Wider World June-August 2019

WIDER WORLD Summer: June - August 2019

Creating a place for everyone in church A CULINARY AND SPIRITUAL ADVENTURE! with Margaret Feinberg

A Deep Longing

by Valerie Murphy

PEOPLE MATTER TO GOD at Thompson House

Restoring the Year of Jubilee 50 years of Tearfund

Sonya Anderson Shore Street, Donaghadee

Eileen Black

Great Victoria Street/ SBFH

Rachel Cubitt Whiteabbey

Eleanor Drysdale

Wellington, Ballymena

Joanne Dunlop Craigavon/Antrim Hospitals

Roberta Irvine

Sharon Heron

International Meeting Point & Windsor, Belfast

Phyllis Linton

Greystone Road, Antirm

West Church, Ballymena

2019/20

DEACONESSES Amy Magee

Tracey Nicholl St James’s, Ballymoney

Heather McCracken

Serving God, the Church and their community

Belfast Health & Social Care Trust

Michelle Purdy Ballyclare

www.presbyterianireland.org/pw

Hazel Reid

Margaret Robertson

First Broughshane

Elmwood

Rosemary Spiers

Evelyn Whyte

Greenwell Street, Newtownards

First Lisburn

Heidi England Probationary Deaconess

Paula Burrows

Student Deaconess

Louise Davidson Student Deaconess

Sylvia Santos Bryce Student Deaconess

EDITOR’S LETTER

You can email Suzanne at: widerworld@presbyterianireland.org

CONTENTS Suzanne Simpson, Editor

Have you ever tried to up-cycle something? Restore a forgotten piece of furniture to its past glory or bring a modern twist to a lack-lustre piece from a bygone era, or finally repair a broken item so that it can be of use again?

Would it have been easier to just throw it out and buy a new one? To be honest, yes, it probably would. But something tells you that, in the right hands - patient, skilled, dedicated hands - it could be beautiful again.

That’s what motivates the maker to bring it back to its former glory or bring new life to something that seemed to have run the course of its usefulness. The act of restoration brings new purpose, new meaning, re-establishes value to the unloved or the unlovely.

Thompson House is doing just such a work. Staffed by gifted people, called by God to restore the broken, the abused and abusers. After I visited David and Tim for the interview you can read on page 6, I was struck by Jesus’ words in Matthew 25: ‘I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me…I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ Our faith demands action - to bring restoration to the unloved and the unlovely, in spite of how it might offend our sensibilities, because, in doing so, we are bringing the lost to Christ and to full restoration in him.

We’re called to bring his restoration to all nations, not just in our own country. In this issue you’ll read about how Global Mission Workers are restoring infrastructure in Nepal, and how Tearfund is restoring the year of jubilee in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As Psalm 23:3 tells us, we have a God who wants to restore us. He wants to take our broken, tired, worn-out, dusty, lack-lustre souls and restore them. He doesn’t want a different soul – a different you – he doesn’t want to start again. He wants to take you as you are and regenerate, resuscitate, revitalise your soul. And when he does, you will see your life restored, your community restored, and your Nation restored through the compassionate grace of God at work within us. Let’s keep drawing close to God, and be prepared to experience and bring his restoring power.

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Inspirations 2019/20 Launch Thompson House: ‘People matter to God’ Annual Conference The Growing Light of Dawn My Place - A Place for Everyone Living for Jesus, Side by Side A Deep Longing Restoring the Year of Jubilee with Tearfund Taste and See with Margaret Feinberg Faith Journeys Trust Me Stirred to Action Group News: Connor PW The Nook Global Mission

Editor: Suzanne Simpson Contact: Presbyterian Women, Congregational Life & Witness Department, Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Assembly Buildings, 2-10 Fisherwick Place, Belfast, BT1 6DW. Email: widerworld@presbyterianireland.org Web: www.presbyterianireland.org/pw Tel: +44 (0)28 9041 7256 Like us on Facebook: Presbyterian Women Follows us on Instagram: @widerworldmagazine Designed by: Break - madebybreak.com Printed by: Peninsula Print & Design Wider World is the magazine of PW. Published Quarterly: March, June, September & December. Annual Subscription: £6 / €7 or £1.50 / €1.75 per issue. Each year, an order form will be sent to Wider World 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 Wider World on the reverse.

Wider World is available on CD for blind and partially sighted people and is produced by Belfast Talking Newspapers, Unit 4 Lyndon Court, 32 Queen Street, Belfast, BT1 6EF. Our sincere thanks to Belfast Talking Newspapers and Winnie Moffett for coordinating this service. For further details telephone +44 (0)28 9041 7256. The Editor reserves the right to accept, reject or edit contributions. Opinions expressed in Wider World are not necessarily those of PCI, PW or the Editor.

