Northern Ireland Community Relations Council - Services - Community Relations Groups

Contact: Isobel Hunter

445 Springfield Road

Tel: 028 9032 1649

E-Mail: cornerstone@cornerstonecom.fsnet.co.uk

Status of organisation:

Number of staff:

Aims and Objectives

The group states its aims as follows:

Cornerstone Community - Servant of God's reconciling grace in the Shankill and the Falls;
The Cornerstone Vision - The people of the Shankill and of the Falls belong to one another in the family of God;
The Cornerstone Goal - To enable the people of the Shankill and the Falls to discover the bonds that unite them and to respect their differences that arise from tradition and culture.

Projects and Activities

Prayer - the Community is first and foremost a praying community. At its weekly meeting the community gives significant time to prayer and reflection. "Live-in" members pray together twice daily, and all are committed to pray regularly for each other and for the neighbourhoods around the community.

Ecumenical Prayer Groups - The Community hosts monthly Tuesday evening Bible-sharing group which is attended by people of different Christian traditions. The Community also encourages local people of the area to come together to pray at specific times.

Group work - At frequent intervals the Community mounts small conferences and study sessions to enable local people from both sides to share experiences and examine differences and so come to a better understanding of one another. Members of the community regularly attend religious and peace conferences, both as participants and as resource personnel.

Healing and helping - Members of the Community take a leading part in a local Churches Ministry of Healing and in comforting the distressed, especially those distressed through the 'Troubles'.

Crisis visiting - Members visit people locally who have suffered through violence. Whenever possible, this is done in twos, a Catholic and a Protestant together. This has proved to be a powerful healing symbol and witness.

Bridge Building - Cornerstone has established links between local clergy and church workers from the Falls/Shankill area, enabling them to meet regularly.

Peace Education - Frequent opportunities arise to share the Cornerstone vision with church, school and community groups to encourage them to pray and work for peace.

A resource - Members and friends, who work full-time in difficult circumstances in local churches, communities or enterprises, find in Cornerstone a resource through which they are refreshed and re-equipped for their various tasks.

Hospitality - The House is an open house, offering hospitality to all who come, from wherever they come. Many people from many countries have stayed and been helped to a deeper understanding of the situation and a new appreciation of the resilience of the local people.