Magazine – March 2023

Scene@Synod2023 – Report of the Diocesan Synod 2023

A special day in St. Andrew’s, especially for Victor Idoga

On Sunday 11th February 2023, St. Andrew’s was honoured to welcome the Right Reverend Anthony Ball, Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Egypt with responsibilities across the new Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria, who Presided at the Eucharist on that day. The Very Reverend Christopher Futcher, Archdeacon of Cyprus, preached at the service.

Bishop Ball also serves as a Canon of Westminster Abbey, but perhaps of most significant importance currently from St. Andrew’s perspective, Bishop Ball is Chairman of The Jerusalem and the Middle East Church Association (JMECA) whose Standing Committee, the Jerusalem and East Mission Trust (JEMT), is the body which administers the assets of JMECA and a number of other charities that provide support for the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East (including the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf incorporating St. Andrew’s Church).

But Sunday 11th February was also a very special day in the life of the Church beyond assets such as buildings etc. when a young man Victor Idoga was received by baptism as the latest member of the Body of Christ which is the Church in St. Andrew’s.

Below are photographs (courtesy of Leo Igwe) of that joyous occasion.

Disaster Collection in St. Andrew’s following the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria


As we have been seeing on our new reports recently devastating earthquakes have killed thousands of people in Türkiye and Syria. Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed. Survivors are facing freezing conditions and are in need of urgent aid.

Closer to home we have been deeply affected by the news that a dozen children from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – accompanied by their parents on a school trip for a volleyball tournament in Türkiye – were caught amid the devastating Kahramanmaraş earthquake.

From an article on the LGC news website dated Friday 10th February 2023 we read:

The bodies of four more Turkish Cypriot students were discovered in the rubble of the Isias Hotel in Adiyaman, Yeniduzen reports.

The total number of casualties from the TRNC caused by two earthquakes in Turkey five days ago has risen to 16.

In separate articles, Yeniduzen names some of the latest casualties as: Osman Çetintaş, one of the teachers at Famagusta TMK. Students at Famagusta TMK, Hasan Bilgen, Kagan Selim İş, Alp Akın Mert Niyazi Topukçuoğlu and two brothers Doruk Akın and Alp Akın.

Funerals for the deceased will be held today.

How can we help?

At St Andrew’s there will be a retiring collection after each Sunday’s Eucharistic service this month (February 2023) to help Küzey Kıbrıs Türk Kızılayı (the Turkish Red Crescent) support the needs of people in the earthquake area of Türkiye and Syria. Kizilay TRNC works through Kizilay Türkiye and Turkish Banks in Kibris facilitate money transfer between them.

You may remember that in Lent 2022, following Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, St. Andrew’s made retiring collections after each service, the proceeds of which were passed on to Kizilay TRNC to help support those in need there.

It is hoped that our congregation will once again be as generous as they have been on previous occasions.

What if I am off the island but still want to support?

Many organisations throughout the world have put out powerful appeals for assistance. Maybe you have already given via one of these charity. Donations made to the Disasters Emergency Committee in the U.K. will be gift aided and matched by the U.K. government up to the total of £5million.

However, you may want your support to be added to the St Andrew’s collections.

You can do so by making payments to St Andrew’s UK Charity bank account by bank transfer, using the reference QUAKE. Details are given below.
Bank Details: Unity Trust Bank, 4 Brindley Place, Birmingham B1 2HB
Account No: 20372187
Sort Code: 60-83-01
Account Name: St Andrew’s Church Kyrenia UK Charity
BIC: CPBKGB22
IBAN: GB15UYTB60830120372187

Giving to a disaster is part of our Church’s mission and we can also claim Gift Aid on any known declared donor.

• £10 could provide blankets to keep two people warm
• £25 could provide emergency food for a family for ten days
• £50 could provide emergency shelter for two families

Wherever you are, please donate if you possibly can, to these enormous needs.

Magazine – February 2023

Magazine – January 2023

Rules for the Governance and Procedures (the Constitution) for St. Andrew’s Church, Kyrenia.

Rules for the Governance and Procedures (the Constitution) for St. Andrew’s Church, Kyrenia.

St Andrew's Church, Kyrenia - in the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf

 

An Extraordinary Church Meeting was held on Sunday 13th February 2022 at 11:30am following the morning service in St. Andrew’s church.

This meeting was called to ratify the amended Rules for the Governance and Procedures (the Constitution) for St. Andrew’s Church, Kyrenia.

A copy is available by clicking here

At the ECM the new Rules for the Governance and Procedures (the Constitution) of St. Andrew’s (2022) were accepted and passed. 

Giving to St. Andrew’s

These have been difficult days, for so many very sad days and they continue. We pray for all those who are serving communities in the many countries around the world where the Corona Virus is striking people down and for family and friends of people undergoing treatment. We especially remember front-line workers who have put themselves in danger and all those who have died, may they Rest in Peace.

Spring and early summer is a beautiful time in Cyprus and many Friends, regular visitors and tourists will have missed joining in fellowship at St Andrew’s Church both at Easter and the weeks that followed. The lockdown in North Cyprus was strict, rigorously enforced but very effective. By the beginning of July there had been no cases of Covid-19 for two months, but everyone remains cautions of a second wave.  So, on 5th July the doors of the Church opened with great caution for the first time since the Thursday service on 12th March. A restricted gathering joined a said Holy Communion service with no singing and seating spaced to ensure Social Distancing. The days ahead are unknown but we pray they will continue to bring freedom and the possibility of travel to and from the island. The deepest wish of us all, is that the day will soon be here when we can come together with freedom in our beautiful church once again to worship our Lord in fellowship and song.

Each week the service sheet is posted on the Church web site and there are details of how to receive the Thursday Praise service prepared by Steve Bishop and sent out with encouragement for you to sing to music on Youtube.

Of course, the closure of Church and the absence of visitors has left St Andrew’s without the normal generous Easter and spring collections. If you wish to make a donation from wherever you are to support the work of the Church, full details are available on the website giving page. Details of how to make payments to the Church UK Charity Bank account by Cheque or bank transfer are listed. Regular monthly Standing Order donations enable budgeting of church finances. Donations can be gift aided. Contact the gift aid officer at giftaid@standrewskyrenia.org

We have recently introduced a new simple method of small SMS donation to St Andrew’s for UK mobile phone users, similar to that used for appeals on TV in UK.

Text KYRENIA to 70085 to donate £10 to St Andrew’s

With a UK mobile phone in the UK, or anywhere you are able to roam with your UK mobile including North Cyprus, Text KYRENIA to 70085 to donate £10. Texts cost £10 donation plus the cost of one standard rate message. The charge will appear on your telephone bill. Repeat donations are possible to a maximum of £30 with up to three messages in one day.

SMS donations can also be Gift Aided.

A reply message acknowledging and thanking you for the donation will be received inviting you, if appropriate and you are able, to send us your Gift Aid details to enable St Andrew’s to make the GA application on your behalf.

You may ask what we do with your financial donations. In addition to keeping the church alive, in recent years the St Andrew’s community have made generous donations to local charities including Tulips, The Women’s Refuge, The Sarioğlu Foundation, Karakum Special Needs School and internationally to The World Day of Prayer.

Thank you so much for your support.

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