Presbyterian Herald April 2025

APRIL 2025

CAN A CHURCH EVER ‘END WELL’?

When congregations need to close or merge

A PLEA TO RESIST AI Concern about artificial intelligence

PIONEERING MISSION IN NEW WAYS PCI’s new mission pioneers

Could you be their Chaplain?

As an RAF Chaplain you’ll be involved in the lives of our personnel, regardless of their rank, religion, or personal beliefs. Your personal sacrifice may be considerable as you’ll serve with our people wherever they go, providing vital spiritual, pastoral and ethical support in places of conflict, including on the front-line. Your homebased duties will be equally important, in support of personnel and their families.

A whole new congregation awaits you.

Contact RAF Chaplaincy Recruitment now: air-chapservs-recruitment@mod.gov.uk The Royal Air Force values every individual’s unique contribution, irrespective of race, ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation or social background.

UK Ministry of Defence © Crown Copyright 2024

CONTENTS | APRIL 2025

FEATURES 12 Celebrating 125 at Cregagh Anniversary for east Belfast church

16 If a man dies, will he live again?

Moderator’s Easter reflection

18 Can a church ever ‘end well’?

When congregations need to close or merge

20 Being present in Sligo

How to be present where God has placed us

23 Partners in the gospel

The work of PCI’s United Appeal for Mission

28 Bringing the Bible to life

The work of the Bible Society Northern Ireland

30 A plea to resist AI

Concern about artificial intelligence

Celebrating 125 years at Cregagh p12

32 A trip of a lifetime

Aaron House residents enjoy a trip to Disneyland Paris

36 Getting ‘alongside’

Equipping congregations for ministry to families

38 Pioneering mission in new ways PCI’s new mission pioneers

Being present in Sligo p20

REGULARS 4 5 6 7 8 9 15 24 35 40 42 47

CONTRIBUTORS

Letters Culture Watch News In this month My story Life lessons Norman Hamilton Mission articles Tommy Bruce Reviews Life in PCI Ruth Sanderson

Cover illustration: Barry Falls April 2025 No. 867 £2.20/€2.60 Published by: The Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Assembly Buildings, Belfast BT1 6DW. T: +44 (0)28 9032 2284 E: herald@presbyterianireland.org W: www.presbyterianireland.org

A trip of a lifetime p32

Dr David Allen is Deputy Clerk of Assembly. He was minister of the Clones group for nine years and Ballyrashane for 14 years.

He is now a member of Ballysally, Coleraine.

Jonny McClune is PCI’s congregational witness development officer. He is married to Bethany, dad to Jack and a member of Saintfield Road Presbyterian.

Kevin Hargaden is an elder in Lucan Presbyterian Church. He is a theologian whose work focuses on Christian ethics.

Rick Hill is Secretary of PCI’s Council for Mission in Ireland. He is an elder in Carnmoney Presbyterian and lives in Doagh with his wife Sarah and their three children.

Editor: Sarah Harding

The views expressed in the features, news reports, letters and book reviews of this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor. Editorial comment and signed Subscriptions and Advertising: articles do not necessarily contain the official views of the Church, which can only be laid down only by the General Assembly. Acceptance of advertisements Edward Connolly; Hazel Gilliland does not imply endorsement of the goods or services. Advertising will not be Design and Layout: included if the product or service is deemed to be in conflict with the Church’s Edward Connolly official views, or if it is inappropriate for a church magazine. It is not Herald policy Printing: to include any editorial content along with adverts. The editor reserves the right W & G Baird Ltd to decline any advertisement or letter without assigning any reason. Letters may be edited for publication. No correspondence can be entered into regarding nonpublication of advertisements or letters.

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Herald April 2025

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EDITORIAL

Grief and hope

In his book A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis, who wrote it following the death of his wife, describes the pain and bewilderment of losing a loved one. He says, “The death of a beloved is an amputation.”

This month, Donna Scott, who lost her husband in 2021, courageously shares her story of grief and describes the help she received from attending a Care for the Family residential event for those widowed young. She says, “It was nice to feel that I ‘fitted in’. I found it definitely helped hearing from others…It is reassuring to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

The experience of grief is not exclusive to losing people that we love. There are also times in our lives we will grieve for experiences, dreams and circumstances we have lost. David Allen writes about the grief that can come when a church closes. As PCI carries out its reconfiguration of ministry, this is a possible scenario for some in our denomination. David recognises, “While there is much to be thankful for, the ending of a congregation still brings regret and loss.” However, pointing to some current examples in PCI, he says it is possible for a congregation to end well and look to the future with hope for the surrounding community.

Citing the example of Woodvale in north Belfast, he says the church “now plans to end well, and end soon, praying that its remaining resources – its money and its buildings – will be its legacy for future mission in the local area.”

Rick Hill writes about one way that PCI is branching out into new ways of mission – through mission pioneers. He says, “Pioneers are those who go first, pave the way and initiate connection with those outside the Church to engage them with both the gospel and Christian community.” Three mission pioneers have already been deployed and it is hoped that more applications will be received for this exciting work.

Although death can be devastating, Easter reminds us that death is not the end. Moderator, Dr Richard Murray says, “…we have the assurance from all four gospels that Jesus was not abandoned to the grave…for God raised him to life.” As we look to Jesus and all he achieved for us on the cross, we can be thankful that our sins have been forgiven and we can be joyful that one day, we will also be raised to life, to live with him forever.

Happy Easter from everyone in the Herald office.

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Herald April 2025

LETTERS

from, and in, the midst of that priesthood, there was to be an order of men to serve the The role of Church in things spiritual.”

Furthermore, as it says in teaching elder the Larger Catechism, “the Dear Editor Standards of the Church state I agree with the views that ‘the Word of God is to be expressed by Rev Craig Lynn preached only by such as are in the March edition. However, sufficiently gifted, and also I would like to make two duly approved and called to points. that office.’”

Firstly, the office of teaching Secondly, I am a retired elder is a distinct role and General Medical Practitioner, should not be diminished. having practised medicine This is in keeping with the for 47 years. It now takes views of the reformers based 10 years of study to be a on Scripture. As the late Rev GP, and 14 years of study to Prof John Barkley, who was be a hospital consultant. I Professor of Church History do not think anyone would in Assembly’s Theological wish to have cardiac surgery College and later principal, performed by somebody said: “The Reformed Church with no training or possibly affirms the universal having only read a book on priesthood of believers, and first aid! I regard my spiritual recognises in the Church a health to be much more ministry of the Word and important than my physical Sacraments, instituted by health and therefore I would Christ, forming one of his gifts consider that our ministers to his church…Reformed should be highly trained to churchmen accepted the be effective ministers of the doctrine of the priesthood of Word and Sacraments. all believers, but they also saw Dr James Lavery that according to the evidence Helen’s Bay of the New Testament, drawn

Topical Tweets @christian_aid Our response to the PM’s announcement on cutting INT’L aid: ‘Marginalised communities are facing a dramatic poverty crisis. These cuts – a political decision echoing Trump’s race to the bottom on aid – are a betrayal that will erode trust & fan the flames of global insecurity.’ @BallyhenryPres ‘When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed.’ Words of Jesus (Mark 14:7) – relevant / authoritative / steadying. @EANInews Yesterday, our Public Policy Officer, Danielle, and NI Associate, Emily, met with Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons MLA, to highlight the vital role of churches in tackling poverty. Please pray for continued meaningful conversations on this important issue!

Alan Meban reflects on what’s been in the news recently….

I

’m not shocked that the new occupant of the White House has disrupted previously accepted norms in the US and around the world. The lessons about the leadership style of President Trump are hard to forget from his first term in office.

However, I am surprised by the unceasing blizzard of executive orders, presidential pardons and pronouncements that President Trump has issued since his inauguration on 20 January.

There appears to be no downtime for this president who was criticised for playing golf 11 times during his first eight weeks in office back in 2017.

Instead, the news headlines each morning and evening analyse his administration’s latest announcements, report on how supporters and adversaries are spinning the likely effects, and question whether the newest bold decisions will be challenged in court.

I try to look for hope. Cynicism is too easy and spirals into destructive despair. The hard work is to scan the political horizon for signs of optimism and integrity.

The maelstrom of uncertainty has disrupted the feeling of safety once enjoyed by federal government employees, military leaders, legal advisors and some political appointees who normally survive changes of administration. Backing away from hiring policies that recognise missing demographics in the workforce has closed the door on valuing that the population sees itself in roles right across public sector organisations.

I keep reminding myself that it’s not intrinsically wrong to pursue a policy of leaner government. Incremental change usually happens at a snail’s pace. Revolution is the faster and much less dignified alternative. But it’s possible to break so many eggs that omelette can no longer be on the menu for dinner.

The uncertainty and insecurity as a result of this second term president’s words and actions is surely felt even more keenly by people with acute vulnerabilities. Those needing to claim asylum but finding the process is now suspended at some borders. Undocumented immigrants who have been living and contributing to society, without any criminal records, now living with the threat of deportation hanging over their heads.

The suggestion that a peace deal between Hamas and Israel could involve further destruction by the US-led construction of “the Riviera of the Middle East” and the displacement of Palestinians formerly living in Gaza to instead live in other neighbouring countries.

The clarion call to Make America Great Again seems to come with a requirement to do so ‘at all costs’. Trying to trade Ukraine’s mineral rights as payback for US military

aid may be assessed by some as good financial management, but to others it looks very exploitative, particularly when coupled with labelling Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator”. (Hours later, the president tried to pedal back, saying “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question.”)

Nigel Farage is MP for Clacton, leader of Reform UK, and a broadcaster. He recently said: “You should always take Trump seriously, but not necessarily always take him literally.”

In 2015, Trump stated that “people are so shocked when they find…out I am Protestant. I am Presbyterian. And I go to church and I love God and I love my church.”

Farage may offer wise counsel in how to ‘read’ the current US president. But perhaps the words of James (3:5) need to heeded more seriously: “The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.”

I do try to keep an open mind about the actions, behaviour and statements of politicians. While my ideals and standards are set high, my day-to-day expectations are realistically low. I remind myself that I need to look beyond the games that are being played to see what is really happening.

“With great power comes great responsibility” is an oft-used secular proverb that most commonly pops up in Spiderman comic books and films. It’s not a direct quote from the Bible, although it has parallels with the passage in Luke 12 which includes the words (v48): “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

And the phrasing is picked up in contemporary idiom of Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the passage: “Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!” (The Message).

It’s not for me to second guess the greatness, or otherwise, of the gifts that have been bestowed by God on President Trump.

But if I’m even tempted to begin to point a finger at his behaviour and attitudes – and this column could be construed as a confession that I’ve at least started down that road – I need to take seriously the requirement to act responsibly, and avoid setting forests on fire with my tongue. And as congregations and a denomination, we should be similarly cautious lest someone should find ample material with which to write a column criticising us.

Alan Meban is a freelance journalist and producer, and a member of Fitzroy Presbyterian Church.

Herald April 2025

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NEWS | IN THE ROUND UK global aid cut criticised The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has expressed its ‘deep concern and dismay’ at the UK government’s announcement that it will cut around £6 billion from its international aid budget by 2027.

It also called on the UK prime minister to reconsider his decision and look at other ways to support the people of Ukraine.

Following a meeting of PCI’s Council for Global Mission Global Development committee, its convener, Rev Richard Kerr, said the cuts will affect those least able to absorb them.

“The value and support that the UK’s overseas aid brings, and the difference that it makes to the daily lives of millions of people across the world, is undeniable. During times of great uncertainty, as we are experiencing at this particular moment, the last thing that the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world need is more uncertainty.”

He continued, “Having lived and worked in Malawi for 11 years before I was ordained, I have seen first-hand the real life-changing impact that aid can have. When it comes to health, food security, agriculture and supporting micro businesses, the difference that it can make for families in particular is undeniable.

“In expressing our deep concern and dismay at the decision that has been taken, we believe that it is not an issue of defence, but doing what is right. As a Church, we have long understood that we have a biblical responsibility to care for our global neighbours, it’s in our DNA. Yet for people of faith, and indeed people of no faith at all, I also believe that we have an ethical responsibility to support the most vulnerable, which is once again being shirked by the UK government.”

Moderator tours Tyrone PCI Moderator Dr Richard Murray has completed his fourth and final presbytery tour – this time visiting Tyrone.

The week-long tour saw the Moderator visit churches, businesses, schools and farmers.

Prayer breakfast The Genesis Network and Evangelical Alliance will host the third annual ‘Pray for our leaders’ breakfast at Titanic, Belfast on Tuesday 29 April, at 7.45am.

The breakfast is inspired by the National Prayer Breakfast in Parliament and similar events in Wales and Scotland. Leaders of the Northern Ireland Executive and opposition parties have been invited, along with representatives from key industries.

The event is organised by Christians and will feature prayers led

by Christians from different sectors, however, guests will include people of different faiths and none.

The breakfast will feature a keynote speech from CEO of the Evangelical Alliance, Gavin Calver, who said, “Across these islands, you will find Christians leading in business, politics, the arts, education, healthcare and in every area of society. You will also find us on the margins, serving the poor and those who feel lost and left behind. We want to be good news people in a challenging world, a blessing to everyone yet distinctive and true to our calling in Christ.”

For more information and tickets, visit: http://thegenesisnetwork.com/tickets Gavin Calver

Ramadan school shutdown

Christians beheaded in DRC

Governors of four states in Northern Nigeria have ordered the shutdown of schools during Ramadan – the first suspension of its kind in the country’s history.

The directive has prompted Christian leaders, teaching unions and student bodies to sound the alarm, amidst fears that the constitutional right to an education is under threat.

Rev Daniel Okoh, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), pointed to grave consequences for poor children. In Nigeria, 10 million children are already out of school. “Such prolonged breaks risk deepening this crisis, undermining efforts to ensure access to quality education for all,” he said.

Open Doors has warned that the beheading of 70 Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could be just one of many, unless the international community acts.

Speaking of the attack by Islamist extremist group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), Illia Djadi from Open Doors said, “This is not just an act of terror. It was a targeted massacre of Christians, and it will not stop here.

“The ADF is part of a growing extremist network that wants to wipe out Christianity in the region. If nothing is done, more attacks will follow.”

Presbyterian Children’s Society AGM The AGM of the Presbyterian Children’s Society will be held on Thursday 15 May at 12pm in the conference room, Assembly Buildings, Belfast.

To confirm attendance at the event, please contact the Society on +44 (0)28 9032 3737.

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Herald April 2025

IN THIS MONTH...

April 1989

Dipping into the archives to take a look back at what was making Presbyterian headlines and news in history.

First word Robert Cobain

Joan Bakewell in a recent edition of Heart of the Matter was looking at the question of euthanasia and in particular with reference to AIDS sufferers in Holland who wished to end their life at the ‘appropriate moment’.

Euthanasia is not the Christian solution to fatal illness.

If mercy-killing is wrong, some better alternative must be found. The hospice movement… provides such an alternative for the terminally ill.

Patients in hospices are treated as people of value. In all but a minority of cases, their pain is completely controlled by a carefully balanced, individually tailored drug programme. Psychologically and spiritually, they are prepared for death as the gateway to new life. They are taught that death will terminate their illness but not them.

The demands of compassion are met at a deep level and the value of life created in the image of God is upheld. It is the kind of intensive Christian-type caring that renders the demands of euthanasia as unnecessary.

However, in spite of all the miracle drugs and new surgical techniques, people still die… We want it to be as easy and painless as possible. In that sense I believe in ‘euthanasia’ because the word means ‘dying well’. Over the years the dictionary meaning has been twisted to mean ‘mercy-killing’ or ‘assisted suicide’. We get the vet to put the cat ‘out of its misery’. The next logical step is to put grandma, that lovely old pet, out of hers too, so the argument goes…

Vigorous pressure groups are campaigning in many countries to change the law which will allow people to sign away their lives in the event of terminal illness…

Christians believe they can’t ask the medical vet to put to death one of God’s family. They don’t accept the argument that because we assist the birth phase with drugs, we do the same at the death phase as well.

75th anniversary

Mrs Evans (past president), Mrs Mawhinney (president) and Mrs Clements (past president) at the 75th anniversary dinner of Second Limavady Presbyterian Women’s Association.

