Inspire Autumn 2024

Autumn 2024

WOMEN’S GUILD ZAMBIA GROUP FOCUS Derry & Donegal LINK LEAD LIKE THE REAL YOU AMY ORR-EWING

ELLEN HILLEN

Meet the President

ENTRUSTED TO LOOK AFTER GOD’S CREATION PLUS DEVOTIONAL SHE INSPIRES GRATEFUL HEART GLOBAL MISSION

Mission in Ireland 2024 Deaconesses

Sonya Anderson

Paula Burrows

Rachel Cubitt

Louise Davidson

Deaconess

Deaconess

Deaconess

Deaconess

Eleanor Drysdale Deaconess

Shore Street, Donagahadee

Ballygrainey

Whiteabbey

South Belfast Friendship House (Temporary)

Wellington, Ballymena

Heather McCracken

Joanne Dunlop

Heidi England

Sharon Heron

Roberta Irvine

Deaconess

Deaconess

Deaconess

Deaconess

Deaconess

Craigavon Area Hospital and Antrim Area Hospital

Railway Street, Lisburn

International Meeting Point, Belfast

Elmwood, Lisburn

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and additional duties in chaplaincy in Musgrave Park Hospital

Tracey Nicholl

Hazel Reid

Sylvia Santos Bryce

Rosemary Spiers

Heather Healy

Cathy Smith

Deaconess

Deaconess

Deaconess

Deaconess

Trainee Deaconess

Trainee Deaconess

St James’s, Ballymoney

First Broughshane with additional duties in chaplaincy in the Causeway Hospital

West Church, Ballymena

Greenwell Street, Newtownards

WELCOME

AUTUMN ‘24

FROM THE EDITOR Rebecca McConnell

It is probably for the best not to trust me with your plants. As much as I admire flowers and foliage, I don’t seem to have the gift to look after them that well. My mother is a gifted gardener and my father grew acres and acres of potatoes in his lifetime, but green fingers don’t seem to have extended to me - yet!

Someone who can be trusted with flowers, trees and much more is the head gardener at Hillsborough Gardens, Claire Woods. She is the focus of our special Inspire CAREERS feature which we include in the new magazine to help readers be encouraged in their work and to also offer career guidance to those starting out.

Responsible for 98 acres adjoining the historic Hillsborough Castle, Claire sees herself as a steward of the land God has given to us to enjoy and she feels particularly close to him when she gardens at home. She gives some gardening tips and reminds us of the biblical mandate in Genesis to care for God’s creation.

This example of gifting, service and aligning to the heart of God is what Amy Orr-Ewing writes about in her new book and in particular, the chapter God Calls Work Good.

We are grateful to Amy and her publisher Brazos Press for the kind reprint of this chapter from her new book, Lead like the real you. May it strengthen you in your work whatever and wherever that may be.

Sylvia Santos Bryce gives an update on her role as Deaconess in West Presbyterian Church in Ballymena including the lessons she is learning from those she meets facing tough situations in their lives. There is truth in coming together, sharing honestly, lamenting before God who sees and knows all, and there is an innate beauty about doing this together in God’s name.

Contact: Presbyterian Women, Congregational Life & Witness Department, Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Assembly Buildings, 2-10 Fisherwick Place, Belfast, BT1 6DW. Email: pw@presbyterianireland.org Web: www.presbyterianireland.org/pw Tel: +44 (0)28 9041 7257 Like us on Facebook: Presbyterian Women Digital download: issuu.com/presbyterianireland Designed by: Break - madebybreak.com INSPIRE is the magazine of PW. Published quarterly: March, June, September and December. Annual subscription: £7/€8 or £1.75/€2 per issue. Each year, an order form will be sent to INSPIRE agents. This should be returned, together with payment, to the above address. If required, invoices will be issued upon receipt of the order form. Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Presbyterian Church in Ireland’ marked INSPIRE on the reverse.

The Editor reserves the right to accept, reject or edit contributions. Opinions expressed in INSPIRE are not necessarily those of PCI, Presbyterian Women or the Editor.

Be sure to read the feature on our Overseas Project, a tangible way of supporting our sisters in Christ in a far off land. As women, we stand with them in prayer and also through our financial giving, we share our blessings which equips them further in their witness and is received as an act of love. I’ll finish with Pauline Kennedy’s words from her visit to Zambia: “As Presbyterian Women in Ireland commit to coming alongside the Women’s Guild in Zambia, it is my prayer that we do so with open hearts and a joyful faith that seeks to share all that we have been entrusted with by our great God (Luke 12:48).”

CONTENTS 04 08 10 14 16 18 20 22 26 28 30 34

Women’s Guild Zambia Meet the President: Ellen Hillen Lead like the real you Entrusted to look after God’s creation Group Focus: Derry & Donegal PW LINK A Reflection - A Hiker’s prayer Devotional - Entrusted with an important message Strengthening Resilience in life and faith together Quick Questions with Jonny McClune She Inspires - Amy Carmichael Grateful Heart Overseas prayer and news

Cover photography by Diane Cusick – 03

OVERSEAS PROJECT

WOMEN’S GUILD ZAMBIA PCI’s Women’s Ministry and PW Development Officer Pauline Kennedy travelled to Zambia in November 2023 for a ten-day visit to the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian Synod of Zambia. On behalf of Presbyterian Women, Pauline met with leadership of the Synod and with the executive of the Women’s Guild to explore and finalise the 2024/2025 Special Overseas project. Pauline tells us about her trip and the women that will be helped through the project.

H

aving lived in Kenya for many years, landing in Lusaka last November felt like coming home to Africa and the sights and sounds of Zambia warmed my heart. I felt privileged to be there on behalf of Presbyterian Women and was really looking forward to meeting with PCI’s partner church leaders from the Central Church of Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) Synod of Zambia (SOZ), and leaders of the Women’s Guild (WG) to learn about the needs of women across the church. I was warmly welcomed by CCAP General Secretary, Rev Kabahge and Diane Cusick, PCI’s Global Mission Worker, and, even at 7am, the temperature was already 30ºC. As we made our way through the early morning rush hour traffic into Lusaka, the sun scorched earth displayed the need for the long-awaited rains to arrive. People were busy starting their day getting to work and school. As I watched the sights and scenes go by, I wondered what life was like for the many women I saw carrying heavy loads on their backs.

As in many countries, life for women in workplaces, at home and in the church can be difficult. In Zambia it is, in principle, law that government executive, judiciary and legislature offices should be equally distributed between women and men, but this is often not the case in practice.

– 04 | INSPIRE Autumn 2024

“There was a real sense of excitement in the room as we shared our experiences of serving God through the two very different women’s organisations we each represented.”

Left - Violet walking home Below - WG Group Meeting

Sadly, this thinking can also extend into church and women often struggle to feel worthy and lack confidence in the different leadership roles of the WG. Traditionally women are involved in cooking and child rearing and so also in the church they are in control of the cooking at events, teaching in Sunday school and looking after the children. Many guild members also take responsibility at funerals, often sleeping all night at the homes in order to take care of the bereaved family and to cook the food for the funeral.

It wasn’t long before I was able to hear first-hand the concerns of women as I met with the executive of the WG of Zambia. A dynamic group of faithful women who took time to travel from all over Zambia to meet me in Lusaka - one woman having had to Left - Presbytery Workshop

travel over two days to reach us in the synod offices! There was a real sense of excitement in the room as we shared our experiences of serving God through the two very different women’s organisations we each represented.

There was much to learn and I was struck by their deep desire to help women across Zambia to know God and to understand his great love for them. They long to equip their women to know God’s Word and enable them to share what God has entrusted to us all, the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Even with a very clear plan laid out before us about how the special leadership project would be carried out, the task seemed daunting.

Continues...

– 05

Below - WG Sunday Service

OVERSEAS PROJECT The challenge of reaching out to over 10,000 women in such a vast country could not be underestimated. However, for this Executive, it was an opportunity they had never had before and it was being embraced with a deep heartfelt trust that God would bless this work. Their enthusiasm was contagious as we spent time sharing what their hopes for the project were and how it would not only help train women how to lead the WG effectively, but would also help them gain confidence about who they are in Christ. He has given them gifts to serve him and to take their part in building his kingdom here on earth!

