About Us

The Churches’ Community Work Alliance (Northern Ireland) believes that the process of community development work is the most empowering and enabling way for the Church to express its beliefs in action, in ministry and in mission.

As such, CCWA (NI) is committed to promoting a community development approach by churches, encouraging them to work with, and not just for, the people in their local community, to address social justice issues and enhance social capital while advocating peace-making, conflict transformation and reconciliation as integral to the message of the Gospel and essential for the development of good community relations and a healthy, sustainable society in Northern Ireland.

The Churches’ Community Work Alliance (Northern Ireland) originated as part of the UK-wide Churches’ Community Work Alliance, and in 2009 was constituted locally to better support faith-based and church-related community development work throughout Northern Ireland.

At the launch of CCWA (NI), Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie MLA announced three years of funding for the organisation, saying

This is great news for the Churches’ Community Work Alliance Northern Ireland. The funding will help deliver on key objectives that will equip and release more faith based volunteers to work in our most needy communities. At a time when public funding is under growing pressure, this is a measure of my belief in the importance of the work of CCWA (NI).

I recognise CCWA (NI)‘s determination to work as a strong advocate for cross community partnership and its commitment to work towards a shared, peaceful and more prosperous future.

Read more about the history of CCWA.

Staff

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Eddie McDowell (Director)

Donna McGuckin (Administrator)

Ken Humphrey (Regional Training and Development Officer)

Rob Fairmichael (Coordinator, Community Faiths' Forum)

CCWA (NI) Directors

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Rev Bill Shaw OBE (Chair) (174 Trust)

Rev Colin Campbell (Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church, Irish Council of Churches)

Mrs Diane Holt (Tearfund Representative)

Bishop Donal McKeown (Down and Connor Diocese)

Mr Glenn Jordan (Director - Skainos Project, East Belfast Mission)

Rev Margaret Ferguson (Evangelical Alliance - NI)

Mr Ken Groves (Director - Frontier Youth Trust)

Rev Mervyn Gibson (Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Westbourne Community Presbyterian Church)

Rev Professor J P Taylor MBE (Union Theological College, Queen's University, Belfast)

Mrs Kate Clifford (Rural Community Network)

Rev Mervyn Ewing (Methodist Church in Ireland, Jennymount Methodist Church)

Mr Alan Johnston (Community Work From A Christian Perspective Representative)