Also from April ’89

97 football fans die in the Hillsborough disaster

The future use of Church House Trevor Williamson

Picture it. Belfast in 1995. Many developments on the banks of the River Lagan will be almost finished…

Church House will have been refurbished and open for two years. Where now there are echoing corridors – seldom used, crowded on only a few occasions each year, most notably during Assembly week – by 1995 the space will be more fully, and profitably, used. After all, empty spaces bring in no income, but an empty space inside a building has to be maintained…

With advice from experts at every step, the committee on the Future Use of Church House has… an exciting scheme to diminish the size of the Assembly Hall and make shops…on the ground floor. The upper floors would also be modernised to make a suite of offices and committee rooms… more adapted to meet the needs and demands of the Church in the 21st century…

Beijing students take over China’s Tiananmen Square

Eternal Flame by The Bangles tops the music charts

Herald April 2025

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MY STORY...

Donna Scott talks to Danielle Patton from Care for the Family about her story of loss and grief.

Being widowed young

T

8

he death of a spouse is a heart-breaking and welcome by a team of befrienders who have all experienced devastating experience, and for those widowed the trauma of being widowed young. young, it poses a unique set of challenges. We have “I am really glad I went in, and it was such a lovely and expectations of growing old with the person we love, friendly atmosphere. Everybody there just ‘got it’. It was and when a person is widowed young, they are robbed of the really beneficial, and I felt safe. There was no pressure with future they thought they would have. the programme, and there were options Those hopes and dreams die with them. …when a person is available,” says Donna. “It was nice to Those with children become single feel that I ‘fitted in’. I found it definitely widowed young, they are helped hearing from others that got it. It parents with grieving children traumatised by the loss of a parent. The robbed of the future they is okay to feel that way. It is reassuring to grieving are left to pick up the pieces. know that there is light at the end of the thought they would Such was my own experience of being tunnel.” widowed young and also that of Donna have.

The beautiful Ballycastle coastline also Scott, who found herself suddenly added to the atmosphere. and traumatically widowed in 2021 and left to raise three “It was so peaceful and tranquil. The surroundings were children on her own. lovely, and I had the opportunity to just go for a walk.”

As the Widowed Young Coordinator for Care for the Afterwards, Donna decided to use our befriending service, Family, I have the privilege of organising support for those which provides peer support, encouragement and a listening widowed young (up to and including the age of 50, and ear with one of our trained befriending volunteers who are a older if there are dependent children at home) through bit further on in the journey. our befriending service, Facebook, newsletters and support “Befriending is really helpful and beneficial,” she says. “It events. is comforting. Jackie is so friendly and calm. She is so lovely, I first met Donna in 2023 at our short stay weekend in and we always have a wee giggle. Somehow, she just seems to Ballycastle. She was encouraged to attend by Rev André know when I am having a rough day. A message will come Alves-Areias and his wife, Kate, at Mosside and Toberdoney through wanting to know if I want to chat. I get on the Presbyterian, where Donna attends. Having that church phone and say, ‘How did you know?’ support is so important and has been a lifeline to her.

“I was really nervous at the start, but I thought – what is “They have been unbelievable and absolutely fantastic. The the worst that could happen?” support is unreal and so brilliant,” she says.

The befriending service, support weekend and an Donna also saw our advert on Facebook and scrolled past amazing church family have been a powerful source of it repeatedly before finally booking it. encouragement to Donna. Her story isn’t Arriving understandably nervous and over, and with faith and good support, she Care for the Family’s next anxious, she nearly turned around several is discovering hope and a different future.

Widowed Young Support times as she drove to Ballycastle, but she Short Stay is being held from made her way inside to receive a warm 31 May to 1 June 2025 at Corrymeela in Ballycastle.

More information can be Herald April 2025 found at: http://cff.org.uk/wysweekend

PERSONAL VIEW

Life lessons Siân Wyn Rees

Head of the Bible Society in Wales and guest speaker at this year’s PW annual conference.

I was born and raised in the beautiful mid-Wales town of Aberystwyth. Growing up, life centered around making music and performing at a local theatre. I first encountered God at the age of 14 while reluctantly sitting at the back of a church meeting in my home town. God was so powerfully present in the service that I was completely captivated, and immediately gave my life to him. I later pursued my dream of training as a classical pianist at university and was head of a Performing and Expressive Arts Faculty at a secondary school in north Wales for 18 years.

I had served as a trustee at Bible Society for a number of years before becoming their ‘Head of Wales’. Working with such a well established, Jesus-centered organisation who have been actively distributing, translating, and helping people to engage with the Bible all over the globe for the last 220 years, is a dream! It also aligns closely with my calling, which is to facilitate a biblically literate Wales, through preaching, encouraging and helping people to engage with the Bible.

I can personally testify to God having been present throughout the highs and lows of this life. We often recite the words of Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” – without completing the sentence which appears in verse 6, “in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” By inviting God into every situation and circumstance, we can be assured of his presence, blessing and redirection where necessary.

I love travelling. I enjoy every second of getting to an airport, flying, arriving at a completely unfamiliar destination, and discovering other cultures and languages.

It’s an honour to learn from people around the globe, and an adventure to completely depend on the Lord for company, directions (sometimes literally!) and enjoy new experiences.

Travelling also gives me time to ponder, process, and dream with the Lord of what is yet to come.

I tend not to think of any achievements in life in favour of celebrating the more memorable moments that have occurred: my 40-minute piano degree recital, arriving in Sydney, Australia on my own to study at Bible college, and being the first female keynote speaker at the Senedd’s

Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast stand out, but largely because they were significant to me, not necessarily other people.

It takes a lot to make me angry, but when I am, it will always be because of injustice – wars, violence, poverty, extreme wealth that is not used to benefit others, abuse, human trafficking, bullying, misogyny, narcissism, gaslighting, anything that elevates one human and diminishes the image of God in another.

I can’t imagine doing life without the Lord. Life can be brutal, and how people put one foot in front of the other without him in their lives is unfathomable to me.

Unanswered prayers, particularly for those who are suffering, can be very difficult to process, but ultimately God is God and I am not, so I am learning to trust that he knows best.

What frustrates me about today’s society is the notion that it is each man or woman for themselves, that we should ‘look out for number one’, making sure that we are ok before looking to help others. This goes for individuals as well as nations, and for me, it goes against kingdom values and principles which talk of loving our neighbour as ourselves, preferring and honouring one another, and caring for the broken, the vulnerable, and those on the margins.

Siân Wyn Rees will explore the theme ‘God…ever present’ at this year’s Presbyterian Women annual conference.

The event takes place at Assembly Buildings, Belfast on Saturday 10 May, with a morning session between 10.30am and 12.15pm, and an afternoon celebration from 2pm until 3.45pm.

The event is free and there is no need to register.

Herald April 2025

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NEWS | PCI

Events Creation conference How should we, as created beings, interact with God’s world? What does the Bible have to say about our role in working and caring for creation?

This PCI conference in September will be an opportunity to engage with these matters and to consider how God’s will can be done on earth.

Highly respected theologian and author, Dr Chris Wright will help us explore caring for God’s world as an integral aspect of Christian discipleship. In addition, there will be breakout sessions on related issues, space for discussion, and time set aside for worship and prayer.

This conference will be a unique opportunity to reflect in God’s presence and to respond, both individually and corporately, in ways that honour God and his creation.

The conference will take place on Saturday 27 September 2025 in Assembly Buildings.

Further information and booking details will be available soon.

Welcoming event

Developing leaders

Communities across Ireland are increasingly multi-cultural, with churches responding in creative and meaningful ways to welcome newcomers.

‘Welcoming the Stranger’ is an opportunity to come together with others interested in this work, share stories from a variety of contexts across PCI, and participate in a discussion around what might be helpful principles and practices for congregations seeking to be welcoming.

The event is on Saturday 5 April, from 10am to 2pm, in Donegal Presbyterian Church. The cost is €6 per person (including lunch) and to book, scan the QR code or visit bit.ly/welcomestranger2025

An all-day conference for emerging leaders is taking place at Lowe Memorial on Saturday 14 June, from 10.30am to 7pm.

Aimed at leaders, aged 21–30, serving in the life of PCI churches, ‘Emerge’ will feature practical teaching, interactive workshops, real-life leadership stories and space to connect with other emerging leaders.

It is all about encouraging, equipping and empowering emerging leaders to grow and lead well where God has placed them.

Booking for Emerge 2025 is now open, with an early bird rate of £17.50 available until 30 April. Scan the QR code or visit bit.ly/emerge_2025

Event for families This year’s ‘Family Festival’ takes place on Saturday 17 May at Spruce Meadows in Lisburn.

The event is an opportunity to invite families with a connection to your church for a fun-filled afternoon of activities.

The cost is £7.50 for adult/child (under twos are free). Scan the QR code for more information or visit bit.ly/familyfestival_2025

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Herald April 2025

Derry and Donegal Presbytery event Presbyteries have been hosting ‘Mission in Ireland Evenings’ to share vision, stories and examples of the mission of our Church across Ireland.

Supported by the Council for Mission in Ireland, the theme has been ‘New Things’, highlighting some of the new things that God is doing throughout Ireland today, with the hope that it encourages the Church to know that neither wilderness nor wastelands prevent the growth of Christ’s kingdom.

The final Mission in Ireland evening is planned for Glendermott Presbyterian, Londonderry on Sunday 18 May at 7pm with speakers Rev David Moore (West Belfast Special Ministry) and Sharon Heron (International Meeting Point).

Praying for the Middle East ‘A Day of Prayer: Praying with Christians in the Middle East’ takes place at South Kirk Presbyterian Church in Belfast on Friday 4 April.

It follows a recommendation made at last year’s General Assembly which called for a Day of Prayer, and is not only an opportunity to reflect on the plight of Christians and others caught up in violence, but to receive encouragement from the resilience of believers in difficult situations.

South Kirk will be open from 10am for quiet reflection, with led prayer at 10am, 1pm and 4pm. At 7pm, there will be a time of reflective worship and refreshment.

Find out more on www.presbyterianireland.org

News

DIARY DATES

World Development Appeal

April

The 2023 World Development Appeal ‘Starting from Scratch: Hope for the displaced’ focused on people who have been forced to leave their homes and land and start their lives from scratch.

Conflict, climate change, and land grabbing are Uganda and Burkina Faso and Christian Aid just a few of the reasons for displacement. The projects in Honduras, the Democratic Republic Appeal highlighted those who had been forced of Congo, Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso. To date, to leave the homes that they had lived in and the this Appeal has raised £323,458/€385,023 and this land they had worked for. funding is already bringing encouragement to A final total of £504,521/€600,564 has been many living below the poverty line, for whom the raised in support of a range of Christian Aid and pain of hunger is a reality.

Tearfund projects in Sierra Leone, South Sudan, The prayerful support and generous giving to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, PCI’s World Development Appeals by Presbyterian Malawi, Kenya and Nepal. These projects are congregations throughout providing fresh hope for so many the Island of Ireland is deeply faced with the question: “How do appreciated by our development we start again?”

Launched in October 2024, scarcity to partners, Christian Aid and hunger ‘Hunger Pains: Scarcity to pains abundance Tearfund, and especially by many in some of the most challenging abundance’ is the most recent of circumstances whose lives are World Development Appeal and being blessed. it is supporting Tearfund projects World Development Appeal 2024 in Rwanda, Malawi, Bangladesh,

Discipleship Today Forum (PCI children, youth and family workers)

Blaze prayers The ‘Blaze the Bee’ initiative aims to encourage children and families to think about global mission, with this year’s prayer calendar highlighting countries where PCI has friends or partners.

This month, the Blaze prayer calendar is focusing on India.

Children’s event Nearly 200 children were at West Presbyterian Church, Bangor at the beginning of March for Kids’ Big Day Out. The event for primary school-aged children featured worship, a Bible talk, games and activities, and had ‘God is everywhere’ as its theme.

Friendship House Deaconess Louise Davidson has received a call to a role in South Belfast Friendship House.

She will be joining the team to develop all-age outreach, particularly among women within this mission project in Sandy Row.

Assembly Buildings, Belfast – Thursday 3

Day of Prayer

South Kirk – Friday 4

Welcoming the Stranger Donegal Presbyterian – Saturday 5

May PW annual conference

Assembly Buildings, Belfast – Saturday 10

Family Festival

Spruce Meadows, Lisburn – Saturday 17

Mission in Ireland Evening Derry and Donegal Presbytery – Sunday 18

Alongside

Whitehouse Presbyterian – Thursday 22

June General Assembly

Assembly Buildings, Belfast – Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12

Emerge

Lowe Memorial, Belfast – Saturday 14

New healthcare chaplain Liz Lowrie has been appointed as lead chaplain for Dublin and Munster Presbytery. She is an accredited preacher and a member of St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Blackrock.

This role will involve coordinating a team of volunteers to visit members of congregations when they are in hospital within the presbytery area.

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CONGREGATIONAL STORY

Celebrating 125 years at Cregagh

Edward McKenzie, minister of Cregagh Presbyterian, looks back on 125 years of history at the Belfast congregation.

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lmost seven years ago, I found myself becoming what one might call ‘a prophet in his own country’ as I became the sixth minister of Cregagh Presbyterian Church. As a boy, living just off, and spending a lot of time on the Cregagh Road, I never imagined that circumstances would lead to me being a minister in this area.

The strange truth is that while I knew the locality well, I had little to no knowledge of the church that sits just beyond Bells Bridge Roundabout. Over the last number of years, it has been a blessing to get to know the folk who

Church before and after refurbishment in 2018

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The current rhythm of the congregation places heavy emphasis upon bringing people together. call Cregagh their spiritual home and a bit of the history surrounding it.

On 7 December 1900, Cregagh, then worshipping in Redcar Street, established as a congregation in its own right. In 1903 the church family moved to the present location on the Cregagh Road using a temporary iron church;

‘The Iron Church’ circa 1903

the present building and Allen Hall was erected in 1928, extensively refurbished in 1963 and again more recently in 2018. The fellowship grew and thrived, leading to the founding of another congregation, St Andrew’s, on the outskirts of the Cregagh estate in 1949.

Over the years, the road has changed, as has the city in general, and while the church is not the size it once was in terms of membership, it has continued and endured.

Today, Cregagh is a bright,

Encouraging Belfast marathon participants who come past the church

Holiday Bible club

Reopening service after refurbishment in 2018

active congregation that seeks to live in Christian worship and mission together, to ‘love God and love our neighbour’ around the corner and across the world.

The current rhythm of the congregation places heavy emphasis upon bringing people together.

Fellowship opportunities like ‘Tea and Talk’ and ‘Brews Brothers Men’s Group’ have been very successful and have drawn in those from outside the church.

Another example has been ‘Youth Big Night’, a monthly themed evening exploring the gospel and the nature of faith in interesting ways.

Attempting to bring folk together along the road has also been an important work over the last while.

Today, Cregagh is a bright, active congregation that seeks to live in Christian worship and mission together…

Carols in the car park with Salvation Army and Cregagh Methodist

Smiles at a family fun day

Alongside the Salvation Army and Methodist church, we have joint services and events, including prayer walking in our community and an

outdoor carol service. There is now a combined BB company between ourselves and Cregagh Methodist Church which has cemented this sense of partnership for the sake of the gospel on the road. It is hoped that this will grow into strategic joint outreach activities in the future.

Looking beyond the road, Cregagh has a keen interest and connection with a number of projects overseas – Malawi, India and Nigeria being central. The link with Malawi has led to a recent team visit and plans are forming as to how our involvement will develop going forward.

As a community we are blessed in Cregagh to have a number of strings

Cregagh Handbell Choir

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Bible class at Christmas

Looking beyond the road, Cregagh has a keen interest and connection with a number of projects overseas…

Children of Chifundo 3, Blantyre, Malawi

Tea & Talk meeting in the McIntyre Suite

to our bow when it comes to worship.

Our approach is one of ‘Hovis Best of Both – the taste of white and goodness of brown’ (other bakers are available!) having worship that is accessible and helpful to folk of all ages wherever they are in their walk of faith.

In a changing church world, it has been important to maintain and encourage our choral tradition. We have done this by reducing the number of choral services in general while also creating opportunities for our choir to exercise their ministry in different ways, such as evening prayer services and taking part in joint worship with the churches on the road.

We have increased the presence of more informal worship across the calendar as well, with a monthly praise group service, café church style evenings and prayer and Bible study afternoons, seeking to provide a varied programme to encourage everyone. Christmas time proves to be busy as we still find many visitors coming along to our services, including to hear our handbell choir which performs in many settings outside of Cregagh across the year. And not to forget our junior choir, which is also a great hit at special services.

This year we look forward to marking the 125th birthday of Cregagh Presbyterian Church with a series of special events and services, kicking off in May 2025 and running until April 2026. Across this time, it will be lovely to welcome back to the pulpit those who have served in ministry across the years, as well as enjoy a number of occasions for fellowship and outreach.

