Wednesday 21 October 2009

The City I Live In ~ Lisburn

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History
Being granted the title of 'City' in 2002 was and still remains something a lot of people joke about. But we have the title anyway!

Lisburn was formaly known as Lisnagarvey which is why one of the schools bears that name. Incidently the meaning of that name is 'Fort of the gamblers'. The name change came after a fire in 1707 that destroyed much of it.

Population
Today the City has a population of around 113, 520 (according to Invest Lisburn).

In 2001 when the population was lower (71,465), the census found that 25.4% were aged under 16 years and 15.6% were aged 60 and over leaving 59% between the ages 16 - 60.
Also from the 2001 Cencus we see that 54.2% were from a Protestant background and 41.7% were from a Catholic background.

Church
With huge developement plans the population of Lisburn may increase greatly in coming years, increasing an already difficult task for the Churches of Lisburn. There are around 134 Churches serving Jesus & the community (give or take a few depending on what's included in the stats given by the council).

As is usual in a City with many churches, there is diversity among them in style, denomonation, and even on fundamental beliefs.

Shopping
My wife could write this section better. But from a mans perspective there are way too many shops, which is probably a good thing to be said about any City. Whatever you're looking it's pretty certain you'll find it in Lisburn.

Hotel
Yes, it finally arrived, Lisburn now has a hotel.

Battle of the Sexes
Lisburn is pretty well matched on this, with stats showing the population around 50% male & 50% female (probably giving slightly more to the ladies).

Finishing Thoughts
Lisburn is a great city, but as with all cities it is in need of redemption in Jesus.
It's not unusual, when i take my son to the play park, for me to use sticks to lift condoms or to lift broken bottles etc. Even a short time ago a young man was stabbed not far from my house.
These are symptoms of a deeper problem and my prayer is not that young people would simply live moral lives. But that they would meet Jesus & that He would radically transform their lives & bring them on mission with Him for the good of the city & the glory of God.

How would you pray for the city?
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About Boaly
Gary has been involved in printing the Scriptures for 20 years, enjoys photography and rambling online

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