“There was much to learn and I They hope that women will be equipped with various skills that will enable them was struck by their deep desire to lead the WG effectively. They also to help women across Zambia realise that discipling women across the Alongside my meetings with the WG to know God and to understand generations is essential for the spiritual executive, I also had the privilege of growth of women at local level. Building his great love for them.” attending a real-life Guild meeting which this into the training is vital so that met in Lusaka. Most WG groups have leaders will not only be equipped in visitation on Tuesdays, where they visit the sick in homes and in how to lead a WG meeting, but also how to disciple women. hospital. On Fridays, they have their WG Bible study meetings.

The WG treasurer, Christine, expressed concern that the benefits of the leadership development project should also extend to practical areas of training such as financial management. In rural areas, there are no banks in order to save money so it will be necessary to train women to use mobile banking so that they can be good stewards of group funds.

It was evident that Dialus, Christine, Betty, Violet, Irene and Esther had extensive experience of leadership and knew the real needs of the women they sought to serve. Their love for Jesus was real and they desire to do all that they can in their five years as WG Executive to extend his love and to share with others what God has entrusted to them.

As we parked the car, the singing echoed out of the Matero Church.

I was met by smartly dressed women in their black and white uniforms who hugged me tightly and wrapped me in a brightly coloured cloth (chechenge) before leading me into the tin roofed church filled with singing women! It was a special time together as the women studied God’s Word, shared their thoughts openly, and praised God together in more song and dance. The joy of being together with these women filled my heart and it was encouraging to experience the way they did their group meetings. Despite the many difficulties they face, it was humbling to catch a glimpse of their joy filled faith.

As Presbyterian Women in Ireland commit to coming alongside the WG in Zambia, it is my prayer that we do so with open hearts and a joyful faith that seeks to share all that we have been entrusted with by our great God (Luke 12:48).

Diane Cusick has been the early childhood development co-ordinator with CCAP Synod of Zambia, since May 2016. Her responsibilities include co-ordinating training activities in early childhood development for primary and community schools and church early childhood development centres. We are grateful to Diane for giving us an update on how the Project is being delivered in Zambia and we thank her for her excellent photographs that she has sent over.

Above - Executive Members Meeting Left - Pauline & WG dancing

– 06 | INSPIRE Autumn 2024

Zambia is a large landlocked country, sharing its borders with 8 countries, with a population of over 21 million people, and over 70 languages spoken. In 1984, the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) Synod of Zambia (SOZ) was born. It was a baby of Livingstonia Synod in Malawi where the CCAP originates.

In 1984, there were 16 congregations, today there are over 90. One congregation may have 3 or 4 prayer houses attached to it so in essence there are hundreds of smaller congregations spread right across the country. Every congregation and prayer house has a Women’s Guild (WG).

In Zambia, women face many challenges. It is generally a patriarchal society and so women can suffer for many reasons.

Gender based violence possibly reflects some cultural traditions – in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Zambian police service, 9, 700 cases were reported in the country. Many women can be beaten or harassed by their husbands even if they are found to be in a leadership position like the WG. According to UNICEF, Zambia, 29% of women are married before the age of 18 (9% before the age of 15) 29% of girls aged 15-19 are pregnant or have delivered a baby, and 14.2% of women under 20 years old experience sexual violence as children. Early marriage is often associated with labola (payment) and many families marry their daughters out of poverty.

Many girls do not have the opportunity to complete secondary education due to early marriage or duties in the home. Often women do not feel worthy, they have no confidence, and they often downgrade themselves.

The WG in CCAP SOZ wants to break through cultural traditions and show that women are competent in many areas and that they can lead the organisation to greater heights. However, in many rural areas, leaders in the WG may have little education and do not have the confidence to try and move their Guild forward.

So, when the opportunity came to apply for help from PCI, there was great excitement. Six members of the Synod Executive sat down and planned how they could help their women to thrive. They came up with the idea of a Leadership workshop. This would comprise of a manual which would help the women plan their meetings, and give them information they could use in their meetings to empower women in the communities where they live.

The Special Overseas Project is in three phases – the first phase, which is now complete, was a one-week workshop for the executive who, together with some female experts from different churches in Zambia, planned what would go into the manual. It included topics like women in leadership, stewardship, Christian worship and gender justice. After the workshop, the manual was produced in four different languages to accommodate most women across the country.

“They realised how important it is to teach their children in the home about God and to bring them up in the proper way.”

Those who attended said they found it extremely useful. They feel enabled to better plan for their WG groups in both long term and short-term planning. They learned about leadership and how to lead their WG groups well. They discovered how to support each other during tough times, how to have more meaningful Bible studies, and how to plan a more varied programme for their ladies when they come to the meetings. Women also talked about being good stewards of their time, money and everything that they own.

They realised how important it is to teach their children in the home about God and to bring them up in the proper way. All the women said the manual would be a great resource, not only for their WG meetings, but also in their own families.

The main challenge facing the WG is funding. In many of the rural areas, money is scarce and so even fundraising can be difficult.

Yet, with the little money that they collect, the WG spread God’s love through hospital visitation - bringing gifts of food and soap to patients; supporting school children with fees and uniforms, and supporting widows and orphans.

The Women’s Guild Executive says a very big thank you to Presbyterian Women for enabling this project, and to Pauline Kennedy for visiting them. They are humbled that people so far away who do not know them should contribute to this project.

The Executive asks that Presbyterian Women pray for them as they continue to roll out the project, and they give all the glory to God for connecting the Presbyterian Women in Ireland with the Women’s Guild in CCAP Synod of Zambia!

You can watch a video of the project that was shown at the Annual Conference on the PW website: www.presbyterianireland.org/pw

The second phase of the project is to roll this manual out to the WG leaders of the Presbyteries with another workshop. The third part will be for the Presbytery leaders to take the manual to the congregations and prayer house leaders of the WG. The workshop for the Presbytery leaders was held in May 2024.

From each Presbytery, the Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer attended, as well as the Executive committee. There were 60 women from all across the country, some of whom travelled two days on public transport (which can be bicycle, motorbike, minibus or bus) to come to Lusaka.

The WG executive were delighted with how the workshop went and especially that the facilitators were very vibrant and challenging.

Facilitators included prominent women in the community including a deaconess in the United Church of Zambia and a minister from the Reformed Church of Zambia. This was the first time that the Presbytery leaders had ever had such a training in the history of this church.

Above - Three delegates who attended the workshop – 07

INTERVIEW

MEET THE PRESIDENT

We put some questions to the new Presbyterian Women President Ellen Hillen so you can get to know her better, starting with some quickfire questions about her preferences as we enter the new season of autumn.

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Let’s start with some easy ones, what is your preference…

Tea or coffee?

Tea is my go to tipple … but I love a latte when I am out and about.

Pineapple belongs on a pizza, agree or disagree?

Disagree – pineapples are much nicer with a bowl of ice-cream!

Kindle reading or a real book in your hands?

Definitely a real book in my hands.

Autumn or spring?

I cannot choose, I love the autumn days and the falling leaves as it reminds me of Saturday mornings when I was a child walking to Girls Brigade along a country road and scuffing through the leaves, but spring inspires hope.

Throughout my working life, particularly in my roles “... I believe as Presbyterian within Marketing and Event Women we should be encouragers Management, alongside admin, I developed a skill for organising and enable others to reach their and love nothing better than full potential and use their gifts planning an event. I love a ‘to do’ for God within our churches and list and getting a team together to deliver a project. I like to communities.” encourage people to get involved – to step out of their comfort for Christ in every aspect of church life. It is zone (some people might just very important that we don’t get discouraged say I am bossy!) but I believe as Presbyterian by the age profile or falling numbers within Women we should be encouragers and enable others to reach their full potential and groups. My own group is made up of 15 core members who meet once a month use their gifts for God within our churches as a group, but also all the members are and communities. involved in every aspect of church life and community outreach.

What is your favourite Bible passage and

Walk on the beach or a run in the park?

Run in the park - Wallace Park is near my home … but these days it’s a brisk walk rather than a run.

why?

My favourite passage of scripture is Psalm 139. It reminds me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by God – unique and created for his purpose – and even when I feel lost and overwhelmed by life it reminds me that there is nowhere I can go that he is not present and there is nothing about me that he does not know.

Holidays at home or abroad?

I love a short holiday in Majorca but as my son is now living in Australia, future holidays for my husband and me will definitely involve travelling further abroad.