The 125 celebrations begin with a family fun day leading into a flower festival, opening our church doors to visitors from near and far.

Kolkata street children, India

It is hoped that this 125 season will create a buzz in the congregation by strengthening our existing membership, drawing in those on the periphery of the congregation and welcoming strangers. At the conclusion of the celebrations, it will be time to prayerfully reflect upon the future and seek the Lord about how Cregagh can continue to love God and neighbour, and witness for Jesus, across the next 125 years and beyond.

Rev Edward McKenzie is minister of Cregagh Presbyterian Church, Belfast.

Flower festival To mark the 125 anniversary of Cregagh Presbyterian Church a series of celebratory and services will run from May 2025 to April 2026.

One such event is the flower festival, running from Thursday 29 May to Sunday 1 June, where events from the Bible and the past 12 decades will be depicted in flowers and foliage.

Full details of this and other events can be found at www.cregaghpresbyterian.org

Displays from a flower festival in 2000 celebrating the congregation’s centenary anniversary

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TALKING POINTS

Overcoming despondency Recognising the many challenges we face individually and in our society, Norman Hamilton offers hope for how we can respond.

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f you are a regular reader of this page in the Herald, you very important that every believer is really active in working will know that I almost always try to write an article for the common good, and not merely looking after him or that will be uplifting, as well as honouring to the Lord. herself.

Yet, as I sit in front of my computer this evening at The call of Micah 6:8 is irresistibly clear, especially in The the beginning of March, I am so very conscious of how Message translation: “But he’s already made it plain how to broken and conflicted our world is at present. Turmoil and live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. war afflicting the peoples of Ukraine and the Middle East; It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbour, political turmoil in Europe and the USA; horrific famine in be compassionate and loyal in your love. And don’t take many parts of Africa; persecution of Christians (and others) yourself too seriously – take God seriously.” in too many countries. So much horror on the TV news We cannot avoid the implication of that for our day-toalmost every night – to the extent that I can barely watch it day lives, for we are also citizens, neighbours and we live in at times. the community around us. Since people matter to God, then And on top of this, there is so much pain and distress here their welfare must matter to us too. We can’t ‘choose’ the at home in Ireland – north and south. neighbours whom we are called to love All of this was brought home to me in a I am fully satisfied…of in the Lord’s name. very straightforward way in two splendid Speaking very personally, my own the truth and mercy to be solid ground lies in my long-standing conversations I had recently. In one of them, a well-known public figure said found in Jesus Christ, and Christian faith. It is not an escape route to me – and I quote – “There is an air from the harsh realities of modern life of despondency around at the moment, the ever-present reality nor a fantasy land of make believe. I am isn’t there?” The second conversation was of the guidance of God… fully satisfied, both in my mind and my with an MLA in Stormont who spoke of emotions, of the truth and mercy to be there being “layers of woes” in our community and society. found in Jesus Christ, and the ever-present reality of the He spelled that out in some detail, mentioning – amongst guidance of God as trouble and even woes swirl around me other things – the pressure on individuals and families from – sometimes close at hand and sometimes on a wider front. the cost-of-living crisis; the huge rise in the number of God’s greatest promise to me for everyday living is in one of people struggling with mental health; the rise in attacks on the songs halfway through the Bible: “When besieged, I’m women and girls; the increasing pressure on businesses and calm as a baby… Stay with God! Take heart, and don’t quit” employers (which in Northern Ireland is going to get much (Psalm 27, The Message). worse from April). The list of ‘woes’ was really quite long.

I’m very content with that promise – and I’m glad to offer And these woes put huge pressure on so many in the it to you for whatever circumstances you may find yourself in public services, in business, in charities, voluntary groups and at present, whether they are challenges, opportunities or even local churches; as well as in families and on individuals. And woes that you have to face. the pressures seem to be increasing.

Given that we are all sinful people – from the greatest to the least in our society – and that we are living in a selfevidently broken world, where can and should we look so that rampant evil is restrained and the woes heaped on ordinary people can be eased – even a little?

I struggle to give a full answer to that question, not least because there is no single source of easement. The Bible undoubtedly places a huge responsibility on those in the corridors of power to care properly for everyone in their Norman Hamilton country, not just their own tribe or favourite group. That means that I must take great care when choosing who I Very Rev Dr Norman Hamilton is a former want to walk those corridors on my behalf. Alongside this, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in my best understanding of Scripture tells me that it is always Ireland.

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Moderator, Dr Richard Murray, offers a reflection for Easter.

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ne of my favourite pieces of classical music is Spring from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

For me, it’s as if the composer is gazing upon the newly emerged daffodils and crocuses; he’s smelling the perfume of the camellia, he’s listening to the birds sing as they build their nests and all the time he’s enjoying warm spring sunshine. After the death of winter, creation comes back to life again and the joyful, hopeful and optimistic music of Spring perfectly fits the occasion.

In Job chapter 14, Job is studying a tree stump that appeared to be dead, yet the stump has sprouted shoots and budded. He describes it like this: “Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant.” In other words, so much for it being dead! That which was dead has come back to life again with a life force that could not be kept down.

Job then follows this discovery with a question in the same chapter about human beings: “If a man dies, will he live again?” and the answer seems obvious. Of course he doesn’t live again, for human beings do not come back from the dead. People frequently say to me at funerals, “No one’s ever come back from the other side to tell us what it’s like,” but is that really the case? For if there’s no resurrection of the dead, as many modern people seem to believe, are we really saying we are no different to the animal and plant kingdoms?

Would that not be depressing? Or is there an alternative that is joyful and hopeful and optimistic?

Certainly by chapter 19 of his book, Job has moved on somewhat for he is able to say: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another.” I

…God raises the dead and will enable his people to stand before him… love the way Job has come to a place of faithful trust that God raises the dead and will enable his people to stand before him and see him in new bodies.

Job’s heart is yearning within him to experience that day.

Then when we turn to the New Testament (Mark 12), we encounter sceptics called Sadducees who had no time for any talk about resurrection and who said there was no life after death.

They had a trick question for Jesus on life after death, but Jesus took them to Exodus 3 and the record of Moses meeting with God at the burning bush.

In a masterful reply Jesus pointed out that God didn’t say he was the God of Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob but that he is the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. In other words, despite the three men being dead, they were very much alive in the presence of God. So there is life after death despite what the Sadducees claimed ( John Stott famously said that because Sadducees didn’t believe in life after death that’s why they were sad-u-see!).

Life after death is also found in the book of Psalms, particularly Psalm 16, quoted about Jesus in Acts chapter 2: “I saw the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You

…we have the assurance from all four gospels that Jesus was not abandoned to the grave…for God raised him to life.

have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”

Recently, I was out for a walk down a country road and someone had illegally dumped the carcass of a cow. It was the stench of death that alerted me to its presence and on closer inspection the bones were clearly visible and there was no question of life after death. However, we have the assurance from all four gospels that Jesus was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body suffer decay, for God raised him to life. In addition, we have the testimony of a crowd of more than 500 and the apostle Paul who said, “…last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born” (1 Corinthians 15:8).

To those who say to me that no one has ever come back from the dead to tell us about the other side, I always point out Jesus has come back from the dead and is the first to be raised to everlasting life.

As we enjoy the delights of spring and the signs of life after death, let us principally remember the Lord Jesus Christ raised from the dead. The human race, in collaboration with the devil, had done its worst in terms of plotting to kill God once and for all in the death of Jesus. But to quote C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity: “The man came to life again”, because in him was a life force that could not be kept down.

May you know that life force in your heart and soul through repentance of sin and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

And may the assurance of God’s Spirit give you hope of life after death. The Shorter Catechism says: “The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ – do rest in their graves, till the resurrection.”

If that isn’t joyful and hopeful and optimistic, then I don’t know what is!

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Grace and Hope Community Church

Can a church ever

‘end well’?

Continuing his series on PCI’s reconfiguration of ministry, David Allen looks at what happens when congregations need to close or merge.

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ver the past 10 years, about 20 congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland have closed.

Some have merged with others, some have simply closed.

All cases have brought regret, loss and pain. Remaining and former members have looked back fondly on how the Lord blessed them through those congregations – they offered heartfelt worship to him for the way he spoke to them through his Word, for the opportunities for fellowship, service and witness. While there is much to be thankful for, the ending of a congregation still brings regret and loss.

As the presbyteries of PCI make plans to reconfigure ordained ministry in their areas, it is likely that some congregations will merge and close. But as we think about this, it’s important to ask a question: can a congregation end well? Is it possible for a congregation which is coming to the end of its life cycle, to end in a way that furthers the kingdom of God, that advances the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that leaves a

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spiritual legacy for its area?

From the experience of some mergers and closures, the answer is: yes – this is possible. Where there is faith, vision and courage, especially among the elders, a congregation can end well, in spite of the regret and loss.

Consider two fictional congregations in one of our cities or large towns.

PCI has too many churches where they are, and these two have declined and now have very few people worshipping on a Sunday.

The congregations have been faithful, loyal, and have sought to witness to the Lord in increasingly secular areas.

As young people have moved away, the congregations have aged. Sunday

by Sunday they meet, but they have become discouraged and tired. They

While there is much to be thankful for, the ending of a congregation still brings regret and loss.

love the Lord and their congregation, and remember the days when the building was full. But now, the money in the offering plate doesn’t pay the bills and they are surviving financially through bequests they have received.

Everyone knows that when the current minister leaves, they won’t get another – so what do they do?

For congregations like these, there are at least two ways of looking at it.

The first approach can be summed up by the phrase, ‘would the last person left, turn out the lights’. In other words, “We’re going to keep going for as long as we can. We’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing, until no one is left, or the money runs out. If the minister leaves or retires, we will still keep going, Sunday by Sunday, because we want our day doing what we have always done, in the building we have always done it in, and the last person left can turn out the lights.”

The second approach is very different, and can be summed up by the phrase, ‘we want to end now, and leave a gospel legacy for the future’.

Where there is faith, vision and courage, especially among the elders, a congregation can end well…

Woodvale Presbyterian Church

In this way of looking at it, the congregation, usually led by the elders, decides that it’s time to stop doing what they are doing, and for the congregation to end soon, and end well.

The congregation looks to the Lord, and says to him: “We have sought to be faithful to you, we have witnessed and worshipped here. But now, we believe we need to stop, so that the remaining resources you have entrusted to us can be used to reach the people of this area, but in different ways than through this congregation.”

So, plans are made to end well, with opportunities for present and former members to give thanks to God. Current members are helped to find an alternative church family – often members have moved away from the area and have been travelling in.

The remaining financial resources are ring-fenced to be used for mission and witness in that area. In this way, the gospel legacy of the congregation continues, and their evangelistic zeal for their area is taken forward by other servants of the Lord.

The regret and loss are still there, but don’t dominate actions. As well as grieving for the past, which is now gone, this approach also looks to the future, using what the Lord has entrusted to the congregation for the good of the kingdom of God, and the sake of the gospel. This approach recognises that the church’s life cycle has come to an end, and seeks to end well, and end soon.

A number of congregations and their elders have shown the vision and courage to do this recently, but the best example is probably seen in north Belfast.

When Duncairn and St Enoch’s congregations were reaching the end of their life cycles, their elders planned how and when they would close. With their remaining resources, a property was bought at Carlisle Circus. They believed this would be part of their legacy for the future and would be used for future gospel work in the area.

Now, Grace and Hope Community Church (a PCI church plant) meets in it, and many of its costs have been

covered by the legacy of another closed congregation – Crumlin Road.

The congregation of Woodvale, also in north Belfast, now plans to end well, and end soon, praying that its remaining resources – its money and its buildings – will be its legacy for future mission in the local area.

These are hard things for us as a denomination to think about, especially for those directly involved. We must unite in prayer for our brothers and sisters, who face such things, remembering that when one part of the body of Christ suffers, the whole body suffers with it. But along with that, is it not also right for us to give thanks for elders and members who, prompted by the Lord, have used their earthly resources for future gospel work?

When congregations close, there is always regret and loss, but alongside that, in terms of the kingdom of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is possible to end well.

Dr David Allen is PCI’s Deputy Clerk of Assembly.

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Being present in Sligo

Jonny McClure talks to Fiona Simpson from Sligo Presbyterian about being present where God has placed her.

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art of PCI’s ‘Present’ initiative is focused on how we can be present where God has placed us to be his witnesses. This will be different for individuals across PCI, as well as congregations, depending on the context of where we find ourselves.

Sligo Presbyterian has been exploring ways to witness to the multicultural and often transient community that surrounds it. Fiona Simpson, an elder at the church, explains more.

Fiona, can you tell us a bit more about what life and church looks like in Sligo?

Church life in Sligo is very multicultural. We are meeting and working with people from over 28 nationalities from all over the world

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– North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Interestingly, there are also a variety of reasons for how they have ended up in Sligo. Some are studying, some migrated for work, some are refugees and others are asylum seekers. The transient nature of these groups means that there is a high turnover of people in Sligo and in our church.

How would you describe the faith story of the people you’re encountering?

It’s a complete mix of world faiths and none. There are people who are Muslim, Buddhist, new age spiritualists and we have even encountered a range of tribal faiths and religions that were

previously unknown to us. Often these religious views are coupled with strong cultural values and traditions. We have also been enriched by the Christian faith and witness of some of the African people who have come to live in Sligo.

He knows who is coming through the door before we do and why he has placed them with us.

Fiona Simpson (second from right)

How is the church trying to be present as a witness?

We run a project called Haven, a weekly international friendship group.

It’s informal and changes week to week – sometimes people are involved in crafts, playing table tennis, preparing food or they could be getting help with some homework from English language classes. We go with the flow, building relationships and showing God’s love to people in a practical way.

While Haven runs weekly, we have hosted other events throughout the year. This past year, we were involved in Sligo’s culture night and ran an event in the church hall called ‘Food for Body and Soul’ with Sligo Gospel Choir providing music and Haven members providing some multicultural food.

Over 200 people attended, many of whom had never been inside a church building. Food and sharing stories are key elements in other nights too, like an international food night at our ladies’ group (PW) and a church newcomers’ night.

Each Christmas, we have a Christmas party at our local International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centre, which is home to almost 200 people, including children, and we provide everyone attending with a gift to show them they are thought about and loved.

We do different things because we know it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. We’ve got involved in the university freshers’ day and have increased our social media presence. It’s amazing to see how God uses different things. We had a parent contact us from Indonesia, who had seen us online, about their daughter coming to Sligo and she now plays flute in the church praise group.

How have you navigated the language barriers?

Technology is very helpful – from using Google Translate in personal interactions to adding Ukrainian subtitles to our Sunday morning service, we have been able to make

ourselves and our faith more accessible.

We realised that prayer was very important to a few Ukrainians coming to Sunday worship – they told us they knew we were praying but didn’t understand what we were praying for, so the subtitles enabled them to participate in those prayers.

We’re conscious of the language issues and have partnered with the formal English language class provider to add support to the learning during Haven.

We also have free gospel literature available in 14 languages. It can be hugely significant when people encounter the Bible in their own language – it makes them feel welcome and wanted. These are relatively simple and small things but make a big impact and show people we have thought about them.

Is the work difficult when you don’t know how long people will remain in Sligo?

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Being present is all that’s needed from me, God is in control.

the person may suddenly move on. I think of one Muslim lady who came to Haven for some time and every week we built more of a relationship. Then she was gone – her husband had got a new job and they moved away. It can feel like we haven’t seen much fruit, if any, and then a new person arrives and we start all over again.

We’re dependent on patience, prayer and God’s grace. We have to remember it’s for God’s glory and he is present in their lives wherever they go. He knows who is coming through the door before we do and why he has placed them with us.

I think about it like a paper chain, like the ones we made when we were young. The chain is their journey and we are a link in the chain. It’s only God who knows the bigger picture, so we meet them where they are at. That might be for two weeks, six months or two years, but we try and give our best to each person, ensuring that they hear the gospel in church and that we show the extravagant love of God in our actions towards them at Haven.

I have to remember to make myself present as it’s a great privilege to be involved in another person’s life at these significant moments, but it can only be done by surrendering to God. God tells us: “Be still and know that I 22

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am God and I will be exalted among the nations.” This takes the pressure off, especially knowing that there are problems that we aren’t equipped to respond to. Ultimately, I remind myself before Haven each week that, “We love because he first loved us.” Being present is all that’s needed from me, God is in control.

Are there any other challenges?

