CARNLOUGH CONNECT CLUB

Six forty-five on a Thursday evening finds up to thirty primary school age children piling through the door of Carnlough Methodist Church. After Registration, they discard coats and shoes, ready for some very noisy games.

Indoor hockey, musical statues and dodge ball are favourite ways of letting off steam. In the vestry, craft tables have been set up for quieter, creative activities. Several young volunteers are invaluable to help with cutting, pasting – and clearing up excess glitter!

Half-way through the session, our leader, Stephen Brennan, AKA ‘Chopper’ , gives a brief talk –the Centre Spot- helping to draw the young people closer to God.

Pound coins burning holes in their pockets, they head for the Tuck Shop and a break. The evening ends with a short DVD or more games.

Once a month we aim for an evening of drama when Stephen is joined by a local actor. And at the end of each ‘term’ , we have an outing – Fun Factory in Ballymena being the current favourite.

At eight o’clock, as the Juniors retrieve their coats and shoes, the Seniors arrive. Boys predominate in this group with just a few spirited girls. If the weather is kind, they make their way up to the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) for football. Other nights are devoted to ice-breaker activities, DVDs and chat. Again a Centre Spot is an opportunity for Stephen to share his love of God. The highlight for this group is the occasional go-karting event in either Ballymena or Doagh followed by a Big Mac.

Above all, in both Clubs, we hope to build relationships with the young people and to reflect, as we have fun together, something of the ‘life more abundant’ which Jesus offers.