Canadians lend a hand in Wexford
SHOWING young people that they belong somewhere is one of the aims of the Portico Church in Ontario and over the last two years, its members have found that place in Wexford.
Thirty-five of the group’s young members recently paid a visit to the county for the second year in a row, where they teamed up with members of the Wexford Christian Community Church. Despite flight delays, jet lag and bad weather, the visitors got involved with the local community from day one by organising youth events and lending a hand to the local Tidy Towns group.
‘We are doing our best to help out the Wexford community wherever it’s needed,’ explained Pastor of the Portico Church Daniel Clarke, who is leading the Canadian group of teens with his wife Rachel. ‘We want to get our teens involved in things and encourage them to do something with a purpose.’
Throughout the week, the two groups have tried their hand at everything, from weeding and painting benches in Redmond Park to picking litter around Wexford’s Main Street. While their efforts have been of huge benefit to the local environs, the teens have also reaped the rewards.
‘ Taking part in things like this teaches young people about unity and shows them there’s a community that cares about them,’ explained Daniel. ‘It shows them that they’re not alone.’
‘I find a lot of young people are really discouraged in life. They don’t know what their purpose is or where they are supposed to go. Many of them are under a lot of pressure and stress. We are all about building each other up and giving others hope.’
The partnership between the Wexford Christian Community Church and the group from Mississauga, Canada stemmed from a friendship between Wexford Pastor Cathy Phillips, her husband and Co-Pastor Paul and Daniel. When Paul and Cathy formulated a plan to invite a missionary group to Wexford, they could think of nobody better to host than their friends across the pond.
‘Everyone is really enjoying the visit,’ explained Paul, who is Co-Pastor of the Wexford church along with Pat Murphy. ‘Most of them came here last year and all of them keep saying that they love the Wexford people and that we are very friendly here. It’s a great thing to be told because sometimes, we don’t always see it ourselves.’
Last Friday, the groups gave their paintbrushes and shovels Picture: Patrick Hogan a rest and hosted a youth rally in the Wexford Christian Community Church. A night of food, games and music marked the end of another successful trip to Ireland for the Canadian group.
The Portico Church hopes to invite some of their new Wexford friends over to Canada in the future. In the meantime, the members of the Wexford Christian Community Church will continue to spread their positivity around the town.
‘We are going to continue to get our teens out serving the community,’ explained Paul. ‘Hopefully, we can encourage the idea of involvement.’