts have had a component of teaching ministry in them, too.” Teaching ministry, really? Hummmm, if that’s so, it certainly was unintentional on my part. But, yesterday afternoon her comment came into my head, very loud and clear. Not screaming, but loud and clear none the less.

OK, so if I DID any ‘teaching ministry’ in my Blog posts, as this Friend has pointed out or suggested to me, maybe it's something that's written between the lines. I’ve had a habit for way too many years of reading between the lines, so maybe I also have the ability to write between the lines, to put a suggestion within my writing without using words. That is to say that the stories I’ve written, about some of the experiences I had in Ireland and Northern Ireland, have some sort of hidden message within them, but I was not intentionally writing them to teach any lesson or lessons. I wrote each of my posts to share with you about the different ‘ministries' I saw and felt in each of those experiences. There may very well be a 'lesson' or ‘lessons’ within those stories, a kinda bonus! Lessons I've been called by God to teach? But lessons for whom?

OR is it that God has called or is calling me into some kind of 'teaching ministry' or 'writing ministry?' If so, teaching or writing what? And for whom? I've already told you that I'm not a story writer and that I don't like to write. So, if this is what God wants of me . . . what direction is this going?

Taking a look back on my blog posts, these ideas came to mind and I’d like to share them with all of you . . .

First of all: Is there a lesson in the name I chose for my blog? OR Is the lesson in the meaning of 'grace?' Is it not enough for me to find out 'what it is that God is calling me to do?' Is that piece that I pulled out, as I felt it calling to me, actually meant for other F/friends or family members around me? Is God just using me to call attention to that little piece for others? Is He using me and the ramblings in my blog to get others to just stop and think about what it is they are doing, or not doing in their own lives; their own family; their own Meeting/Church; their own community? I do know that God uses us to do His work here on earth.

OR is the lesson just within the whole of my blog? I did state 'what I will share in this Blog will be spiritual in nature and will tell of the ministries I find myself in along the journey.' I’ve made it known that I don't accept it well when others tell me that I'm doing is 'ministry.' As I don't/haven’t thought OR viewed what I do as ministry. Over the last several months however, I have become a bit more accepting of this, but it's still difficult for me to see. I will say that it has become easier for me to see and accept some of what I do as ministry, others it's not. I’m still a work in progress; be patient with me . . . God isn’t finished with me just yet!

'I Shall Find Grace,' 'The Meaning of Grace,' 'Wonder,' 'I Don't Know Why She Does This,' 'Being a Servant of God,' 'Colored Napkins,' 'A Bible for Ireland,' 'An Irish Rainbow,' 'Circle of Friends,' 'Epilogue by Candlelight,' 'Bat Ministry,' 'Cups of Tea,' 'Ministry of a Sugar Cream Pie,' 'Ministry in Story and Song,' 'A Visit to See the Quaker Tapestry,' 'A Black Taxi Tour,' 'Music Ministries,' 'Family Reunion,' 'Grace Revisited,' and 'Ministry of the Chocolate Ginger Cake,' the names of all my posts, so far . . . Has God called me to minister through these posts? If so, minister to whom? And minister about what?

As you've read them: Have you really thought about the words you’ve read? Have they spoken to you? How have they spoken to you? Have they tugged at your heart? Have they made you a bit 'misty' eyed? Have they brought back special memories from your childhood, or adult life? What have my words, inspired by God, said to you? Have any of these posts made you think a bit differently about yourself? About others? About your family? About a F/friend? About a neighbor? Something you've done? Should have done? About your Meeting/Church? About your Yearly Meeting? About ministry? About missions? About mission work? About your faith? About your personal walk with God?

What are you doing differently as a result of something that you've read in one of my posts? As a result of something you felt after reading one of my posts? Are my posts, and the 'teaching ministry,' that this Friend sees within them, written to teach Friends who are reading them how to be better Friends? To be more 'Quakerly?' To learn and/or see how to better work together? To show them how to listen, and I mean really listen to each other? To listen to God?

Seems the questions continue.

Ministry of the Chocolate Ginger Cake . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field, 

and glean ears of corn after him

in whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV

 

 

Here I go again, another blog post dealing with food . . . this time a cake. Do I feel bad about this? No. This is just another one of the experiences from my journey that I'm feeling led to share about. And there really is a ministry involved here . . .

