p read the bible in 2 years! connect reachout june july...reachout june - july 2011 june tue 7pray...

2
ReachOut June - July 2011 JUNE Tue 7 Pray for the Moderator and members who will be attending the General Assembly this week. Wed 8 Pray for Ambassadors in Sport soccer outreach to children and young people in Ballysally, Coleraine, 4-11 June. Thur 9 Pray for Ambassadors in Sport soccer outreach to men in Ballysally, Coleraine. Fri 10 Pray for Paul Bowman who will be speaking at PCI Youth Night tomorrow evening. Sat 11 Pray for the young people who will attend PCI Youth Night in Belfast. Sun 12 Pray for the Tent Mission taking place in Desertmartin from 12 - 28 June. Mon 13 Pray for Margaret Robertson, Deaconess in Gardenmore in Larne who is ill at present. Tue 14 Pray for William Workman who has a stall at Athy Market on Tuesdays. Wed 15 Pray for the Hotel Bible Study led by Billy Patterson in Drogheda. Thur 16 Pray for Jonathan Reid who is preaching at the Desertmartin Tent Mission. Fri 17 Pray for PCI Youth and Children’s Summer Mission Training Day taking place tomorrow. Sat 18 Give thanks for over 200 young people who will be commissioned by PCI YAC for Summer Mission tonight. Sun 19 Pray for the vacant Home Mission congregations of Enniscorthy and Wexford. Mon 20 Pray for the team from Florida doing outreach at Ballysally,Coleraine, 15-28 June Tue 21 Pray for Keith Preston and the outreach work to the migrant community in South Belfast. Wed 22 Pray for Michael Sentence and the small team involved in Street Evangelism in Belfast today. Thur 23 Pray for Jonathan Reid speaking at the Tent Mission in Desertmartin. Fri 24 Pray for the Nightlight outreach time working in the Golden Mile area of Belfast tonight. Sat 25 Pray for the Nightlight outreach team working in the Odyssey Arena in Belfast tonight. Sun 26 Pray for the closing meeting of the Desertmartin Tent Mission. Mon 27 Pray for Lynda McFaul, Deaconess in 1st Carrickfergus, in her recovery from a hip replacement operation. Tue 28 Pray for Richie Cronin, the outreach worker in Dun Laoghaire Presbyterian Church. Wed 29 Pray for Eddie Spence, the outreach worker in Ballygomartin Presbyterian Church. Thur 30 Pray for the four student deaconesses starting their probationary year in a congregation. JULY Fri 1 Give thanks for over 250 young people who will be involved in PCI summer outreach during July and August. Sat 2 Pray for the PCI Summer team in Newry from 2 - 9 July. Sun 3 Pray for the Strand Urban Mission Congregation meeting in the local primary school while they wait on a new church building. Mon 4 Pray that the young people will work well as a team in Newry. Tue 5 Pray for Billy Patterson and his outreach to children and young people in Drogheda from 4 – 8 July. Wed 6 Pray that the Newry outreach team will have good contacts during outreach this week. Thur 7 Pray for the Football Camp outreach in Drogheda run by Billy Patterson. Fri 8 Pray for the PCI Summer team in Mullingar from 8 – 17 July. Sat 9 Pray for the opening night of Keswick at Portstewart Convention. Sun 10 Pray for Edwin Ewart speaking at Keswick at Portstewart tonight. Mon 11 Pray for David Johnston speaking at the Morning Bible Reading at Keswick at Portstewart. Tue 12 Pray for