Wider World Winter 2021

Winter: Dec 2021 - February 2022

WIDER WORLD

Global Pandemic, Global Mission, Global Us.

By Rev. Uel Marrs

Christmas Devotional

By Elizabeth Moffett

Group Focus First Limavady PW

Global Pandemic, Global Mission, A word from the Women’s Ministry and PW Development Officer

Global Us Article by Rev. Uel Marrs

Pauline Kennedy As we look forward to a season of celebrating Christ as the Light of the World, we also want to praise God for all that he has done over the last year. I am sure, like me, you have had moments of pain as well as moments of absolute joy! I trust that as you have walked through those times, you have known God’s guidance and strength for each step taken.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.” When God called Abraham to take new steps of faith, to leave all that was familiar to him and go to a place he had never been to, Abraham believed God and took the first step in faith. God still calls his people to live by faith and not by sight, individually and together as his church. We don’t know what the next year will bring but even in the midst of uncertainty there is much to praise God for as we take every opportunity to ‘walk by faith, not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5:7).

As we have sought to bring the Wider World magazine to you over this last year it has been challenging. We have had to look to the Lord for his wisdom and guidance for each step we have taken and for each article written. We have had to learn not to run or plan too far ahead, not to lag behind, but to embrace the moment, keeping in step with him. We are grateful to God for the light he shone on the next step, just when we needed it.

In this issue of Wider World, you’re going to read about people who are living by faith and not by sight:- Groomsport PC share how God has guided them on their journey to have their first ever deaconess, Sylvia Santos-Bryce, and Sylvia writes how God has blessed her in this new role; Rev Uel Marrs gives us some insight to how Global Mission partners and workers have been relying on God’s guidance during the challenges of the pandemic; Elizabeth Moffett helps us focus on the one who is The Light of the World; we catch a glimpse of what new things God has been doing in First Limavady PW Group; and finally, we get to celebrate 100 years of faithful steps in the life of Dorothy Cunningham.

I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed articles and assisted with the production of the Wider World over the last year. As we look forward to 2022 we do so knowing that the light of Christ illuminates our path.

Keep in touch For more information Tel: +44 (0)28 9041 7257 Email: pw@presbyterianireland.org Web: www.presbyterianireland.org/pw Like us on Facebook: Presbyterian Women

Photo by Amos Kennedy https://amoskennedy.com Used by permission

I wonder how familiar you are with bamboo? There are many varieties and it has many uses. While it’s one of the fastest growing plants in the world, there is a Chinese variety of bamboo that, even though watered and fertilised regularly over four years, will show no evidence of growth. Then, in the fifth-year, shoots break through and it takes off at an astonishing rate, such that you can almost watch it growing.

Over the past eighteen months, despite every attempt to maintain routines and tend to work in our homes, communities and workplaces, there has been much frustration, uncertainty and at times the feeling of making very little progress. Having waited patiently for break-throughs, more often we have been faced with what looks like a rather barren landscape.

The picture has not been so very different for PCI’s Global Mission Workers, the majority of whom have remained overseas during the pandemic, grappling with much uncertainty and many questions. How would the local church and community be able to survive the COVID crisis? Would the healthcare system have the capacity to respond? Would there be any vaccines? How can I do my work? Many were under strict lockdowns, unable to attend churches locally, some going as far as to join live-streamed services and prayer meetings of PCI congregations back in Ireland!

Then there was the added challenge of feeling distanced and helpless in relation to their family members back at home, whether those more vulnerable to illness or their children transitioning from schooling overseas to tertiary education or employment back in the UK. The Global Mission Workers who did return to Ireland had the challenge of late night or early morning Zoom meetings with their colleagues overseas, of teaching classes online, and all the stresses this brings.

As international travel resumed, PCI’s Mission Department staff have faced significant challenges in booking flights for global mission workers, constantly shifting government regulations, organising well-timed COVID PCR tests, planning travel itineraries to avoid quarantine and always having a plan B due to last-minute flight cancellations.

All of us involved in global mission, whether located overseas or serving from the home base, have been challenged more than ever to be patient, resilient, and to keep going. More often than not, this resilience has been modelled for us by colleagues and friends in overseas partner churches. For many of them, COVID is just one of several ongoing crises to be faced with a quiet confidence that God is a faithful provider. Even if there is no salary, no furlough scheme, and few vaccines, God is always enough!