The challenges all make building relationships immensely slow, often background trauma makes fostering trust difficult too. It takes an incredible amount of time and commitment to find common ground and build relationships and I’ve realised that it’s not simply going to happen in an hour on Sunday morning or in Haven.

I need to be willing to be present outside of church hours. That’s what demonstrates to folks that you’re interested in them and you care about them – by making yourself available.

Being present in the community, being their friend, being willing to give them time and then in God’s time, we share more in life and the gospel.

What encourages you in this work for the gospel?

I have been so encouraged as I have seen God’s hand at work in the lives of

people around us. I’ve seen the wonder in people as they’ve experienced a church service for the first time. One Christmas we had a group of Muslim women at the front of the nativity service intrigued to see what our children did at Christmas. It was a huge step for them and equally huge for us.

People who I never would have imagined have turned up, barriers broken down, cultural divides removed and blended into friendships. My husband and I have been invited into homes for significant cultural moments and celebrations and we’ve invited people into our home which has been personally very significant.

We’ve given people Bibles who have never had one or given a Bible to someone who had to leave home without theirs.

It is a privilege for me to share with international newcomers to Sligo as they navigate their way in a new environment, being with them in times of joy and sorrow, being with them in ordinary, everyday life and being present where God has placed me to be his witness.

Jonny McClune is PCI’s congregational witness development officer.

UNITED APPEAL FOR MISSION

Partners in the gospel

Martin Hampton, convener of PCI’s United Appeal committee, shares how congregations working together is making an eternal impact.

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…”

(Philippians 1:3–5) The apostle Paul’s words to the Philippians reflect the deep gratitude and encouragement that comes from working together for the sake of the gospel. In the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, this partnership finds expression through the United Appeal for Mission. Each congregation plays a vital role in sustaining and expanding the work of Christ’s kingdom, both at home and abroad. The generosity of God’s people enables mission and ministry to flourish, supporting five key Councils as they serve in different aspects of gospel work.

How your giving makes a difference Each year, every Presbyterian congregation in Ireland is invited to contribute towards the United Appeal’s combined target, which in 2025 stands at £3.3 million. These funds enable us to carry out a wide range of mission and ministry through five core areas: Council for Mission in Ireland (CMI) – Supporting church planting, mission projects, mission workers and Home Mission congregations across Ireland, enabling them to reach people with the gospel.

Council for Global Mission (CGM) – Sending missionaries abroad and strengthening partnerships with churches worldwide to equip them for growth and selfsufficiency.

Council for Congregational Life and Witness (CCLW) – Supporting the development of all aspects of the life of congregations among their members and their witness of reaching out to others of all ages.

Council for Training in Ministry (CTM) – Ensuring the training and development of new ministers, accredited preachers, auxiliary ministers and deaconesses, equipping them for service.

Council for Social Witness (CSW) – Demonstrating Christ’s love in action through social care, supporting the elderly, those with disabilities, and those facing FOR life’s challenges.

Thank you for your partnership None of this would be possible without the faithful and sacrificial giving of individuals and congregations. Your contributions allow vital ministries to continue, transforming lives and bringing hope where it is most needed. Whether it is enabling a congregation in a rural area to remain open, supporting a missionary overseas, or equipping new ministers to preach the Word, your giving is making an eternal impact.

Paul reminds the Philippians that their partnership in the gospel was not just financial but a shared commitment to seeing Christ’s kingdom grow. In the same way, our giving to the United Appeal is an expression of our shared mission.

Through prayer, generosity and involvement, we are all partners in the work of the gospel.

Encouragement to continue As we look to the future, the need remains great. The call to mission, both locally and globally, continues. We encourage every congregation and individual to keep giving, praying and engaging in this vital work.

We hold on to Paul’s confidence in Philippians 1:6: “… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Thank you for your faithfulness in supporting the United Appeal for Mission. Together, as partners in the gospel, we can continue to share the love of Christ and make his name known.

Each congregation plays a vital role in sustaining and expanding the work of Christ’s kingdom, both at home and abroad.

mission

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CHAPLAINCY

Healthcare chaplaincy in the Ulster Hospital Claire Sellar

Part-time chaplain to the Presbyterian community and designated chaplain to people living with a diagnosis of dementia

My prayer…is that I may enable people to encounter the presence of God in the ordinary circumstances of life.

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erhaps like me, you love those unexpected ‘God encounter’ instances when going about everyday life. I might just happen to bump into someone visiting a relative about to face life-saving surgery, someone in the canteen whose spouse has just been given a difficult diagnosis or a hassled medic heading for an important interview.

I call these ‘golden moments’. Divine coincidences, not by chance but by God’s design; opportunities not to rush but to take time with each person, to listen, support and bring Christ to them at their moment of need. My prayer each day is that I may enable people to encounter the presence of God in the ordinary circumstances of life. This is one of the most privileged and special things any of us can do for another. I view this as invaluable ground in my role as a healthcare chaplain within the Ulster Hospital. Please pray that I and my colleagues have sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in all our interactions.

Recently, I have taken up a specialist role providing chaplaincy intervention to patients who are living with a diagnosis of dementia. We are hoping to enhance the service we offer as chaplains and hospital staff through a unique project. The aim is to help our staff build on their knowledge and practical skills when interacting with patients who have this complex disease within the hospital environment. Dignified, respectful encounters and interventions bring patients, staff, carers and relatives great comfort and reassurance through times of confusion and turmoil.

I have noticed that patients who have stored up God’s Word in their hearts and minds when they are well are often able to recall and recite Scripture when they are ill.

Job said, “I have treasured the words of God’s mouth, more than my portion of food” (Job 23:12).

Like most hospitals, the Ulster has a sacred space, set apart for patients or staff who wish to reflect, take time out or worship. I am left wondering why it is that hospital personnel from other faith backgrounds avail of these places far more frequently than Christian staff. Are we not all in need of spiritual restoration within the busy working

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day so that we may continue to be sensitive, spiritually discerning and Christ-like in our engagement with each person?

The availability of these sacred spaces must not simply be taken for granted. As part of the chaplaincy team, I help source and supply Bible resources, large-print New Testaments and Daily Strength booklets, prayer cards and portions of Scripture in a whole variety of languages for such a location.

Thank you for your partnership in PCI’s mission to hospitals. Please pray that God’s Word will find a lodging place in people’s hearts and minds, so that many others will experience and enjoy unexpected God designed encounters – ‘golden moments’.

Please pray: • For a sensitivity to God’s Holy Spirit in all interactions with others.

• That God’s Word will find a lodging place in people’s hearts and minds.

MISSION PIONEER

Pioneering work Gary O’Rourke

Mission pioneer, south Belfast

I have focused on building a strong prayer foundation.

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alking the streets of the Village area in south Belfast on my first day as a mission pioneer in February was, in some ways, both sobering and eye-opening. As I offered friendly glances and hellos, I didn’t get much back. It gave me a sense of disconnection and mistrust present in this neighbourhood – an immediate reality check of the challenges ahead.

And yet, the very next day, I heard the most amazing story about a young mother living in the Village who recently came to faith. It was a beautiful reminder that God is already at work here. The contrast, from that first day’s coldness to the warmth of hearing how God’s Spirit is moving, offered great hope.

In these initial weeks, I have focused on building a strong prayer foundation for the work, through a WhatsApp group for others to join me in praying for this community and via regular prayer walks in the area, on my own, and with others. I’ve also been meeting with local community organisations to listen and learn about the community, hearing about the lives of local people.

This pioneering work in south Belfast is based in Pembroke Street Halls, off Donegall Avenue. Halls that have stood largely empty for several years, yet with potential to once again flourish as a hub of community activity and gospel witness. Through Facebook and Instagram, I have connected with people who once attended events here, using these channels to highlight their stories and to make people aware that something new is happening.

Over time, my prayer is that new life be breathed into these halls, and however this happens, that this would evolve

into groups of people exploring God’s Word together and on into a vibrant worshipping fellowship, woven into the fabric of the Village.

I hope to form a dedicated core team to meet regularly for prayer, strategic planning and service, with this team envisioning community events – holiday clubs, social nights, and practical outreach opportunities – that could draw people in and show them the love of Christ in tangible ways.

None of this will be accomplished alone. If you share this vision, there are several ways to support the work: join the WhatsApp prayer group; get in touch if you want to know more about volunteering for events, the core team or helping practically. I would also welcome connections with local Christians and key contacts in the area.

Despite the challenges, I trust in the God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine – and that the halls will once again ring with the sound of fellowship, hope, worship and transformed lives.

Please pray: • That people will come forward, commit to the work, and serve with energy and creativity.

• For growing trust, shared vision, and open hearts to the gospel’s message of hope.

• That as new events and outreach initiatives develop, many in the community will be drawn to explore faith and experience God’s love.

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URBAN MISSION

Godly neighbourliness Rev Lachlan Webster

Craigavon Presbyterian Church

Our calling to be salt and light in the precious community God has placed us in is something we hold dearly.

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ack in 2022 when we went through our review of tenure with presbytery and the Council for Mission in Ireland, we were granted a new seven-year tenure and encouraged to focus on three key areas: leadership, mission and infrastructure.

Godly, well-equipped leadership is vital in any congregation, especially in a season of revitalisation and, as a church family, we have been able to both look back and look forward recently. A big highlight was celebrating Dessie Simpson’s 40th anniversary of ordination as an elder back in January and then, in early February, we held our first election of elders in over 22 years. We are very encouraged by God’s provision of four prospective new elders.

We also ran a training evening for our leaders focused on ‘Supporting children with additional needs in our church’ which was facilitated by Anita Conkey, the special needs coordinator with Scripture Union NI. Our calling to be salt and light in the precious community God has placed us in is something we hold dearly. As a church family, our missional focus is on ‘Godly neighbourliness’, going further than just being good neighbours by seeking to sensitively but confidently win the right to invite people to come to church with us. To build on the good relationships that have developed, we recently ran the ‘321’ evangelism course

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produced by Speak Life. It has been a huge encouragement to see a number of members of our church family inviting neighbours, work colleagues and family members to come along to the course with them. Our prayer is that we will see spiritual fruit from this outreach and that we will be able to build on it in the coming years.

In terms of infrastructure, we are in the midst of a wonderful nightmare! It has been a huge blessing to see the church family continuing to grow and, while we are grateful to God for the wise decisions of those who designed our building in the past, we have now reached the point where we are struggling to comfortably and safely accommodate everyone, both on Sundays and throughout the week. Our committee is presently working with an architect to develop some concept plans, which we pray will help us to work out the Lord’s will going forward. Our prayerful desire is to have a warm and welcoming building which will aid us in our worship and witness of Jesus here in the heart of central Craigavon.

Please pray: • For God’s blessing on prospective elders as they receive training with a view to ordination before the summer.

• For spiritual fruit from the recent 321 course.

• For wisdom for Craigavon Presbyterian Church’s committee, as they seek the Lord’s will in relation to a possible building project.

DEACONESS

Providing a ‘watering hole’ Sharon Heron

Deaconess, International Meeting Point

We have the privilege of navigating a difficult journey with them and telling them about their need of salvation…

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magine the scene of a large watering hole in the midst of the desert with swarms of people around it, gaining access to the water they have longed for on their journey.

International Meeting Point is a similar well where people can come and draw. We offer many things like: clothes, bicycles, toiletries, friendship, fellowship, table tennis, pool, advice, form-filling, English class and Bible study.

The team love to help people at our ‘watering hole’. It is an opportunity for us to share the salvation that Jesus talks about with the woman at the well, where she will never thirst again (John 4). People’s needs are many, as was the need of the woman at the well, but what she needed most was Christ and his offer of salvation.

A big part of our day is sharing in Bible study. I love that the woman at the well came with lots of baggage, baggage which she initially hid from Jesus, yet he, in all of his wisdom, knew exactly who she was, how she had lived and the situation that she was currently in. In the Meeting Point, we meet those who have come to the well, but often we do not know who they are, where they have come from or what their intentions are. Sometimes detective work and extra knowledge can help us understand the exact need the person has and we have the privilege of navigating a difficult journey with them and telling them about their need of salvation, just like the woman at the well.

I will never be able to understand the pain, heartache, trauma and

rejection that many of our asylum seekers experienced before we meet them face to face at International Meeting Point. I have listened to stories of people who have lost many members of their family or witnessed family members be killed. I have felt the pain of the separation of their family, of leaving a wife or husband or child behind in another country in the hope that they can gain refugee status and eventually bring them to be here in Northern Ireland. We see the wounds of people who have been tortured or cruelly beaten. We see people with vacant and empty hearts overwhelmed by the trauma they experienced when living in their own country and the trauma and abuse felt on the journey to get to Northern Ireland.

Our hope is that when our asylum seeker friends, refugees and locals come into International Meeting Point they are welcomed with love, shown deep compassion and care, provided for, listened to and offered the hope which we have found in the good news of Jesus Christ.

Please pray: • For the asylum seekers as they begin a new journey in another country with a different set of challenging circumstances, such as finding a home, friends, job, learning a new government system and settling their family in unfamiliar circumstances.

• For strength for the IMP team as they navigate and journey with people who are on a treacherous uphill battle.

• For protection, as the battle rages around as the gospel is shared.

• That as the gospel is shared, people will come to faith.

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SPECIALIST SERVICE AGENCY

Bringing

the Bible to life

Wilson Beare outlines the work of the Bible Society Northern Ireland.

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t Bible Society Northern Ireland (BSNI), our mission is to reach everyone with God’s Word. For over 200 years, we’ve made the Bible available, accessible, and understood through translation, distribution, engagement, and advocacy, as part of a global fellowship ensuring people everywhere can encounter Jesus through Scripture.

A global mission BSNI is part of the United Bible Societies (UBS), a global network of over 150 Bible Societies operating in over 240 countries and territories.

They collaborate on Bible translation, distribution, literacy, and engagement, partnering with churches and communities to provide Scriptures in people’s heart languages, including new translations, revisions and accessible formats like Braille, audio and sign language.

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of the world’s population. That is approximately 70% of all Bible translations that exist today. Yet there are still so many people waiting for a Bible translation in their own language, including the users of all but one of the roughly 400 sign languages used around the world.

UBS’s goal, by 2038, is, by God’s provision, to complete 1,200 translation projects, which will provide access to portions of Scripture for around 600 million people.

BSNI supports translation work in places like Argentina. 170 years ago, missionary Allen Gardiner wrote a letter to the leaders of the Toba communities there promising the translation of the Bible into the heart language of the Toba people.

In his sensitive letter, in Allen’s own handwriting, you can read: “Why should the Toba nations be the last to receive this Book? It grieves us to think that you are still ignorant of it;

…our mission is to reach everyone with God’s Word.

therefore, we offer it to you now as the best gift we can give.”

This work is due for completion in the next two years. These projects take years of dedication, but their impact is eternal.

The moment a community receives the Bible in their heart language for the first time is often met with tears of joy, singing and celebration.

Bible distribution Bible distribution is a crucial aspect of our mission at BSNI. The goal is to ensure that everyone has access to the Scriptures, regardless of their location or circumstances.

One of the places we are supporting this work is Ukraine, where people are in desperate need of hope, but it is so hard to find without knowing God. In light of this, Ukrainian churches and Christian organisations are actively delivering the message of hope, comfort and courage to people. BSNI can provide free Scriptures as they try to reach out to various audiences: inhabitants of the front-line areas, the military and wider society.

which help connect the unchanging truths of the Bible with the context of a community.

It is our privilege to support the Bible Society in Peru in their ‘Bread of Life’ project. The project provides nutritious breakfasts and Bible lessons to over 1,415 children weekly across 38 locations, addressing both physical and spiritual needs.

A changing landscape

Bible engagement Our mission goes beyond simply providing Bibles. We want people to engage with Scripture – reading, understanding and applying it to their lives. To do this, we support projects that encourage deeper interaction with God’s Word, such as ‘Free to Live’.

This project is rescuing girls from being trafficked in Guatemala. It aims to bring the message of God’s Word to girls and teenagers who have been victims of sex trafficking or who have been sexually abused, as well as underage pregnant girls who were under such conditions.

By accompanying them through their healing journey, they are intentionally drawn to the Scriptures in weekly sessions for them to find hope and restoration.

Holistic engagement We also want to remove barriers between people and their ability to interact with the Bible.

Sometimes, this looks like tailored engagement experiences or resources,

While BSNI is heavily involved in international mission, we also recognise that Northern Ireland is changing.

Once a place where church attendance and biblical literacy were high, we now see growing secularism and disengagement with Scripture.

Many people, especially younger generations, struggle to see the Bible as relevant to their lives. That’s why we are committed to developing new ways of engaging with Scripture.