Bob Key speaking at the Evening meetings at Keswick at Portstewart. Wed 13 Pray for the CSSM team working in Portstewart. Thur 14 Pray for the team of young people in Mullingar, that God will bless their outreach. Fri 15 Pray for the PCI Summer team in Bailieborough from 16 – 23 July. Sat 16 Pray for New Horizon taking place from 16 – 22 July in Coleraine. Sun 17 Pray for the PCI Summer team in Aghadowey from 16 – 22 July. Mon 18 Pray for Trevor Morrow (Lucan Presbyterian) who is speaking at the Morning Bible Readings at New Horizon. Tue 19 Pray for BMI who are taking part in the Mission Zone at New Horizon. Wed 20 Pray for the PCI Summer team in Cavanaleck and Aughentaine from 16 – 23 July. Thur 21 Pray for the vacant Home Mission congregation of Galway. Fri 22 Pray for David Boyd as he seeks to establish a gospel community in Dublin. Sat 23 Pray for Richie Cronin, outreach worker at Dun Laoghaire Presbyterian Church Sun 24 Pray for the Summer outreach team in Friendship House in Sandy Row in Belfast from 23 – 30 July. Mon 25 Pray for the Summer outreach team in Donegal from 23 – 30 July. Tue 26 Pray for the Summer outreach team in Magherahamlet, Co. Down, from 23 – 30 July. Wed 27 Pray for the vacant Home Mission congregations of Carndonagh and Malin. Thur 28 Pray for Maynooth Community Church who are holding an Arts Festival Outreach Event in Maynooth. Fri 29 Pray for useful contacts and conversations at the Outreach Arts Festival in Maynooth. Sat 30 Pray for the team of young people from Ballysally,Coleraine, helping with Dublin Christian Mission Family Camp 30 July - 6 August Sun 31 Pray for the Summer outreach team in Craigy Hill, Larne, from 30 July – 7 August. AUGUST Mon 1 Pray for the PCI Summer team in O.C. Randalstown from 30 July – 6 August. Tue 2 Pray for Sally, Isobel, Anne and Billy who are packing ReachOut magazines this week. Wed 3 Pray for the outreach to children and young people taking place in Arklow this week. Thur 4 Give thanks and pray for the team of helpers who help Michael and Philip run the outreach in Arklow. Fri 5 Pray for DCM Family Camp where young people from Ballysally are helping. Read the Bible in 2 years! The M’Cheyne Bible Calendar (Carson version - Year 2) Daily Prayer Diary July / August 2011 Daily Prayer Diary June 2011 www.edginet.org/mcheyne/printables.html © 2005 Ben Edgington JUNE 2011 Wed 1 Isaiah 33; Revelation 3 Thurs 2 Isaiah 34; Revelation 4 Fri 3 Isaiah 35; Revelation 5 Sat 4 Isaiah 36; Revelation 6 Sun 5 Isaiah 37; Revelation 7 Mon 6 Isaiah 38; Revelation 8 Tues 7 Isaiah 39; Revelation 9 Wed 8 Isaiah 40; Revelation 10 Thurs 9 Isaiah 41; Revelation 11 Fri 10 Isaiah 42; Revelation 12 Sat 11 Isaiah 43; Revelation 13 Sun 12 Isaiah 44; Revelation 14 Mon 13 Isaiah 45; Revelation 15 Tues 14 Isaiah 46; Revelation 16 Wed 15 Isaiah 47; Revelation 17 Thurs 16 Isaiah 48; Revelation 18 Fri 17 Isaiah 49; Revelation 19 Sat 18 Isaiah 50; Revelation 20 Sun 19 Isaiah 51; Revelation 21 Mon 20 Isaiah 52; Revelation 22 Tues 21 Isaiah 53; Matthew 1 Wed 22 Isaiah 54; Matthew 2 Thurs 23 Isaiah 55; Matthew 3 Fri 24 Isaiah 56; Matthew 4 Sat 25 Isaiah 57; Matthew 5 Sun 26 Isaiah 58; Matthew 6 Mon 27 Isaiah 59; Matthew 7 Tues 28 Isaiah 60; Matthew 8 Wed 29 Isaiah 61; Matthew 9 Thurs 30 