A verse of scripture I refer to quite often is Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Let’s delve a little deeper now, who would you say has inspired you in your faith?

I grew up in a Christian home and from an early age my faith was influenced primarily by my mother. Her steadfast faith in the Lord through adversity definitely inspired my belief in a loving God who never forsakes us and that when we call on him, and trust in him, we can overcome all obstacles. My father inspired my love for church and in particular St Columba’s Church in Lisburn where we worshipped together - and I definitely get my love for social engagement from him. My sisters, Marlene and Alma, have also inspired me in my faith, and continue to do so. Both very different but both faithfully live out God’s love in every aspect of their lives which challenges me.

This reminds and reassures me that, no matter the circumstances in which I find myself, God will use it for good and for his glory – when I trust and believe in him.

What gifts do you think the Lord has entrusted you with?

I’m not quite sure about being gifted or talented but I believe that God uses every experience in our lives to enable us to serve him. I am grateful for the many opportunities throughout my life to gain skills that I can now use to serve God and share his Word.

What experiences do you feel God has used in your life to shape you into who you are today and who you are becoming in Christ?

As a daughter, sister, wife and mother, I feel that the difficult experiences in life are what has shaped me to be the person I am today.

The disappointments, the failures, the loss of loved ones, all the times when I felt far from God – because I have come to understand it was in those times when God was closest, when he was steadfast in loving me. I believe when we know God’s forgiving grace, when we know his healing and transforming power in our lives, then we are able to share his love with others and draw beside people in their adversity.

What is your hope for Presbyterian Women as you take on the role of President in 2024 into 2025? And what has been your favourite memory as you look back in your years as a PW member?

My hope for Presbyterian Women is that we will be empowered to be effective disciples

So I want to encourage Presbyterian Women not to limit themselves to a monthly meeting but to be effective in their church and community through prayer, Bible study, acts of love, kindness, worship and practical activities so that they are reaching across the generational gap to inspire and encourage younger people in their walk with God. I have many lovely memories as a PW member but the love and support shown to me by my own group members at our last meeting in May is a memory that I will treasure. They presented me with a beautiful shrub for my garden and a picture for my home office in recognition of me becoming PW President which was so kind of them.

How can we prayerfully support you in the year ahead?

I would be so grateful for your prayers that I will know God’s leading in all that I do and say as I go out and visit Presbyterian Women’s Groups, LINKs and particularly when I have the privilege to speak at PW services. I would also ask for prayers for the leadership team at St Columba’s, for Rev Rodney Cameron and Elders Myrtle, Shirley and Ronnie. As part of this very small team, I will be away many Sundays in the year ahead, so I am grateful to them for their support and filling in for me in my absence.

We will indeed be praying for you Ellen.

Thanks for sharing part of your story for our readers to get to know you better and God’s richest blessings to you in your year as PW President.

– 09

BOOK EXTRACT

– 10 | INSPIRE Autumn 2024

LEAD LIKE THE REAL YOU W

e were so blessed to have Amy Orr-Ewing as the guest speaker at the Presbyterian Women Conference back in May. Since then, Amy has published a book Lead Like the Real You: Wisdom for Women on Finding Your Voice, Pursuing God’s Calling, and Leading with Courage. We are grateful to the publishers, Brazos Press, for kindly giving us the permission to print an extract from the book. Each chapter is a letter Amy has written to a young woman called Jo, a woman who reminded Amy of herself at that age. Penned from the heart, Amy wishes to encourage and offer advice to Jo and readers as she reflects on her own personal experiences.

This is letter number six, God Calls Work Good.

Continues...

– 11

BOOK EXTRACT

Content taken from Lead Like the Real You by Amy Orr-Ewing, © 2024.

Used by permission of Brazos Press, a division of Baker Publishing Group. www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

– 12 | INSPIRE Autumn 2024

Dear Jo, As I travel into the financial district of London today to speak at an investment bank, I am writing to you from the train. I am giving thanks for the Christians who work in these spaces. There can be an unhealthy tendency among Christians to think of “Christian work” as superior to “secular work.” I have met so many people who feel disappointed that God didn’t call them to full-time ministry, and this feeling largely comes down to their beliefs about what work is.

At the same time, the broader cultural narrative about work subjects us to another pressure. Does the work I do provide significant financial benefit to me, and does it confer a level of status on me according to cultural values? Is my work respectable and profitable? Those in full-time Christian ministry will often answer no to those questions. Whether we feel we are missing out because we are doing “secular work” or because we are in “Christian work,” most of us will at some point have feelings of inadequacy.

I believe this uncertainty about the value of our work is a profound question of our age, because it strikes at the heart of human purpose and identity. On a practical level, our work is what we will spend a very large number of waking hours doing. It really matters. Scripture speaks to the ache within each of us, wherever we find ourselves, with regard to our work.

Genesis 1:27 states that the first man and woman were made in the image of God. In that chapter, the primary revelation of God is as Creator, and so we see woven into the earliest account of what it means to be human this idea of creative work. The theological implication of this is that all human work begins primarily in the creative rather than the economic sphere. Humanity created in the image of a creative God images God by working and creating.

From a biblical perspective, a common misconception about work is that it is a result of the fall. But even before the fall, Genesis envisages work not merely as utilitarian or even economic but as glorious creativity outworking a divine pattern.

It is of course true that the first Adam was cursed with labor and suffering: “through painful toil you will eat” (Gen. 3:17). The difficulty and economic necessity of work were new and ominous things resulting from sin. Work must now pay. Viewing a person and their work through an economic lens is part of the curse of the first Adam. When Jesus comes as the second Adam, hope and redemption come on many levels. One of those levels is human vocation. Our work can be redeemed, and our sense of purpose and creative potential and vision can be set free from the reductive lens of money and profit.

“Can we begin to work in such A biblical perspective on work calls for a whole new way of thinking a way that we honor the image so that work is not merely something people have to endure to make of God in other human beings, money but something that can be humane, creative, and life-giving.

This means we approach work not with the question “How much does steward well the creation God has it pay?” but with the question “Is the work good, beautiful, and true?” entrusted to us, reflect the image We can look at a worker and ask not “How much do they earn?” but of a Creator God, and reject the “What is the worth of their work— does it have integrity, coherence, dignity, and creative or beneficial use?” need to pursue consumption and This sounds highly impracticable and perhaps even naive. But the work status?” of our hands, minds, and bodies needs to be considered at a much deeper level than merely the economic. Work is a moral question, a matter of human value and divine image. And it sits within our mandate to steward God’s creation well, meaning that the environmental impact of our work matters.

Can we begin to work in such a way that we honor the image of God in other human beings, steward well the creation God has entrusted to us, reflect the image of a Creator God, and reject the need to pursue consumption and status?

Our work might also be a means of worship—if we pursue quality, beauty, truth, and integrity in what we make, write, and build. Dorothy Sayers writes, “Work is not, primarily, a thing one does to live, but the thing one lives to do. It is, or it should be, the full expression of the worker’s faculties, the thing in which he finds spiritual, mental and bodily satisfaction, and the medium in which he offers himself to God.” We can live out our Christian calling in our work by being authentic and truthful in our dealings with others.

All this means you are not a “lesser” Christian if you work outside a church or ministry context. Far from it. You are living out the creation mandate of Genesis to reflect the Creator in whose image we are made. And if the work you spend your time and labor on does not pay much, or anything at all, your value and the value of your work are not reduced. This includes charitable, domestic, or mothering work. The true value of your work lies in its relationship to the Creator you reflect. Does your work carry the integrity, truth, beauty, and authenticity of God? Is your work coherent, true, loving, beneficial, creative, just, or good? These are the questions that should concern us and that will lead to healthy stewardship of the natural world entrusted to us and will point to the redemptive power of the second Adam, Jesus Christ, as a beacon of hope.

Don’t lose heart, and may God free you from an oppressive or reductive vision of work.

With love, Amy

– 13

INSPIRE CAREERS

ENTRUSTED TO LOOK AFTER

GOD’S CREATION I Continuing our Inspire CAREERS feature, we chat with Claire Woods, Head Gardener at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens in County Down. Claire lives between Dromore and Banbridge and attends Magherally Presbyterian Church and is a member of their PW Group.

have been a gardener since the age of six, maybe even before!