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R E S OU RC E S

INSPIRATIONS ‘He restores my soul’ Psalm 23:3

2019/20 women’s ministry resource I

nspirations is a resource designed for all forms of women’s ministry, filled with engaging, relevant and thought-provoking content. Created to provide women’s ministry leaders, whatever their context, with programme ideas, devotionals and creative guides, based on a biblical theme, Inspirations 2019-20 draws on the heart of one of the most well-known Psalms, in which we are given the assurance that the Lord ‘…restores my soul.’ (Psalm 23:3).

God is in the business of restoration and wants to restore each of us. This resource explores the ways God seeks to restore and renew our souls, our communities, and our world through his Word and his works.

Inspirations begins with a series of devotionals that explore the book of Nehemiah, as Nehemiah himself sets out to restore Jerusalem. Through prayer, plans, people, and persecution, he finally sees the city restored through the power of God. Prayer points and additional readings are included to encourage deeper reflections on the Lord’s desire to restore his people.

Following this is a series of programmes, each shaped and influenced by the theme. The aims and outcomes are clearly outlined in order to help leaders choose those best suited to their women’s ministry context. ‘Restore to Factory Settings’ uses the familiar image of a broken mobile phone to explore the impact of sin on God’s perfect creation.This programme includes an original drama, suggestions for praise music, and a pre-written talk for a group leader which concludes with a reflection on the restroration that Christ’s return will bring.

‘Restoration of the Whole Earth’ encourages us to be knowledgeable, prayerful and active about our God-given role as stewards of our world. A dynamic and relevant programme, it challenges us to consider the impact our lifestyles have on the environment, and to care for God’s creation. ‘Soul Restoration’ prioritises spiritual rest and restoration, helping us see this as part of God’s design for our lives. Flexible enough to be suitable for groups and also for a day-retreat, this programme cultivates the space in which to spend guided time in prayer and in Bible study, as well as the freedom to rest in the Lord’s presence.

Many of these programmes are accompanied by downloadable PowerPoints found on the website. Inspirations also includes a selection of beautiful poems, a range of themed worship music (which can also be found as a playlist on Spotify), instructions for crafts designed to restore unwanted items, and a guide to creating a Restore-themed prayer space.

Inspirations has been designed to resource leaders in their service of, and devotion to, Jesus Christ across the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and beyond. Inspirations is about motivating women to go deeper in their faith and to live lives that intentionally draw others towards the heart of God.

“Inspirations is about motivating women to go deeper in their faith...”

Ordering Inspirations You can purchase our Inspirations resources from www.presbyterianireland.org/inspirations or through the Presbyterian Women office – pw@presbyterianireland.org or +44 (0)28 9041 7256.

Inspirations costs £7/€8, and a free pdf version is available with every copy purchased.

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Libby Russell, Leckpatrick PW, Strabane Leckpatrick PW Group has used Inspirations to plan a wide variety of women’s ministry events, from church services to monthly group meetings, to informal summer nights of fellowship. As the style of the publication has evolved, we have found it has become more user-friendly with helpful suggestions for leaders that help add variety to the programmes. Some can be used just as they are written, which has encouraged more participation from those who might otherwise shy away from involvement.

The supporting PowerPoints and new playlists that are now available online are also extremely useful. All the components needed to create a well-balanced meeting of prayer, praise and fellowship are in Inspirations.

Valerie Reid, Ardstraw PW, Omagh As group leader, I have found Inspirations to be an invaluable tool, offering a wide variety of material to help plan our monthly meetings. A favourite with many groups are the devotionals, as they are a great way to focus our thoughts on the theme. The idea behind Inspirations is to encourage us to adapt the programmes to suit each setting, as these can vary greatly. We usually begin our season with a special event or outreach. In 2018, we hosted a beauty demonstration, concluding with the excellent programme, Beautiful Women.

Taking inspiration from Wider World magazine and ideas found in Inspirations, one of our evenings was entitled, Beautiful Praise. We shared together some of our favourite hymns and Scripture passages, using poems and the YouTube video of Creation Calls. This proved to be a truly uplifting and blessed night. I would encourage you to take a prayerful look at the contents of the new Inspirations on the theme, Restore, and see how you can use it within your women’s ministry. I pray the Holy Spirit will use it to bless and encourage the women in your congregation.

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SP E C IA L HOM E P ROJ E C T

Thompson House Presbyterian Women’s Special Home project for 2019/20 will support the work of PCI’s Specialist Services - helping them deliver a high standard of care to those with addictions and offending behaviours. Suzanne Simpson spent time with Thompson House’s Director, David Farrow, and Senior Practitioner, Tim Higgins, to find out more about their work within this challenging area of social witness.

What are the principal functions of Thompson House and who are you working with?

David: Thompson House is a Probation Board for Northern Ireland-approved premises; all our residents are referred, and supervised, by a probation officer. Most fall into the high-risk category of reoffending and their offenses range from violent crimes to murder. Our job is to monitor their license conditions by: maintaining their curfews; through drugs and alcohol testing; and by ensuring they are not associating with people they shouldn’t be.

