{"id":6147,"date":"2013-08-19T08:28:29","date_gmt":"2013-08-19T12:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/?p=6147"},"modified":"2013-08-19T08:48:57","modified_gmt":"2013-08-19T12:48:57","slug":"the-wpfg-the-inside-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/2013\/the-wpfg-the-inside-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The WPFG – The Inside Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Judith\"<\/a>The first 10 days of August saw the most hopeful, colourful, powerful burst of activity and positivity that Belfast has ever seen – a week of such good news that it even reverberated onto the news headlines as an antidote to the old bad-news Belfast stories.<\/em><\/p>\n

And right in the middle of it all was The Dock – and right in the middle of The Dock, the friendly face behind the coffee bar was not mine (I was “busy” eating galettes and drinking cidre doux in France) or Tegan’s (who was busy being a bridesmaid), but Judith, our special World Police And Fire Games cafe manager and all-round ray of sunshine.<\/em><\/p>\n

So here’s the story of the 2013 WPFG, and the part played by The Dock, in her own words:<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>2013 WPFG ….. For those who may have been on holiday, working far too hard or just don’t know the World Police and Fire Games were hosted in our very\u00a0own city of Belfast from\u00a01st until 10th August 2013.<\/p>\n

As well as open as usual for locals to pop in, The Dock cafe was filled with many visitors to the city. Those who came on their summer vacation … Many others participating in the\u00a0games or supporting those who were.<\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>So what went on in our special little corner of Titanic Quarter? What did those who came through our doors actually do? Here we go!! Time for… eating… drinking… chatting… team working… fun… bonding… inspiration… recharging… blessing…\u00a0excitement… serving… challenges… relaxation… devotions… informing… friendship… appreciation… welcoming… mission… wi-fi(ing)… busyness! \u00a0By the end of the ten days one word which described me was …..exhaustion!!<\/p>\n

Using words and photos I will try to bring these images to you, as I saw it during my time of managing The Dock!<\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>Each morning at 7 am the FFC (Firefighters For Christ) and CPA (Christian Police Association) met in The Dock Prayer Garden for devotions before starting out on the streets of our city to minister and to give love to anyone they came into contact with. This was a special time as friendships were formed with others from around the world as they\u00a0came together with a common goal.<\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>As normal our Dock volunteers arrived for duty with such an enthusiasm for what that day would bring. Much hard work was in order together with opportunity to meet and chat with those who visited The Dock. Many inquiring about (a few not quite understanding why we do this) the Honesty Box and many remarking that it is was a wonderful concept and liked the idea that the churches share the space.<\/p>\n

Added to this mix, some of the FFC volunteered to work in the cafe alongside us. Not only did they thoroughly enjoy the experience, but loved engaging with visitors, as they like the rest of us poured coffee and served soup! Not to mention doing a bit of tidying and cleaning! Karen from the CPA had the job of organising and transporting these guys around and most days she could be seen in the cafe leaving off and gathering up ….quite often having to drag the FFC volunteers away! Robert was in charge of the FFC but quite\u00a0often it was the team that kept him right!<\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>\"Dock<\/a>\"Dock<\/a>\"Dock<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>It was so encouraging to see the cafe overflowing with people each day. Standing room only was noted a few\u00a0times. Even though extra supplies had been ordered in, food ran out most days, (so thankful for the Mace) with me rushing next door to restock! With the policy of allowing people to bring their own food into the cafe the Mace was also extremely busy!<\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>\u2018Busyness\u2019 certainly was a word to describe our days. From setting up to serving food and giving of our time to talk with many. What a wonderful way to spend the days, as the volunteers and chaplains engaged with the customers through chatting. Stories of people\u2019s days and lives ….but all with hope. Customers told of how the FFC and CPA had encouraged them to come along for a cuppa and tray bake! The Dock certainly was a place where blessings were given and received. Often with\u00a0conversations of church, prayer and God.<\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>The second Thursday of the games saw the busiest day for the cafe. A \u2018ladies tea party\u2019 was hosted in the \u2018new wing\u2019 for invited guest who had been invited by FFC and CPA. This was a special time of outreach lots of chat and petite tray bakes were enjoyed. That certainly wasn\u2019t a good time for the boiler to break….but break it did!! After the initial panic, a telephone call was made and a replacement boiler appeared very quickly. Later that morning another group of ladies arrived in for coffee and scones (email had only landed in my box that morning)…but God is good and extra scones ordered were gratefully enjoyed.<\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>Two pop up markets were set up during my time in The Dock…. Elaine’s waffle stall and Colin’s aloe stall. Both having successful sales.<\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>Everyone who comes through The Dock doors is special but on one occasion a very important person came to visit……Chief Constable Matt Baggott visited and addressed the FFC and CPA over an early morning cup of tea. Much excitement in the area, wondering who was expected in our \u2018little place\u2019! With some of the games being held at the slipways, many more police officers were out and about, around the area taking their morning coffee and afternoon tea breaks in the cafe. A daily catch up with them gave me a better insight as to what was happening regarding the games. Very exciting days in the city.<\/p>\n

Even though most people came into the cafe for refreshments and time to relax, many new visitors were intrigued by the whole place….taking time to look at the \u2018art\u2019 and commenting on the Titanic memorabilia. It was noted that it was like walking into a museum or art gallery! Very positive comments and promises of return visits, as well as passing on the word that The Dock is the place to be!! There was even talk of other Dock style cafes opening in parts of Ireland as well as the UK! What an act to follow!!! What an\u00a0inspiration The Dock is!<\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>The Prayer Garden which proudly stands inside the cafe saw many walk underneath its wooden fenced entrance and take time to ponder, be inspired or pray. With its non-threatening layout many ventured in, if only for a \u2018wee\u2019 look out of curiosity.<\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>And now that the 2013 WPFG are over?…..well \u2018our little place\u2019 -whatever it means to you – is still on \u2018a high\u2019 from the excitement of the ten days but as usual THE DOCK is open for service as the volunteers and chaplains serve the community in which it stands. What a special place!<\/p>\n

As for me? Well I am now safely back in the sticks writing this blog with my wonderful happy memories of how I spent my outreach in the summer of 2013! Will I be back? Oh yes, my journey with The Dock is to be continued……!<\/p>\n

Judith Huddleson<\/p>\n

\"Dock<\/a>\"Dock<\/a>\"Dock<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first 10 days of August saw the most hopeful, colourful, powerful burst of activity and positivity that Belfast has ever seen – a week of such good news that it even reverberated onto the news headlines as an antidote to the old bad-news Belfast stories. And right in the middle of it all was … Continue reading The WPFG – The Inside Story<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chris-blog"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe WPFG - The Inside Story - The DOCK - Life in the Titanic Quarter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/2013\/the-wpfg-the-inside-story\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The WPFG - The Inside Story - The DOCK - Life in the Titanic Quarter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The first 10 days of August saw the most hopeful, colourful, powerful burst of activity and positivity that Belfast has ever seen – a week of such good news that it even reverberated onto the news headlines as an antidote to the old bad-news Belfast stories. 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