Church Building
There has been a lot happening with our Church Building and everything very positive. The Church has been rewired, heating has been installed, more damp proofing work has been completed, the Gates have been restored and re hung. All of this work took a great deal of effort and hard work so a special thank you to Fritz, Margaret, Paul, the Architects and Builders and to Cork Council who have been very generous and supportive of us. The Church is now safe from the weather and is so much more comfortable. When the builders have completed the work we can have a good clear up and then we can order new chairs and hymn books. We are also due to inherit a piano from the Dublin Church; so a call to all you Cork Musicians; is there anyone who can play? Can we look forward to having music on Sundays?

Web Site
The Cork Church now has its own web site it can be accessed at www.unitarianchurchcork.org. Thanks to Paul Spain and to Paul Mc Andrews for their work on this project. This will be a useful tool for keeping us in touch. The Web Site has total Accessibility for Blind and Visually Impaired people.

Cork AGM
The Annual General Meeting of the Congregation was held on 9th March. It was well attended and we welcomed four new Members to the Church. For the present we will continue to hold services twice each month. Building work on the Church has caused quite a disruption to our Services; it is not easy to Worship in the cold, damp and building rubble; I hope that our improved comfort will mean that our Sunday Worship will be a good deal more appealing. For the time being the majority of the Services will be taken by volunteers from the Dublin Church, however there are lots of ways that Cork members can contribute to the Services and to the life of the Church.

Future Plans Building
To pay for the building work the Church has taken out a Bank Loan for €55,000. In order to repay this we will need to undertake some serious fundraising. If anyone has any sound ideas for how we can raise money please let us know. At the AGM Paul Spain agreed to produce a brochure giving information about the work that has been completed on the Church. We intend to target people we believe may be sympathetic to us and to send the brochure to them asking for their financial support. Princes Street Church is one of the most historic Churches not just in Cork but in the entire country we must preserve and restore it. Our improved appearance will mean that we can become a centre for the celebration of Rites of Passage. So spread the word to anyone getting married, needing a blessing, christening, or indeed a funeral we can provide a meaningful and beautiful service. When people attend any sort of Service or Occasion in the Church it raises our profile and weddings in particular can become a way of spreading the Unitarian message as well as being a source of income.

Future Plans Services.
For the present Services will be lead in the main by Volunteers from the Dublin Church. There is still ample scope for Cork members to be involved. Please try to attend Services, never underestimate the importance your presence at a service makes; worshiping as part of a group is an uplifting experience when only a few people turn up it is depressing; so please attend as often as you can.

My Easter wish
Is that we establish a rota of Volunteers in Cork who commit themselves to providing things that will enhance Sunday Worship. These would be Readings, flowers, Welcomer, Helping with the tea and coffee, washing up, ensuring that there is a candle and matches for the Service and if we had someone willing to play piano it would be the icing on the cake – we do need lots of help. It would make sense for one volunteer to do more than one job on that particular Sunday e.g. the Welcomer could help with the teas and coffees. I know that this is not all going to happen immediately but lets make a beginning now.
The Web Site has the dates of all Services until July, with the name of the person leading the Service and in some cases the Title Address. Is there anyone willing to volunteer for any of the jobs listed above? If you are, contact me and let me know what task you are willing to undertake and I will put your name on the Web site for the relevant Sunday. The Web site will provide a notice board for the Congregation and I hope that our Sunday Service will be improved by active input by the Congregation especially by members taking on the task of providing one reading for the Service. The reading does not have to “fit in” with the address it should be something that you have come across and would like to share with the Congregation. If you are too shy to read aloud the person who takes the Service will be glad to read it – this reduces the amount of work the Service Leader – every little helps. I hope that this appeal will bring some volunteers. If you do volunteer for a task please fulfil the agreement or ask another volunteer to swap with you. e.g. if you are on flowers and for some reason cant be there; swap Sundays with someone else on the flower list.

To Finish
The last few months have been busy ones for Cork Church. We continue to make progress and we do have a way to go but we are confident that we will succeed. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Church everything you do makes a big difference.
I hope that I will meet you in Princes Street – 2nd and 4th Sunday 11.00!!!!!!!!

Rev.Bridget Spain
Minister in Charge