Coleraine Meeting House

For this one we have to go back to Friday, August 2^nd, when our Pilgrimage group visited Coleraine Meeting in Northern Ireland. We enjoyed their warm Friendly hospitality, wonderful conversation and fellowship, saw their Meetinghouse and shared tea and a light meal together. This is a nice little Meeting, I don’t know exactly how many members they have, but I believe there were about five or six members that we were able to visit with. They meet in what was the home of one of their former members who had left it to them. It had been his home, so it’s in a row of flats - or what we might call townhouses. Interesting side note is that it’s across the street from an Orange Lodge, home to one the local Protestant fraternal organization in Northern Ireland.

Meetingroom

 

We had a bit of conversation and then went back to see their Meetingroom which was very nice. I especially liked the large skylight and the pictures on the wall of a couple of the panels from the Quaker Tapestry that we had seen on Sunday. We then gathered for a bit in the kitchen – and what could be better than good Quaker conversation in the kitchen? After a bit we went in to the front room where we found a wonderful table full of all sorts of interesting dishes. A bit of prayer and then more conversation as we sipped tea and had a bit of nourishment. I really enjoyed learning about what these Irish Friends were involved in and of course we shared with them.



A couple of dessert options were available, but I enjoyed only one of those . . . a chocolate ginger cake. This was really delicious! I asked the Friend who made it if she'd share the recipe and the next morning I received the recipe in an email from her. I have shared the recipe with the other Friends on the Pilgrimage with me, as a couple of them had expressed an interest in it as well. I knew that I would find myself making many chocolate ginger cakes and sharing them with Friends at Mooresville Friends Meeting, other Friends gatherings, with some of my other friends and with my family.



Front room set-up
for tea

Now, before I could make this cake there were a couple of things that I had to do first. I had to make a few changes to the recipe - that is I had to covert the cooking temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit, the pan size from centimeters to inches, and one of the ingredients from grams to ounces. That was the easy part! The hard part was finding some of the ingredients or their equivalents! This was a bit tricky, but with a few Internet searches I was able to figure out what I needed. Luckily, I didn't have to make one substitution for this one, unlike the Sugar Cream Pie we made at Moyallon Centre. I wasn’t able to find the ‘glace ginger’ for the top – so this time I left those off, but I will be looking for these OR will make my own! 



This last week I thought that our August Monthly Meeting seemed like a great time to start sharing this treat with members of Mooresville Friends. So after a bit of shopping to gather the necessary ingredients I was ready to bake. I knew that the small 23 cm cake wasn’t going to be big enough to take to Monthly Meeting, so I doubled the recipe, and used a 9x13 inch baking dish and added a few prayers that this would work out.



Chocolate Ginger Cake

So, today, I shared my Chocolate Ginger Cake with the members of Mooresville Friends during our Monthly Meeting pitch-in. I did get up and share about half-way through lunch the story behind the cake, which prompted a few Friends to get up and try a piece. I can report that the Young Friends who tried it said it was very good! I still had quite a bit left over, so I took it with me to a worship group that I attend on Sunday evenings - with Friends from several local, and not so local, Meetings. I still have a few pieces left, but I can now handle what is left.

 

There is an upcoming event, the end of September, with a wider circle of Friends attending that I have been told I will need to provide a dessert for . . . and I believe a Chocolate Ginger Cake will be shared with those Friends! I had a Friend try to talk me out of baking the one I was making last night, saying I should wait two weeks to make it . . . so she could have a piece. When she realized that I was making it she asked if this one was practice for making one in two weeks. Hummmm, not sure about that, but if I were to make one in two weeks . . . I might make her help!



So, the ministry of the Chocolate Ginger Cake, that’s easy . . . it all began with the Friend from Coleraine Meeting who made it to share with this group of Quaker Pilgrims visiting from the United States and England. It continued when I asked her if she would share the recipe with us and her sharing the recipe with us. And now, with my baking it, I have begun the sharing here - first with the members of Mooresville Friends Meeting and then with Friends at a local worship group I attend. And the sharing will continue as I know I will be making it again and again . . . and some of my fellow Pilgrims may as well.



Quilted wall-hanging -
inside the front door

The ministry is in the sharing and willingness to share with one another – not just our words OR His Words, but also with those things that we make. Sometimes it's food - when we have potlucks or shared meals of some sort or sharing of our bountiful harvest. Other times it's the sharing of some of our other God given gifts and talents, whatever those might be. This cake has not only provided nourishment to/for our bodies but it has also provided some comfort. And for me, it provides fond memories of the time, conversations and a meal shared together with some of my Irish Friends and fellow Pilgrims!

 

Thank you Coleraine Friends for opening up your Meeting to us, you warm hospitality and for taking the time to share with us on our journey. God Bless you all! 

 

And the ministry of the Chocolate Ginger Cake goes on . . .