Isaiah 62; Matthew 10 JULY Fri 1 Isaiah 63; Matthew 11 Sat 2 Isaiah 64; Matthew 12 Sun 3 Isaiah 65; Matthew 13 Mon 4 Isaiah 66; Matthew 14 Tues 5 Jeremiah 1; Matthew 15 Wed 6 Jeremiah 2; Matthew 16 Thurs 7 Jeremiah 3; Matthew 17 Fri 8 Jeremiah 4; Matthew 18 Sat 9 Jeremiah 5; Matthew 19 Sun 10 Jeremiah 6; Matthew 20 Mon 11 Jeremiah 7; Matthew 21 Tues 12 Jeremiah 8; Matthew 22 Wed 13 Jeremiah 9; Matthew 23 Thurs 14 Jeremiah 10; Matthew 24 Fri 15 Jeremiah 11; Matthew 25 Sat 16 Jeremiah 12; Matthew 26 Sun 17 Jeremiah 13; Matthew 27 Mon 18 Jeremiah 14; Matthew 28 Tues 19 Jeremiah 15; Mark 1 Wed 20 Jeremiah 16; Mark 2 Thurs 21 Jeremiah 17; Mark 3 Fri 22 Jeremiah 18; Mark 4 Sat 23 Jeremiah 19; Mark 5 Sun 24 Jeremiah 20; Mark 6 Mon 25 Jeremiah 21; Mark 7 Tues 26 Jeremiah 22; Mark 8 Wed 27 Jeremiah 23; Mark 9 Thurs 28 Jeremiah 24; Mark 10 Fri 29 Jeremiah 25; Mark 11 Sat 30 Jeremiah 26; Mark 12 Sun 31 Jeremiah 27; Mark 13 AUGUST Mon 1 Jeremiah 28; Mark 14 Tues 2 Jeremiah 29; Mark 15 Wed 3 Jeremiah 30-31; Mark 16 Thurs 4 Jeremiah 32; Psalms 1-2 Fri 5 Jeremiah 33; Psalms 3-4 Sat 6 Jeremiah 34; Psalms 5-6 Sun 7 Jeremiah 35; Psalms 7-8 Mon 8 Jeremiah 36,45; Psalms 9 Tues 9 Jeremiah 37; Psalms 10 Wed 10 Jeremiah 38; Psalms 11-12 Thurs 11 Jeremiah 39; Psalms 13-14 Fri 12 Jeremiah 40; Psalms 15-16 Sat 13 Jeremiah 41; Psalms 17 Sun 14 Jeremiah 42; Psalms 18 Mon 15 Jeremiah 43; Psalms 19 Tues 16 Jeremiah 44; Psalms 20-21 Wed 17 Jeremiah 46; Psalms 22 Thurs 18 Jeremiah 47; Psalms 23-24 Fri 19 Jeremiah 48; Psalms 25 Sat 20 Jeremiah 49; Psalms 26-27 Sun 21 Jeremiah 50; Psalms 28-29 Mon 22 Jeremiah 51; Psalms 30 Tues 23 Jeremiah 52; Psalms 31 Wed 24 Lamentations 1; Psalms 32 Thurs 25 Lamentations 2; Psalms 33 Fri 26 Lamentations 3; Psalms 34 Sat 27 Lamentations 4; Psalms 35 Sun 28 Lamentations 5; Psalms 36 Mon 29 Ezekiel 1; Psalms 37 Tues 30 Ezekiel 2; Psalms 38 Wed 31 Ezekiel 3; Psalms 39 Download the whole reading plan at PULL ME OUT! I grew up in Donoughmore in Mid Cork.My folks broke up when I was twelve and many of the problems I experienced in the next part of my life stemmed from the unhappiness this event caused.I did have a faith in God and it was even a comfort to me, but I did not have anyone around me who nurtured it and certainly no-one was explaining the Bible to me.I got into so-called recreational drugs at college and I became a very paranoid and socially awkward young man. After a very bad experience on drugs one night where I also had a vision of a cross and a realisation that Jesus loved me,I went looking for "something else".Eventually, by a series of coincidences I found a Baptist church in Dublin that taught from the Bible.There I was well loved by people who based their lives on the Bible.I was addicted to it and to them. Initially my new found faith was great but very soon it became very burdensome.I was in an alien world that I could not easily translate to my old friends and what I was saying to them certainly didn't sound like good news. I found reading the Bible a death, as it seemed that God was asking me to do the A walking talking billboard for our church Richard (Richie) Cronin Outreach Worker, Dun Laoghaire Presbyterian Church Connect (continued inside) ROConnect June July 2011 AW 20/5/11 18:36 Page 1