We want everyone in Northern Ireland to have access to a Bible. That is why we launched our ‘Bibles for Babies’ programme in 2021. Through this, we provide a toddler Bible, free of charge, to every baby registered, and then a children’s Bible when they turn five. We will also send them a birthday card and some activities on their second, third and fourth birthdays.

We are passionate about families reading God’s Word together and it is our hope that this will encourage families to read to their young ones from the very beginning of their lives.

These projects take years of dedication, but their impact is eternal.

In addition to this, we are excited to soon be launching our ‘Bible Confidence’ podcast. The Bible can sometimes feel confusing, and we all need a little help understanding it.

Our goal is to help people rediscover confidence in God’s Word by tackling some of the big questions. Throughout this series, we will explore the overarching story of the Bible, practical ways to read it, how it shapes our everyday lives, and much more.

Support Please pray for Bible mission. Prayer is the foundation of everything we do.

Please pray for our work both globally and locally.

Or please get involved by hosting a Bible Society Sunday to raise awareness, or by inviting a Bible Society speaker to share about global Bible mission.

As we look ahead, we remain committed to the vision of making the Bible available, accessible, and understood – until every person, in every nation, has the opportunity to hear God’s voice through Scripture.

For more information, visit www.biblesocietyni.co.uk Wilson Beare is CEO of the Bible Society Northern Ireland.

PCI support In 2009, the General Assembly named the Bible Society Northern Ireland (BSNI) as one of a number of strategic partners in mission to be designated within PCI as Specialist Service Agencies (SSAs). These are organisations whose endeavour complements the work of the Church in global mission engagement and could helpfully be described by the acronym WISE…Worldwide, Innovative, Specialised and Essential.

BSNI’s focus on Bible translation, printing and distribution is, indeed, worldwide in its reach; innovative in seeking ways to provide the Word of God for everyone, not least when it comes to reaching the unreached with the gospel or to those struggling with literacy; specialised in the technical know-how and expertise it brings to translation, printing and distribution processes; and essential when it comes to addressing Bible poverty globally, not least because it is largely ignored by governments, NGOs and agencies in the relief and development sector.

Even as this work is WISE, so too, our support for it is VITAL! Rev Uel Marrs, PCI’s Secretary of the Council for Global Mission.

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E A plea to resist AI Kevin Hargaden outlines his concerns about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

arlier in the year, the UK prime minister announced a potentially revolutionary commitment to a technology that he called ‘AI’, which he is confident will cut NHS waiting lists, streamline small businesses, and replace between 1–3 million public servants.

The UK government strategy is in line with a widespread adoption of these ‘AI’ tools. You have almost certainly already encountered a customer service system where human beings are hard to find and ‘bots’ do most of the work. You might be surprised to hear that these technologies are now commonly deployed in the production of television shows and even movies. Or that teachers across the UK and Ireland are encouraged to draw on them for lesson plan preparation. It is not unreasonable to conclude that the chances are, some sermons have even been preached in Presbyterian congregations that rested on the computations of Chat-GPT or Claude or some similar package.

I intentionally put the phrase ‘AI’ in ‘scare quotes’ because, of course, there is no intelligence at play in these impressive technologies. The term is used to cover a range of different approaches to writing software. But all of them exploit mathematical permutations to generate responses to the queries we set. The results can astonish us, and the technology involved is impressive, but we are still firmly in the realm of mechanical processes and very far from any

…this is far less about advancing human knowledge and…much more about getting rich.

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understanding of intelligence that Christians can envision.

The idea that these technologies will achieve real intelligence has gained momentum in recent years. But when we attend to what the companies behind the packages actually say, we see that this idea remains in the realm of science fiction. Microsoft and OpenAI, two of the leaders in the field, have defined ‘Artificial General Intelligence’ not in terms of creativity or empathy, spiritual awareness or aesthetic sensibility, but as any product that can generate at least $100 billion in profits.

It should be little surprise to us that when we get right down to it, this is far less about advancing human knowledge and building a better society and much more about getting rich.

These companies have promised that their packages will have a transformative effect on our economies, but thus far, the productivity gains that have come from them have been minimal. However, their environmental cost is astonishing. Because of the vast number of computational processes involved, such tools are much more resource-hungry than traditional search engines. While a single query to an ‘AI’ won’t make a vast difference to our environmental footprint, as it becomes the new normal, that will be transformative. If the cost of living was already pinching you, I have bad news for the cost of energy when ‘AI’ becomes the default. Already, almost a quarter of all the electricity in the Republic of Ireland fuels the voracious data centres upon which the technology rests.

There are areas of life where this technology will make a big difference.

There are indications that ‘machine learning’ technologies will be far superior to even the most experienced doctors in diagnosing tumours. Some

relatively trivial tasks that are time consuming can be automated quite effectively, like transcribing large sections of recorded speech. And they can be very efficient when reminding already skilled people of particular techniques – like how an office administrator might need assistance to recall how to complete a particular function in a spreadsheet.

…almost a quarter of all the electricity in the Republic of Ireland fuels the voracious data centres upon which the technology rests.

But for all these benefits, I want to suggest that Christians should maintain a critical stance towards these tools. We can all see how the enthusiastic adoption of social media has had an impact on our democratic discourse, on the emotional wellbeing of young people, and on everyone’s attention span. I fear that these ‘AI’ tools will be even more destructive, especially to children, teenagers, and young adults.

I came to this conclusion much to my own surprise. If you had told me 25 years ago, as a Computer Science student, that I would be so sceptical about such a potentially marvellous technology, I would have been astounded. But I have arrived at this point – in spite of my inherent technooptimism – because of what I have observed over the last few years in the classroom.

I lecture Theology across the four faculties in Dublin. That means I encounter students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, in the Irish Bible

Institute, Maynooth College, Dublin City University, and Trinity. Whatever challenges they faced as a result of social media distraction has been accelerated by these ‘AI’ tools. Students habitually struggle to read more than five pages at a go. They are tempted at all times to shortcut the process of thinking and learning by throwing whatever work they are set into an ‘AI’.

I use all kinds of interactive pedagogies to work around this because I know that time-stressed students cannot resist the temptation of a more efficient way to complete their modules. But while they can often pass the assignments, they have not actually learned all that much. Using ‘AI’ to think is like feeding your lunch to a robot and expecting to feel full. You have no nutritional benefit. And the machine can’t even enjoy the taste!

Christians, of all people, are motivated by a concern for the truth.

It sets us free. It is not a statistical calculation. Truth is, ultimately, embodied. It is not an abstract principle but a human being who died on a cross and rose from the dead three days later. ‘AI’, as it currently exists, dilutes our intelligence and distorts our sense of the truth. If young Christians are trained to avoid it, they might have to work harder, but their work will reap a mighty yield.

I doubt that the utopia promised by the boosters of ‘AI’ will materialise. But even if it does grow our economies, we as people of the Book, people dedicated to critical and generous thinking, to study and love of the truth, would be wise to be slow to take it up.

Kevin Hargaden is an elder in Lucan Presbyterian Church. He is a theologian whose work focuses on Christian ethics.

His most recent book is called The Parish as Oasis.

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A trip of a lifetime

Kelly Wilson top right

Residents of Aaron House recently travelled to Disneyland Paris. Interim manager, Kelly Wilson talks about the challenges and benefits of the trip.

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aron House is a residential home for people with profound learning and physical disabilities, run by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

Working through the pandemic and seeing how Covid and isolation affected the residents was tough, so I made a promise to myself that I was going to introduce the most magical, sensory-full, exciting place I could find into our residents’ lives. And so, our Disneyland Paris journey began.

But where to start? I had never done anything like this before – to travel to Europe with a small group of people who have profound learning and physical disabilities. I prayed for

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God to help me with my idea, and shared my vision with colleagues and my manager, hoping they would be on board. I should not have worried as everybody loved my idea.

It was then a case of finding where to stay, as well as booking flights and transfers, organising passports and writing up many risk assessments.

I needed to ensure there were accessible assistance and facilities in the airport we would travel out of, but terminal two in Dublin Airport had

I could not wait to tell the residents they were going to Disney.

everything we needed. The accessible facilities there were impressive, with four toilets, one of which had a sky hoist and changing table to suit adults’ needs.

Our minibus could get us to and from the airport, but wheelchair taxis would be needed to take us from the airport in Paris to our accommodation – a Disney hotel.

I am a Disney addict and I know Disneyland Paris well after family trips there. I knew the perfect hotel for us all to stay in, with its open log fires and beautiful decorations. It is also walking distance to the park and has disabled accessible accommodation with adjoining rooms.

The change in the three residents is so heartwarming…

A disability specialist travel agency was engaged to help organise everything, but we had to complete an ‘accessibility requirements’ form for each of the residents travelling.

Information needed included the number and type of wheelchairs there would be, how far those travelling could walk and whether they could manage steps.

We also hired a profiling bed with a pressure mattress, through the travel

company, which was delivered to our hotel room ready for our arrival.

With the arrangements made, the next task was to get passports.

We got the application forms and completed them as best we could, if the family were not able to help. The birth certificates were collected, which just left the photographs. These were difficult to capture and took a few attempts, as the residents were not able to understand that smiling was not

allowed and they had to look directly at the camera.

I wrote a letter on headed paper, explaining the difficulties we had with the passport applications. This was backed up by a letter from each resident’s GP. Our then manager was able to verify the photos as she had known each resident for over 25 years.

Two of the passports were issued quickly. There was a minor issue with one, but it was soon sorted, meaning the ticks on my to-do list were completing fast.

Then it was on to risk assessments.

I needed to think of each person I was taking, focusing on their likes and dislikes, anything that could be a danger or risk to them, the distance to a hospital, their possible reactions and behaviour management.

Having identified possible risks for each of the three residents travelling, I needed to speak to their GP and discuss how it could be managed.

With one resident at risk of becoming ill with a chest infection, and two others having recurring ear issues, it was decided to take dry antibiotics as a precaution. A PRN medication was also prescribed for nervous flying, as some in the group had never flown. For others, it had been many years since they had been on a plane.

Having completed the risk assessments and consulted with family members, I had a meeting with the Trust and the residents’ care managers, to get approval that the holiday was in Herald April 2025

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their best interests. After a few emails back and forth and hospital passports translated into French, the trip was agreed. I could not wait to tell the residents they were going to Disney.

All of the residents going on holiday have dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) and have different dietary needs. I emailed the CEO of Disneyland Paris, giving her a background of who we were and asking about a few queries I had. I got a reply from the executive correspondence coordinator, who then phoned a few days later to ensure I was happy with the information she had sent. She upgraded our breakfast to the VIP dining area, so the environment would be quieter for the residents – just amazing.

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For some residents, their meals need to be pureed, but this could be facilitated in Disney restaurants with 48 hours’ notice. At Disney, guests with disabilities are granted priority access to shows and attractions, and there are larger bathrooms to meet the needs of adults with disabilities. Furthermore, we were told that if a resident became overwhelmed due to sensory overload, they could go to the first aid centre, where a quiet space would be arranged to help settle them.

Finally, the hotel had facilities to enable wheelchair users to enjoy the pool. God was definitely helping with this vision. This dream was coming true for the residents.

One last thing to arrange before the trip was the Rainforest Café.

Situated in the Disney Village, it’s a dining experience in a rainforest and its sensory elements were something Aaron House residents had to experience. However, the problem was that it’s not a Disney restaurant, so I reached out to the owners in America.

A reply from the manager of the Paris restaurant confirmed they could meet our needs, and this turned out to be the residents’ favourite place to eat. They enjoyed the atmosphere, the sensory element and the food too.

The residents loved the whole experience. One of the ladies loved the rides and did not want to come off, rocking her wheelchair to show she wanted to go again – and we did.

We have been home for two months now, and the change in the three residents is so heart-warming – laughter, happy vocal sounds and smiles.

We went to Disney and it gave us happiness, and hope again.

REFLECTIONS

Listen and obey Tommy Bruce Studies in Mark 1:29–45

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he last few verses of Mark’s gospel may challenge to repent and be saved. what we deem to be a priority. We often gauge the This must surely be one of the most difficult tasks that we success of our programmes and events with activity face, especially those who are in leadership. It’s easy to give and attendance, with many of our programmes into the demands and expectations of people, even when looking to attract people by entertaining them or meeting they are valid. We may even consider them beneficial and their needs. As we look at this passage, we see that Jesus’ worthwhile. Seeking and doing the Lord’s will must be our priority was to listen to the Father, and act accordingly. priority no matter what others think.

The hours that follow the meeting in the synagogue see The final encounter of this chapter is with a man with a Jesus withdraw to Simon and Andrew’s home (vv29–31), skin disease (vv40–45). This disease would have left him where Simon’s mother-in-law is healed from a serious illness. isolated and on the fringe of society. Yet we note that as Jesus After a few hours of rest, and the Sabbath is over, those who travelled about, preaching and casting out demons, this man are in physical need descend on Jesus’ came and demanded Jesus’ attention. location. The word is out, there is a new Is spending time alone It’s interesting that in verse 39, Mark miracle worker in town, someone who draws our attention to the fact that Jesus’ with the Lord a priority in main activities at this time were spiritual, has authority and power, who can heal.

Mixed in with the physically needy, the busyness of life? Do preaching the word of salvation and are those who are spiritually evil, drawn freeing those who were possessed from not to look for salvation and healing, but we pause and listen to spiritual enslavement. Verse 40 appears rather wanting to corrupt and destroy. to suggest that Jesus, although not the Father’s voice...?

Yes, in the crowds it was they who reluctant to heal, saw this a distraction. recognised who Jesus was, yet their desire was not to share Notice that this man’s testimony was for the priests (v44). the good news of the coming of God’s kingdom and the What an opportunity, a privilege for this man, to go and freeing of those enslaved in sin, but rather the disrupting of share who Jesus was with the priest. Surely if anyone could Christ’s plan. As their voices are silenced, and those who are understand the significance of this miracle, it would have possessed are released from their darkness, the message is been a priest. Yes, it would have meant him carrying out a clear – this is the real thing. Jesus speaks with authority and sacrificial act, of travelling to Jerusalem to make the sacrifice power, and no one can stand against him.

– that was what the Lord instructed him to do. But instead, In the darkness that followed, as the crowd withdrew, and the man ignores the clear instruction of who to speak to and the disciples rested, Jesus slips off to spend time with the instead gossips and tells people who are unable to understand Father, to seek and know his will. In the busyness of activity, the significance of this. spending time with the Father was a priority for Jesus. There So no longer could the Lord employ the pattern of going were so many demands and expectations; the demands of the into the towns and villages, of preaching in the synagogues, crowd in need to be physically healed, the expectations of the to those who were spiritually hungry; rather now the crowds disciples that this is the type of work they were called to do. were becoming a distraction, forcing this small group into Who would step away from the opportunity to help others, remote and isolated regions. to heal the sick, especially in a society where illness was rife, Listening to and obeying the Lord can be costly. Failure and medical care in short supply? to do so frequently hampers the Lord’s work and leaves our I wonder how we feel about this. Is spending time alone testimony ineffective. As we consider what the Lord is saying with the Lord a priority in the busyness of life? Do we pause to us, what is the priority that the Lord is calling for in our and listen to the Father’s voice, waiting for him to reveal his lives? Are we listening carefully, are we obeying diligently, will? When the disciples find Jesus in verse 37, instead of even if there is a cost? meeting their expectations, the Lord steps away and follows the will of the Father, preaching the good news of salvation, Rev Tommy Bruce is minister of Trinity, Letterkenny and Trenta that the kingdom of God has drawn near, and calls for people Presbyterian Churches in Donegal.

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EVENT

Getting

‘alongside’ PCI and the Presbyterian Children’s Society (PCS) are working together to find new ways of getting alongside congregations to help equip them in their ministry to young people and their families.

Suzanne Hamilton finds out more.

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ptly named ‘Alongside’, the new initiative between PCI and PCS is designed to further develop and enhance congregational ministry for children, young people and their families, by providing ideas and funding for fresh opportunities.

Explaining the reasoning behind the collaboration, PCS Executive Secretary Jason Nicholson says, “Whilst we fully recognise that there is a strong skill set among our regular ministry volunteers, we also recognise that it is good practice to reassess and re-equip ourselves for the task of ministry among families today, with all of the challenges that this brings.”

To kickstart the initiative, PCS and PCI’s Council for Congregational Life and Witness (CCLW) are codelivering an event called ‘Alongside’ next month.

