So it’s been a week where The Dock’s profile has suddenly skyrocketed thanks to the radio – so how about a few images to go with the words?  You’ve heard what The Dock sounds like (an enthusiastic Dalek, apparently) – so what does it look like?

As always, there was lots of walking involved – including a pilgrimage walk from Saul (the richly-evocative site of the first Christian community in Ireland) to Downpatrick on St Patrick’s Day:

– and a tour of the Titanic Quarter with some visitors from Albany, some of whom are planting similar “churches without walls” in their communities in The States:

Some of these visitors were here this time last year, and it’s always amazing to see the Titanic Quarter through the eyes of occasional visitors – who are staggered by the pace of change.  (The signature project was still a hole in the ground when they visited last March – now it stands gleaming in the sun, visible for miles around!)

Also well-advanced within the last year (in fact almost ready to open) is the new campus of the Belfast Metropolitan College – I had a fantastic visit this week with the Director and got a sense of just how exciting this new campus is, both for the Met and for the TQ.  From next September, thousands of students will be training, learning and building their futures here in the Titanic Quarter – a major new part of the Dock community.

As well as walking, there’s also always lots of coffee in Dock World.  This week I enjoyed a brew at the Common Grounds cafe on University Ave in the Holy Lands area of Belfast, and had great chats with the founders and people who run it.  Common Grounds is going into the Dock Business Plan as one of the case studies – as a great model of how a coffee shop can be an ethical business, a community hub and a powerful way for the church to be present, open and active in the midst of its community.  Well worth a visit – you can find out all about it here.

And as always the weekly highlight was the Dock Walk on Sunday afternoon – this week was one of those walks where every denomination and age group were represented!  Which always makes for the most fascinating conversations as we walk, talk, pray and connect.