Upload: others

Post on 05-Mar-2021

1 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: P Read the Bible in 2 years! Connect ReachOut June July...ReachOut June - July 2011 JUNE Tue 7Pray for the Moderator and members who will be attending the General Assembly this week

ReachOut

June - July 2011JUNETue 7 Pray for the Moderator andmembers who will be attending theGeneral Assembly this week.

Wed 8 Pray for Ambassadors in Sportsoccer outreach to children and youngpeople in Ballysally, Coleraine, 4-11June.

Thur 9 Pray for Ambassadors in Sportsoccer outreach to men in Ballysally,Coleraine.

Fri 10 Pray for Paul Bowman who willbe speaking at PCI Youth Nighttomorrow evening.

Sat 11 Pray for the young people whowill attend PCI Youth Night in Belfast.

Sun 12 Pray for the Tent Missiontaking place in Desertmartin from12 - 28 June.

Mon 13 Pray for Margaret Robertson,Deaconess in Gardenmore in Larnewho is ill at present.

Tue 14 Pray for William Workman whohas a stall at Athy Market on Tuesdays.

Wed 15 Pray for the Hotel Bible Studyled by Billy Patterson in Drogheda.

Thur 16 Pray for Jonathan Reid who ispreaching at the Desertmartin TentMission.

Fri 17 Pray for PCI Youth and Children’sSummer Mission Training Day takingplace tomorrow.

Sat 18 Give thanks for over 200 youngpeople who will be commissioned byPCI YAC for Summer Mission tonight.

Sun 19 Pray for the vacant HomeMission congregations of Enniscorthyand Wexford.

Mon 20 Pray for the team from Floridadoing outreach at Ballysally, Coleraine,15-28 June

Tue 21 Pray for Keith Preston and theoutreach work to the migrantcommunity in South Belfast.

Wed 22 Pray for Michael Sentence andthe small team involved in StreetEvangelism in Belfast today.

Thur 23 Pray for Jonathan Reidspeaking at the Tent Mission inDesertmartin.

Fri 24 Pray for the Nightlight outreachtime working in the Golden Mile areaof Belfast tonight.

Sat 25 Pray for the Nightlight outreachteam working in the Odyssey Arena inBelfast tonight.

Sun 26 Pray for the closing meeting ofthe Desertmartin Tent Mission.

Mon 27 Pray for Lynda McFaul,Deaconess in 1st Carrickfergus, in herrecovery from a hip replacementoperation.

Tue 28 Pray for Richie Cronin, theoutreach worker in Dun LaoghairePresbyterian Church.

Wed 29 Pray for Eddie Spence, theoutreach worker in BallygomartinPresbyterian Church.

Thur 30 Pray for the four studentdeaconesses starting theirprobationary year in a congregation.

JULYFri 1 Give thanks for over 250 youngpeople who will be involved in PCIsummer outreach during July andAugust.

Sat 2 Pray for the PCI Summer team inNewry from 2 - 9 July.

Sun 3 Pray for the Strand UrbanMission Congregation meeting in thelocal primary school while they wait ona new church building.

Mon 4 Pray that the young people willwork well as a team in Newry.

Tue 5 Pray for Billy Patterson and hisoutreach to children and young peoplein Drogheda from 4 – 8 July.

Wed 6 Pray that the Newry outreachteam will have good contacts duringoutreach this week.

Thur 7 Pray for the Football Campoutreach in Drogheda run by BillyPatterson.

Fri 8 Pray for the PCI Summer team inMullingar from 8 – 17 July.

Sat 9 Pray for the opening night ofKeswick at Portstewart Convention.

Sun 10 Pray for Edwin Ewart speakingat Keswick at Portstewart tonight.

Mon 11 Pray for David Johnstonspeaking at the Morning Bible Readingat Keswick at Portstewart.

Tue 12 Pray for Bob Key speaking atthe Evening meetings at Keswick atPortstewart.

Wed 13 Pray for the CSSM teamworking in Portstewart.

Thur 14 Pray for the team of youngpeople in Mullingar, that God will blesstheir outreach.

Fri 15 Pray for the PCI Summer team inBailieborough from 16 – 23 July.

Sat 16 Pray for New Horizon takingplace from 16 – 22 July in Coleraine.

Sun 17 Pray for the PCI Summer teamin Aghadowey from 16 – 22 July.

