|
25th November, we celebrated ‘Scaffolding Sunday’ - the removal of the scaffolding that had been erected in June to clean the stonework on the front of the church. What a fantastic achievement! The church reflects the light of the rising sun across St. Stephen’s Green every morning and, as it brightens up, it blinds commuters as they pass on the Luas! To date you have helped raise € 688,504.71, which has been paid for the exterior work of refurbishing the roof, the tower and the front fascia of the church. We could not have undertaken this enormous task ourselves and gratefully thank all our donors and benefactors - both inside and outside the congregation -, along with the state bodies and other organisations which have given us grants. Some additional work will remain to be done following this phase: the restoration of the gargoyles on the front of the building, internal rewiring, and the restoration of the stained glass. Although there will be more to do, the completion of the front stonework is a remarkable achievement for a congregation which began this project from the start only five years ago. The Dublin Unitarian Church Restoration Project was launched on the 2nd September 2002. We are proud that we have restored our remarkable historical building to its former glory and that it is such an attractive architectural feature of west side of St. Stephen’s Green. We are lucky that we have such a vibrant congregation in our church. We appeal now to all our friends and supporters to help us reach our final target, and to make a donation, no matter how small. These may be sent to Unitarian Church Restoration Project, The Unitarian Church, 112, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2. ‘Scaffolding Sunday’ 25th November, we celebrated the removal of the scaffolding that had been erected in June to clean the stone work on the front of the church. This represented the third phase of the Restoration Project. What a difference! Our church used to be described as ‘the grey church’, now, in the morning light, it is golden, absolutely beautiful! The granite and Bath Sandstone just blind you as they shine with vibrancy. This is how the church looked when it was completed in 1863 - huge investment in the streetscape of the time. 28th October marked ‘Membership Sunday’. Twenty two new members, who have been attending regularly, decided that they would like to join the church formally. We had a celebration in the Damer Hall after the service. (see page 9) Rev. Bill Darlison launched his book The Gospel and the Zodiac on the 26th in the Damer Hall. Plenty of wine, ale and Guinness, and the evening was rounded off with a great singsong that went on for a couple hours. (see Head 2 Head December Oscailt). May 2007 Rev. Bridget Spain was appointed Minister-in-Charge of Cork, taking over from Rev. Brian Cockcroft, who kept Cork going over a number of years. Rev. Spain thanked all of the Northern ministers for their help and commitment in seeing Cork through troubled times. There have been two weddings in the Cork church this year, and a naming service. February 2007 Rev.Bridget Spain was appointed as Assistant Minister to the Dublin church. This was a momentous occasion as there has not been an assistant minister in Dublin for over one hundred years, and never a woman. At the service of induction Rev. Lena Cockcroft remarked that the denomination had just increased its female ministers by one hundred percent!
|