The 'Party in the Park' event takes place each year on the last Saturday in July in Lower Crescent, Comber.
This Year its on Saturday the 26th July startng at 2pm
Come Along For A Great Family Day Out!
For More Info:
Comber Youth For Christ,
The Net
49 Bridge Street,
Comber, County Down
BT23 5AT.
How Comber YFC Began …..
The story started back in 1995 when local man Trevor Cummings from the Baptist Church in the town shared his vision for a Drop in Centre in Comber with Mark Brown, Student Assistant Minister at Second Presbyterian Church. Both men shared the same passion for evangelism and recognized the need for a new form of detached youth work in order to effectively engage with those young people beyond their congregations.
Recognizing the enormity of the task before them they sought advice from John Duncan the then National Director of Youth for Christ Northern Ireland and together they quickly acknowledged the need for regular prayer. John introduced others, Ann Morrow and George Thomson, who shared the vision young people in the town and so, on a weekly basis, they meet together at the home of Trevor and Elaine to pray and seek direction.
The next big step forward took place on the 22nd April 1996 when the group brought together over 40 Christian leaders and Youth workers from the town of Comber to discuss the needs of the young people in the town. The meeting was positive and served to confirm that there was a common desire to meet these needs. It was acknowledged that more and more young people were not coming into contact with the church and in order to reach all young people (churched and unchurched alike) it was established that there was a need to work at street level.
In direct response to this challenge it was decided that the group would pursue the vision to open a drop-in centre under the non-denominational banner of Youth for Christ and subsequently a steering committee was formed. The steering committee included John Duncan, Ann Morrow, George Thomson, Mark Brown, and Trevor and Elaine Cummings. However it was too long before others joined, and in September 1996 Paul Brown, Bill Anderson, Willie Coey, Mark Dowds, Calvin Allcoat and Edgar Briggs brought their skills to the group.
On Monday 13th January 1997 the group obtained charitable status and the first official meeting of Comber Youth for Christ took place. The newly formed Board appointed Trevor Cummings as their first Chairperson and by the end of the year, they had identified and successfully acquired 49 Bridge Street, a former retail outlet and now proposed site for a Drop in Centre in Comber.
‘The Net’ drop-in centre was officially opened on Monday 23rd February 1998 by the Mayor of Ards Councillor George Ennis in a ceremony attended by some 90guests and following short speeches by John Duncan and Trevor Cummings, the Reverend Mackay offered a prayer of dedication.
Posted in
Submitted by The Editor on Tue, 2008-01-01 11:14.