Mum set aside a small raised bed at our back door. I planted nasturtiums, with a heather in the corner. I helped both my grandmothers - picking gooseberries on the farm with one, and helping the other in her vegetable patch.

My P3 teacher was a keen gardener and she taught us to take cuttings. I still recall the plant - Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’. The late Dr David Robinson was a huge role model for me but my faith is what inspires me and influences me greatly.

I studied Agriculture and Environmental Science - as a farmer’s daughter my interest was in agriculture but I loved studying nature.

Biology and Geography were my favourite subjects at school.

– 14 | INSPIRE Autumn 2024

The guiding influence throughout my career has been my Christian faith, from no age. You pray a lot for guidance and what to study. When I finished university, a man from our church - Dundonald Presbyterian - mentioned there were bursaries for people to study horticulture and there was a need for horticulturalists within the Department of Agriculture. I went off to Bath to do my Masters and then came home to work at CAFRE Greenmount. I taught there for several years and then went to Dundonald House to work for the Department in Horticultural Marketing. I was working with supermarkets when they were first coming into Northern Ireland and I liaised with them and the local vegetable growers and garden centres. It was an exciting time.

In 1999, I went back to work at Greenmount and stayed there until 2018. I was finding it a long drive to Antrim and I had been looking for something closer to home so when the job came up at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, I applied and started in 2019. I really saw God’s hand in the decision for me to move at that time.

God opened up the opportunity for me at Hillsborough at just the right time. When our son Connor had a serious accident, I was just down the road to him when he was in hospital for many months.

My Christian faith is an integral part of who I am and (hopefully) it affects all parts of my life including my work.

I’m an outdoors person and enjoy being outside in all weathers. We have a team of ten people and we have 98 acres to look after! There are all sorts of gardens and even a meadow!

Gardening is all about planning. In the summer, I am ordering my bulbs to be planted in the autumn. In the autumn, I am planning our summer displays and I am ordering seeds and vegetables.

I see myself as a steward of the land, of God’s wonderful creation.

I use my skills to grow crops, as God instructed us to. In all the natural world, I see God’s hand. I see it in the intricate patterns found in nature, the beauty of flowers and the fact God has given us seedtime and harvest. The instruction to Adam was to tend the garden - I like how it is written in the King James Version, “to dress it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15).

God gave us gardens and trees that are pleasant for sight and good for food (Genesis 2:9). So they are not meant just for crops, they are meant to be ornamental as well. God knew gardens would be good for our well being. Ultimately, God wants us to have a nice world to live in. Unfortunately, over the time, we have managed to destroy it pretty well.

Over the centuries, the focus has shifted. When you think of Louis XIV and XVI, it was very much about controlling nature. Now, it is working with nature and the plants and the environment that God has given us rather than trying to shoehorn it into what it isn’t.

“I see myself as a steward of the land, of God’s wonderful creation. I use my skills to grow crops, as God instructed us to.”

There are three strands to our service users at Hillsborough. There is the general public - as an independent charity, we get no money from the Crown nor the State. Secondly, we work with public engagement groups - schools and community groups, making sure everyone has access to enjoy the Gardens. And finally, we have Royal residents - on occasion we have the great pleasure of welcoming members of the Royal Family to the Castle.

It was in 1750 that the gardens were first enclosed in Hillsborough.

It is wonderful to have the gardens open again. There is so much people can get from visiting. Whether it is the sense of well being, of walking in the green space, or learning something in a workshop or taking a guided tour. I work with our public engagement and events teams to plan and prepare for what is coming up, so there is lots of variety in my work.

The last Royal I met was Princess Anne. I walked with her from the Castle through the garden down to the helipad. As any head gardener will say, they just love to talk about their garden! While technically it is not my garden, I am there as a steward and it is a great honour to do that for just a few years. My input is very small in the grand history of the life of the garden - you want to leave it for future generations to enjoy.

I can see, there is less and less difference between the seasons now. It is less pronounced than it was, with not as many hard frosts or periods of drought. I love autumn - you plant in the hope that something will come up, it’s about planting bulbs - I call them my pots of hope.

Gardening does take time - but it is so worth it. To me, it is more about the process than the product. It is an opportunity everyday to thank God for what he has given us. You look up and you see the clouds, you look down and see the soil.

Time in my garden at home is time with God. It is my go-to space and my happy place. I am so thankful that we have the space especially over the pandemic. There are so many benefits to gardening. Bacteria in soil releases serotonins - the feel good factor.

It is good for your mental well being to be outdoors. Plants don’t talk back!

There’s lots of routes into horticulture - even if you want a career change! From garden centres and horticultural therapy to designing gardens, heritage gardening, nursery work and growing plants etc.

Everyone has room to garden somewhere. Just a little bit of care and attention will get a seed to grow. My advice is you can garden anywhere - in a pot, a window box. Don’t let anything stop you from gardening! If you’re one of those people that say you kill everything, take a leaf out of nature’s book and look at the right plant in the right place. Look at what grows in other people’s gardens, and in nature. Gardeners are generous people and will give cuttings. You can grow potatoes in buckets! Start kids when they are tiny with cress and carrot tops.

Don’t take on more than you can manage - that’s when people panic. It is wonderful to see something producing roots and shoots and growing!

– 15

GROUP FOCUS

DERRY & DONEGAL

PW LINK T

The Derry and Donegal PW LINK is quite unique in that it comprises several PW Groups from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Newly elected PW Panel member Sharon Stewart from Kilmacrenan Presbyterian Church tells us more…

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he committee of the Derry and Donegal LINK is made up of members from various Presbyterian churches in the Derry and Donegal regions, ensuring a balanced representation fostering a spirit of unity and cooperation. Leadership roles within the committee are rotated between the Presbyteries, promoting shared responsibility and fresh perspectives.

The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 disrupted many aspects of life, including the activities of the PW LINK. The leadership team faced significant challenges as the Lord called the leader and assistant to serve in other presbyteries. However, through prayer and divine guidance, the committee was reconstituted with Audrey Chambers stepping back into the leadership role.

Reconnecting Through Events After much discussion and prayer, the committee felt it was the right time to organise an event to bring the ladies together.

Thus, the Ladies Spring Get Together was conceived. The event was scheduled for June 7, 2022, with guest speakers and a venue confirmed. Despite uncertainties about attendance, the event saw a remarkable turnout of 130 ladies, which was an encouraging sign for the committee.

The Ladies Spring Get Together was a significant milestone. Fiona Simpson was interviewed, sharing experiences on how Sligo Presbyterian Church reached out into the community. Valerie Stewart delivered a talk on Deeper Together that was both inspiring and thought-provoking.

The event also included a tribute to Olive Boreland who was very involved in PW over the years and also played the music for previous LINK meetings, with Doreen reading one of the poems that Olive had written herself. The gathering concluded with a three-course meal, fostering a sense of community and fellowship.

Moving Forward Encouraged by the success of the Spring Get Together, the committee decided to organise a LINK meeting in October 2022. The structure of the meeting was maintained, featuring prayer, Bible readings, praise and regular PW business.

During the October LINK meeting the dates and venues were discussed and it was decided that, going forward, the LINK Meetings would be scheduled for the third Tuesday in October and the third Tuesday in February. The October meeting was held in Ray Presbyterian Church hall (Co. Donegal) while the February meeting was held in

(Fahan), Isobel Roulston (Alt), and myself, (Sharon Stewart, Kilmacrenan). The Derry Presbytery members are Doreen Bolton (Kilfennan) and Sandra Galbraith (Carlisle Road). The committee is always seeking new ideas and speakers, encouraging anyone interested in joining or contributing to contact them.

The committee has planned several events for the upcoming year, including:

Glendermott Presbyterian Church hall (Co. Londonderry). We also decided to open the meetings to any member of any PW Group.

Over the past couple of years, the speakers at the LINK meetings have included a diverse range of individuals who have shared their experiences and insights. We are grateful for each one and how they blessed us.

Emma Edgar shared about the Food Waste Programme at Kilfennan Presbyterian where they collect food from the local supermarket and distribute it to people in need.

Bernie Hetherington spoke about how Ray PW welcomed Ukrainian ladies into their meetings, highlighting the themes of hospitality and international solidarity.

PCI’s Women’s Ministry and PW Development Officer Pauline Kennedy addressed the group in October 2023, under the theme of Transformation.

