September - October 2008

It was an honour and privilege to teach at Green Pastures on three Sunday Mornings (July 20th, 27th  & August 3rd) while Pastor Jeff Wright and his wife got a well earned rest in the beautiful Canadian Rockies. The first Sunday seemed to have the most impact as the subject was 'When your faith is rocked'  There can be few Christians who can say with all honesty that there have been no events in their lives which have rocked their faith, and this teaching tapped into many undealt with wounds and disappointments, and brought healing. The second Sunday was entitled 'Shock and awe' and was showing the awesomeness of God's creation from the smallest to the greatest creative acts that we can see. A lorry driver parked outside the church needed the toilet and came in to the church and unintentionally ended up in the service! He said he was blown away by what he had heard and seen and talked to one of the leaders for some time afterwards. God is amazing with His divine appointments!

 The third Sunday was entitled 'Know why you believe what you believe' and chose as an example the claim by some (including Jehovah's Witnesses) that Jesus was hung on a pole and not a cross. This title could cover an innumerable series of teachings and is needed in the Body of Christ today, since the media are continually being used to undermine traditional Christian beliefs.


Plans for Green Pastures one year Servant Academy are now well under way. Applicants are being interviewed and the Academy starts at the end of October. Teachers will be Bill Wilson (Metro Ministries, New York) Pastor Jeff Wright (Green Pastures) Dr James McConnell (Whitewell Metropolitan Church) Derek McCracken (Generation Leader Ltd) Philip Richardson (Lifeline Recovery) Anne Cairns (Servant Academy Coordinator) and myself. 

Phillip Richardson, myself and Jeff Wright outside Sillogue House at its recent opening.

Week commencing September 15th I and some of the CRi team will be spending several days at Lifeline Recovery's new home outside Drogheda to teach and to minister to the young men in the addiction recovery programme. Then at the end of October the men will be coming to Rostrevor renewal centre for weekend retreat entitled 'healing through the grace of God' a follow up weekend to the 'Father heart of God' earlier in the year.

Update on this visit

These five men got wonderfully saved on very first day of our visit - and it was a joy to baptise them two days later.
   

On August 20th our only daughter Joanne was married to Jason Harris by Pastor Jeff Wright at Green Pastures with the reception at Galgorm Manor Hotel one mile away.

We have known Jason's parents Paul and Barbs as friends in ministry first in England and then in Australia where they were the directors of the Ellel Ministries base at Perth, so it is a real blessing to see our daughter wed to their son. In the midst of very prolonged wet weather it was wonderful that the sun shone on their wedding. Their honeymoon was in Southern Italy and they will be living nearby. A God ordained event!


As you probably know from previous Newsletter's one of my re-awakened hobbies is photography. Since leaving advertising as a creative director more than a decade ago to serve Christ full time it has recently proved to be a non obtrusive outlet for the creativity that has always been part of my life. I have now produced a web site purely to showcase my photography. It is still in its infancy but I plan to develop it as and when I get time. Click on the logo for site.
   
   
  Following our daughter's wedding we took Jason's mum and dad and two close friends from England for a short break at a cottage in the beautiful Mourne Mountains. The weather has been awful all summer but during one sunny break we got to see the Mourne's in all their splendour and I managed to get this beautiful landscape photograph.
 
  • Plans are being finalised for a week long teaching trip to Sweden at the end of October.
  • A men's weekend is being planned for November 28th - 30th at Rostrevor Christian renewal Centre.

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