The Rev Yongnam Park had the inspired idea of creating a day when the Dublin South City Circuit could come together and encourage each other now that they had restarted worship in person.
The day was planned for Sunday 4 September. After weeks of drought, it rained all the previous day and late into the night. They opened the curtains on Sunday morning with some trepidation. It was sunny! Hallelujah!
Volunteers from the four societies – Methodist Centenary, Dublin Korean Church, Rathgar and An Solas Tallaght divided into teams and arrived early on Sunday morning to prepare for the united circuit celebration. The dining team set up four large barbecues and ingredients for the lunch that would start right after service.
Another team made name tags for all attendees so we could all see each others’ names. Two bouncy castles for children were installed and everything was perfectly prepared so that all members of the church could have tea and coffee after the service in the lobby of Wesley House prior to the barbecue.
The praise team beautifully led this united worship service in Centenary Hall with the gallery also required. Jean Kingston shared a story with the children about a farmer and his dog Noisy. Circuit Superintendent the Rev Andrew Kingston led worship on the theme ‘Wholeheartedly’, drawing on both Old and New Testaments. Caleb had a different spirit following God wholeheartedly, whereas Paul urged the Ephesians to serve wholeheartedly as if serving the Lord and not people. These dovetailed well for the commissioning of Brian Hickey as chaplain to third level students in Dublin, and church development worker in Methodist Centenary. We realised that the size of the task is dwarfed by the greatness of God.
Free ice creams from an ice cream van meant that we did not leave the church easily. We had just experienced a little heavenly feast to encourage each other after the pandemic. It was a day of gratitude to the Lord for allowing us to share a gracious Sunday. Before going home Many gave ideas and suggestions to prepare for next year’s joint event.
Rev Yongnam Park