Tim: When people hear ‘hostel’ they can often think ‘half-way-house’ or a homeless hostel, but the big difference between the homeless sector and us is that, because this is a probation-approved premises, residents can’t come and go as they please. There’s a specific focus for someone’s placement here. For example, to attempt to reduce their risk of reoffending and stop the cycle of offending that will lead them back to prison. There’s also the added weight of court orders they might have, as well as police and probation interest in their behaviour. Our residents are coming from chaotic backgrounds. The trauma they’ve suffered before they get to us is horrific. These guys have suffered all forms of abuse and neglect.

programme, taking methadone or subutex to help them come off heroin, and we help support them in that.

If a resident comes to us from prison with a heroin addiction, the first 28 days are crucial. We really have to monitor them closely as that is when they’re at the highest risk of dying from an overdose, because the strength of heroin in prison is weaker than it is on the street. They think they’re taking the same amount but they’re taking more. We have lost four people to drugs overdoses in here in six years. So, we do a very particular risk assessment for people who are addicted and monitor them closely, with five room checks a day. The first one, between 8-9am, is literally to make sure they’ve survived the night. Another four during the day ensure that they’re ok. Drug addiction really is the biggest challenge for us.

How does the team in Thompson House support the reintegration of the residents?

T: I love that first day of someone arriving here. I introduce myself and they introduce themselves, then I’ll show them around and we’ll have a cup of tea together. I’m not in uniform, I’m casually clothed, and, although there’ll always be a slight power dynamic that I don’t think we’ll ever be able to break because they know they’re here on some sort of conditions, I D: There are very few of our think the atmosphere that is residents who have come from created here breaks down some a stable, two parent family. Most boundaries. They’ve come out of have come through the Care an institution that’s called them system. One of our residents “Because the Presbyterian a number, labelled them, and grew up in a home where there we, all of a sudden, call them by was domestic violence. He Church in Ireland has this their first name. There’s a level witnessed his mum being beaten by different men before escaping ministry, we have the chance to of freedom that we encourage them to feel with their room and to various women’s refuges with their identity, which does them tell our residents that ‘People her. When he was 14 years old he good. However, some of the guys was no longer classed as a minor Matter to God’.” who have been institutionalised so, while mum and the younger struggle with that freedom to children went to the refuge, the point where, sadly, they would prefer to be a number and he couldn’t go with her; he had to go into the Care system. back in the line, and that’s something we have to work with Traumatised and unable to cope, before long he entered the as well. prison system and ended up with us. Not many people wake up in the morning and think, “I’ll drink myself into the street D: Probation tell me that 80% of their clients are recalled and then I’ll inject heroin until I end up in prison.” It’s an back into prison for breaching their license conditions. Only accumulation of all the experiences they’ve had and these 25% of our residents are called back, so we’re having a higher are their attempts to ‘escape’. By the time they realise where success rate than normal probation out there. Thompson it’s taken them, it’s too late. They’re addicted, they’ve been to House does work! prison and they’ve lost their families. These are the kinds of lives that we’re dealing with.

What do you think is the biggest challenge that your staff team face in Thompson House?

D: Addiction is a big challenge. 76% of probation clients have alcohol and drug addiction, so, at least 76% of our residents do. Part of their conditions will be that they have to attend drugs outreach, drugs counselling or community addiction teams. Also, they’ll be on the substitute prescription

How have you experienced God’s hand on the work of Thompson House?

D: ‘God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.’ (Psalm 46:1) We see it time and time again in here. We opened in 1984 and we work with high-risk offenders, and yet, in nearly 35 years, only three members of staff have ever been assaulted.

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SP E C IA L HOM E P ROJ E C T We have been protected all the way through. I would be confident that residents would help me if I was in a difficult situation We have their respect, and God is there protecting us.

“Our residents are coming from chaotic backgrounds.”

T: I am one of those three. The guy was clearly in the midst of a psychotic episode but nothing bad happened to me because two other residents prevented it. We’re one of six probation placements in the country and, when we meet the managers of those, it’s clear that three incidents of violence against staff in 35 years isn’t the norm. In those other places, there are, unfortunately, far more instances of staff being attacked.

It seems too much of a coincidence for me that every Wednesday our team pray together for the safety of staff and for our residents and there are a limited amount of incidents.

How is the Christian ethos of the House communicated to the residents and what impact have you seen this having on their lives?

D: Residents know we’re a Christian organisation and, as they relax into it, we get questions like, “Why do Christians want to help me?” or “Why would you want to work with somebody like me?” They are being respected here and they want to know why. When we meet them, we’re not meeting the person who committed a crime, we’re meeting ‘Tommy’ and he knows that too. We engage with him in a way that tells him that he’s a real person to us, and to other Christians, and to the wider church, and he will experience that throughout his placement here. Because the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has this ministry, we have the chance to tell our residents that ‘People Matter to God’.