Mon 18 Pray for Trevor Morrow (LucanPresbyterian) who is speaking at theMorning Bible Readings at NewHorizon.

Tue 19 Pray for BMI who are takingpart in the Mission Zone at NewHorizon.

Wed 20 Pray for the PCI Summer teamin Cavanaleck and Aughentaine from 16– 23 July.

Thur 21 Pray for the vacant HomeMission congregation of Galway.

Fri 22 Pray for David Boyd as he seeksto establish a gospel community inDublin.

Sat 23 Pray for Richie Cronin, outreachworker at Dun Laoghaire PresbyterianChurch

Sun 24 Pray for the Summer outreachteam in Friendship House in Sandy Rowin Belfast from 23 – 30 July.

Mon 25 Pray for the Summer outreachteam in Donegal from 23 – 30 July.

Tue 26 Pray for the Summer outreachteam in Magherahamlet, Co.Down,from 23 – 30 July.

Wed 27 Pray for the vacant HomeMission congregations of Carndonaghand Malin.

Thur 28 Pray for Maynooth CommunityChurch who are holding an Arts FestivalOutreach Event in Maynooth.

Fri 29 Pray for useful contacts andconversations at the Outreach ArtsFestival in Maynooth.

Sat 30 Pray for the team of youngpeople from Ballysally, Coleraine,helping with Dublin Christian MissionFamily Camp 30 July - 6 August

Sun 31 Pray for the Summer outreachteam in Craigy Hill, Larne, from 30 July– 7 August.

AUGUSTMon 1 Pray for the PCI Summer teamin O.C.Randalstown from 30 July – 6August.

Tue 2 Pray for Sally, Isobel, Anne andBilly who are packing ReachOutmagazines this week.

Wed 3 Pray for the outreach to childrenand young people taking place inArklow this week.

Thur 4 Give thanks and pray for theteam of helpers who help Michael andPhilip run the outreach in Arklow.

Fri 5 Pray for DCM Family Camp whereyoung people from Ballysally arehelping.

Read the Bible in 2 years!The M’Cheyne Bible Calendar(Carson version - Year 2)

Daily Prayer DiaryJuly / August 2011

Daily Prayer DiaryJune 2011

www.edginet.org/mcheyne/printables.html © 2005 Ben Edgington

JUNE 2011Wed 1 Isaiah 33; Revelation 3Thurs 2 Isaiah 34; Revelation 4Fri 3 Isaiah 35; Revelation 5Sat 4 Isaiah 36; Revelation 6Sun 5 Isaiah 37; Revelation 7Mon 6 Isaiah 38; Revelation 8Tues 7 Isaiah 39; Revelation 9Wed 8 Isaiah 40; Revelation 10Thurs 9 Isaiah 41; Revelation 11Fri 10 Isaiah 42; Revelation 12Sat 11 Isaiah 43; Revelation 13Sun 12 Isaiah 44; Revelation 14Mon 13 Isaiah 45; Revelation 15Tues 14 Isaiah 46; Revelation 16Wed 15 Isaiah 47; Revelation 17Thurs 16 Isaiah 48; Revelation 18Fri 17 Isaiah 49; Revelation 19Sat 18 Isaiah 50; Revelation 20Sun 19 Isaiah 51; Revelation 21Mon 20 Isaiah 52; Revelation 22Tues 21 Isaiah 53; Matthew 1Wed 22 Isaiah 54; Matthew 2Thurs 23 Isaiah 55; Matthew 3Fri 24 Isaiah 56; Matthew 4Sat 25 Isaiah 57; Matthew 5Sun 26 Isaiah 58; Matthew 6Mon 27 Isaiah 59; Matthew 7Tues 28 Isaiah 60; Matthew 8Wed 29 Isaiah 61; Matthew 9Thurs 30 Isaiah 62; Matthew 10

JULYFri 1 Isaiah 63; Matthew 11Sat 2 Isaiah 64; Matthew 12Sun 3 Isaiah 65; Matthew 13Mon 4 Isaiah 66; Matthew 14Tues 5 Jeremiah 1; Matthew 15Wed 6 Jeremiah 2; Matthew 16Thurs 7 Jeremiah 3; Matthew 17Fri 8 Jeremiah 4; Matthew 18Sat 9 Jeremiah 5; Matthew 19Sun 10 Jeremiah 6; Matthew 20Mon 11 Jeremiah 7; Matthew 21Tues 12 Jeremiah 8; Matthew 22Wed 13 Jeremiah 9; Matthew 23Thurs 14 Jeremiah 10; Matthew 24Fri 15 Jeremiah 11; Matthew 25Sat 16 Jeremiah 12; Matthew 26

