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“Do not use this freedom as an excuse…rather serve one another in love.” Galatians 5:13

In July this year the Edge sent a team of 14 young people to join with a team of young people from Fitzroy Presbyterian Church - where Hannah Simpson (former Rookie) is Director of Youth Ministry - in Belfast on a project to serve the poorer areas of Belfast. The team from Banchory included: Tony Stephen, Brioni Bradbeer (Rookie), Mary Marshall, Laura Bond, Iain Cameron, Emma Cooper, Laura Harvey, Jen Bowker, Caitlin Marno, Ed Rowett, Sean Mechie, Scott Garrett, Kirstin Harvey and Lucy Smith. This was a superb team full of surprises, particularly the new mandolin player!

The combined group slept on the Fitzroy Church floor and spent the week preparing meals, painting, tidying, gardening, cleaning and working with youth and children in various projects around the Holylands area of Belfast. Two projects to highlight would be the 174 trust which has transformed an old empty church into a thriving community centre reaching out to the protestant and catholic communities, and the Mornington Youth centre and café that provides a range of facilities from a fair-trade café to women's support groups and programmes for disadvantaged youth.

The welcome and hospitality we received from Fitzroy was outstanding and the great work done by the church, and the projects we were involved in, was humbling. It was an eye opener to see how life is in a society so divided; and a privilege to meet such work alongside such warm and open Christian young people at the same time. It was great to see some of our news friends at Hannah Simpson’s (now Hannah Wilson!) wedding on August 12th in Banchory. Hopefully the link between our communities will develop and we can extend the same kind of hospitality to their young people in the future.

Thanks to all who prayed for us, or supported the trip financially – especially Alan and Shirley Johnston who raised £690 with a sponsored wheelchair mile. A large part of the money raised will go straight to the worthy projects we helped with in Belfast.