T: We’re in the process of organising another Life Explored course for the residents. It’s voluntary but it’s surprising how many come. I think they have an idea of what a Christian is in their head – a ‘do-gooder’. In those first days, we can seem a bit ‘do-goodery’, but as they see us work professionally and non-judgmentally, it’s amazing how those God-conversations can come.

In the last Life Explored course, a guy told me that he prays for the people he has hurt every morning when he wakes up and every night before he goes to sleep. He asks God to forgive him and he prays for his own family too.

During a group discussion, he said, “How do you have a relationship with God? I couldn’t keep that up. I couldn’t do that.” I told him, “You told me you pray every morning and night. You’re talking to God more than I am at times!

You have a relationship with God!” His eyes were wide as the realisation dawned. He was talking to God. He was forming a relationship with him. He was starting to see that Christianity isn’t what he thought it was. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a million times in here: “I tried to believe in God but I couldn’t keep it up.” The residents know the ‘God story’ but it’s been told in such a way that they think it’s for some people and not for others.

D: This past Christmas, more than any other, was brilliant! I was getting thanked for gifts with hugs and handshakes and I was able to say that those gifts were sent by Presbyterian Women Groups from different churches. So now our residents know Christians are interested in them. People they’ve never met have actually cared enough to send them a Christmas gift. That will have positive repercussions for the Life Explored course and Bible studies. They’ll want to come now because people have shown them practical love. Francis of Assisi said, ‘Preach the gospel and use words if you must.’

These gifts just spoke volumes to the residents. That’s why I joined the Presbyterian Church. I thought, if PCI are going to do work like this then I want to be a part of it. The beauty of it is the freedom to do this work in God’s name, not to the glory of anyone else: it’s to the glory of God.

Prayer Points

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Give thanks for the fact that Thompson House is trusted to be funded by the government and yet we are able to share our faith. Give thanks that the reputation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in social issues is so good that we have the opportunity to show Christ’s love in Thompson House.

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here.

Pray that residents will experience the love of God in Thompson House, and want to know Him more because of what they see and experience

3

Pray for strength and continued safety for the staff team here. We can get exhausted working with some residents who throw everything back at us negatively. It takes its toil both emotionally and, physically.

4

Pray for us to have wisdom to know when to talk to residents about God and run Life Explored courses. And, when dealing with issues, of addiction or drug abuse.

You can learn more about Presbyterian Women Special Projects for 2019/20 by visiting www.presbyterianireland.org/pw/specialprojects 08 | Wider World Summer 19

Annual Conference 2019

Sharing Scriptures in a Gabraa village

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G L OBA L

Growing The

Light of Dawn

Serving among the semi-nomadic Gabraa people in the Northern Frontier District of Kenya, Amos Kennedy has experienced more than most 22 year-olds as he shares the gospel around the villages and schools in this punishing landscape. A keen photographer, he has captured the life of the Gabraa through both words and pictures.

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orking with Africa Inland Mission, I’m based out of a settlement called Dukana, on the Ethiopian border, alongside missionaries Eddie and Rachel Andersen, who have lived here among the Gabraa for ten years. My main ministries have been going out to villages twenty or more miles from here, in the foraa (wilderness), to do community Bible studies in three or four places a week, as well as teaching Christian Religious Education in boys’ primary and secondary A young herd boy schools.

Dukana is 1,000km (a 2-3 day drive) from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Afternoon temperatures can reach beyond 40°C and the average annual rainfall in the area is between 150 and 200mm. When rain does come, it is often unevenly and unreliably distributed, with one place receiving it all in an entire week while others get none in several years. As a result, the land that the Gabraa inhabit is one of the harshest and least populated areas in Africa.

This people group numbers roughly 89,000 in total between Kenya and Ethiopia, the majority of whom spend their lives herding animals (camels, goats and sheep) in search of wells and grazing lands, which are scarce. Roughly a third claim Islam or Roman Catholicism as their faith, often in a nominal manner, but most practice traditional religion. Traditional religion supposes there is some form of deity out there somewhere: what the Gabraa call, Waaqa, who keeps himself at a distance. However, Waaqa may punish you or your family if you fail to keep certain traditions, for example, failing to conduct sorioo – a sacrificial ritual which occurs three times a year.

“God is slowly opening their eyes and hearts to the gospel.”

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Within Gabraa tradition, there is a religious sect called the Ayanaa, which is closed off to outsiders. They live in villages of their own, to which we are denied entry, and refuse any offers of help we give. Eddie tells the story of when, on one occasion, he was given permission to enter one of these villages to see an old man who was very sick. Knowing what the cause of his illness was, Eddie told the man that if he let him help he would get better. However, the old man said that if help were given to him in Jesus’ name he would refuse it. He died soon after. There is such a real fear of this distant entity that it keeps many people practising traditional religion, even if they claim to be Muslim or Catholic.

