From the May-August 2011 Issue
Northern Ireland Corner
Tom McKendry
Deputation in Northern Ireland in the first three months of this year has gone very well. Andrew Birch, who lives and ministers in Palma, came to us in the early part of February for one week of deputation. Andrew is no stranger to Northern Ireland having been many times in the past. His wife Vivienne, herself a Northern Irish girl, unfortunately could not be with him on this visit. The deputation consisted of six meetings in six different churches in seven days, spread over quite an area. Andrew’s presentations were very well received as he told of the work in Palma and the five other groups his church has established in various parts of the island. At the moment these take the form of Bible studies, but the hope is that they will eventually become churches in their own right.
My own work to date involved a visit to Wales, where I was privileged to visit The Bay Church, Minster Christian Fellowship, Heath Evangelical Church, and Hebron Baptist. During my visit to Wales I did observe many common features between the Welsh church scene and our own in Northern Ireland, most notably that the majority of churches are labouring to maintain what they have, while others are experiencing decline, with just a few seeing growth. What was evident to me in the churches I visited was a real desire to uphold a standard of preaching the Word of God in an expository way that produces an experimental way of living consistent with Holy Scripture. In this there is an assurance that those churches in Wales that maintain this policy will continue to know the pleasure of God, while those who abandon this policy in favour of the emerging church growth approach will incur His displeasure. This indeed will be the case in every place; pleasure or displeasure will be determined by the integrity or absence of it regarding the preaching of the Word of God, and the godliness created by it.
The months of April, May and the first weeks in June are well filled with meetings. The next missionary to visit Northern Ireland will be Manuel Franco (Spain) who was with us in 2009. Manuel’s last visit was greatly blessed and owned of God. His forthcoming itinerary is for eight days, which will involve seven meetings, including the Belfast Conference on Saturday 7th May at 10.30am in Connsbrook Avenue Congregational Church. Information concerning Manuel’s visit will appear on the EMF website in due course. Following this, in the month of May I hope to visit Scotland on EMF deputation, this will also appear on the EMF website displaying May deputation.
In closing this article I want to thank most sincerely those churches and individuals who have been such an encouragement to me in their support of the ministry of EMF. While Northern Ireland and one or two situations in the South represent a relatively small area when compared to England, Scotland and Wales, yet the support that is given is very significant and greatly appreciated by EMF, and especially by those who receive the benefit.