Letters

Letters to the Editor

Write to: Presbyterian Herald, Assembly Buildings, Belfast, BT1 6DW Email: herald@presbyterianireland.org Please note: Letters are limited to 300 words and may be edited for clarity and length. They will only be published in the Herald if the author’s name and address have been supplied to the Editor. On request these will be withheld from print. Anonymous letters will not be considered for publication. The views expressed in the letters are not necessarily those of the Editor or PCI.

Encouraged by radio

Dear Editor I would like to commend to your readers a radio programme that has been helpful to me in recent times. I have found great encouragement, comfort, fellowship and strength in listening to the daily service on Radio 4 (www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/b006wzfs). It can be heard in different ways, though to me the best option has been on DAB, using a side channel on Radio 4, specifically set up for that service alone. I look forward day by day to that side channel springing into life. Those regular 14 minutes are like an oasis to me. They have proved to be very therapeutic for me – and I would love others to enjoy that therapy.

Rev Ken Doherty PCI hospital chaplain

Tribute

Dear Editor Christian Aid Ireland has been giving thanks for the life of one of our founders, George McCullagh of Cabinteely, County Dublin who died in February, aged 84.

George was born into a Presbyterian family and brought up on a small farm near Ballybay, County Monaghan. In 1960, he was among a number of young men from Ireland to attend the World Council of Churches’ Youth Assembly in Lausanne, Switzerland where they heard first-hand accounts of the reality of extreme poverty overseas.

George and the other volunteers were so motivated by this experience that on their return, they travelled the length and breadth of Ireland showing 16mm films of Christian Aid’s work to churches and community groups. They persuaded congregations to fundraise by holding soup lunches, church collections and an annual sponsored walk in the Phoenix Park. They formed the ‘Dublin Christian Aid Committee’ which later became Christian Aid Ireland.

Speaking in 2015, George recalled his joy at recruiting his first ‘committed giver’ – a widow from Dublin who promised to give £5 a month. George said that she sent a £5 postal order every month for the rest of her life.

It is because of the energy, vision and compassion of George McCullagh and the other founders that Christian Aid Ireland has been able to bring emergency relief to people whose lives have been devastated by conflict and disaster, and hope to those living in extreme poverty. We offer our deepest sympathy to George’s wife Edie, his children Ken, Bruce and Joy and especially to his youngest son, our colleague Mervyn who is a senior leader at Christian Aid in London. The apple never falls far from the tree.

Rosamond Bennett Chief executive, Christian Aid Ireland

Topical Tweets

@tidesdaily It might feel like a season of hibernation, but as we remain connected to the vine we will receive all that we need to flourish and thrive in the new season that will follow. #tidesdaily

@rickhillni It’s difficult to teach a generation of young men to respect women in a culture where pornography is celebrated and even promoted. Toxic behaviour is formed in private before it surfaces in public. Sexual violence is too easily accessed on screen. The roots go deep.

@jimdiffin Will be praying for @PCIModerator as he undertakes a second term as Moderator in a really strange season for all of us. On a lighter note, I feel we’re missing a trick if we don’t start referring to this as the “Brucie Bonus”!

@PeteGreig Churches which flourish on the other side of this pandemic will not necessarily be the ones that created the best content during the crisis, but rather those that engendered a sense of belonging throughout the isolation of this season.

@christian_aid Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of #SarahEverard. We stand with all women and girls across the world who face the terror of harassment and violence, even when their story goes unheard. We work and pray each day for a world where every woman is safe.

@TearfundNI The UK government is cutting its aid to Yemen by more than half – a decision the UN is calling a ‘death sentence’. This is disastrous news for people who have already faced unimaginable suffering. Please join us in urgent prayer for the people of Yemen.

@peterlynas No COVID related deaths in NI today. Under 5% of hospital beds are now occupied by #covid patients. Great news all round.