“Even if there is no salary, no furlough scheme, and few vaccines, God is always enough!”

What about for you? Have the past two years left you with a sense of barrenness despite all your best efforts?

Maybe you are lamenting that you have not even been able to meet as PW groups, never mind give thought to supporting global mission? As groups get up and running again, I want to encourage you to recall PW’s beginnings in overseas mission. A forerunner to PW was the “Female Association for promoting Christianity among the women of the East” established following the General Assembly in 1874, later renamed, “The Women’s Association for Foreign Mission”. Its groups, or auxiliaries as they were known, focused exclusively on foreign mission, initially in India and China. Indeed, it was another thirty years before PCI’s women’s groups with a focus on local mission emerged. The auxiliaries worked earnestly and with expectancy, raising funds, recruiting and training single female missionaries, and placing a long-standing emphasis on reaching local women and children with the gospel, training local Christian women to be itinerant Bible teachers, supporting orphanages, schools and medical work, and, later on, offering scholarships and project support wherever needed.

As you look back over the past 18 months, let me ask you to reflect, especially on your local PW group. Are there plans or dreams that you thought had died but actually, in the providence of God, they have simply been delayed, and now is God’s time germinating, breaking through to provide a fruitful harvest in mission and ministry?

Galatians 6 v 9 encourages us, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”. So, let us press on, even if visible signs of progress are few. Let us persevere given the promise of a harvest.

In terms of practical support for global mission, PCI’s Global Mission Workers remain a bridge across which we can better grasp something of God’s Kingdom work in the wider world; Prayer Bulletins continue to be released every month on PCI’s website and can be requested by email; ‘Digital Dispatches’ video updates are being released regularly and would be ideal for use at PW group meetings.

Why not use these readily available resources to hold a global mission slot and then follow up by sending a card, letter, or just a text message to the Global Mission Workers you featured? Be assured, they continue to deeply appreciate the very many practical expressions of love and prayerful encouragement for which PW has become renowned since 1874.

Like the Chinese bamboo, it may appear that we are coming through a season of barrenness, yet surely seeds sown in the Spirit have been germinating. Let us be prayerful and expectant for a new season of break-through and even for astonishing growth for the glory of God. For more information and to access Digital Dispatches videos go to: www.presbyterianireland.org/mission or contact mission@presbyterianireland.org

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READ: John 1:1-14

Jesus

the Light of the World Winter Devotional

By Elizabeth Moffett I love the lights of Christmas. The coloured lights we put up throughout our towns and in our homes brighten up the dark days of December. But why do we do it? It must surely be because it gives us a pale reflection of the true light of Christmas. This is the time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Why the lights? Quite simply because John describes Jesus as the Light of the World. He tells us plainly that “the true Light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” (v9). So, what does John’s description of Jesus as light tell us?

The Light of Glory We see Jesus, firstly, as the light of the glory of God. Verse 14 says, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” As Jesus came into our world, this was God breaking into history with his special plan for our salvation, his Son, who came with the glory of God. The glory that was seen as the angels appeared to shepherds in a blaze of light and sang, “Glory to God in the highest!” (Luke 2:14) The glory of God may not have shone physically out of Jesus (compare with Moses’ shining face after he met with God), but it was there for all who had eyes to see as Jesus brought in the Kingdom of God, preached the good news to the poor and showed the mighty hand of the Lord as he performed miracles. This is the one who was with God and who was God. He came as the God-man who would die on the cross for sinners, rise victorious from the grave and ascend to the right hand of the Father.

Pause for thought “We have seen his glory” (v14). As you join with others this Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus, ask God to help you to worship him truly as the King of Glory. Together, we want to praise him for coming to rescue his people.

