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'Building Together For The Future'

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21 January 2012 - Official Opening [Click on the photo for more pictures from the day] The new Bangor Abbey Parish Centre was opened on Saturday by Mrs Carole Nesbitt and dedicated by the Bishop of Down and Dromore, The Rt. Rev. Harold Miller. Two hundred parishioners, guests and friends gathered in the stunning new atrium to witness Mrs Nesbitt formally cut the ribbon to open the new centre after almost a year of building work. The Abbey site is at the intersection of the Newtownards Road, Belfast Road and Abbey Street, where the ancient Abbey of Bangor was founded in 558 AD. Wooden buildings with thatched monks’ cells extended over a vast area as Comgall built up a huge teaching community, which grew into a famous centre of learning during the next thousand years. Malachy presided over the building of more permanent stone structures in the 12^th century, of which only ‘Malachy’s Wall’ remains.
Indeed the recent construction work revealed 17^th century skeletons, which greatly delayed work while an archaeological dig was set up, and the bones removed for further examination. The rooms in the new centre are all called after the three famous Bangor Saints, who travelled all over Europe teaching Christianity and setting up many more centres of Christian learning which have developed into large towns like Bangor. The Comgall Hall is the largest in the centre, and has a well equipped stage. Malachy Hall has a small kitchenette for the use of the youth organisations. Gall 1 and Gall 2 are small rooms that are conveniently situated behind the stage and were recently utilised during the Pantomime by the Bangor Abbey Players. There is now a suite of offices for the Parish Secretary and the Rector and a large committee room. Leading out of a new, bright atrium is the Columbanus room, which could be used for conferences, with French doors out to a paved area. There is also a spacious kitchen and fully accessible toilet facilities. Guests, local clergy and civic dignitaries, including the Mayor Cllr. James McKerrow and Lady Hermon, MP, were taken on a guided tour of all the rooms. In the Comgall Hall, Canon Ronnie Nesbitt, Rectory of Bangor Abbey, welcomed everyone to the opening. He thanked his wife Carole for her forbearance during the year, and Mrs Jean Barton for presenting her with a bouquet. He then opened the dedication with prayer, and Mrs Sandra Watson read 1 Corinthians 3:9-16. Bishop Harold Miller then dedicated the new centre to the Glory of God, praying that “nothing will come near this place to harm the people or the faith”. He remarked that the building looked marvellous, and that the names of the rooms celebrating the Bangor Saints meant you could have a Cabal in Columbanus, a Group in Gall and a Committee in Comgall! He hoped the Centre would “provide a welcome to the people of Bangor and those from further afield in the name of Christ”. After the singing of “Now thank we all our God, with hearts and hands and voices”, the Rector said that the youth organisations were already using the new halls, and a recent craft fair and pantomime had been very successful. He told the audience that Mr Noel Brown had started the whole project off many years ago by stating that more storage was required, and here we are now, with a marvellous new million pound Centre. Canon Nesbitt thanked Sandra Watson, Fred McGarvey, Iain Greenway and Norman Stewart for all their work, as well as the Finance Group and the very important Fundraising Group. He said he appreciated the new graceful, restrained modernity of the building. He thanked the lead Architect, Mr Nigel Barton, a parishioner, and spoke of his wish for improved access, safety, hygiene and efficiency in a functional building to provide space for life in the community. Referring to the often slow progress on the project, compared to the many ongoing fundraising efforts, he remarked that if the building had been made with boiled cake and cemented with marmalade, it would have been finished sooner! Mr Nigel Barton, McAdam Design’s Architect, recalled the old halls, with leaking roof and out-dated design, and compared them to the bright, spacious new design now on show. The Rector donned his prized ‘hard hat’ and thanked GEDA Construction for their high standard of work, despite him visiting the site to annoy them practically every day! GEDA Contract Manager, Mr Padar Quinn, said that although the archaeologists’ work was very interesting, it really slowed down the building work, and recalled the Rector commenting that the unearthed ancient millstone, was a millstone round his neck, as it added greatly to the cost and time delay. However, the historic importance of the site was always respected, and finds reminded us that we were building on the work of those who had gone before. Mr Niall Monogue, of CMS Ireland, then spoke about the building project which Bangor Abbey will support in Rwanda. He reminded the audience that Bangor Abbey was known as a centre of hospitality and learning, and that 5 houses and a school for over 100 young people would now be provided as a result of the project. One million people died in one hundred days in Rwanda, and as a result of thousands of refugees of the conflict now being forced to return to their homelands, hospitality and opportunity for learning are in very short supply. He also thanked Bangor Abbey for their support for income generating and agricultural projects in the Kibungo Diocese. The Bishop closed proceedings with prayers and grace and invited everyone to see the Bradshaw’s DVD of the Abseiling Fundraising Day and enjoy the refreshments provided. And so the present congregation has built a new layer of history to take on the challenges and demands of the modern day population of Bangor. Rae McGookin