Reading the Psalms

A Gabraa elder in traditional clothing

Historically, the gospel first came to the Gabraa around fifty years ago. For the next thirty or forty years, there were only seventy or so believers. There was a definite lack of interest in the gospel, and those who brought it were not warmly welcomed. For many years, the few missionaries working tirelessly saw little fruit. However, seeds were being sown for future harvest and, since 2010, the next generation of missionaries have seen more Gabraa trust in the Lord than ever before. God is slowly opening their eyes and hearts to the gospel and, at present, it is estimated there are around three hundred believers. Spiritual restoration is an arduous process, especially in a context where an entire people-group are brand new to the gospel, but we trust that the Lord is faithful and good to gather in this harvest of new believers.

Chai drinking in the late evening

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Providing a small ola with a few hundreds litres of water

A woman draws water

“...we trust that the Lord is faithful and good to gather in this harvest of new believers.”

God is continuing to grow his church. As hearts become receptive to the Word of God, an increasing number of people come to our daily morning devotions, a few more attend church, and villages in other parts of the region are requesting community development surveys and community Bible studies.

During one of these community outreaches, we sat around wooden homesteads in the dark of night, only able to see by the moonlight as the camels and donkeys groaned in the distance. Cowhide was laid on the ground at the side of a rounded home, as an old man appeared, feeling his way with a stick and struggling to find his way back to the spot where he had been lying. He called to me and said, “Amos, I am blind.” He had apparently gone blind four years ago, having spent his whole life herding animals in the desert with nothing to shield his eyes from the bright sun: the toll rendering him blind. What struck me was how this man’s existence is like that of people who don’t yet know the love of God. They are blind to their sins, and to their need for a Saviour. They struggle through life in darkness like the old man, because, without the cross, there is no light. But, when their eyes are opened, and the blind are made to see, true restoration found only in Jesus comes flooding in like the light of the dawn on the first Easter morning.

It has been a very busy six months here; full of new experiences and a lot of learning. It hasn’t been easy at times.

Unexpected trials show up in many different ways. However, through it all, I can say with Paul, ‘For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’

(2 Corinthians 12:10)

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R E A L S TOR I E S

A place for everyone

An increasing number of families are coming to our churches who have children with additional needs. In light of this, the Council for Congregational Life and Witness has been running events called My Place to enable us to help these families to know that church is a place where they can find support and be part of a Christian community in which they are truly welcome.

Ruth Bromley, PCI’s Children’s Development Officer, explains the heart behind My Place.

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e want children with additional needs to know that they have a place in our church communities, in worship and in children’s ministry. In 1 Corinthians 12:22, Paul writes, ‘The parts of the body which seem to be weaker are all the more necessary.’ With this in mind, it is so important that we help families who are dealing with extra issues and needs to feel included in the service on Sunday morning and in the children’s ministry. We want everyone to have the opportunity to experience being part of a worshipping church family and to grow into fully devoted followers of Jesus.

My Place evenings include a mixture of biblical teaching, insights from parents, and practical suggestions from those working in the field of special education, designed to explore ways of including children with additional needs in worship and children’s ministry. Jesus used children to teach kingdom truth: “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:15). He wants children to be themselves in his presence, and he wants us to make it easy for them to enter his presence. This may mean that our Church’s vision needs to change so that children who don’t ‘fit’ traditional rhythms can be involved, valued and enabled.

“He wants children to be themselves in his presence, and he wants us to make it easy for them to enter his presence.”

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Involving parents of children with special needs in My Place creates space for personal explorations of the Sunday morning experience. At a My Place event held in Ballydown Presbyterian Church, Lara Maclean shared her experience of attending church with her son, Archie, who has additional needs.

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“...we are constantly bursting with pride when we see how far Archie has come and how many prayers God has faithfully answered.”

o give you some background, Archie was born at 31 weeks and, at 10 weeks old, suffered a haemorrhage in the area of his brain that affects speech and memory. The news was devastating. The bleed caused him to have around ten seizures a day and we spent six months of his first year in hospital with him. Archie is now 8 years old and hasn’t had seizures in four years. In spite of what was communicated in those early days, we have seen significant healing for Archie. Having been told he would probably never walk, Archie walked when he was four, and his speech and language is developing well. We know that God’s hand has been on him in so many different ways throughout his life already.

However, we do grieve for what Archie can’t do, and there are difficult days when I feel it’s easier to stay at home where his disabilities aren’t as obvious, and we are less stressed and less exposed. And yet, we are constantly bursting with pride when we see how far Archie has come and how many prayers God has faithfully answered.

Our current challenge with Archie is transition: moving from one place to another. Archie likes buses, traffic lights and trees, all of which are available on our way to church! So I find that we are contending with a lot getting there, which can cause stress levels to be high before we even enter the building. Recently, after a difficult transition, we were coming into church and a member of the welcome team said, “I’m so glad you’re here.” That was such an encouragement. He also asked, “What’s the best way for me to greet Archie?” It’s these sorts of questions that mean so much to me.