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The Light of Life “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (v4). When Jesus came, he brought the light of life for all who would believe in him. John speaks of how the light shines in the darkness. The darkness is the sinfulness of all our lives, sin that affects us from the moment we are born. Jesus is the only one who is born without sin. He came to bring us a new birth, a new life, a deeper and more satisfying life than anything we can experience on our own. This new life is his gift to us as we come to confess our faith in him and our need for forgiveness from the sin that so entangles our lives. But we have to see this sinfulness within us, shown up by his light. So many don’t see it – “the darkness has not understood it” (v5) - and so miss out on the life that is given freely by Jesus if we just believe. Jesus is the true light, witnessed to by John and countless others throughout history as they have put their trust in Jesus as the Son of God who died and rose again to defeat the power of sin.

Pause for thought Do you accept Jesus as the one who defeated the power of sin in your life? Talk to him now about this. As you give and receive gifts this Christmas, thank him for the far greater gift of new life he has given to you. And share with others what this new life means to you, and the Lord who gives it.

The Light of Hope Finally, we see Jesus here as the light of hope. “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (v12). What an amazing gift! The right to become a child of God – to be adopted into his family, to be loved as a daughter of the King, to have the sure and certain hope of eternity with him.

Pause for thought Revelation 22:4 says, “They will see his face...” This is the hope of heaven that is yours, and for all who believe in the name of Jesus Christ. Together, side by side for all eternity, we will see his face and be with him. From every tribe, nation, people and language, we will be side by side with our great Saviour and Lord, able to sing his praise and serve him together for ever. What a day that will be! What hope is ours!

The true light that gives the light of his wonderful glory, the light of life and the light of the hope of heaven, was coming into the world. Let’s praise him this Christmas!

Group Focus First Limavady PW

Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

Amen.”

We recently had our first PW Group meeting in 18 months and our hearts are full of praise to God for his provision, protection and blessing in the many months we were unable to meet. On the first day of lockdown we set up a WhatsApp group for ladies within our own and our sister congregation of Magilligan. Through that, we have been able to share scripture and have also used the opportunity to pray for specific people or situations. God really answered prayer and, as a group, we feel encouraged to continue to pray for each other regularly.

Women who don’t normally come to our meetings have been part of the WhatsApp group and we have been delighted to welcome the newcomers. We were conscious that not everyone had access to a smart phone so ladies from the group kept in touch with members via phone calls, and garden visits when restrictions permitted. We planted bulbs in flower pots and delivered them with a card at Christmas, and a card of encouragement along with a Cadbury’s egg at Easter.

In 2020 our PW service was recorded and published on Facebook but, with lockdown eased, we were able to have a socially distanced service in the church building in 2021.

Mrs Dorothy Cunningham celebrates her 100th birthday

The committee has arranged a varied programme for the coming season and we long to see even more ladies of all ages joining with us. Our main fundraiser for PW funds is usually a coffee evening but, with the prospect of holding such an event receding into the background, we have been looking at other ways to continue to support the work. Each lady has been asked to cook a meal or bake a cake for five family members or friends and to ask for a donation of £5 for each meal maybe a dinner for a busy married daughter or a pavlova for the husband with a sweet tooth! If each lady manages to raise £25 that would more than cover the amount raised in a coffee evening. We now call our PW meeting Ladies Connect @ PW as we endeavour to be side by side connecting with one another.

This autumn the committee members arranged to each take the names of a few women in the congregation in order to contact them regularly and pray for them daily. As well as our monthly PW meeting, ladies meet on a Friday morning for Bible study led by Pat, our minister’s wife.

This has been a real source of encouragement and has led to the deepening of friendships and fellowship. We long that, as women “Living for Jesus”, we may be salt and light in our community and see women coming to love and serve Jesus.

Mrs Dorothy Cunningham recently celebrated her 100th birthday! Dorothy is a serving Elder in Myroe Presbyterian Church, Limavady, where she has been a faithful member of the choir since the age of nine. She still looks forward to being able to attend choir practices in preparation for our special services such as the Harvest thanksgiving.

She is also a lifetime member of PW and, until very recently, was our Wider World agent. Over the years she has served as President, Vice President and Secretary of our group.

At the time of writing, she is delighted to be out and about again in her car visiting the sick and the ‘elderly’. Sadly, due to Covid regulations, she is currently unable to visit in our local Care Homes, but she continues to bake and make marmalade to distribute to friends and neighbours. During ‘lockdown’ Dorothy kept her ‘fingers agile and her brain working’ by completing a tapestry which she began at our Meet up Monday Club - 22,500 stitches later the work was completed!