Sun 17 Jeremiah 13; Matthew 27Mon 18 Jeremiah 14; Matthew 28Tues 19 Jeremiah 15; Mark 1Wed 20 Jeremiah 16; Mark 2Thurs 21 Jeremiah 17; Mark 3Fri 22 Jeremiah 18; Mark 4Sat 23 Jeremiah 19; Mark 5Sun 24 Jeremiah 20; Mark 6Mon 25 Jeremiah 21; Mark 7Tues 26 Jeremiah 22; Mark 8Wed 27 Jeremiah 23; Mark 9Thurs 28 Jeremiah 24; Mark 10Fri 29 Jeremiah 25; Mark 11Sat 30 Jeremiah 26; Mark 12Sun 31 Jeremiah 27; Mark 13

AUGUSTMon 1 Jeremiah 28; Mark 14Tues 2 Jeremiah 29; Mark 15Wed 3 Jeremiah 30-31; Mark 16Thurs 4 Jeremiah 32; Psalms 1-2Fri 5 Jeremiah 33; Psalms 3-4Sat 6 Jeremiah 34; Psalms 5-6Sun 7 Jeremiah 35; Psalms 7-8Mon 8 Jeremiah 36,45; Psalms 9Tues 9 Jeremiah 37; Psalms 10Wed 10 Jeremiah 38; Psalms 11-12Thurs 11 Jeremiah 39; Psalms 13-14Fri 12 Jeremiah 40; Psalms 15-16Sat 13 Jeremiah 41; Psalms 17Sun 14 Jeremiah 42; Psalms 18Mon 15 Jeremiah 43; Psalms 19Tues 16 Jeremiah 44; Psalms 20-21Wed 17 Jeremiah 46; Psalms 22Thurs 18 Jeremiah 47; Psalms 23-24Fri 19 Jeremiah 48; Psalms 25Sat 20 Jeremiah 49; Psalms 26-27Sun 21 Jeremiah 50; Psalms 28-29Mon 22 Jeremiah 51; Psalms 30Tues 23 Jeremiah 52; Psalms 31Wed 24 Lamentations 1; Psalms 32Thurs 25 Lamentations 2; Psalms 33Fri 26 Lamentations 3; Psalms 34Sat 27 Lamentations 4; Psalms 35Sun 28 Lamentations 5; Psalms 36Mon 29 Ezekiel 1; Psalms 37Tues 30 Ezekiel 2; Psalms 38Wed 31 Ezekiel 3; Psalms 39

Download the whole reading plan at

PULLM

EOUT!

I grew up in Donoughmore in Mid Cork.My folks broke up when I was twelveand many of the problems I experienced in the next part of my life stemmedfrom the unhappiness this event caused.I did have a faith in God and it was

even a comfort to me,but I did not have anyone around me who nurtured it andcertainly no-one was explaining the Bible to me.I got into so-called recreationaldrugs at college and I became a very paranoid and socially awkward young man.

After a very bad experience on drugs one night where I also had a vision of a crossand a realisation that Jesus loved me,I went looking for "something else".Eventually,by a series of coincidences I found a Baptist church in Dublin that taught from theBible.There I was well loved by people who based their lives on the Bible.I wasaddicted to it and to them.Initially my new found faith was great but very soon itbecame very burdensome.I was in an alien world that I could not easily translate tomy old friends and what I was saying to them certainly didn't sound like good news.I found reading the Bible a death,as it seemed that God was asking me to do the

Awalkingtalking billboardfor our churchRichard (Richie) CroninOutreach Worker,Dun Laoghaire Presbyterian Church

Connect

(continued inside)

ROConnect June July 2011 AW 20/5/11 18:36 Page 1

Page 2: P Read the Bible in 2 years! Connect ReachOut June July...ReachOut June - July 2011 JUNE Tue 7Pray for the Moderator and members who will be attending the General Assembly this week

Recently while visiting door-to-door, I met a man who has beenstudying with Jehovah’s Witnesses for two years.We talked at lengthabout the law of God,and God’s justice and grace.I left him some

literature on who Jesus is and we parted.