Hosted in Whitehouse Presbyterian Church on Thursday 22 May, the evening will be informal in style

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Our hope is congregations will feel better enabled to come up with local responses to ministry possibilities on their doorstep. and will feature a series of short presentations to highlight a range of practical ideas and opportunities to help churches develop a collaborative and compassionate ministry in their communities.

The presentations will be given by four organisations identified as potential partners for congregations – Thrive Academy, Eden Consultancy NI, Aspire NI and Transforming Lives for Good (TLG).

The purpose of Thrive Academy is to help young people thrive online by providing bespoke education in digital resilience, while Eden Consultancy NI

works to help change the world for neurodiverse children by equipping their key adults with knowledge and strategies in regard to autism, ADHD, behaviour and emotional wellbeing. Aspire NI works to close the educational attainment gap that exists between rich and poor.

TLG is a national Christian children’s charity that helps churches to bring hope and a future to struggling children. Recognising that children face some of the toughest starts in life due to trauma or poverty and food insecurity, the organisation believes that change is possible and works to transform lives for good.

Jason says, “We want congregations to feel that there is a warm welcome and genuine concern for their ministry context. We have much that we can learn from each other in supporting families, and this evening represents a real opportunity for further developing our ministry locally and deepening our partnership across the Church

denominationally. The evening will be fun, engaging, sobering, challenging and above all, inspiring and practical.”

Following the event, congregations will be able to make an application to the Society through its enhanced Small Grant Scheme, to either take advantage of ministry opportunities from one of the organisations featured on the night, or alternatively, develop a unique project of their own. It is hoped that this ‘seeding funding’ from the Society will generate interest and provide sufficient resources to get projects off the ground.

Rev David Thompson, CCLW Secretary, explains, “Our hope is congregations will feel better enabled to come up with local responses to ministry possibilities on their doorstep that will bring together the best of the gifting and resources they have available, the help others can bring and the possibility of a little funding that might make all the difference between being able to get something off the ground or not.”

This is not the first time PCS and CCLW have worked together. Previous collaborations include events like the ‘Family Holiday’. David says it is a natural partnership as both “share a common passion to see local churches equipped to engage with children, young people and families.”

He adds, “Recent conversations about dovetailing what both parties have to bring to enable congregations to deliver regular ministry on the ground have been fruitful and will hopefully open up a whole new range of possibilities of what can be offered and resourced by working together as we go forward.”

For Jason, the work of equipping churches has never been more

We show our love for God as we care for our neighbours, especially the young... important, due to the big issues facing families.

“Many Presbyterian families struggle to make ends meet. Showing practical care and compassion is critical to our mission as a Church,” he says.

“In addition to this, many families feel isolated. They lack support. The large extended family model of previous generations has almost disappeared.

The importance of the church family and community in this context, cannot be overstated. We know this from our experience of Covid in recent years, when the church responded positively to practically and emotionally support each other through such an unusual and unsettling period in our history. This kind of care shouldn’t be the exception, but the rule.”

He adds, “We should heed the royal law expressed by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 22:36–39. We are to love God and love our neighbour. ‘Alongside’ is a great introduction to this kind of thinking and practical experience. We show our love for God as we care for our neighbours, especially the young, who can often experience huge impact from lack of financial resources and lack of good family support. There are many other pressures on family life today, but these two are central to the ongoing work of the Society.”

PCS exists to support Presbyterian children in Ireland, working mainly through ministers to alleviate poverty

and financial hardship for children and their families.

In the past, PCS small grants have provided specialist training and equipment to enable children and young people with additional needs feel part of the church; language training for congregational workers to support newcomer children in local schools; books and materials to help enable education improvement and raise attainment; lunch clubs to tackle holiday hunger; and many other worthwhile projects and ideas.

“This is about empowering congregations in a practical way to help deliver better outcomes for children and young people; it’s about a fairer start in life, leading to a better future,” Jason concludes.

alongside Exploring opportunities ‘Alongside’ takes place in Whitehouse Presbyterian Church on Thursday 22 May, from 7.45pm to 9.15pm.

To book, scan the QR code or visit bit.ly/alongside2025

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Pioneering mission in new ways Rick Hill introduces PCI’s first mission pioneers who are carving out new possibilities of mission in PCI.

J

ust over 50 years ago, the Lausanne Covenant declared that evangelisation required “the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world”. It is a call to action that has since served as a rallying call to many in the church and it is the concept of the ‘whole church’ that I wish to point us to.

There has been a well-publicised need for more ministers in our denomination at this time. I join with that prayer that more gifted men and women would sense a call from God to test their call to serve the Church in this way. We need a new generation of ministers to both fill current needs and realise new possibilities.

However, this isn’t all we need as a Church, is it? At the General Assembly in June 2024, the principal of Union Theological College encouraged us to pray, not simply for 30–40 more ministers, but “hundreds and hundreds of gospel workers” to come forward to seek training and join with God in his mission. I echo that call.

In chapters 9 and 10 of Luke’s gospel, we read of Jesus sending his followers out in pairs to the surrounding towns and villages. Their task was to prepare the way, be workers in his harvest field and speak of the nearness of the kingdom of God. It is striking that Jesus sends these disciples out when he is still on earth. The ministry of 38

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Jesus was fully in recent years, the active and at its Council for Mission height, yet he still in Ireland has been saw the need to seeking evangelists, involve others and pioneers and church mobilise them in planters to not his mission. The simply serve the whole body taking current needs of the the whole gospel, Church but, under through both God, to carve out Lewis McKelvey accepting his call papers from Rick Hill declaration and new possibilities of with Rev Gary Glasgow (vacancy convener) and Pat Shirley demonstration, to (clerk of session). mission. the whole world.

One specific On one level this is a reminder that pathway for individuals in the every disciple of Jesus is to be sent, Presbyterian Church in Ireland who not merely passengers in a pew but feel called to this specific kind of participants in his mission. This is a call missional endeavour is through the to us all, no matter our age or stage, our role of ‘mission pioneer’. This is a new background or baggage, that we each title for an existing role known as have a part to play in the task of the missional auxiliary ministry, approved Great Commission. There has always by the General Assembly in 2023 and been a need for more workers for the opened for applicants in 2024, where harvest fields. But there is also a need individuals could be assessed and within the Church for those who give approved by the Church before being a lead and go first, those who mobilise apprenticed and trained accordingly, and pioneer, who deploy and develop, in preparation for deployment into who “equip the saints for works of new opportunities for mission as they service” (Ephesians 4:12). That is why, arise. Such opportunities might be new mission projects that seek to lead Pioneers are those who to church planting or bring a sharp focus to church revitalisation go first, pave the way and outreach efforts. initiate connection with Pioneers are those who go first, pave the way and initiate connection those outside the with those outside the Church to Church… engage them with both the gospel and

It has been encouraging to deploy three mission pioneers in recent months…

Christian community. We are praying for those who would carry a vision for this kind of mission work across this island to be identified and equipped in order to “proclaim this message and spread it throughout [our] towns” (Nehemiah 8:15).

Gary O’Rourke began serving as a mission pioneer in the Village area of south Belfast in February 2025. His role is to pioneer new mission work based in the Pembroke Street Halls, off Donegall Avenue.

These church halls once burst with life but have stood largely empty for several years and now South Belfast Presbytery, together with the Council for Mission in Ireland, see the potential for this place to once again flourish as a hub of community activity and gospel witness. Over time, the aim is that new life be breathed into that place, and however it happens, that it would evolve into groups of people exploring God’s Word together and on into a vibrant worshipping fellowship, woven into the fabric of the Village.

Gary is seeking to build a dedicated core team to meet regularly for prayer, strategic planning and service in a way that will draw people by declaring and displaying Christ.

PCI’s Council for Mission in Ireland wishes to identify and release those who can be involved in the sphere of evangelistic outreach or church planting, particularly in the parts of this island where we are least represented. We are seeking suitable pioneer evangelists and church Rathcoole Presbyterian Church. Courtesy of Jonny Dickson (Facebook) planters to serve in this way to enable the development ultimately add more workers to the of fresh church planting or mission harvest field across this land. activity in areas where it is needed This may feel like a new thing, but in most. reality, it is an old desire, as we join in It has been encouraging to deploy the prayer of Christ, asking the Lord three mission pioneers in recent for more workers, yes in the form of months, as well as consider applications ordained ministers to serve our Church, from other interested individuals. but also pioneer missionaries who can Our hope is that this would increase be sent out to the surrounding towns capacity, provide a sharp focus on and villages to break ground, prepare outreach and pioneer work, and the way and reach people for Christ.

David Gamble is serving as a mission pioneer in Rathcoole Presbyterian Church.

He is seeking to assist in the building up of the congregation and reaching out to those in the local community. David has involvement in services of worship and some outreach programmes within the congregation, while taking a lead in initiating key missional activities that help to share the good news of Jesus with those beyond the church.

Lewis McKelvey currently serves as a mission pioneer in Ballycastle, working alongside the congregation there.

His role is to assist the congregation in its desire to reach out more effectively to the local area with the good news of Jesus. Working as part of a team, Lewis is active in the congregation and involved occasionally in worship services, while also initiating and developing activities that will help to draw people from the community into the church.

mission PIONEERS

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REVIEWS

Unless otherwise stated all resources are available from your local Faith Mission Bookshop or online www.fmbookshops.com

The Prodigal Josiah Queen

AVAILABLE VIA STREAMING SERVICES

««««« This is the first album from 22-yearold Josiah Queen from Florida, and it’s a very impressive offering.

The son of two ministers, Josiah had a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit aged nine at a Christian conference he attended with his parents. He was filled with a desire and passion to write his own Christian songs and released his first track when he was just 16.

Queen’s music has an acoustic folk vibe and it not only manages to be tuneful and catchy, but is also lyrically thought-provoking and raw in its honesty, making it both authentic and relatable. There are 11 great tracks on the album and it finishes as strong as it starts, with no need to skip over any in the middle.

Several of the songs relate to biblical stories and characters and to each of these Queen adds a thoughtful, modern-day application.

In Fishes and Loaves, he says: “Oh I’m trying to let go. My heart isn’t easy but I give you control. I know it’s not much, but…I’ll give you all of my fishes and loaves.”

I particularly liked Things That Matter which is a challenging reminder of how we can easily get distracted by the things of this world and need to focus our eyes on Jesus instead. And the last track, Who I Was is a powerful, yet simple acoustic song that affirms the power of the cross.

This is an excellent album that will have your toe tapping and bring joy to your soul.

SH

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Preaching: A God-centred vision Michael Reeves UNION PUBLISHING

£8.95

««««« «««« «

Two comments about preaching resonate from my early days as a minister. Someone remarked to me kindly after a service: “You told us what, but you didn’t tell us how.” An older colleague once remarked: “There’s a difference between a Bible study and a sermon.”

Forty years on, I think Michael Reeves would not disagree. In his Preaching: A God-centred vision we are reminded of the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ and while he does not deal much with the ‘how’ as in the mechanics of sermon construction, his emphasis on the spiritual dynamics of preaching relate to the essential ‘how’ of practical application to the here and now of the congregation’s and the individual member’s lived situation.

He recognises the difference between a Bible study and sermon, warning against “making our people experts in Scripture, creating scribes, not disciples”; the danger of being puffed up with biblical knowledge, “not humbled by the glory and mercy of God”.

Prayer is essential for eyes to be opened and the Word of Christ must not become a message of self-improvement or a manual to help us live more fulfilled lives, not primarily telling people what they must do, but telling them of Jesus and what he has done.

I commend this book to preachers and those who pray for preachers: refreshing ourselves in why we preach and what/ whom we preach, will help us in how we preach.

JF

God’s Big Promises: The story of Easter Carl Laferton THE GOOD BOOK COMPANY

£2.35

«««««

This is the latest book in the ‘God’s Big Promises’ series of books, with wonderful illustrations to bring the stories to life. This one focuses on the story of Easter.

It is a biblically true account of Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, showing what happened during the week and explaining why Jesus died and rose again.

At the start of the book, it explains that not only is this the story of what happened when Jesus died and rose again on that first Easter, but also how these events fulfilled promises that had been made in the Old Testament by God to his people.

Hidden in the story are some symbols which help explain these promises and how they are fulfilled. They show promises about a king, rescue, God’s people, bringing joy and being promised a special land to live in forever. As the story is being read, children can look for these symbols and see where the promises are fulfilled in Jesus.

The story of Easter week is broken down into eight stories of incidents we read in the Bible. This could be used perfectly as a family devotional to read each day in the run-up to Easter. It would also be a lovely gift to give to the children in your toddler group, crèche or pre-school children’s ministry.

RB

JF – Rev John Faris ministered in north Belfast, rural Fermanagh and in Cork RB – Ruth Bromley is PCI’s children’s development officer SEH – Suzanne Hamilton is an administrative assistant for the Herald SH – Sarah Harding is editor of the Herald RD – Ruth Dalzell is coordinator of youth ministry and congregational KD – Katherine Dickson is the youth and children’s worker in Islandmagee discipleship in Second Comber Presbyterian Church REVIEWERS

Easter Inside Out David Kitchen BRF

£12

««««« ««« ««

This latest offering from David Kitchen looks at the Easter story in a different way – imagining how it must have felt from those caught up in the events.

As he explains: “When so many centuries have passed by, it’s easy to feel a sense of distance and to treat the story simply as a place to find lessons about faith and life.

But these events took place.

People’s lives played out with all their hopes and doubts, their faith and fears. I wanted to give people today a chance to sense what it could have been like if only we had been able to be there.”

From a soldier watching Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to accounts from the disciples and Caiaphas, the high priest who presided over Jesus’ trial, Easter Inside Out is an opportunity to step into the story afresh, and consider how those involved must have felt without the perspective of knowing how it turns out.

I found the chapter ‘Dark skies: John takes Mary home’ particularly poignant.

In it, the author imagines what it must have been like to have been present at the crucifixion and has John leading Jesus’ mother away from the frightful scene, saying, “As we walked slowly home, I couldn’t help thinking how grand and wonderful the hope had been, and how horrific and dismal this ending was.”

Kitchen recognises that with the gap of 2000 years, people have slightly different timelines, however, he has based his descriptions on the evidence or reasonable assumptions. He also helpfully includes appropriate Bible references at the end of each chapter.

SEH

You Speak Ezra Worship Initiative

AVAILABLE VIA STREAMING SERVICES

««««« «««« « For many of our congregations, those who are involved in music at services are not employed full-time by their church and have other forms of employment. This has been realised

by Ezra Worship Initiative which aims to train students to lead the music ministry where God has placed them.

The aim is to help produce worship leaders who are “trained, knowledgeable, trustworthy…and

Empty: Can something empty ever be good?

Joshua Cooley. Illustrated by James Elston 10PUBLISHING £3.99

«««««

“Some things in life are terrible when empty, such as piggy banks, cookie jars, and gift-wrapped presents.” Through humour and real-life examples, this bite-sized read takes you on a journey to discover how ‘empty’ doesn’t always have to be bad!

are respected inside and outside the church”. Each year, the students take part in a 10-week internship with the songs they produce being released as singles or in an album.

This year’s album, You Speak, contains nine songs which seek to bring listeners to a place where they seek God and listen for his voice.

The title song, You Speak, shows us that God’s voice has more power than anything else the world tells us.

Confidence talks about Jesus as our High Priest who gives us confidence to come to God in prayer, knowing that he intercedes for us.

This is a brilliant album which showcases the talents of gifted young aspiring music ministry leaders who want to serve in their congregation and bring people together in worship. Give it a listen!

RD

Instead, Joshua Cooley shares the wonder and awe of the empty tomb and its transformational good news for us today.

With its eye-catching illustrations

by James Elston, and grounded in easily understood scenarios, Empty presents gospel truths ideal for children aged between four years and 10 (and their families). The book would be perfect as a gift to young families at an Easter outreach or to members of your children’s ministries.

This is a wonderfully warm and joyful read, designed to stir and awaken hearts (young and old) to the life-changing message of the empty tomb.

It has been a hit in our house!

KD

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LIFE IN PCI

New minister in Legacurry Rev Mark Hawthorne was recently ordained and installed at Legacurry Presbyterian Church in Lisburn. Pictured are: James Moore (Ballinderry), Dr Martyn Cowan, Dr William Henry, Rev Andrew Thompson, Rev Fiona Forbes, Mr Hawthorne, Stephen Johnston (Railway Street and assistant clerk of Dromore Presbytery), Heather Best (Harmony Hill) and Gordon McEvoy (Elmwood).