At our Spring Breakfast in 2023, Gillian Gilliland focused on Samaritan’s Purse, sharing stories of the work which it carries

out amongst children and also in the establishment of Field Hospitals in areas of war.

The PW LINK Rally is a significant event for Presbyterian Women, traditionally held in September. The committee felt it was time to reintroduce the rally. Magheramason Presbyterian Church hosted the event in September 2023, with guest speakers James and Heather Cochrane, then Global Mission Workers in Portugal.

Frances Swaray who had been a missionary to Liberia spoke at our February 2024 event.

Our guest speaker at the 2024 Spring Get Together was Rev Ali Calvin who gave a very thought provoking talk on Matthew 6: 25-34 and encouraged us not to be worrying but to trust the Lord.

Current Challenges The current challenges are that many of our groups are struggling to keep going and many of the young women are in full-time work and do not have time to attend meetings. Another challenge is that many individuals are unable to commit themselves therefore there are few people willing to take on leadership roles.

Current Committee & Future Plans The current committee members from the Donegal Presbytery include Audrey Chambers (Stranorlar), Hilary Lamberton

This autumn’s PW LINK Rally is scheduled for September 16th, at 7:30pm in Newtowncunningham Presbyterian Church.

The guest speaker will be Diane Cusick, PCI’s Global Mission Worker in Zambia.

On October 15th, we plan to have a PW LINK Meeting in Ray Presbyterian Church Hall at 7:30pm, with guest speaker Paul Darragh from Prison Fellowship.

All women in the area are warmly invited to attend these events, which promise to be enriching and supportive experiences for all involved.

The committee remains dedicated to fostering a strong, connected community of Presbyterian Women, providing opportunities for spiritual growth, fellowship, and mutual support. Through prayer, collaboration, and a shared vision, the Derry and Donegal PW LINK continues to thrive and make a meaningful impact on the lives of its members.

“Over the past couple of years, the speakers at the LINK meetings have included a diverse range of individuals who have shared their experiences and insights. We are grateful for each one and how they blessed us.”

– 17

REFLECTION

Photograph by Levi Kyiv

– 18 | INSPIRE Autumn 2024

S ’ R A IKE R H AY E R P LORD GOD You could have taken me immediately to heaven when I first believed, but You wisely chose for me to remain on this side of eternity, ploughing deep and plodding ahead through my trials.

I realise, dear Lord, that I only have this one chance to be made fit for all eternity. So help me to be Your faithful sower, scattering good seed, breaking up fallow ground, and speaking words of encouragement and salvation to all my friends and family… until You call or call me home, your servant, your daughter.

Words by Joni Eareckson Tada

– 19

BIBLE STUDY

Second year ministry student Christine Craig, from Kilbride Presbyterian Church, delves deeper into the story of Jesus and the woman at the well and what the passage reveals to women in the 21st Century.

READ 42 :1-

John 4

ENTRUSTED WITH AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE – 20 | INSPIRE Autumn 2024

I

wonder if you had something important that you wanted to send to someone else and you were to ask a third person to be the courier of this important and perhaps valuable possession; what sort of characteristics would you expect the courier to have?

They might be someone that you trusted a lot, perhaps had a good job and were well respected by wider society. You wouldn’t entrust something so important to “just anyone”. Yet in John 4, we read of Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman usurping so many cultural expectations as he entrusts the truth of his identity to her.

In verse 27, we read that the disciples were surprised to see Jesus talking to this woman. For Jesus to engage and have a conversation with this woman at all would have been so unexpected in the culture of the Middle East. A Jewish teacher would not have spent time alone with a woman, for them to do so would have caused great reputational damage. Furthermore, this woman was a Samaritan.

Verse 9 highlights how Jews did not associate themselves with Samaritans. In fact, Jews would have journeyed around Samaria on their way to Galilee, taking a longer route to avoid going through Samaria. Despite sharing an ancestral heritage, Jews did not regard Samaritans highly, with the descriptor of being a “Samaritan” used as an insult at times by the Jews, yet Jesus had to go through Samaria (v4) and in doing so, encounters a woman at a well.

Finally, throughout the course of the encounter with Jesus, the woman discloses that she has no husband. Jesus then reveals to the woman that he knows she has had five husbands and the man she was currently living with was not her husband. We’re not told how she came to have had five husbands, whether they may have all died, or chosen to divorce her.

The woman approaches the well to obtain water which will quench her thirst in the short term, not realising that the man she encounters is the only source of living water which eternally satisfies her thirst, and ours.

Jesus wasn’t talking to her about her physical but her spiritual thirst.

The world we inhabit is so thirsty for the living water that only Jesus can give. We may try to fill it with the things of this world but, like physical water, these will only quench our thirst in the short term.

Only Jesus can quench our spiritual thirst.

Pause for thought: Are there times in your life where you have sought to fill your spiritual thirst with earthly things? Do you seek out new life experiences to find some excitement? Run after the latest branded phone or clothing? Take some time to reflect on the words of the song ‘All who are thirsty’

MANY SAMARITANS FROM THAT TOWN BELIEVED IN HIM BECAUSE OF THE WOMAN’S TESTIMONY, “HE TOLD ME ALL THAT I EVER DID.”

She may have been fairly unpopular in her local area which may explain why she comes to the well at midday, particularly when women would have generally come to the well together early in the morning to get water. She intentionally chooses a time which means she can avoid the sideways glances and the whispered judgements. Jesus knew the woman’s past without her disclosing it all to him, yet he still chose to have this encounter with her.

Jesus also knows all of our past histories too, he knows everything about us and yet, in his mercy and grace, he wants us to encounter him.

Pause for thought: I wonder how often we expect those in our churches and who follow Jesus to fit a certain mould. Do we want them to look like us, share the same interests and hobbies as us and come from similar backgrounds?

How easy is it for us to cross particular boundaries and engage with people who are different from us and, in doing so, demonstrate the love and good news of Jesus?

All who are thirsty, all who are weak, come to the fountain, dip your heart in the stream of life, Let the pain and the sorrow Be washed away In the waves of his mercy As deep cries out in deep Come Lord Jesus come.

The climax of the encounter takes place as Jesus reveals his identity as the long-awaited Messiah (v26). This incredible revelation that Jesus is the Saviour of the world is entrusted to an unlikely figure in Samaria. The woman’s shame in coming alone to the well is transformed into shouts of joy. Discovering who Jesus is prompts action.

The woman rushes, unashamed, into the town leaving behind her water jar, that symbol of her physical thirst, because her spiritual thirst had been met. In encountering the one who gives living water, she couldn’t help but allow it to overflow into her encounters with the people of the town.

Jesus entrusts his identity as the long awaited Messiah to this Samaritan woman and she can’t help but share it with those around her, for such a precious message couldn’t be kept hidden. What an example to us as women of faith as we read this passage centuries later!

Challenge Are we overflowing with that same joy that caused the woman to run into the town and tell the people there about Jesus?

Are we thirsty for the living water that only Jesus gives or are we seeking to quench our thirst with the things of this world?

Here, at Jacob’s well in Samaria, Jesus crosses social, cultural and racial boundaries demonstrating that the living water he offers is available to anyone who asks for it.

– 21

DEACONESS

STRENGTHENING RESILIENCE IN LIFE AND FAITH TOGETHER Sylvia Santos Bryce has been deaconess at West Presbyterian Church in Ballymena since 2022. In her latest update, she writes how she enjoys merging her creative talents alongside her role serving the church and local community.

I

t is my privilege to share this issue of Inspire, and I would like to begin by thanking God for his goodness, care and guidance for us as a church family. I am inspired and encouraged to see God at work in our lives as he draws us closer to him.

I recently read a book called Resilience in Life and Faith by Tony Horsfall and Debbie Hawker. In it, they point out that we ought to be encouraged by the fact that “through biblical wisdom and psychological insight, we can understand God and ourselves better”. The Word of God not only helps us gain wisdom and understanding but also gives us creative guidance for us to use our gifts to build and strengthen our confidence, resilience in life, and faith so that we can face every aspect of life knowing that God always remains truthful. We can, more importantly, use our gifts to give Glory to God and bless others.

I am grateful for my artistic gift, which enables me to produce abstract, landscape, still life, and imaginary paintings on canvas and murals. I have been painting since I was a young teenager. At the end of a busy day or whenever I get a chance, I paint. I paint because it inspires me to gain new perspectives on things. I also find it to be therapeutic. I am inspired by the beauty of God’s creation, biblical text, colours, light, and my cultural background, and watching my children grow and learn to grasp the gift of life.