On a return visit he told me of how,two years previously while under duress,hehad prayed that if God was real He’d send someone to his door to tell him.He said,“The Jehovah’s Witnesses arrived the next day.” Eventually we got over this issue

and on to the Deity of Christ.We talked of how Godbrings about the new birth and opens our eyes tospiritual realities that we never saw before.He saidthat in a way he envied my assurance of salvationwhich I told him was based on the Word of God.Aswe parted, I directed him to read the Scriptures andto ask God to show him the truth.We talked for overan hour.He said to call again and we arranged adate and a time.Pray that God will open many moresuch doors for His truth in and around Kilkenny.

Sharingthe Truth

impossible.Luckily I met some Christians who began to teach me about Grace:thatGod loved me unconditionally; that the law was not just a standard but a caringteacher; that sanctification was also by faith and not by effort.Eventually theworried and hurried crease on my brow softened and my friends started to listenrather than write me off.It’s many years later now and I'm still learning to mine thedepths of His grace whilst aiming to live in the solid food of the gospel every day.

Currently I have two part-time jobs and one of them is as the Church andCommunity Outreach worker for Dun Laoghaire Presbyterian Church.As theoutreach worker I am trying to find out what people in our area think of when itcomes to God,and what are the needs of our area.Mostly it’s predictable but thereare some things that come up again and again and I communicate these to ourminister.I do this by going from door to door with a questionnaire. Our church istrying to move to a place where we exist not just for the Presbyterians of DunLaoghaire,but for Dun Laoghaire itself.As such I see myself as a walking talkingbillboard for our church,or rather as a bridge between the church and the widercommunity.Many people I've met don't even know there is a Presbyterian churchin Dun Laoghaire.I've also tried to form links with the other churches in the area.Asa part of this I'm involved in running an Alpha Course in a local pub with membersof other churches - mostly Catholics. The last time I was in the north there was aman talking about people being "wonderfully saved".We wouldn't mind seeing abit of that ourselves.We also wouldn't mind becoming a church that demonstrablycares for Dun Laoghaire. Pray that these things would come to pass and also thateveryone in our church would grow in understanding of the gospel and what itmeans for our lives,right down to the nitty gritty of daily life.Thank you.

(continued from front page)

Tom DowlingKilkenny

U sing flower bulbs to build bridges,that'swhat the members of our fellowship weredoing this Easter.It all started through our

Sunday evenings as we used Tim Keller's material toinvestigate how the gospel is to be lived out in all of life.We were challenged by Jeremiah 29 to seek theprosperity of the city and pray for it.So that's what westarted through a week of focused prayer during theweek before Easter.We took the themes of 'heart','community' and 'world',and set up a prayer room for each in our recentlyrenovated building '3-16'.We went out to local businesses with Easter cards andflower bulbs as a gift from the church and asked them for prayer requests.Many ofthem were surprised and delighted and gave us requests.We kept 3-16 open asmuch as possible during the week for people to pop in and pray.It was soencouraging to see members of the congregation,visitors to the area and some ofthe business people in every day and to hear about how God was drawing peoplecloser to Himself through the week.And that's what it's all about!

Focused prayerJulie Peake, DeaconessPortrush Presbyterian Church

A t the Ulsterville Drop-In we are very excited about the appointment of apart-time Evangelist. Michael Sentance came from England to Irelandlast September with one purpose in mind,to ask Katie to marry him,

which he did,and she accepted his proposal (by the time you read this they will bemarried). Michael had been working as a team leader for OM on the streets ofLondon and he wanted to get involved in something while he counted the days tohis marriage.One day he called at the Drop-In to ask to volunteer and has been there

practically every day since. In every way he has shownhimself to have the heart of an evangelist. He is a greathelp to me and has already put together a small teamwho go out on the streets to witness every Wednesday.Please pray for this team as they give out the Jesus DVDand share their faith and for Michael and Katie as theydiscover God's plan for their life together.