New elders in Leitrim A service of ordination and installation to the office of ruling elder was held in Leitrim Presbyterian recently. Rev Andrew Downey (minister of the County Down church) is pictured in the front row with the new elders: James Hilland, Jim Hilland and Uel Malcomson. Pictured in the back row are members of the Iveagh Presbytery commission. Photograph

by Gary Gardiner.

Bovevagh clerk retires Boyd Douglas recently retired as clerk of session in Bovevagh Presbyterian Church. Rev Gary Aitcheson presented Mr Douglas with a Bible in appreciation for his service. Mr Douglas is pictured with his daughters Tanya and Barbara, Mr Aitcheson (minister of the County Londonderry congregation) and new clerk of session Andrew Dale.

Auxiliary minister commissioned and inducted at Whitehead A commission of Carrickfergus Presbytery recently led a service to commission and induct Fiona Gray as auxiliary minister in Whitehead congregation. Pictured are moderator of Carrickfergus Presbytery Rev Mark Russell, clerk of session Warren Heggan, Mrs Gray and convener of the vacancy Rev Peter Bovill. Photo courtesy of Robert Adams.

Bloomfield new communicants Bloomfield Presbyterian Church in Belfast recently welcomed a number of new communicants, who joined under profession of faith.

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To share good news stories from your congregation please send your photographs and details to heraldeditorial@presbyterianireland.org

100th birthday in Kilmakee Dorothy Malcolm, a member of Kilmakee Presbyterian Church, celebrated her 100th birthday recently. The occasion was marked by a visit from PCI Moderator Dr Richard Murray.

Retirement in Ballyblack Alex Warden has retired as clerk of session of Ballyblack Presbyterian Church – a role he held for over 29 years. On his retirement, he and his wife Elizabeth were presented with gifts on behalf of the congregation by the Session and committee of the County Down church. Pictured are: Rev Andras Gilicze, Mrs Warden, Mr Warden, Nicola Warden (daughter-in-law) and David McCracken (newly appointed clerk of session).

Milestone birthday in Kilkeel Kilkeel Presbyterian Church member Florence (Florrie) Speers celebrated her 100th birthday recently. She is pictured with former Moderator Dr Michael Barry and Rev Stephen Johnston (minister of the County Down church).

Retirement in New Mossley Howard Keery was presented with a gift on his retirement as clerk of session in New Mossley Presbyterian Church, having served almost 20 years in this role. Pictured are: Ian Clotworthy (new clerk of session), Karen Marks (church secretary), Mary Keery, Mr Keery and Rev Gareth Keaveney (minister of the County Antrim church).

Newry retirement A presentation was recently made to Stanley Bond (centre) to mark his retirement from the Sunday school in First Newry (Sandys Street) after 60 years of faithful service. He is pictured with members of the Sunday school, Sunday school teachers and teens group and their leaders.

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LIFE IN PCI

New elder in Second Saintfield Ian Shanks has been ordained and installed as an elder in Second Saintfield. He is pictured in the front row with Rev Mark Spratt, Pamela Shanks and Rev Alan Johnston. Back row: Robert Shields, Rev John Torrens, Brian McGibbon, Rev Scott Woodburn and Stanley McFarland.

100th birthday in Moneymore Jean Kells, a member of First Moneymore Presbyterian Church in County Londonderry, celebrated her 100th birthday recently with a visit from former PCI Moderator, Dr Ian McNie. She has since sadly passed away.

Long service recognised in Drum Drum kirk session and congregational committee made a presentation to Wilson McConkey (third from left, front row) after a congregational lunch to mark his retirement after 50 years of faithful service as secretary and 30 years as clerk of session of the County Monaghan church. He also served in a number of other jobs, which were quietly and efficiently completed behind the scenes.

Faithful service marked in Monaghan Retirement in Helen’s Bay Jean Mann (recently retired clerk of session of Helen’s Bay Presbyterian Church) made a presentation to Rev Colin Megaw, and his wife Margaret, on the occasion of Mr Megaw’s retirement after 39 years as minister of the County Down congregation.

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First Castleblayney and Frankford organist and choir mistress, Charlotte Adair, resigned recently after many years of faithful service. She is pictured with the minister and members of the joint kirk session following a presentation from the County Monaghan congregations. Left to right: Dr Stuart Henderson (clerk of session, First Castleblayney), David Lockhart, Ruth McBride, Miss Adair, Rev David Hagan, Tom McBirney (clerk of session, Frankford) and Daphne Holmes-Greer.

Tag good news stories from your congregation on Twitter with #lifeinpci and @pciassembly

A date for your diary

Banagher Presbyterian Church

Ballyhanedin Road, Claudy, Co Londonderry, BT47 4TQ

Flower Festival

Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Church building Friday 30, Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June 2025 Artistic Directors: Mr Alan Beatty and Mr James Burnside

Contact: Miss Ruth Connell 07775 596085 Morning Coffee, Lunch and Afternoon teas available.

Presentation in Newington The congregation of Newington in Belfast surprised clerk of session John Lynass recently, by presenting him with a Keith Drury framed print to mark his 50 years as an elder.

Bruce Gore Ireland Conference Thursday 19 – Sunday 22 June 2025

Conference Theme “ ‘The Last Days’ According to Jesus – An Eschatology of Hope.”

New minister in Loughgall and Tartaraghan Rev Andrew Martin has been ordained and installed as minister of Loughgall and Tartaraghan. Pictured in the back row are: Mark Wilson, Alan Beggs, Owen Milligan, Joe Johnston, Desmond McMurray, Leslie Brush, Stephen McCombe and Philip McMenemy. Front row: David Johnston, Rev Alastair McNeely, James Macqueen, Mr Martin, Norman Cornett, Alan Beggs and Rev Joanne Smith.

Programme Thursday 19 June from 7pm Welcome reception with Bruce and Kandyce Gore To facilitate seating / hospitality, book via the website

Friday 20 June starting at 8pm First Monaghan Presbyterian Church and Hall Saturday 21 June – 11am until 3pm (including lunch break) Second Ballybay Presbyterian Church and Hall Sunday Worship Services – June 22 11.30am Cavan Presbyterian, followed by lunch 7.30pm Cootehill Presbyterian Church and Hall

brucegoreirelandconferencejune2025.com Enquiries: cavanschooloftheology@gmail.com or Text: 00353 86 8079 165

Festival of Scripture Banners Depicting the seasonal life of the church

Second Presbyterian Church, Comber Killinchy Street Comber BT23 5AP

Friday 16 May–Friday 6 June 2025 Opening Service – all welcome Friday 16 May 7.30pm Saturdays: 17 to 31 May, 11am–4pm

New sign for Saintfield Road

Fridays: 18 May to 1 June 2pm–4pm

Ivy McKibbin, Andrea Pollock and Rev Ben Walker are pictured with Saintfield Road’s new sign, which was enabled thanks to a generous donation in memory of Roy McKibbin, Ivy’s husband, Andrea’s father and a longstanding member of the Belfast church.

For weekday bookings please contact Eleanor on

07883 234206

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Ministry Apprentice JOB PURPOSE: To work within Trinity Presbyterian Church, being involved in aspects of ministry such as preaching, pastoral care, leadership, outreach and youth work.

CONTRACT: Fixed term contract for the duration of 24 months.

The candidate will be expected to participate in part-time study, funded by Trinity Presbyterian Church, at Cornhill Training Centre Belfast, which will include a practical ministry attachment to Trinity.

HOURS: 8 hours per week including evenings and weekends.

SALARY: £6,000 per annum.

FURTHER INFORMATION: For Application Form, full Job Description, Personnel Specification and Terms and Conditions, please contact: Clerk of Session: Mr W.R. Quinn, 48 Newal Road, Ballymoney, BT53 6HE Email: bertiequinn48@gmail.com Telephone: (028) 2766 3136/ 07831 831175 This post will be offered to the successful applicant on the basis of a 24-month contract, starting 1/9/25, including a 6-month probationary period.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 23/5/25. It is planned to hold

interviews for this post during the week beginning 16/6/25.

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ACROSS 1 Pilgrim ship (9) 5 All by itself (3) 7 Nutty confectionery (6) 8 Men of Athens (6) 9 Don’t do this! (5) 10 Strain or trouble (5) 12 The Stones did not get this! (12) 15 8 across battled here (8) 20 Long period (3) 21 007 (4) 22 Army formation (8) 23 Changes (6) 24 Reduce (6)

DOWN 1 Heavenly food (5) 2 Child (9) 3 Casual shoes (7) 4 Very keen (5) 5 Ignore (8) 6 Without effort (6) 11 Deeply interested in (4) 12 Biblical region (7) 13 The source of a big tree (5) 14 Abrupt (6) 16 Similar (5) 17 Pays attention to (5) 18 Historic area in South Africa (5) 19 Deep ravine (5)

REFLECTIONS

Sleeping in the sanctuary Ruth Sanderson

B

ack at the start of our marriage, my husband took talking to someone who is running an academic research me to a remote spit of land which jutted out of the project trying to chart, map and explore the history of all north east of the English mainland. Spurn Point is the tiny churches in east Fife. It’s just a small sample, but a peninsula of shingle and sand transported along it links to a larger project, prompted by the mass sell-off the coast by longshore drift. For as long as it’s been mapped, of properties by the Church of Scotland. At the start of it has moved slowly back and forth with the tides. There’s 2024, due to dwindling congregations and financial strain, a little village, a caravan park, and at the end a lighthouse. the Church decided to put hundreds of properties up for It was used as strategic fortification in World War II and sale. Not only churches, but church halls, manses and other the whole of the spit has concrete tunnels weaving back associated buildings. and forth underneath it, with pillbox gunning posts and Since 2020, at least 114 churches have already been sold. numerous – now obsolete and forgotten – low buildings A further 547 churches are currently being considered built into the sandy earth. for closure. Many of these will be sold and converted into As it happened, his friend had bought an old church residential properties, but many will be left to rot, then on Spurn Point, long since out of use, flattened – the price of maintaining …we are the sanctuaries listed buildings often being prohibitive. and had been doing it up to use as an occasional home. It’s where we were The project, called ‘Sacred Landscapes’, in which Christ dwells. to spend the night. I had expected the is trying to accumulate as much building to have been totally gutted, information about the legacy these but it was, without the shadow of a doubt, still a church. churches had to the people who had been worshipping there Surrounded by an old graveyard, we entered through the for generations and their impact on the communities in lych-gate and up the path and into the porch. Inside, there which they sat. was the addition of a mezzanine level and staircase in the The project struck a real nerve with me. Quite right! I place where the belfry would once have been – that’s where thought – save the beautiful churches! But as quickly as I we were to sleep. However, the pulpit still stood to the side thought that, another thought popped into my head which of the large void, stained glass windows still intact above us. was that – we are the church.

The font, altar rails and even the memorial flagstones were Of course, we all feel connections to physical places, but we still in place. are the living, breathing church. Our faith doesn’t depend on I have to say, I did not feel at all comfortable. I spent a bricks and mortar, nor creaky beams and polished pews; our long night waking up, looking around from the new level church is alive within us and no matter where we choose to down onto the shifting shadows of the old church. meet as Christians, we are the sanctuaries in which Christ For me, growing up as a child of the manse, the church dwells. building was an incredibly important thing. It was integrated I was reminded of the Israelites, wandering through the into our lives, not only on Sundays, but when we helped desert, taking their tabernacle with them, when they had to lay out orders of service, or moved chairs, or decorated no way of building a permanent temple. Isn’t this the way the church. We were involved intimately in the life of the our faith should be? Mobile, not dependent on a place or a physical church, even when it was empty. building, not static like bricks and mortar but burning fresh To me, our church was alive – our community personified. within us wherever we go.

It had creaking rafters and drafts, particular smells and It is for me, a hard juxtaposition of feelings. When I think noises; it had echoes of those who had gone before us of church, in my mind’s eye, I’m a child again, smelling the and future chatter of those who would come after. So wood and carpet in the stillness of an empty church, which the experience of staying in another church which was incidently isn’t there anymore. Yet when I think of faith, I being turned into something altogether very different sat think of the future – fully secure and unchanging, no matter uncomfortably with me. the building.

I was reminded of the experience recently when I was

Herald April 2025

47

CHURCH RECORD VACANT CONGREGATIONS, MODERATORS AND CLERKS OF KIRK SESSIONS (Information supplied by clerks of presbyteries, conveners of Assembly commissions and councils.)

1 LEAVE TO CALL GRANTED

Application forms are available on request from the Clerk’s Office or may be downloaded from the PCI website.

BLOOMFIELD: REV GRAEME KENNEDY: Mr Andrew Shott, 7 The Walled Garden, Belfast, BT4 2WG. BUSHMILLS: (Reviewable Tenure – 5 years) VERY REV DR D.I.J. McNIE: Rev Martin Gracey, 6 Bush Crescent, Bushmills, BT57 8AJ. DONABATE: ASSOCIATE (Reviewable Tenure – 3 years) REV ANDY CARROLL: DONEGAL TOWN and STRANORLAR: (Reviewable Tenure – 7 years) REV ROBERT ORR: (Donegal Town) Mr Oswald Perry, Drumenagh, Donegal Town, F94 N7P8. (Stranorlar) Mrs Audrey Chambers, Magheracorran, Convoy, Co Donegal.

DUNFANAGHY and CARRIGART: (Home Mission) 50% Congregational Ministry, 50% CMI Mission Project REV T.J. BRUCE: (Dunfanaghy) Mr John Sterritt, Moss Road, Cashelshanaghan, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, F92 TV21. (Carrigart) Mrs Joy Buchanan, Figart, Carrigart, Co Donegal, F92 N2WO. KELLS: REV M.J.R. NEILLY: Mr B. Turtle, 6 Appletee Lane, Kellswater, Ballymena, BT42 2LS. LISBURN, FIRST: (Reviewable Tenure – 5 years) VERY REV DR D. BRUCE: Miss Margaret Thompson, 2 Springhill Mews, Lisburn, BT28 3QG. LUCAN: REV A. CARROLL: Mr Ian Scott, 22 Willsbrook Avenue, Lucan, Co Dublin, K78 AP57.

MOIRA: REV DR M. COWAN: Mr Richard Brown, c/o Moira Presbyterian Church, 14–18 Meeting Street, Moira, BT67 0NR. NEWTOWNARDS, GREENWELL STREET: REV S.W. ORR: Mr David Francis, 29 Beverley Walk, Newtownards, BT23 7UQ. OMAGH, TRINITY and GILLYGOOLEY: (Reviewable Tenure – 7 years) REV JANE NELSON: (Trinity) Mrs Claire McElhinney, 112 Clanabogan Road, Omagh, BT78 1SN. (Gillygooley) Mr Raymond Smyth, 82 Gillygooley Road, Omagh, BT78 5PX. PORTRUSH: REV DR JOHN COULTER: Prof John Gillespie, 12 Randal Park, Portrush, BT56 8JJ. RATHGAR – CHRIST CHURCH: REV LORRAINE KENNEDY-RITCHIE: Mr Paul Fry, 44 Monolea Wood, Firhouse, Dublin 24, D24 A2V3.

RALOO and MAGHERAMORNE: (Reviewable Tenure – 7 years) REV ANDREW WATSON: (Raloo) Mr Geoff McBride, 72 Raloo Road, Larne, BT40 3DU. (Magheramorne) Mr Morris Gardner, 89 Ballypollard Road, Magheramorne, Larne, BT40 3JG. STRABANE and SION MILLS: (Reviewable Tenure – 7 years) REV P.B. HOUSTON: (Strabane) Mr William Watson, 44 Orchard Road, Strabane, BT82 9QS. (Sion Mills) Mr Colin Campbell, 26 Albert Place, Sion Mills, Strabane, BT82 9HN.

48

2 LEAVE TO CALL DEFERRED BALLYRONEY and DRUMLEE: REV LIAM RUTHERFORD: (Ballyroney) Mr David Peters, 30 Seafin Road, Ballyroney, Banbridge, BT32 5ER. (Drumlee) Mr Graham Truesdale, 128 Lackan Road, Ballyward, Castlewellan, BT31 9RX. DROMORE and DRUMQUIN: REV E.T. FRAZER: (Dromore) Mr Lynden Keys, 25 New Park Road, Dromore, Omagh, BT78 3JU. (Drumquin) Dr Paul Booth, 54 Bradan Road, Drumquin, Omagh, BT78 4QQ. GORTNESSY: REV DR SETH WRIGHT: Mr Ross Hyndman, 32 Temple Road, Strathfoyle, Londonderry, BT47 6UB. HILLTOWN and CLONDUFF: REV KENNETH NELSON: (Hilltown) Mr John Ervine, 51 Rostrevor Road, Hilltown, Newry, BT34 5TZ. (Clonduff ) Mr Cecil Brown, 39 Bannfield Road, Rathfriland, Newry, BT34 5HG. RICHVIEW: REV N.S. HARRISON: Mr Victor Garland, 25 Abingdon Drive, Belfast, BT12 5PX.

