BEAUTIFUL WOMEN @ ECF

Beautiful women in all their glory
by Mary Frances Ryan

What started as an intimate gathering in a house in Enniscorthy has grown into a major event drawing women by the dozen.

The Enniscorthy Christian Fellowship’s Beautiful Women’s Night held in the Rugby Club last Thursday saw upwards of 100 ladies of all shapes and sizes, ages and creeds come together for a night of feeling special.

“We really strongly feel women are always doing something for somebody else in their lives, whether it’s a husband, a child, a relative or even a friend and the Beautiful Women’s Night is God saying this is your turn to be pampered,” Deirdre Byrne of Enniscorthy Christian Fellowship (ECF) told The Echo.

Deirdre organised the event alongside Mags Kiernan and a troop of 30 women from ECF who spent hours in the days prior cooking and baking to allow Enniscorthy’s women time to relax.

While there was a religious feeling to the event – a member of ECF delivered a message on God’s love – it was not subsumed by this.

Enniscorthy’s women sat back and enjoyed imaginative salads and scrumptious deserts before being treated to foot and hand massages and manicures.

Every detail went into making them feel special, from the purple petals and flowers strewn on the tables to the sweet messages painted in lipstick on the bathroom mirrors.

No money changed hands either, making the free night very much an act of giving.

Lorna Burt of ECF said the community was delighted with the turnout and hoped that everyone who attended enjoyed themselves.

“There were a lot of women who came for the first time – we were trying to make people know they are loved both by God and through people showing them love,” Lorna said. “Women are always busy and should be valued.”

The Beautiful Women’s Night began four years ago when the Fellowship, an independent evangelical church, was first established in Enniscorthy. It was a small affair with around 20 people.

“It grew too big for the house,” Deirdre said.

Now, it has almost grown too big for the Rugby Club and next year ECF will be searching out an even roomier venue.

The growth in the night has also been reflected in the expansion of the church’s community in Enniscorthy which started out with 10 people four and a half years ago but now numbers 60 and includes a range of activities from coffee mornings and kids’ summer camps to a family fun day in August.

“We are a caring community of Christians who want to see people’s lives changed by Jesus’ love,” Deirdre said.

Many will view with a sense of scepticism a group of people with a religious undertone to their activities, that there must be a catch.

But even if not a mass goer or unsure what we really believe in, many of us will say a quiet prayer when the chips are down. Perhaps a coming together from a religious perspective should not be frowned upon. Indeed, in all its guises, it’s what has brought together and strengthened communities for centuries.

ECF holds worship service in Daphne View Community Centre*, Enniscorthy every Sunday at 11 a.m.
(PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ALTHOUGH THE ABOVE WAS CORRECT AT THE TIME OF WRITING ECF HAS NOW MOVED TO THE ASTRO ACTIVE CENTRE, BELLEFIELD, ENNISC ORTHY)

Mary Frances Ryan

The above write up was originally published in The Echo and is re-published here with their permission.