– 22 | INSPIRE Autumn 2024

“I am inspired by the beauty of God’s creation, biblical text, colours, light, and my cultural background, and watching my children grow and learn to grasp the gift of life.”

Continues...

– 23

DEACONESS

I am grateful for the ways I have been able to use my artistic skills in my work. I am working on a project, painting a mural of Noah’s Ark on one of the crèche walls as requested by our crèche leaders. I hope this will bring joy to our little children’s and adults’ hearts as they admire all the great and small creatures painted on the wall.

I am inspired by the creative ways God has been leading us in West Church to draw closer to him and build friendships with each other. For instance, at our craft club, we are encouraged for the opportunity to learn from one another and each time we take a moment to pause to reflect on a Bible passage and pray together.

At our Friendship Club, as I work alongside Hilary Taylor, our vision is to provide a space for folk to feel welcomed, loved, and appreciated. This has been a lovely experience at our Friendship Club where we celebrate time together as we talk about God, laugh together, and chat over a cup of tea and cake. Back in January, we had the privilege to welcome Rev Liz Hughes and celebrate great memories from her time as a deaconess in West Church, where she served from 1978 to 1982.

Our Proximity Bible reflection groups for young mums have proven to be such a blessing to everyone. There is a real sense of connection as we share the similarities of having a young family. This flourished – 24 | INSPIRE Autumn 2024

through a casual chat over tea and coffee after church between Lorraine McKane (children’s church leader), and Linda Livingstone (former children’s leader) and me, where we discovered that we shared a common vision to reach out to all mums and finding creative ways to provide a relaxing space for them to build stronger connections with each other. Once a year, we bring the groups together to enjoy a meal and chat, but more importantly, connect and build friendships.

Gillian Wharry, mum of four says, “I enjoy the small intimate nature of the group and how the PCI Proximity Bible study resource helped us to explore and discuss the seasons of our lives as women honestly and openly. It struck me that no matter what season of life we are in, we can trust that God is with us and can do amazing things in his time, not ours”.

Lauren Hutchinson, mum of four, comments it is “a thought-provoking, accessible Bible study, encouraging us to reflect on God’s closeness in our everyday struggles”.

As I go about my pastoral visits, I am inspired by learning of people’s journeys, passions, gifts, and things they enjoy doing themselves that help them to strengthen

“It struck me that no matter what season of life we are in, we can trust that God is with us and can do amazing things in his time, not ours.”

their resilience in life and faith as they do things they are passionate about which gives them a sense of achievement, purpose and joy. For some people it can be gardening, baking, singing, playing musical instruments or writing, for others it is sports, hiking, walking, prioritising time alone with God and prioritising husband and wife time together and family time.

All these things are found to be true in helping us to draw closer to God as we connect and make good use of our gifts and time. I am also inspired by how we can grow through the hardships and difficulties we face in life. For instance, losing a loved one, relationship breakups, financial challenges, losing a job, health, and many other traumas.

Tony Horsfall and Debbie Hawker also write, “Not everything about trauma is negative. Indeed, it has become common to refer to the positive changes that can take place after trauma as post-traumatic growth.

Changes may take place in how we see ourselves and our relationships, and how we understand God, the world, or life’s purpose and meaning”.

“I love teaching God’s Word to all ages and sharing how God has remained truthful and faithful to me during the ups and downs of my journey.”

I love teaching God’s Word to all ages and sharing how God has remained truthful and faithful to me during the ups and downs of my journey. Last year, God opened doors for me to lead a short service in local nursing homes. I found this to be an excellent opportunity to build relationships within the community and share God’s love outside a church context.

I am privileged for the opportunity to journey alongside my brothers and sisters in West Church and my prayer for us as a wider church is that we continue to find creative ways to praise God together, “knowing that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and God’s works are wonderful” Psalm 139:14.

CS Lewis says God is always working in us as a work of art, like a house, he is fixing things that are out of place and he suddenly uses changes that can be painful but necessary to bring us closer to him. More importantly, we strive to love and obey God and love others. We continue to hold on to God’s promises knowing that he will make everything beautiful in its time as pointed out in Ecclesiastes 3.

To order the PCI Proximity resource, email clw@presbyterianireland.org or telephone: +44 (0)28 9032 2284.

– 25

QUICK QUESTIONS

QUICK QUESTIONS WITH …JONNY MCCLUNE Inspire catches up with Jonny McClune, PCI’s new Congregational Witness Development Officer, to find out about him and his role working at Assembly Buildings.

– 26 | INSPIRE Autumn 2024

Hi Jonny, tell us a little about yourself and your background.

I grew up in south east Belfast so I guess for many people, including my wife, that makes me a townie. Forestside was our corner shop and I still only live a few minutes from where I grew up. I’m married to Bethany and we have an 18-month-old son, Jack. My journey to working for PCI was quite varied and included studying architecture, teaching in Dundonald, and spending some time in both student and youth ministry with Christian Unions Ireland and Youth for Christ.

What does family life look like for you at the moment?

Family life is lots of fun for Bethany and me; Jack is almost a year and half, with a great smile and fun personality. He engages with everyone, and his cheeky smile and grab of your hand invites you to share in his experiences whether that be with his toys, a snack or a new spot in which to sit.

Tell us more about your new role as PCI’s Congregational Witness Development Officer?

It’s been a privilege already to spend some time with groups, ministers, elders and other ministry workers talking about the different opportunities for the mission of reaching out and sharing faith in their contexts. It’s exciting because I get to encourage and equip people to share the love and truth of Jesus with others who don’t yet know him. We’re all becoming increasingly familiar with the challenges to church and Christian faith in public life but I remain convinced about, and reliant on, the scriptures, trusting that we have been blessed to be a blessing and we are to live out our faith as Christ’s ambassadors.

How and when did you come to faith?

As a child, when we were on a family holiday, I was rescued by lifeguards as I drifted out to sea. It was the jolt I needed to help me see that, while I knew who Jesus was and that he had died on the cross for me, I hadn’t accepted his offer of rescue and given my life to him. My dad helped me to pray that day, and my family and church community have helped me follow Jesus ever since.

Have you ever struggled or had doubts about your faith?

At times I’ve thought it would be easier not to be a Christian, been tempted to what the world offers, and struggled to be at peace with what God says about how we should live, but I have always known, and felt, God to be real and present with me. My faith isn’t about always getting things right but knowing that, through Jesus, God has made all things right, and coming back to him daily.

What are your hopes for our church in sharing faith?

My hope is that our understanding of sharing faith is broadened. There are many ways in which Christians have shared, and continue to share, the love and good news of Jesus.

Sharing our faith doesn’t have to be the next new idea, or even the way we’ve always done it, but let’s have a plan for how we want our friends and neighbours who don’t know Jesus to encounter him and explore being part of his family.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing our efforts to share our faith?

This is probably quite a personal question for most people but I think our mindset gets in the way of sharing Jesus. Maybe we just don’t want to share our faith enough? We can say we want to, we believe we have to, and need to, but is sharing Jesus just like riding a bike? Did we ever really learn to ride this bike? Maybe we don’t feel like we have the time, the know-how, the relational capital, the confidence. Whatever it is though, however legitimate our concern, what are we doing to overcome it?

Entrusted is the theme for Presbyterian Women for 2024/25. What role do you think women have in evangelism specifically?

I am so encouraged by the theme of Entrusted and the emphasis that Presbyterian Women has put on passing on faith.

Women have such a powerful influence in our culture. Marketing professionals know how many decisions women make on consumer purchases for themselves and their households, and therefore much of the advertising is aimed at them.

Women are the original influencers and often the natural evangelists to friends and colleagues for the best products and services that they have found. Don’t underestimate how these qualities could be used in sharing the hope you’ve found in the good news of Jesus and a relationship with him.

A UN study found that one of the most effective ways to raise a community out of poverty was to resource women - consider the potential impact on a family when a woman encounters a community of believers and is transformed by Jesus.

What could Presbyterian Women’s Groups do together to press into the theme of Entrusted?

