redevelopment on a brownfield and an old cemetery site.  On our tour of the building Mark noted that the business plan targeted for 2015 has been met, a testimony to good management, AND good design! 
The elements are condo apartments for sale, a café bistro, Restore a recycle shop, six classrooms for Belfast Metropolitan College, a 26 person homeless shelter, Tearfund and AgeConcernNI offices, two large multi-purpose rooms, one a gymnasium with showers, and the other for a church, private counseling and art/dance/yoga/judo studios.  We are excited because there are not many projects like this and we hope to see and encourage more.
At the opening event we attended Caroline the HR Director told us she had just hired 30 people to deal with the facilities and was soon taking a trip to Australia.  We contacted her on her last day in the office until the new year.  She said "no problem" in mid April she can renew our Certificate of Sponsorship "in 10 minutes".  When I asked her about bringing in another volunteer worker she said sure and Marda can have a visa too if she wants one.  We are truly grateful to find EBM. 

Stronger Together is the project of 174 Trust bringing together four neighborhoods, two nationalist and two unionist in North Belfast on our side of the river.  A clergy group already meet monthly for breakfast, with ministers and priests and Maximos from the Orthodox church which is neither Catholic nor Protestant.  You who don’t attend church are probably saying why is this a big deal!  Belfast is known the world over as the place where Catholics and Protestants killed and maimed each other for 30-40 years.  Over 3700 people died in this small country, randomly, that's terrorism.  Northern Ireland doesn't have a racism problem they have a sectarian problem.  We try to help people deal with spiritual reconciliation and healing sectarian wounds. 

The final briefing on the study of 28 churches determined that a symposium is next.  Purpose: to include government and NGO organizations to look at the social and conflict needs and develop actions.  The biggest community problems identified are unemployment, low educational attainment, addictions, and paramilitaries. 
Last month we noted that Helen Sanlon was taking up residency in a storefront on the Shankill Road with her art making.  She is the one we went to the art therapists' meeting to hear that artists have a part to play in peace making and envisioning the future because we think differently.  Today we saw that the storefront has a big sign over it that says Artist in Residence. 

Ward and I took a drawing class and a printmaking class.  Great stuff. 

We met Helen at the Faith and Arts group show.  Our Faith and Arts group has been asked to bring a series of "In Conversation" for Contemporary Christianity Ireland evening discussions in the Spring. 

Amazing at how things are coming together.  Praise God!

Email: wardstothers@cten.org
Phone: (028) 90 291986  From U.S. 01144.2890.291986

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