We are truly thankful to God for her life and vitality and for her faithful witness and service to the congregation of Myroe and to her Heavenly Father.

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Deaconess Sylvia Santos-Bryce - Deaconess

As I look back to June 2020, there were many uncertainties and, to my mind, very little hope as to where I would be after the completion of my training. However, I decided to rest and rely on God, knowing that he is always at work fulfilling his wonderful plans for us. In June 2021, PCI advertised the deaconess post for Groomsport Presbyterian Church and, after spending some time in prayer and having a lot of discussions with my husband, I felt led to apply. I was delighted to be invited for interview and, subsequently, accepted for the post.

My commissioning and induction service took place on 1st September, and it was a joyful celebration. We sang two of my favourite hymns, “To God be the glory” and “Great is thy faithfulness”.

In the past four years, I have truly experienced the hand of God leading us as a family whilst facing many challenges, but especially when I was confronted with post-natal depression soon after giving birth to Chloe in July 2019. I thank God for his provision, guidance, and strength, and for the support I received from all who helped me get through such dark days.

I finished my Deaconess training in August 2021. I am grateful for my time in Union Theological College and for all the experiences I gained through my placements. One of the highlights of my training was learning about pastoral care and putting it into practice. I had the privilege of spending time with Rev Dr Liz Hughes who was involved with Reflective Pastoral Practices at UTC, and the sessions with her were profoundly encouraging. I am also grateful for the support, love, and encouragement I received from my family, friends, and my church family during this process. I thank God for all the ministers and deaconesses who mentored me and supported me during my training.

I am enjoying working with Rev Paul Dalzell and he and the elders have been very supportive. They have been very encouraging to my family as well! My role in Groomsport involves providing pastoral care, working with families, and supporting/helping our children’s ministry leaders. I am also involved in community outreach and assisting in our Sunday worship services, which I enjoy very much. It is a privilege to be part of such a loving and caring congregation!

for Groomsport Presbyterian Church

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As I look to the future, I am excited about all the wonderful things God has in store for us as we encourage one another and work together towards expanding God’s Kingdom in our community. I am looking forward to getting to know the families and spending time with them, working alongside our children’s ministry leaders, building relationships, encouraging people to grow and flourish in their faith and love for Jesus.

I know this will take time as we are still learning to do things during Covid.

However, as I serve in Groomsport, I want to continue trusting in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my understanding but, in all my ways, I want to acknowledge him in everything I do.

Furthermore, as we begin to get together to worship God, I would like to encourage you to keep persevering, knowing that he will continue to lead us through these difficult times, especially when we don’t know what tomorrow brings, but knowing that God remains faithful.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 I also want to thank Presbyterian Women for your financial support, prayers, and words of encouragement over the past years. I would be grateful if you continue to pray for my family and me as I serve God in Groomsport.

“I am excited about all the wonderful things God has in store for us as we encourage one another and work together towards expanding God’s Kingdom in our community.”

Rev Paul Dalzell – Minister of Groomsport Presbyterian Church.

Groomsport Presbyterian Church is situated in the centre of Groomsport village in Co. Down with a beautiful view of the harbour and, looking beyond, Scotland in view on a clear day.

Perhaps it’s because of the beautiful surroundings that many, upon retirement, choose to relocate to live in or near Groomsport, some of whom join our congregation. This has meant, however, that there are fewer young families in the area, a fact that is reflected in the closing of the local primary school a number of years ago. This is also reflected in the membership of the congregation.

Over three years ago, the Kirk Session set up a small group to consider the possible staffing requirements of the congregation in the light of needs and priorities. Alongside this, an Outreach Committee was established and Mission Committee re-activated. The small group, which included the minister, Clerk of Session, conveners of both the Outreach and Mission Committees, and three other elders, met regularly to consider the needs of the congregation and also how the congregation could fulfil its mission to the community and world. Regular reports were brought to the Kirk Session as to what extra staff would be needed to fulfil this vision.