We were very keen for Archie to be in Sunday School with his own peer group and have really been supported in this. His teachers came to our house before it started in September in order to get to know him and his needs better in his own environment. They have created a store of toys for Archie to use when he loses concentration, and he has a one-to-one helper. The teachers also explained to the other children about Archie before he started with the group. They told them about his needs and his abilities, and this helped to remove any element of ‘fear’ that they might have had. The wonderful thing is that we get regular feedback from his teachers, and knowing that he is already developing friendships allows me to relax and engage better with the service.

If I was to give advice to a church who is welcoming in families who have children with additional needs, I would tell them to think beyond the structures and routines that are already in place. All the kids pouring out of church and into Sunday School at the same time is too much for Archie. It is important to find ways to make those traditional transitions easier for children who would struggle with all the sounds and movement. Getting to know the child and their family is also necessary. Most importantly, see the child first and then the disability.

See the small details about the child so you can celebrate their victories, and learn how to pray for them and praise God with them when you see those prayers answered.

Continued overleaf 15

Graham Hawthorne is the Head of Senior School in Roddensvale School, Larne, and part of the My Place team. Here, he shares three key points for churches seeking to be intentional in their provision for families with children who have special needs.

Be Welcoming -

Keep it Simple 90% of children with additional needs have communication difficulties. What we could see as a failure to behave properly is often a failure to communicate properly.

Having children with additional needs in your group is a reminder that being a child of God is not a matter of our works, but of God’s grace.

- Explore the child’s abilities, not their disabilities.

- Children with disabilities and additional needs should be with children of the same age group.

- Start where the child/young person is, not where you wish they were.

- Use communication they can succeed with: pictures and pointing may be your launch point.

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Make sure you have content worth the effort of communicating. Remember to: a. Comment, not question b. Use the child’s interest to make a connection c. Set small steps towards communication d. Recognise the positives

Visual aids are useful to sign-post activities and help the child’s understanding of what is expected. For example: - First and then - Taking turns - Stop sign - All done

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Love the Family Parent or carer support is vital. Be willing to accept and ask for advice, and show professionalism in the work you are doing.

It is imperative to establish and develop these relationships. You must feel comfortable talking with them and they must feel confident in you.

Side by Side

Living for Jesus

Biblical examples of people walking together in faith should encourage everyone in women’s ministry to live for Jesus side by side, no matter what the age gap, writes Pauline Kennedy

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e need each other. Along the way we may have had someone in our lives who has had enormous influence on our walk with God. Perhaps they have helped us grow in faith, or when life was hard and we needed wisdom and guidance. It’s good to have someone with whom we can be completely honest.

When I think about how I grew most as a young Christian woman I think of different women who had been walking the path of faith that little bit longer than me and who gently offered me godly guidance and prayers, and pointed me to God’s Word as I took my first steps of faith. I am thankful for those who have continued to come alongside me on this journey of faith, for the love they offer and challenge they bring.

In the life of our congregations, women’s ministry is one area where we come alongside one another so that we can grow together in following Jesus. As we get to know each other’s stories, side by side, we find support, challenge and encouragement through relationships that go deeper than small talk. In a meeting of hearts and minds, we share life together and find ourselves better able to know life in Christ.

Sometimes, one barrier to the growth of women’s ministry is generational separation; where age divides and older and younger women struggle to find time to be together, to embrace each other and learn from each other in a way that is reflective of what God intended. Perhaps it’s time to be intentional about creating more opportunities within our women’s ministry where older and younger women share together and do life alongside those who have different life experiences. It’s good to stop and think when we are planning for the women in our congregations and, rather than over-programme, find ways to move towards others in order to encourage and build each other up.

Life is good, but life is also hard and it was never God’s intention for us to manage it alone. We live in a world of social networks with communication at our fingertips, but it is said that people have never felt so alone, isolated and disconnected.

We are incredibly busy, and this in turn puts a strain on our ability to develop intentional spirit-filled relationships. At times, the consumerism mentality is adopted and we are spoilt for choice by the menu of activities and programmes, even within our women’s groups. As a result, women rush in and out of meetings and perhaps have little time to really get to know each other.

Often, women are not always looking for more information, or even more meetings, but are longing for someone who has walked the path of faith to come alongside them as they walk theirs.

In Christ we are called to come alongside others and God has put his Spirit within us giving us gifts ‘for the common good’ (1 Corinthians 12:7). He longs for us to help each other grow in trust and in his word, to share our lives regardless of our age or stage in life, always leaving the results to God. Maybe you are doing this already. If so, encourage others to do the same. Or maybe you’re thinking that you could never do that, or what wisdom or encouragement from your life would you have to offer? Let’s not allow our fears and feelings of inadequacy rob us and others of benefitting from a closer walk with God. When God blesses us through the influence of others, it is so that we, in turn, can draw alongside others to pass that blessing on. In the Bible we see the power of drawing side by side in Christian relationship. Jesus himself did it. He came to serve rather than be served and he did it side by side as he shared his life up close with Peter, James and John. Naomi and Ruth challenged and encouraged one another to live out God’s purposes for their lives across the generations. Paul challenged Titus to encourage older women to model godly living so as to inspire the younger women in the church.