January 2012 God willing we can look forward to the official opening of the Parish Centre on Saturday 21 January when we plan to cut the ribbon, plant a tree and celebrate the occasion with a cake . . . and a few more ideas I'm sure! It should be an exciting moment in the life and history of the parish and we hope that without exception all who can make it will come. We will be welcoming Bishop Harold and members of the community around us and allowing people to see what is on offer inside. So many people have already commented on how smart the exterior looks and how much the area has been opened up to embrace the beautiful site on which the Abbey is set. On Sunday 22 January we would plan to be together for a Thanksgiving Service at the Abbey and enjoy some refreshments afterwards in the Centre. As the groups move their equipment back in we will also be furnishing the centre with everything from teaspoons to chairs to notice boards to a flat screen TV! We will be distributing an envelope to allow anyone who wishes to give a gift towards the furnishings to do so on the day of the opening. So many are already giving generously but have still expressed the desire to mark the occasion with a thanks offering. If you have not given anything yet it would bless the project if you would consider doing so now. To give you an idea of costs a place setting of crockery costs around £20, a folding chair for the main hall is also £20 whilst an upholstered chair for the conference area is priced at approximately £65. You will be able to indicate what you would like your contribution to go towards.

	September 2011 As the weeks have passed the change that has taken place to the church halls has been obvious and extensive. Gone is the end of the 'old hall' which housed the parish office and chair store and with it the whole of the site has been opened up, giving it that warm, embracive feel that we so desired. The stone work that now dresses the large picture window offers a much more attractive prospect to those who catch their first glimpse of the Abbey. Inside the changes are even more dramatic. Refurbishment to the rear of the stage has produced two usefully sized rooms accessed of a corridor. The minor hall too is now 'free standing' with additional storage and kitchen facilities. Whilst the 'new hall' has had the least alteration its orientation has been subtly changed and the stores to the side mean that in future chairs and tables, bowling mats etc. can be quickly and easily cleared away at the end of the session.
Where formerly stood the kitchen and toilets provision has been made for offices and a committee room, no longer will it be an embarrassment to have visitors come to make enquiries! And the annex will provide something we've not enjoyed before; informal space to meet and chat and be together as a congregation along with some modes additional audio visual facilities for presentations; the whole centre serviced by a clean, modern kitchen and toilets. Up to date heating and insulation should also mean that the new centre will be more efficiently run 'eco-friendlier' and comfortable to be in. And once the debris has been cleared away the building will not only have a more brightly lit car park but the rear of the centre will open out onto a patio area and green spaces which will be an added bonus. We hope you will be pleased with the end result. The build has not been without its difficulties, especially with archaeological finds, but we have been blessed in our architect, Nigel Barton, and in Geda Construction who have been very good to work with. Two questions are being asked. How is the funding going and when will we be in? As to the first, it would be really good if everyone gave something. Usually one would add, 'however small', and whilst that is true it should not be something that costs us nothing. Giving to God demands more of us than that. However, at the moment we are within the budget set and the loan that we have negotiated and income is steady. When will we be in? That date will become a little easier to predict by the beginning of September when the roof will be finished and windows put in, so watch this space!

	May 2011 The past few weeks have been ones of detailed discussion and careful decision making and there is now a sense of satisfaction that evidence of the Parish Centre build is now obvious to all with our contractors on site! We are now looking forward to early autumn and to premises in which we might take justifiable pride as being an offering of our best to God. Click on the image to see some pictures which may remind you of good times spent in the old halls (reflected in the messages left behind by some of you) and also evidence of why this project is so much needed. It is never too late to make a contribution and we need your support now more than ever. And do please continue to remember the project in your prayers.

	January 2011 The Parish Centre Appeal was launched at Harvest-tide and we were asked to have our responses in by Advent Sunday, 28 November 2010, the Sunday on which we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the re-opening of the Abbey following its refurbishment in 1960. It has been impossible yet to put a final figure on what we managed to raise but the range of giving ran from £5.00 to several thousands of pounds, all of which will make a significant impact in reducing the amount of money we will have to take as a loan. In his preaching the rector had expressed the hope that everybody might play their part, so far that hope has yet to be realised, but it is never too late to make a donation! And at this stage might we say a special thank you to Norman Stewart who has been administering the scheme since its inception. Crucial dates to note are the 31 January when tenders will be opened and we finally know the full cost of the scheme. The Select Vestry will then meet on the 8 February to appoint a contractor, and God willing, work should be underway shortly after that with expected completion before September 2011. During that period finance will have to be put in place.
Do please remember the scheme in your prayers, and all those involved in decision making. If you have any ideas for fundraising Lyzan Martin or any of the committee would be glad to hear from you.