It was agreed that a top priority was to develop strong links with families with young children, whilst at the same time it was recognised that the minister needed assistance with visitation to the elderly, sick and bereaved. It was also recognised that there were many opportunities for community outreach through existing church organisations and activities, along with possible new ventures. It seemed to the group that a deaconess might be most suited.

Following a couple of informal chats with members of the Council for Mission in Ireland, the Kirk Session gave approval to apply for a deaconess. Just as the process got underway in 2020, like so many hopes and plans, the Coronavirus put matters very much on hold and, in many ways, it looked like a deaconess would not be coming to Groomsport.

But thankfully God had other plans and we were pleased that, following the necessary process, including interviews, Sylvia Santos-Bryce was called and commissioned as Deaconess and inducted in Groomsport Presbyterian Church on 1st September 2021. Sylvia accepted this calling recognising the priority to encourage and work particularly with young families.

“We are so thankful to God for sending Sylvia to us and look forward with faith and hope to seeing what God will do through her in making her a blessing to the Groomsport congregation and community.”

Now that Sylvia has been with us for just four weeks (at the time of writing) she has encouraged many within the congregation. She has visited 17 families who have children of primary school age and younger, and met with our Sunday School coordinator, Sunday school teachers and Children’s Church coordinator to discuss possible ways forward out of lockdown and to plan for the return to work with children.

She has been a great encouragement and help to them, along with already making connections with our girls’ uniformed organisation and speaking to the girls. In other aspects of ministry Sylvia has visited a number of our older members in their own homes and made connections with those in Care Homes. She has also recorded a children’s video for our website and been involved in aspects of Sunday worship.

We are so thankful to God for sending Sylvia to us and look forward with faith and hope to seeing what God will do through her in making her a blessing to the Groomsport congregation and community. We pray that she, along with her husband John and daughter Chloe, will be blessed as they worship and serve amongst us. www.groomsportpresbyterian.com 07

Presbyterian Women’s First ever

Online Annual Conference We were delighted that so many of you embraced our first ever online PW Annual Conference on 11 September 2021, and gathered together with women in your church and community to worship and listen to God’s Word through the ministry of Sophie de Witt. We have been really encouraged by your feedback and photos and would have loved to share all of them – unfortunately we could only select a few. If you missed the Conference you can still access it on our website; www.presbyterianireland.org/PresbyterianWomenAnnual Conference2021

Hi, I wanted to let you know approximately 20 ladies from St. Andrew’s PW, Bangor, watched the conference live on Saturday 11th September in our newly created welcome centre attached to the refurbished sanctuary. Many had not travelled to Belfast to the conference previously, and we were greatly encouraged by the turn-out. The overwhelming feedback was a positive one – particularly with regard to the ability to stream the conference locally and watch it together. I fully appreciate the online conference was borne from requirement and it is wonderful to see the women gathered as friends and sisters in Belfast each year, but I wonder if there is also the possibility of streaming the event so it could also be watched locally for those unable to travel? The coffee and scones went down well too. Thanks for the hard work and enthusiasm of all involved in the conference. It was a thought-provoking blessing as always. Regards, Seona Carroll.

On a beautiful Saturday morning Bannside PW were joined by our friends from Scarva Street, Banbridge. We enjoyed meeting up again with ladies all over Ireland to share in praise and hear the challenging messages from Sophie de Witt. So great to hear from our office bearers and receive an update on our projects. Thank you all so much - an awesome morning!

Sharon Henry.

What a morning spent in God’s presence. The singing was amazing and the pieces so thoughtfully chosen. A wonderful reminder of the projects and the readings etc all culminating in Sophie’s talk left us renewed and encouraged. With our PW service the next morning we felt a fresh enthusiasm for PW. Garvagh PW Group x

Thirty members of Elmwood PW met after a long Covid break on Saturday 11th September for the Online PW Annual Conference 2021. It was so good to be back together again and enjoy socially distanced conversations over coffee and “wrapped biscuits”. The Conference left us all both inspired and challenged and we are now looking forward to friendship and fellowship in the new session. Jenny Henderson.

Our “girls” were delighted to mark the start of our new season of meeting together (hopefully!) by getting together for the PW Conference with tea and scones. Everything was very well put together, and Sophie’s talks were particularly inspiring.

Well done! St Andrew’s PW, Rosetta, Belfast.