SETTLED STATED SUPPLY APPOINTED BALLINDERRY: VERY REV DR W.J. HENRY, Minister of Maze.

BOVEEDY: REV DR T.J. McCORMICK, Minister of 1st Kilrea.

CAHIR: (Home Mission) REV WILLIAM MONTGOMERY, Minister of Fermoy.

KATESBRIDGE: REV N.J. KANE, Minister of Magherally.

TYRONE’S DITCHES: REV J.K.A. McINTYRE, Minister of Bessbrook.

3 DECLARED VACANT ANAGHLONE and GARVAGHY: REV D. CONKEY: (Anaghlone) Mr John Logan, 4 Bluehill Road, Katesbridge, Banbridge, BT32 5LU. (Garvaghy) Mr James Smyth, 35 Tullyglush Road, Banbridge, BT32 3TN. ARMAGH ROAD, PORTADOWN: REV P. McCLELLAND: Dr David Lowry, 5 Ridgeway Park South, Portadown, BT62 3DG. BALLEE: REV T.P. McCULLOUGH: Mr John Quigley, 81 Queen’s Avenue, Magherafelt, BT45 6DB. BALLINA and KILLALA: (Home Mission) REV D.J. CLARKE: Mr Geoffrey Shannon, Robin Hill, Carraun, Corballa, Ballina, Co Mayo, F26 A070.

BALLYCAIRN: REV MORRIS GAULT: Mrs Lucy Mulholland, 32 Blenheim Park, Carryduff, BT8 8NN. BALLYCASTLE: REV G.W.M. GLASGOW: Pat Shirley, 22 Dunamallaght Rd, Ballycastle BT54 6PB.

STRAND: (Reviewable Tenure – 7 years) REV M. BURNSIDE: Mr John Johnston, 7 Helgor Park, Belfast, BT4 2GG.

BALLYKEEL: REV R.A. MORRISON: Mr T. Simpson, 163 Crebilly Road, Ballymena, BT42 4DP.

WOODLANDS: REV J. MOXEN: Dr Ian Drysdale, 27 Windslow Heights, Carrickfergus, BT38 9AT.

BALLYNAHATTY, CREEVAN and FINTONA: REV JONATHAN COWAN: (Ballynahatty & Creevan) Mr John Nevin, 116A Clanabogan Road, Omagh, BT78 1SN. (Fintona) Mr Keith Boland, 119 Blackhill Road, Fintona, Omagh, BT78 2LN.

Herald April 2025

Editor’s Note: Information for this page is supplied by the General Secretary’s Department.

Vacancies for conveners of commissions, councils and committees of the General Assembly are online at www.presbyterianireland.org/convenerships BANAGHER: REV DR MARK GOUDY: Mr Ivan J. Montgomery, 66 Teenaght Road, Claudy, BT47 4DD. BANBRIDGE ROAD, DROMORE: REV R.A. LIDDLE: Mr Alan Robinson, 25 Beresford Green, Dromore, BT25 1HF. BELLAGHY and KNOCKLOUGHRIM: REV TREVOR BOYD: (Bellaghy) Mr Harry Ferson, 12 Railway Terrace, Castledawson, Magherafelt, BT45 8AY. (Knockloughrim) Mr Wilbur Bownes, 10 Meadowell Fold, Westland Gardens, Magherafelt, BT45 5DP. BELVOIR: REV B.J. WALKER: Mr Brian Dunwoody, 19 Drumart Drive, Belfast, BT8 7ET. BOARDMILLS, TRINITY: REV GRANT CONNOR: Mr Adrian Patterson, 41 Cabra Road, Legacurry, BT26 6NB. CASTLEDERG, SECOND AND URNEY: REV ROBERT McFAUL: (Second Castlederg) Mr Bert Huey, Tossa, 8 Listymore Road, Castlederg, BT81 7JG. (Urney) Mr Norman McMullan, 80 Orchard Road, Strabane, BT82 9QT. CAVANALECK & AUGHENTAINE: REV RODNEY BEACOM: (Cavanaleck) Dr Charles McKibbin, 9 Tattenabuddagh Lane, Fivemiletown, BT75 0NW. (Aughentaine) Mr John McCrory, Screeby Road, Fivemiletown, BT75 0TP. CROAGHMORE: REV DAVID IRVINE: Mr Andy McGugan, 158 Whitepark Road, Bushmills, BT57 8SS. CRUMLIN: REV STEPHEN McNIE: Mr James Livingstone, “Edin”, 56 Largy Road, Crumlin, BT29 4RW. CUMBER and UPPER CUMBER: REV J.R. KERNOHAN: (Cumber) Mr Cecil Pollock, 248 Tamnaherin Road, Londonderry, BT47 3LY. (Upper Cumber) Mr Jack McFarland, 12 Cregg Road, Claudy, Londonderry, BT47 4HX. DONEGORE, SECOND: REV E. McDOWELL: Mr Samuel Gawn, 120 Parkgate Road, Kells.

DROMARA, FIRST: REV M. DAVIDSON: Mr I. McCullagh, 10 Mullaghdrin Road, Dromara, BT25 2AF. DROMARA, SECOND: REV DR A. SLEITH: Mr Herbert Chambers, 29 Stewarts Road, Dromara, BT25 2AN. DRUMGOOLAND and KILKINAMURRY: REV ANDY DOWNEY: (Drumgooland) Dr Alastair Chestnutt, 22 Fruitvalley Road, Ballyward, Castlewellan, Co Down, BT31 9RE. (Kilkinamurry) Mr Mervyn Copes, 43 Carnpark Road, Dromara, Dromore, Co Down, BT25 2HD.

Clerks of presbytery please note: Only material received by the General Secretary’s Department by noon on the first Friday of the month can be included in the Church Record.

GLASCAR and DONAGHMORE: REV M. McMAW: (Glascar) Mr Alan Little, 38 Loughbrickland Road, Rathfriland, Newry, BT34 5HF. (Donaghmore) Mr David Shilliday, 21 Cargabane Road, Donaghmore, Newry, BT34 1SB. HELEN’S BAY: REV ANNE TOLLAND: Mr David McAuley, 9 Church View Cottages, Bangor, BT20 3EJ. HYDEPARK and LYLEHILL: REV ALAN MOORE: (Hydepark) Mrs Lynas Alexander, 22 Broadacres, Templepatrick, BT39 0AY. KELLS: (Home Mission) REV ALAN McQUADE: Miss Ruth McCartney, Shancarnan, Moynalty, Kells, Co Meath, A82 PF60.

KILREA, SECOND: REV BRIAN SMYTH: Mr John McIlrath, 9 Moyagoney Road, Kilrea, BT51 5SX. LOUGHBRICKLAND and SCARVA: REV DR MARK GRAY: (Loughbrickland) Mr Fred Cairns, 20 Scarva Street, Loughbrickland, Co Down. (Scarva) Mr Robert Jordan, 3 Station Rd, Scarva, Co Armagh, BT63 6JY. LURGAN, FIRST: REV L.W. WEBSTER: Mr Norman McCleery, 12 McCormack Gardens, Lurgan, BT66 8LE. MONEYDIG: REV R.S. McMULLAN: Mr Steven Torrens, 115a Agivey Road, Kilrea, Coleraine, BT51 5UZ. NEWINGTON: REV DR I.D. NEISH: Mr John Lynass, 8 Bushfoot Park, Portballintrae, BT57 8YX. NEWTOWNARDS, SECOND: REV C.W. JACKSON: Mr Ivan Patterson, 11 Heron Crescent, Newtownards, BT23 8WH. PORTAVOGIE: REV G.J. SIMPSON: RANDALSTOWN, O.C.: REV CHRIS WILSON: Mr Alun Coulter, 48 Portglenone Road, Randalstown, BT41 3DB. RAPHOE and BALLINDRAIT: REV R. EDGAR: Mrs Sylvia Cole, The Common, Raphoe, Donegal.

RATHCOOLE: REV A. CARSON: Mr Norman Creaney, 7 Coolshannagh Park, Newtownabbey, BT37 9LA. RAY & NEWTOWNCUNNINGHAM: REV GRAHAM ORR: Mr Derek Roulston, Moyle Hill, Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal.

DUNDROD: REV R.C. KERR: Mr William McClure, 20 Thorndale Road, Dundrod, BT29 4UD.

TAUGHMONAGH (Church Extension) REV K.H. VINER:

DUNGANNON: REV JAMES O’NEILL: Mr David Miller, 1 Bushvale, Dungannon, BT71 6QA.

TOWNHILL: REV J.D. McGAUGHEY: Mr R. Dickey, 23 Grange Cottages, Toomebridge, BT41 3GR.

DUNMURRY & KILMAKEE: REV S. STOCKMAN: (Dunmurry) Rev Gilbert Young, 39 Saintfield Road, Lisburn, BT27 5BH. (Kilmakee) Mr Alastair White, 94 Greenburn Way, Lambeg, Lisburn, BT27 4LU.

TRINITY, AHOGHILL: REV N.G. MULHOLLAND: Mr G. Knowles, 67 Tuppenny Road, Gracehill, Ballymena, BT42 2NW.

ESKYLANE: REV W.J.C. BROGAN: Mr S. McKee, 14 Eskylane Road, Antrim, BT41 2LL.

TULLYCARNET: REV R.S.J. McILHATTON:

FAUGHANVALE: REV P. LINKENS: Mr Donald Montgomery, 25 Carnmoney Road, Eglinton, BT47 3JJ.

VINECASH: REV PRINCIPAL MICHAEL McCLENAHAN: Mr Thomas Graham, 38 Richmount, Portadown, BT62 4JQ.

GARRYDUFF and DUNLOY: REV C.B. MULVENNY: (Garryduff ) Mr Stanley Lee, 12 Cambourne Park, Ballymoney, BT53 7PG. (Dunloy) Mr Jonathan Gault, c/o 26–28 Church Street, Ballymoney, BT53 6DL. continued on page 50

Herald April 2025

49

CHURCH RECORD

CLASSIFIEDS

continued from page 49

PLEASE NOTE: Adverts must be received in writing (email or post) by the first of the month preceding publication to guarantee inclusion. Adverts received after that date will be published if space permits. Advertising rates can be found on the website – www.presbyterianireland.org/herald – or telephone the Herald office on +44 (0)28 9032 2284 for more information.

WARRENPOINT and ROSTREVOR: REV J.S. MAGUIRE: (Warrenpoint) Mrs Heather Gray, 25 Donaghaguy Road, Warrenpoint, BT34 3RZ. (Rostrevor) Mrs Doreen Henderson, 14 Greenpark Road, Rostrevor, BT34 3EY. WATERSIDE: REV COLIN JONES: Mr William McIlwaine, 19 Glenaden Hill, Altnagelvin Park, Londonderry, BT47 2LJ.

TEMPORARY STATED SUPPLY ARRANGEMENT BELLVILLE: REV J.T. GRAHAM: Mr Mervyn King, 29 Ardmore Road, Derryadd, Lurgan, BT66 6QP. GRANGE with CRAIGMORE: REV R.S. AGNEW: Mr Jamie Harris, 32 Portglenone Road, Randalstown, BT41 3BE. NEWTOWNSTEWART and GORTIN: REV JONATHAN BOYD: (Newtownstewart) Mr David Dunbar, 32 Main Street, Newtownstewart, BT78 4AA. (Gortin) Mr Adrian Adams, 32 Lisnaharney Road, Lislap, Omagh, BT79 7UE. RASHARKIN: REV R.J. WATT: Mr Samuel Kirkpatrick, 71 Mullan Road, Ballymoney, BT53 7ED. SPA and MAGHERAHAMLET: REV DAVID BINGHAM: (Spa) Mr Stephen McBride, 28 Ballynahinch Road, Castlewellan, BT31 9PA. (Magherahamlet) Mr David Whan, 74 Castlewellan Road, Dromara, BT25 2JN. WHITEHEAD: REV P. BOVILL: Mr Warren Heggan, 44 Middle Road, Islandmagee, Larne, BT40 3SL.

THE MINISTRY Ordained and Installed: Rev Stephen Gaston, as Minister of First Castlederg & Killeter, on 14 February 2025

Accommodation COSY 3-BEDROOM HOLIDAY HOUSE in Portrush, short walking distance from town centre, beaches and golf course. Can accommodate 4 adults and 2 children. Ofch, WiFi and downstairs toilet. Min 2 night stay. Reasonable rates.

Tel 07735 928901.

OONA’S COTTAGE: Newly restored traditional cottage with all modern amenities: sleeps 2, with travel cot if required. Located outside Ballymena, Co Antrim with easy access to tourist destinations. Tourist Board approved.

Two-night minimum stay. £95 per night. www.samscottage.co.uk PORTRUSH: Modern 3-bedroom semidetached house available for holiday lets.

Sleeps 5. Tel: 07808 112312 after 5pm.

PORTSTEWART: A modern 3-bedroom semi-detached house presented to a high standard, with off-street parking and a fully enclosed rear garden. Near local amenities. Available high and low season.

No smoking and no pets allowed. Contact Paula: 07840 123518 or 028 79632163.

PORTSTEWART: Excellent 4-bedroom cottage bungalow available June– September. Call 07513 826551; Email pabloguy50@gmail.com; Facebook @campbellandcorentalproperties PORTSTEWART HARBOUR: 2-bedroom apartment to let, May–September availability. Tel 07753 718494.

Installed: Rev Gordon McCracken, as Minister of Ballywillan, on 28 February 2025 Resigned: Rev Alan Thompson, as Minister of Dungannon, on 10 February 2025 Rev Gordon McCracken, as Minister of Ray & Newtowncunningham, on 23 February 2025

Ross Morrow A.L.C.M., L.T.C.L.

THE ELDERSHIP

Services available throughout Ireland

Ordained and Installed: RYANS: Jonathan Jackson SOUTH KIRK: Lauren Bingham, Josephine Bundu, Sarah Farling, Becky Montgomery, Robbie Montgomery, Kerby O’Connor, Salman Shariati WOODBURN: Alastair McCullen, Roy McLean, Alan Taylor

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PORTSTEWART HOLIDAY RENTAL: 3-bedroom house in quiet location.

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Self Catering ACCOMMODATION: FLORIDA – Disney 20 mins.; SPAIN – East coast. Beach views. Bus and tram from airport; NORTHERN IRELAND – Portstewart. Sea views. Contact: +44(0)7971 194211; geraldsmyth@hotmail.com

CROSSWORD Solution to No 297

ACROSS 1 Mayflower 5 One 7 Nougat 8 Greeks 9 Argue 10 Trial 12 Satisfaction 15 Marathon 20 Era 21 Bond 22 Regiment 23 Alters 24 Lessen

Mobile: 07788 746992

DOWN 1 Manna 2 Youngster 3 Loafers 4 Eager 5 Overlook 6 Easily 11 Into 12 Samaria 13 Acorn 14 Sudden 16 Alike 17 Heeds 18 Natal 19 Abyss

Retired: FISHERWICK: Linda Little, Peter Little Died: BALLINA: David Michael BELLVILLE: Thomas Parks BUSHMILLS: Alex Twaddle CHRIST CHURCH, DUNDONALD: Harry McMillan FIRST KILRAUGHTS: Joe Lamont GILNAHIRK: Malcolm Strain HILL STREET, LURGAN: Brian Williams KILLEAD: William (Wilbert) Hyde LISSARA: Samuel (Sam) Clements LOWE MEMORIAL: William McPherson McCRACKEN MEMORIAL: Uel Ramsey

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Herald April 2025

BALLYHENRY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

MUSIC DIRECTOR

We are seeking a passionate and talented Music Director to lead our church’s music ministry. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of contemporary and traditional Christian music, a heart for worship, and the ability to inspire, lead and accompany (piano /

keyboard), our church family in meaningful corporate worship. This role presents a genuine opportunity to serve and to take responsibility for the development of music and praise within Ballyhenry.

To view a full Job Description visit: www.ballyhenry.org/jobs or email: serve@ballyhenry.org Closing date for applications: Friday 9th May, 2025.

Address Ballyhenry Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 5LU Registered Charity in NI (NIC104315)

Email Address serve@ballyhenry.org

Website: www.ballyhenry.org