Paul reminds the church at Thessalonica of the importance of investing in, ‘encouraging one another and building each other up, just as in fact you are doing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Sometimes they were doing it, but they still needed the reminder to keep going, not to let it slip, to find fresh ways of sharing God together in life related ways. How like us today. Let’s ask God to help us catch a fresh vision to live out our ordinary everyday lives serving him side by side.

This autumn the Side by Side events offer an opportunity to emphasise, explore and express this aspect of what it means to be women together for Christ and his church. Together, we will begin to explore a variety of expressions of what this can look like in your church for women of all ages and stages of life.

Pauline Kennedy is responsible for supporting the ministry of Presbyterian Women and assisting in the development of strategy and coordination of women’s ministry generally.

17

A Deep

Longing In the last of her devotionals, Valerie Murphy provides us with the opportunity to press pause and explore Hannah’s desire not only for a longed for child, but also for a longed for movement of God that would redeem her fallen Nation.

READ: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10, 3:1-21; 1 Chronicles 6:31-38

There was an irony about the situation in the home of Elkanah. He had two wives. Peninnah was feisty and sharp with her words, and the one who had given him his precious children. Hannah was different: quiet, God-fearing and the love of his life. The great sadness was she was childless. It was difficult for her at the best of times, but when they went up to the Tabernacle three times a year for the Annual Feasts, and Elkanah would bring Peninnah’s sons with him to serve in song as he fulfilled his Levitical duties, the situation would become unbearable. Peninnah would taunt her cruelly; reminding her of her childlessness, and Hannah would simply weep, unable to eat or drink. Elkanah tried to console her with words of comfort and gifts, but nothing brought her peace. Each wife had what the other wanted: Peninnah wanted to be loved and Hannah wanted a son.

1. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt distress and sadness like Hannah? What was the core issue that made you feel that way? What were the trigger factors?

2. How did other people make the situation worse?

3. In what ways did those close to you try to be helpful?

Summer 1919 18 | Wider World Spring

DE VOT IONA L

‘Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.’ 1 Samuel 1:10

“Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” (1 Samuel 1:28a)

In this story there is a turning point. It starts with three words. ‘Then Hannah rose…’ (1 Samuel 1:9a) For her, it was time to act, and that meant going into the presence of God and opening up her heart to him. The Bible tells us she ‘poured out her soul’ (1 Samuel 1:15). She emptied all that was hidden in there before the Lord of Hosts and let it all tumble out in her tears.

But as she prays, her words unexpectedly start to shock us. In her asking for a much longed-for child, she makes a profound promise to God. At first, it even seems she is bargaining with him. If God will give her this son she so wants, she will hand him back to God and consecrate him to a lifetime in God’s service. In this moment, we start to see into the heart of this remarkable woman.

The baby boy is called Samuel; reminding Hannah every day that this child was asked of the Lord, and calling her to remember her vow to give him back every time she says his name. As she fed him, changed him, taught him to walk, and heard him say his first words, it is hard to know what thoughts must have gone through her mind. Hannah finally weans her son, and, faithful to her promise, she heads out for the Tabernacle with her young son and a three year old bull walking beside them that she plans to offer as a sacrifice to God. She presents the child to Eli, reminding him of her prayer, and the chapter ends with the words, ‘And he [Samuel] worshipped the Lord there.’ (1 Samuel 1:28b)

‘Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.’ 1 Samuel 3:1b Hannah lived in difficult times. Israel was ruled by judges, and there had been a downward spiral in the nation as people increasingly did what was right in their own eyes. God’s voice was not being listened to and so he rarely spoke. Eli, the High Priest, had become lax, and his ‘priestly’ sons lived unchecked as corrupt and worthless men. As Eli watches Hannah’s silent agonising before God, he accuses her of being drunk, such is his lack of any real spiritual discernment (1 Samuel 1:12-15).

Every year, as Hannah attended the Feasts, she longed that she could have raised a son who would stand in the presence of God with Elkanah, and lead worship as the great Feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles were celebrated. She looked around her at the lack of any true religious zeal and her heart ached to see God move once again among his people. So this is what she asks for. Her request is not for herself: it is for God. Hannah’s desire for a son, and God’s need for a man who would listen, meet in this moment, and God prepares to answer her prayer. She leaves his presence, not pregnant, but completely transformed. Her tears are dried and her appetite is restored. Not long after her return home, she discovers her first child is on its way.

1. Reflect back on a time that was a turning point in your life.

Or are you in the middle of a situation where it is time to say, “Enough is enough!”? Where do your struggles tend to drive you – towards God or away from him?

