our hall

Using the Parish Centre

The Select Vestry wants to see the Parish Centre used as much as possible.  We would like to see the hall used in two ways:
a) By the church family (both those who worship regularly and those who are members but don’t worship regularly) – for faith and fellowship.
b) By the wider community – to meet areas of need and/or areas of interest amongst the people of Killyleagh.

activities

Weekly activities in the Parish Centre

Youth Club – Thursday Ages 3 to 7 at 6:15pm, ages 8 to 11 at 7:30pm.
If you would like to know more contact Mandy 07979 950 564.

Keep Fit with Sarah: usually on Monday and Wednesday at 6:30pm – 7:30pm and Saturday at 9am.  Contact Sarah on 075 2861 4423 for bookings.

Other users of the Centre include:
Killyleagh Coastal Rowing Club, Killyleagh Community Association, RNLI

Building our Parish Centre

We started planning a Parish Centre in 2005, the work was completed in 2017 the Centre was was opened by Bishop Harold Miller on 18th January 2018. The cost of the build was over £450,000 and we were able to pay it in full without needing to resort to a loan. Read on for key information about the project below.

Replacing the original Church Hall

The original Church Hall, located at the gates of the church, was built in 1869 as a Sunday School. It served the parish, its people and the community well for generations. But with limited facilities and in a poor state of repair. The Vestry began deliberations to replace it in 2005. After considering alternative sites, a decision was taken to build a 2-storey replacement hall on the same site.

Planning permission was granted in 2012. After time-consuming legal issues were addressed and drawn out negotiations with the Housing Executive for a small piece of additional land were completed, a contractor was appointed.

Demolition

Demolition of the existing hall started in December 2016, with foundations for the New Hall laid in 2017.
The parish hopes and prays that the new hall will provide a fresh beginning and new impetus.

We thank God for bringing us to this place and blessing us with this new resource.

We want to see it used for whatever needs there are in the parish and for blessing others in the community,
and for assisting in God’s mission for the parish.

January 2017

New Design

The new hall design features a 2-storey building with a large hall upstairs and other meeting rooms downstairs along with kitchen and toilet facilities. With accessible 21st century facilities we will be able to use the hall for a variety of activities and events.

We want to make church life more than something that happens on Sunday, but an integral part of everyone’s life and we want the new hall to be used as much as possible, both by parishioners and the wider community.

We want the hall to help us establish new relationships, to grow in our faith and for whatever need there is in our parish and community.
To help us fulfil our call to go into the world and make disciples. We thank God for blessing us with this new resource and want to bless others as well. To book the hall follow this link:

Hall opening

Killyleagh Parish Centre dedicated

On 21st January 2018, on a wet mild afternoon, just a day or two after Killyleagh experienced some cold snowy weather, Bishop Harold Miller dedicated the new Parish Centre to the glory of God. Mrs Miller cut the ribbon at the door, while Bishop Harold unveiled the plaque in the porch, before the worshippers and guests moved inside for some fellowship and afternoon tea, provided by the hard-working Parish catering team.
 
Sam Graham, chair of the Building Committee thanked all involved in any way in the construction, while the Rector commented that the parish now had the best possible new building on the small site that was the old hall. He continued that this new facility was for the whole community.
 
The official opening ceremony followed an inspiring and uplifting service in a full church, where those present looked backwards to the life of the parish in the old hall, recognising God’s faithfulness to every generation, gave thanks for the day with its culmination of a long building project, and looked forward to the future, as the parish faces a task unfinished, with its mission to connect with the people of Killyleagh and spread the good news of Jesus through the blessing of the new building resource.
 
During the service, the congregation heard how 7-year old Cristiano Fernandes had won a competition to design a stained-glass window panel for the new Parish Centre. His design, on the theme of prayer, was chosen from 50 entries from pupils of Killyleagh Integrated Primary School.
 
Bishop Harold gave an interactive address, taking as his text chapter 3 of Jonah and encouraging Killyleagh Parish to make use of the wonderful new facility to help fulfil the mission of God, in the face of challenge. Many members of the parish were involved in the service, including the Junior Choir, which sang Rend Collective’s prayer for God to ‘Build his Kingdom here’ and the robed Choir, which sang a relatively new Getty/Cash composition, ‘Living Waters’.  

Parish Centre in Pictures

Ground Floor

There are a two smaller meeting rooms, a kitchen, a disabled toilet, male toilets and a lift.

First Floor

Main Hall and female toilets. Also pictured: Our panel designed by pupils at the local primary school, to remind ourselves and those that visit to whose glory the Parish Centre has been dedicated.