I think that PW Groups have the power to influence church life by being a missional community actively involved in thinking about and sharing faith. Your response may depend on the capacity of your Groups but there are lots of ways to get started: 1. Maybe you could run a course for a number of weeks where people could explore faith. You could run it for your PW Group and then think about inviting people to join you and run it again.

2. If your Group doesn’t know where to start, you could gather a few women to go through PCI’s Share resource together. It is designed to help us think about the ways in which we can individually or collectively foster relationships with people where they can encounter Jesus.

3. Make thinking about the people you know who don’t know or aren’t following Jesus yet a regular part of your prayer life. Pray for them by name. Could your Group create space to pray together for your friends to encounter and be transformed by Jesus?

Get into the habit of talking about your faith.

Practice conversations where you speak about the difference a relationship with God is making in your life.

4. Encourage leaders in your church, and those in your sphere of influence, to be continually shaping church life in ways which help you and others share their faith.

Ordering the Share resource Share is available to order from the Council for Congregational Life and Witness office (minimum order of 5 copies applies). Each purchaser will be provided with a link to download the film series for free.

To order, email clw@presbyterianireland.org or telephone: +44 (0)28 9032 2284.

– 27

SHE INSPIRES

“Amy is an inspiration to those who want to serve God in other parts of the world. Her tireless obedience to God’s call remains as new generations read her writings and the work that continues through the Dohnavur Fellowship today.”

AMY CARMICHAEL MOTHER TO THE MOTHERLESS

A

my was born on 16th December 1867 in the County Down seaside village of Millisle but her influence would extend beyond the Irish Sea shores to many countries and indeed, beyond her life time.

Her parents were Presbyterian, David and Catherine Carmichael, and Amy was the oldest of seven children.

During her time at boarding school in England, while thinking about the hymn Jesus Loves Me, Amy realised that she could not rely on her parents’ beliefs but needed to experience “the mercy of the Good Shepherd.” It was then that she came to know and love Jesus as her Lord and Saviour.

The Carmichael family moved to Belfast in the mid-1880s. Amy started a Sunday morning class for the shawlies (mill girls who wore shawls instead of hats). These young women worked in poor conditions and received little pay.

Amy brought them to the church services and as more girls came she decided to purchase a tin building to hold the large numbers. She called it the Welcome Hall and made it a meeting place for the shawlies. That hall became the Welcome Evangelical Church, which has become a thriving part of Christian ministry in the Woodvale area of west Belfast.

– 28 | INSPIRE Autumn 2024

As Amy read through her “Ask and Receive” prayer journal, the words that Jesus spoke to his disciples in Matthew 28:19, “Go ye,” sounded in her head. Amy committed to spending her life sharing the good news of the gospel.

Initially, Amy’s attempts to get on the mission field didn’t go to plan.

Barely five-foot tall she also suffered from neuralgia, a condition that caused shooting pain and headaches. She was rejected for work in China. She didn’t let this stop her and applied for work in Japan and Sri Lanka. She left for India at the age of 27 and never returned.

In 1898, Amy passed her exam in Tamil, the local language in the region of India where she lived. Two years later, Amy moved to Dohnavur, a Christian village. The first girl whom Amy adopted from slavery in a local temple, Preena, arrived at Dohnavur. Amy became like Preena’s mother and would go on to become like a mother to many more orphaned Indian children, many of whom she rescued from slavery.

In 1901, she set up the Dohnavur Fellowship to provide a safe home for young girls and women sold as slaves to the Hindu temple priests. The organisation still exists today providing care and education for around 120 children as well as 60 senior citizens.

Those that grew up in Dohnavur stay on to look after the next generation so there are currently between 250 and 300 people in the family, as they like to refer to the residents.

In 1931, while touring a medical clinic that was being built, Amy fell into a hole and was severely injured. She never recovered full physical mobility, but from her bed she wrote many books that are still widely available today, such as If, A Rose from Brier, and Candles in the Dark.

The compassion Amy had for the Indian children meant that she never returned to Northern Ireland again and died in India on 18th January 1951. Amy was buried in the garden at Dohnavur.

Her grave is marked by a stone bird table inscribed with the word “Amma,” which means “Mother.”

On 16th December 2017, marking exactly 150 years since Amy’s birth, a bronze sculpture was unveiled outside Hamilton Road Presbyterian Church in Bangor.

The idea for the sculpture in Bangor came from conversations that started years ago between the evangelist Derek Bingham and artist Ross Wilson to recognise Amy’s life and Christian witness. The sculpture celebrates the childhood beginnings and the spiritual inspiration that helped inform Amy’s young heart. It portrays Amy in the tenth year of her life looking out from below her hat towards a purposed future that would be filled with devotion to others, a serving life, a giving heart that would impact generations of children to come.

“For me as a sculptor I found the process of translating the life of one of my Christian heroes a profound experience, visually reshaping a life, its personality and identity is a deep responsibility,” Ross said.

In the sculpture, Amy is holding her diary where she recorded her dreams, her hopes, her future. Because of Amy Carmichael’s vision, countless children were given the hope of a new beginning and they were given a future.

Amy is an inspiration to those who want to serve God in other parts of the world. Her tireless obedience to God’s call remains as new generations read her writings and the work that continues through the Dohnavur Fellowship today.

Entrusted With her legacy of books and her life’s example, as we reflect on being Entrusted with God’s Word, here are some quotes written by Amy to encourage us to press on being faithful servants to Jesus: “There have been times of late when I have had to hold on to one text with all my might: “It is required in stewards that a man may be found faithful.” Praise God, it does not say “successful.”

“All along, let us remember we are not asked to understand, but simply to obey...”

“One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving.”

“Strength of my heart, I need not fail, Not mind to fear but to obey, With such a Leader, who could quail?

Thou art as Thou wert yesterday.

Strength of my heart, I rest in Thee, Fulfil Thy purposes through me.”

– 29

THANKSGIVING

GRATEFUL HEART AUTUMN’24 What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you, the High God! – Psalm 92:1 (Msg)

DEATH OF CLAIRE TRUEMAN

A Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Claire Trueman, one of PCI’s longest serving overseas missionaries, took place in July, in Jamaica where Claire passed away on 21 June, aged 86.

Retiring in 1998 after nearly 40 years of service, she was once described by the Synod of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (United Church), as ‘a true ambassador of the PCI’. When Claire was originally commissioned for missionary service in September 1962, it was as a missionary of the Presbyterian Women’s Association for Foreign Missions.

Arriving in November 1962 by a steamer boat, the 24-year-old teacher from Rostrevor spent a lifetime serving God as she worked with children, young people and adults as a missionary to what is now the United Church. Unlike most mission workers, Miss Trueman decided to remain where she had served.

Representing PCI’s Council for Global Mission at the Service of Thanksgiving, Council Secretary, Rev Uel Marrs said that, “This is a tremendously symbolic occasion and a wonderful testimony to the impact of Claire’s life and ministry, to the love and esteem in which she was held, to the fellowship and sense of belonging that she enjoyed with her Jamaican family and the valued and the historic missional relationship between Presbyterians in Ireland and in Jamaica.”

SECOND AND THIRD RATHFRILAND PW The PW Group of Second & Third Rathfriland Presbyterian Church visited Montalto Estate in June. After a delicious breakfast they enjoyed a walk around the beautiful gardens and were blessed with a lovely warm day.

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TELL YOUR STORIES

Have you a good-news story to tell us about your PW Group or women’s ministry project? Is there something you are grateful for that you would like to express to our readers? Please email up to 150 words and attach to the email any relevant photographs to pw@presbyterianireland.org

30 YEARS FAITHFUL SERVICE IN MYROE PW Violet Miller (pictured left) being presented with flowers by Elspeth Jones (Leader) to mark the occasion of her retirement as secretary after 30 years of faithful and dedicated service. During this time Violet also served on the then PW Central Committee for 7 years and was a much valued member of Coleraine & Limavady LINK Committee for several years.

Violet has a special interest in Kenya and has made many visits there since 2010 to assist Dr Gilbert and Margaret Egerton (Dorcas International) in Gospel ministry.

Violet continues to have a huge enthusiasm and input as a member of Myroe PW and is an inspiration to many with her love for her Saviour, passion for prayer and the work of the gospel at home and overseas.

RAILWAY STREET PW

The ladies of Railway Street PW, Lisburn, celebrated 75 years since the formation of the WMA in 1949, which later became known as the PWA and more recently, PW. A delightful evening was enjoyed by everyone. As part of the celebration, the Committee dressed up in clothes of the 1950s and re-enacted a typical meeting from that era.

