When two young people finished tidying a garden in Ballyclare this summer, they did something brave. They asked the woman who lived there if they could pray with her.
No-one was sure how she would respond. But she said yes. She welcomed it. They sat and chatted with her, and then they prayed together.
Moments like that are what SPARK Ballyclare is all about.
Each summer, GBYFC partners with local churches and their young people for a week of serving the community and sharing the good news of Jesus. This year, 75 leaders and volunteers from 24 churches gave their time and energy across Ballyclare and the surrounding villages.
Serving in practical ways.
The gardening team worked in people’s gardens, giving them a new lease of life and praying with the people they met along the way. The community team hosted a tea dance for older adults in Ballyclare Town Hall and painted two murals with Christian messages, one under the bridge in Ballyclare and one in the nearby village of Ballynure.
Around 40 children came regularly to the afternoon Kids Club. This year it had a new detective theme, with the children investigating one big question: Who is Jesus?
Something new in Burnside
For the first time, a team was dedicated specifically to Burnside, a village just outside Ballyclare. They ran community clean-ups and an evening Kids Club that grew from 11 children on Monday to 19 by Friday. The young people came back each day excited to see God answering their prayers as more children came along, and to share the conversations they’d been having about Jesus.
A new chapter
2026 also marked a milestone for SPARK Ballyclare. GBYFC took full ownership of the week, which previously ran under the umbrella of SPARK Newtownabbey. That meant a great deal of extra planning, organisation and paperwork behind the scenes, and it has given SPARK a strong foundation to keep growing in Ballyclare.
“What stood out to me most was the number of genuine conversations we had with people in the community,..
SPARK isn’t simply about running activities for a week. It’s about going into the community, taking time to listen, building relationships and showing people they’re valued. Through those relationships, we get to share the hope of Jesus in a genuine and meaningful way.”
-Hannah, Youth Worker at GBYFC.
SPARK is a picture of what happens when churches, organisations and young people come together with a shared desire to serve their community and make Jesus known.
We’re thankful for all the ways we saw God at work, and to everyone who gave, served and prayed to make the week happen.