New arrival inSouth BelfastKeith PrestonSouth & East Belfast

Ballina Presbyterian Church had a chance to try something really different(for us) on Thursday before Easter.We had an evening of introducingPassover and then a Lamb Supper.

I find it impressive that the Bible is so up-to-date with teaching methods.ThePassover celebrates such an important event in Israel's history,and yet we often onlyre-tell the story and use it to parallel the freedom from sin in our own lives asChristians.But the Passover celebration uses all the senses to remember and teach usabout God's amazing power and intervention in Israel's history,and then the historyof humanity.

From the bitter herbs and salty water to remind us of the bitterness and tears ofslavery through various stages to the last cup of praise that we have been acceptedas God's people,the table is full of meaning that everyone can taste and smell andtouch.We made no attempt to be completely authentic - it was simply anintroduction to the ideas.

We gathered in the evening,with family-sized tables set up in the hall,and thenheard the story of the redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt and the verses inthe New Testament that apply.After that was over,plates of lamb and bowls of saladswere brought to each table,to retain the family feel of the evening.We finished upthe evening with desserts and tea.

Although no one knew quite what to expect from the evening,they were all excited,and everyone who came brought something to share.In the end,not a chair wasempty - the hall was full of people, full of food,and full of chat and great fellowship.

W hen Jesus used these words,he was encouraging his disciples to livesuch good lives that they would shine brightly in a dark world. Thatway,people would think well of God (glorify Him) because of the

good things He was doing in the lives of those who claimed to follow him.

Our greatest witness to a watching world is not a fancy program. It is the lives thatwe live. When we do that,people will ask us about God. That’s when we’ll get aneffective opportunity to share the good news about Jesus with them.

In a nutshell, that’s what our mission strategy in Arklow is all about. We encourageour congregation to live good and caring lives and to be genuine friends with otherpeople. Every couple of months we organise a ‘Special Event’that they can invitepeople to. If people respect them and the lives that they live,they are more likely tocome along to the event.

Two of these events are focused around candlelight- an historic Christian symbol ofJesus,the light of the world,and of how we as his followers are to let our lights shine.

The first is a ‘Christingle’ Service held atChristmas time. It is a great family event wherethe children get to make / hold and take home aspecial Christmas decoration made from anorange,a candle,a ribbon and some sweets.They hear how the bits of the Christingle remindus of God’s love for us in Christ. It is inspiring tosing ‘Hark the Herald Angels’with all the churchlights turned off displaying all the Christinglelights to finish the service!

The second is a ‘Tenebrae’ Service. ‘Tenebrae’is aLatin word which means ‘Shadows.’ It is held onthe evening of Good Friday. The church is lit bycandles at the beginning of the service. As thePassion story unfolds through bible readings and areflection on why Jesus died,the candles aregradually extinguished. The darkness increasesuntil we reach the final reading-the death andburial of Christ. As the final candle is extinguished,the church is plunged into complete darkness. Theservice ends deliberately with no music and no Benediction. People are invited toremain for a few moments in quiet prayer and then leave in complete silence. Thisdark,subdued and incomplete ending reflects the death of Christ and a salvationincomplete until the later miracle of the resurrection. People are invited to return tochurch on Easter Sunday for a Celebration of the resurrection followed by an EasterEgg hunt for the children!

Let me encourage you to ‘let your light shine’ in the way that you live. Let me alsoencourage you not to be afraid of candles! Why don’t you try a Christingle or aTenebrae service next year? We have found these two events very effective inbringing people together and in sharing the Good News about Jesus with folks whomight not otherwise come to church.If you have any questions about organisingeither of these events please don’t hesitate to contact me on www.arklowpc.com [email protected].

(photos taken by Miss Helen Owens)

‘Let YourLight Shine...’Rev Michael Anderson.Arklow Presbyterian Church

ReachOut ConnectPullout section ispart of ReachOut,the publicationof the Board ofMission in Ireland.

6 editions,from only£7 (€9) per year.

Find out more atwww.missionireland.org

Revd Molly DeatherageBallina/Ballymote/Killala

Passover

ROConnect June July 2011 AW 20/5/11 18:36 Page 2