The evening was brought to a climax with a special supper which included an anniversary cake.

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THANKSGIVING

FIRST DROMARA

The Inspire Ladies Group of First Dromara Presbyterian Church enjoyed a series of summer walks. These included visits to Hillsborough Forest Park and Newcastle Promenade on Monday evenings. These were a great opportunity for women of all ages to walk and talk and enjoy fellowship and refreshments together.

SECOND DONEGORE PW Second Donegore PW in the Templepatrick Presbytery are celebrating their 70th anniversary.

They recently held a special service where the guest speaker was deaconess Joanne Dunlop.

This was really special as Joanne’s grandmother, Meta Kirker, was instrumental in getting the WMA (the forerunner of PW) started in Second Donegore in 1954 and was a great support to them.

Pictured cutting the anniversary cake is Joanne Dunlop (centre), Jean Duncan (Group Leader) and Eilish Fleming, a founding member. Eilish still regularly attends PW events 70 years later! The other picture shows some of the ladies enjoying an outing to Castlerock.

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THE REVIEW The 2024 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland took place in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, at the end of June. As the denomination’s principal governing and decision-making body and the Church’s highest court, decisions taken can often set the direction for the life and ministry of the Church over the coming year and beyond.

Produced by the Communications Department, The Review reports on some of what took place at this year’s General Assembly. With its embedded links to the Blue Book, Supplementary Reports, and various news stories, along with photos from the annual gathering, it gives a flavour of what took place at the end of June.

You can read The Review as an online magazine by scanning this QR code.

IVEAGH LINK

Bannside Presbyterian Church in Banbridge was the host for the annual Iveagh Presbytery LINK service held in April. The guest speaker was Daniel Wright, Reach Mentoring’s Community Engagement & Fundraising Coordinator.

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GLOBAL MISSION OVERSEAS NEWS Personnel News James & Heather Cochrane, give thanks for their long, dedicated service as PCI global mission workers and pray that Heather continues to settle into her role as Ireland Co-ordinator (maternity cover) for Latin Link. On 26th June, James was installed as minister of Ravenhill Presbyterian Church. Continue to pray for the Pedras Vivas Congregation in Porto, Portugal, especially for their new minister, Pastor Leonardo who, together with his wife, Dani, arrived in Portugal to take up his new role in June.

Give thanks for a time of rest and reconnection over the summer months for Volker and JinHyeog Glissmann. Pray for Jinhyeog and Lukas who return to Blantyre, Malawi, at the end of August, and for Volker as he remains in the UK during September with Micha as he prepares for university.

Having been on home assignment and deputation earlier this year, Gary and Mary Reid have delayed their return to Kenya on medical grounds. Please pray for them as they adjust to this delay and that God’s time will become clear for the resumption of their work at PCEA Acacia Grove Mission.

Stephen and Angelina Cowan, are currently in Ireland on home assignment over these autumn months. Pray for them, that they would enjoy a time of rest and reconnection and also as they engage in deputation before returning to their work in Tuum, Kenya, in November.

Derek and Jane French returned to Bilbao to resume their work in early September. Give thanks for a period of rest and reconnection in Ireland over the summer months. Please pray for Derek and Jane as they engage in a busy autumn programme of activities with Bilbao International Church and Grupos Biblios Unidos.

Overseas Visits Rev Stephen McCracken, Council for Global Mission Convener, and Heather Clements, Global Mission Committee Convener, visited Malawi during the last two weeks of August, representing PCI at the 100th Anniversary Celebrations of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) in Lilongwe, also visiting with leaders in each of the CCAP Malawi Synods.

Naomi Keefe returned to Brazil in early September after a period of home assignment. Pray for Naomi as she settles back into life and work in Recife, and as she seeks God’s leading and timing for new training initiatives in church-based outreach.

Naomi Leremore, together with her family, spent a period of rest and reconnection in Northern Ireland over the summer, although, sadly, Naomi’s father passed away during this time. The Leremore family returned to Nairobi at the end of August. Please pray for Naomi and her family at this time of bereavement and as she returns to work with PCEA Theological Education by Extension Programme.

Information included in Global Mission News is supplied by the PCI Mission Department. While it is correct at the time of writing, which is normally some weeks before publication, readers should be aware that some details may subsequently change.

Up-to-date news and information are available online at: www.presbyterianireland.org/mission.

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Diane Cusick, is on home assignment in the early autumn. Pray for Diane as she concludes deputation engagements and returns to her role with the CCAP Zambia Synod in October.

Rev Uel Marrs is undertaking a number of overseas visits in September: joining a 20th Anniversary visit to Kenya by Misean Cara (supporting the development work of Irish missionaries) during the first week which includes a visit to see the work of the Cowans with the PCEA Samburu Awareness and Action Programme; attending the Eukumindo General Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany, during the second week; and the Fourth Lausanne Congress, in Seoul, South Korea during the last week of the month.

Mission Department, Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Assembly Buildings, 2-10 Fisherwick Place, Belfast, BT1 6DW Tel: +44 (0)28 9041 7263 Email: mission@presbyterianireland.org Website: www.presbyterianireland.org/mission

GLOBAL PRAYER DIARY CSABA & ILONA VERES

GARY AND MARY REID

Bodaszőlő, Hungary Mission: Children & family ministry

As camps and outreaches took place over the summer months, give thanks for the leaders and volunteers, for their work and witness together.

Give thanks for Jack and Rebekah and their team from Exodus who helped during the children’s Bible week in July with football training, evangelism and youth work.

July also saw the start of a new daily children’s ‘SKILLS’ programme run in association with teachers in order to support struggling students and share with them the love and care of Christ.

We are so thankful for each child and young person attending the Bible weeks, SKILLS programme and good news clubs. Please join us in praying for them and their families, that they would respond to the gospel and follow Jesus.

Narok, Kenya Mission: Church planting

Pray for the church families as precious souls within these families have, or continue to, endure hardships and trials. May any that are feeling disillusioned, despondent or discouraged be granted to know in deeper measure the love of Jesus Christ our Saviour, our hope and strength, as they wait on him, our inimitable Acts-in-Behalf-Of and Working God. Remember those within the church families and local community who are unwell and those who have lost loved ones.

Give thanks to our Father for his ambassadors who, having known many, varied and increasingly trying trials, difficulties and hardships, reach out and seek to persuade those who do not know Christ to come to know, and be reconciled to, him.

That the church families will grow in their knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and have his joy, hope and love in their hearts in ever increasing measure.

GLOBAL MISSION WORKERS Naomi Keefe Brazil Da Caixa Postal 73 Codigo da agencia 32300018 AC Central Recife Avenida Guararapes 250 CEP 50010970 Brazil

Edwin & Anne Kibathi Partner Church Mission Workers - England 167 Wickhay Basildon Essex SS15 5AQ

Stephen & Angelina Cowan Kenya c/o Mission Department Assembly Buildings

Naomi & Thomas Leremore Kenya PO Box 23450-00100 Nairobi (GPO) Kenya

Csaba & Ilona Veres Hungary Vörösmárty Mihály u. 18 Hajdúböszörmény 4220 Hungary

Volker & JinHyeog Glissmann Malawi PO Box 30048 Chichiri Blantyre 3 Malawi

Diane Cusick Zambia c/o Mission Department Assembly Buildings

Gary & Mary Reid Kenya PO Box 846-20500 Narok Kenya

Derek & Jane French Spain Calle Lekueder 9, 4A 48940 Leioa Spain

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Senior Administrative Assistant An exciting opportunity to be involved in the work of Presbyterian Women by providing administrative support to enable the development of ministry among women in congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

The successful applicant will work as part of an experienced and supportive staff team in the Council for Congregational Life and Witness department. They will play a key role in providing a wide range of administrative support intended to enable the effective functioning of all aspects of Presbyterian Women as it envisions and equips congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in developing ministry among women.

If you are excited by the possibility of supporting the work of Presbyterian Women in this way, then this post offers scope to use your passion, gifts and experience in a fulfilling role.

Application packs are available for download at www.presbyterianireland.org/jobs or by email: personnel@presbyterianireland.org

Applications should be returned to the HR Department not later than 4pm on 20 September 2024.

WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER