THE YOUGHAL BAPTIST CHURCH held its third annual Soccer Summer Camp at Youghal United’s Ardrath Park from Monday August 22nd to Thursday 25th. The camp was run in partnership with Coaching4Christ, (C4C) a Christian ministry formed in 2004 and whose mission, as described on its website is “to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the many thousands who love or have an interest in the game of football.”

The 65 children, of both genders, who took part, throughly enjoyed themselves over the 4days. The soccer coaches helped the children to improve their skills, with 15 minutes of Gospel sessions included in each coaching session. On the final day a ‘World Cup’ competition was held between the different groups representing famous soccer countries.

Each child received a medal with the World Cup winning team delighted to take away the 2011 trophy. Youghal Baptist Church minister Mervyn Scott said the facilities provided by Youghal United were top class and combined with the sunny weather made this year’s Soccer Summer Camp one to remember.

Click here to visit the www.youghalbaptist.ie website

Click here to visit www.coaching4christ.co.uk website

 

Coaching4Christ Summer Camps

Our summer camps are an opportunity for churches to use Coaching4Christ as an outreach opportunity with our week long program of skills and games ending the week with the ‘World Cup’. The Gospel Message is delivered through a series of talks on Creation, Sin, Jesus, and Salvation

Our Ministry

Coaching For Christ (C4C) was formed in 2004 as a Christian ministry to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the many thousands who love or have an interest in the game of football.

C4C sees the sport of football as an ‘outreach opportunity’ not an ‘obsession’. Millions of pounds are spent on sports and recreation around the world each year. If we’re not playing, we’re watching. C4C seeks to captivate this interest and use soccer as a platform for sharing God’s love.

Our Aim

The ultimate aim of C4C is to enable people to find a new ‘manager’, a different kind of rule book, and a prize that’s even better than the world cup! C4C seeks to introduce Jesus into their lives and give a new purpose for living.

Our Methods

C4C is made up of a team of qualified soccer coaches. Most importantly, each member of the team has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Having fully committed their lives to Him, they are determined to combine their skills and expertise in sports with their faith for the furtherance of the Gospel.

Whilst the interest in football has no age barriers, it is inevitable that a large area of the work of C4C is with young people.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. These were the final words spoken before Paul Mulcahy was baptised by immersion in the river Blackwater at the Mall beach in Youghal yesterday afternoon-10th April 2011.

Paul (who lives in Ardmore) was following in the footsteps of his own father Philip, who himself was
baptised back in September. This was the second time the local Baptist church have had a baptismal service in Youghal. Mervyn Scott simply outlined that their understanding from the New Testament is that people believed in Jesus Christ first, then got baptised and belonged to the church!

Earlier at a short service held in the beautiful glass foyer of the Mall Arts Centre, Paul had spoken of how he had trusted in Jesus Christ as his Saviour back in October and wanted to demonstrate that inward change by being baptised in the way that Jesus had commanded. The tide was a little far out, but the water was not as cold as in September and everyone returned to the Mall for refreshments.

Related post: Click here http://www.youghalonline.com/2010/09/27/an-historic-day-as-local-baptist-church-celebrates-history/

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On Sunday last (September 26th 2010) a little piece of local history was made in Youghal as the Baptist community held their first “Believers’ Baptism” at the Mall Beach.
Pic: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com Email: news@youghalonline.com

A short service was held in the forecourt of the Mall Arts Centre where the the two people getting baptised (Viki Nagy & Philip Mulcahy) told their stories of how they had come to trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Based on Christ’s command to His followers to be baptised in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew Ch 28v16-20), it was at their own request that they were now being baptised. Following the service, Philip and Viki were baptised by full immersion (only for a few moments!) in the sea.

Based on Romans Ch 6v1-10, the Baptist community are simply seeking to follow the pattern that Jesus taught, the Apostles practiced and the Early Church believed. In the Scriptures people “came” to Baptism, they were not “brought”. In simple terms, they believed in Christ for their salvation, were baptised to give an outward demonstration to that belief and then they belonged to the body of believers living in their locality. As they emerged from the water (which was a little cold!) it was good to know that there was tea, coffee and refreshments waiting in the wonderfully versatile Mall Arts Centre which were enjoyed by all present!

CLICK ON VIDEO TO SEE THE EVENT

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Issued by the Youghal Baptist Church
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In one of the most challenging works of theatre ever performed in Youghal, a one-man play premiering in the Mall Arts centre this week depicts the human side of Christ in his final years. By Christy Parker | Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com | Barry Lawlor http://www.lawlorimaging.com/

The Passion sees local actor Brian Hogan adopt the roles of several characters as he leads the audience through the three years preceding and including the scourging at the cross. Brian’s challenge is to convey the emotions, conflicts and frailties of human beings caught up in what would transpire to be the most profound drama in history of mankind.

The 90-minute performance, across two acts, “has religious undertones but looks at the Easter story in a non-religious manner,” says playwright Sean O’Neill. “It focuses on the humanity of Christ and other central characters such as Pontius Pilate, Mary Magdalene and the Roman soldier who pierced Christ’s side with his sword.”

