Stepping Up before stepping down
We are pleased to have Ivan Kirkpatrick writing on the blog this week.
In June 2022, Ivan stepped down from the World Development & Relief committee after six years of service.
To mark this, Ivan set himself a Step Up challenge…
Wednesday 18 May, 8am- standing at Portrush train station waiting for the train to Ballymoney - this is the start of a long day for my wife Ann and myself.
The day had finally arrived for ‘The Four Churches Circuit Walk’.
I had decided to finish my tenure on the World Development & Relief committee, after 6 years, with a plan to raise some funds.
As a member of the Coleraine Church I decided to do a walk calling at each of the four churches on our Methodist Circuit. Shortly after 8.30am, we started our walk from Ballymoney Methodist Church, where we were greeted by Nigel from Coleraine. From there to Coleraine Methodist Church was the longest leg of our walk, which went surprisingly quickly and we arrived in Coleraine in time for a welcomed lunch prepared by Christine and Marilou.
Others called to encourage us and give us chocolate treats to help us on our way. Having been rested and fed, we then set off from there to Portstewart Methodist Church. The incentive for this leg was a Morelli’s ice cream on the promenade - which we thoroughly enjoyed! By this stage I realised that I had muscles which hadn’t been used for some time or for this long!
The most picturesque part of the journey lay ahead of us to Portrush. The sun shone as we made our way along the coastal path.
Ben from The Surf Project joined us at Juniper Hill for the final walk into Portrush. We arrived before 4.00 pm, tired but happy to have completed our 18 mile walk. We were met at the final hurdle by Nigel and Ken and we appreciated everyone’s support on the day.
The total amount raised, including Gift Aid, was just over £2000- which is amazing! I wish to thank all those Church members, family and friends who supported me. It made it all worthwhile.
The money raised for WDR is to help tackle global poverty and injustice with our global partners. Thank you all.
Ivan Kirkpatrick
Former member of the WDR committee
