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Jennymount Church which sees itself very much as church in the community is located in a predominantly loyalist (Paramilitary influenced) area. We provide wide and varied programmes aimed to educate participating young people to become valued citizens.  Young people receive guidance and counsel to assist them in dealing with moral, social, emotional and religious problems. This we hope, through the development of their individual skills/talents, will produce a marked change in the contribution adolescents make towards each other, their own personal development and to the community.

 

The major social problems connected with living in an inner-city environment - alcoholism, drug addiction, child prostitution, substance abuse, domestic violence, the breakdown of the family - have considerable adverse affect on the community. Considering these factors it is not surprising that people living in the inner city areas have become disaffected, with little hope for the future. It was this moral, social and personal decay that inspired the creation of The First Step Drop-in Centre. Based on Christian principles, the project has recognised the need to meet people at their point of need, on their own terms and without criticism.

 

 


We are very aware of the increased needs in an ever increasing teenage parenting culture and are currently investigating with professional bodies the possibility of providing a purpose built Family Centre on a site we have aquired on Gainsborough Drive adjacent to the Churcu building. This new initiative would build on and enhance the already valued work of First Step.

  On Wednesday mornings the Church sanctuary is open for prayer. A sign is placed on the footpath advising passers by that “This church is open for prayer” We have been tremendously humbled as strangers and friends alike come in and sometimes simply sit in the pleasant surroundings and contemplate God’s love and grace while others come with specific prayer requests. The prayer clinic is manned by a number of volunteers who simply offer a listening and praying service.

Our motivation for who and what we are as church is mission. Jennymount values its place in the urban regeneration area of Lower North Belfast and is very aware of the increasing needs an inner-city community presents. Thankfully things are changing; there is increased optimism as plans are unveiled for further regeneration. People are beginning to re-locate back into the community. There is a buzz about the place as government departments have been given much needed resources to build more much needed houses. There is mounting buoyancy in the community as new houses are soon to be occupied by new incoming residents. There is a sense that God is doing a new thing among us.