The writer -a Dubliner now living in Youghal- trawled across ancient manuscripts that included the Dead Sea Scrolls, in a research project spanning almost a decade. “I wanted to get as full a picture of Christ’s times and circumstances, as against the rather romanticised version of his life promoted by Church institutions,” he says of his work.

As far as the play is concerned, it’s irrelevant whether or not Jesus was the Saviour, because at the time he was considered just one of hundreds of self-acclaimed prophets.  “Nonetheless, he had acquired a large following while claiming to be the Son of God. This worried the high priests, known as the Sanhedrin, who enforced the law,” explains Sean. “So they killed him without a fair trial.”

Jesus’s Background

The playwright stresses the importance of the political and social structures of the time in defining Jesus. Sean subscribes that “there were four main religious sects in Israel; the Pharisees (generally artists and workers who believed in the afterlife and retribution in next world), the Essenes (ascetics who embraced self-sacrifice), Sadducees (elite class who also believed in afterlife, angels, etc but who made fortunes selling ‘indulgences’ in the temple) and the Zealots (off-stream revolutionaries, opposed to Roman rule). Various argument depict Jesus as being a member either of the Pharisees or the Essenes.

In Sean’s understanding, Jesus would have followed the teachings of his cousin, John the Baptist, an Essene who advocated redemption from sin through baptism. “Jesus spent time fasting in the dessert where, unsurprisingly, he suffered hallucinations,” Sean proceeds. “On his return John was beheaded and Jesus assumed his message. He also claimed he had to die to save mankind but he wouldn’t have been the first prophet to claim this.”

Profits as much as prophets were to be Jesus’s undoing. He routed the indulgence-selling, money-collectors in the temple for, basically, racketeering at a time when 50% of children died through poverty before reaching five. This enhanced his growing support and further undermining the power of the Sanhedrin and other elitists and sealed his faith. “Against this background, we see the non-divine, humanity of Jesus emerge,” observes Sean.

Judas, Pilate etc…

The play’s opening half deals with the three years of Jesus’s ministry. Part two addresses the scourging. Brian endeavours to bring a depth and a new perspective to each of seven characters. Pontius Pilate is re-assessed. “Its unlikely he ever actually met Jesus personally, as he would oversee hundreds of crucifixions in a week,” Sean reflects. Judas, likewise, is revisited. “He was a very learned man, who spoke several languages. I think he sought to intervene on Jesus’s behalf and in time the perception came about that he betrayed him,” Sean alaborates.

Other characters depicted are John the Baptist, Peter the Apostle and the Roman Centurion. Mary Magdalene (played in a short cameo by Terri McCarthy) is also represented amidst insinuation that she has conducted an emotional and physical relationship with Jesus. “He was a rabbi by then and rabbis were incomplete without a partner,” explains Sean.

Challenging

The play presents an unprecedented challenge to (pardon the ironic pun) the life of Brian Hogan, recently returned from his appearance as Vince Matthews in Fair City and more accustomed to plying his talents on a shared stage with Youghal’s Little Theatre and the Brideview Players. I In his first solo role, the actor is imposed upon to hold the audience as he invokes a gamut of emotions, from grief to anger, through guilt, joy, despair and much, much more. He cites “the self pity of Judas and the arrogance of the centurion” as characteristics he has not previously personified, while the reminder, “are familiar but demand more intensity.”

Relishing the challenge, Brian says he has “really, really strived to get into the heads of these characters.” To that effect, Sean encouraged him to let the characters “evolve through trial and error on the rehearsal floor.” As Brian observes, “Every person has many sides to their character and so it’s really about combining the script with personal experience.”  The end result, hopefully, will see audiences emerge with a renewed and deeper understanding of Christ and perhaps one closer to one’s own self-perception.

All local

Brian is abetted in his efforts by local contributions from sound engineer Warren Tivy, lighting technician Tony Irwin and set designer Jesse DeLacour. Local reflection perhaps further extends to the playwright himself, who believes he may be related to the 1798 martyr Fr. Peter O’Neill.  “It was often mentioned in my family when I was growing up that we were related to him, though I’ve no way of proving it just yet,” he explains.

Sean first came to Youghal 20 years ago, through his ex-wife, a Cork woman whom he met through theatre in London. Over the past decade he has twice lived here prior to this permanent reinstatement since 2007. “I have long considered Youghal my spiritual home and now it’s my physical home also,” he smiles.

A seasoned traveller, his life has centred on theatre as writer, actor, director and producer in Ireland, Britain and America. His work has played to audiences in San Francisco as well London and the Triskle in Cork, where, amongst other projects, he directed Frank O’Connor’s An Only Child. A former member of the Cork Shakespeare Company, he now teaches drama at the National Learning Institute in Model farm Road. In his spare time he is simultaneously working on two novels.

Sean says he turned down requests to open The Passion in London, Dublin and Cork. “I thought, ‘why not Youghal? There is enough talent here that’s for sure.” Now there is The Passion to match it.

The Passion runs from Tuesday March 30st to Saturday April 3rd. Admission €20; (opening night €15); concession/OAP/students €15.  Advance tickets at Cree’s card shop. Doors open 7.30. Complimentary wine, teas and coffee.

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