2. As you pour out your complaint and distress to God, what is the core motivation of your praying? Is it for your own comfort or is it for the furthering of God’s kingdom and name?

3 How does praying transform you, even when your circumstances do not change?

“My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong.” (1 Samuel 2:1a) How the next chapter begins is the most telling of all.

As Samuel stands worshipping in God’s presence, and as Hannah faces the reality of being separated from her child, she once again enters God’s presence. But, this time, she is not in distress. Her thoughts are not for the enormity of her sacrifice in leaving her son in the hands of an ungodly priest.

This time, from a full heart, she pours out her adoration and worship to the God who has heard her prayer and given her a son who could serve him.

One night, as Samuel lies in the Tabernacle near to the Ark of God, the place where God’s presence rested, a voice calls into the darkness, “Samuel! Samuel!” In his naivety, the boy thinks it is Eli and runs to find out what he wants.

Finally, Eli realises that God is speaking. Speaking not to him, the High Priest, but to this young child. Hannah’s prayers are fully answered. The Word of the Lord is once again being heard in Israel, because her son is listening.

Further Study 1. How costly do you think it was for Hannah to follow through on her vow that she made to God? 2. What excuses could she have made to prevent her from having to hand over her son?

3. As followers of Jesus, how deeply are our desires connected to the purposes of God? How could we make this more the pattern of our lives?

19

Jubilee RESTORING THE YEAR OF

Having first joined Tearfund in 2010 as a Specialist Volunteer Manager, Ruth Koch became Head of UK Volunteering, developing projects like Tearfund’s Big Bake campaign and Enough Food IF, before being appointed Tearfund’s Northern Ireland Director in September 2017. Here, she shares her passion for churches restoring both justice and freedom to transform the lives of people living in poverty.

2018 marked fifty years since Tearfund was founded. Then known as The Evangelical Alliance Relief Fund, it was borne out of Christians across the UK feeling compelled to respond to the 1968 Biafra crisis in Nigeria. After eight years of working for Tearfund, I have seen first-hand how we are following Jesus where the need is greatest, working through local churches to release their God-given potential.

Motivated by the relentless love of Jesus, we believe an end to extreme poverty is possible and, in our 50th year, we are declaring that we won’t stop until poverty stops. In Leviticus 25:10, the 50th year is declared the year of Jubilee; ‘Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants.’ Poverty thrives when relationships are broken, so the provision of Jubilee enables God’s people to flourish through the restoration of their relationships with God, each other and creation.

In the past fifty years, through the work of our partners, we have made great progress in the fight against poverty. In the last ten years alone, 300 local, national and international policies have been changed; 13 million people have benefitted from our disaster relief work; and 32 million people have been reached through community development work. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has been part of Tearfund’s journey for many years; most recently through its support for our East Africa Appeal. The money raised by PCI enabled us to reach 77,845 people affected by famine and drought across East Africa, and help to restore hope in lives that had been hopeless.

Jubilee is about celebrating the beauty of justice, redemption and restoration, liberation and renewal. Isaiah 61:1-3 declares: The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zionto bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes...

Although much progress has been made, and we have seen millions of lives restored in the past 50 years, there is still more to do. It is often said that, ‘global poverty bears a woman’s face.’ 70% of those living in poverty around the world are women, with more than half a million dying in pregnancy and childbirth each year.

Women around the world are subjected to sexual and gender-based violence, especially those living in areas experiencing conflict, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. But, there is hope for women in that country. Let me share a beautiful story of restoration with you...

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I N SP I R AT ION

“...the provision of Jubilee enables God’s people to flourish through the restoration of their relationships with God, each other and creation.”

Birungi is one of hundreds of thousands of women who have been released from material and spiritual poverty over the past fifty years. As a young girl living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, her life was beginning to follow a familiar pattern. In a country where only 28% of girls attend high school, Birungi had to stay at home to look after her siblings instead of gaining an education. She knew that, when the time came, she would marry a man chosen for her- becoming his property. However, Birungi was offered a lifeline and was able to attend a training centre run by Tearfund’s local partner, Action Entraide.

Birungi excelled. Armed with a new set of skills and a sewing machine, she set up a successful tailoring business. As she spent time with her teachers, she also grew in her faith and understanding of God. She began to believe in herself; becoming confident in her identity as a precious child of God. Birungi became a role model in her community: a beautiful, empowered, Godly woman. She says, “I long to see other girls restored and set free.” Her relationship with God, and with herself, has been restored. She has been released from poverty and God has bestowed on her ‘a crown of beauty instead of ashes.’

A restored life like Birungi’s shows us that, through God, an end to extreme poverty is possible. Prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have; it underpins everything we do to see people like Birungi released from poverty and their relationship with God restored, so they can unlock their God-given potential. I know praying for the world can sometimes feel overwhelming but www.tearfund.org/pray has resources to help guide you or your PW Group in prayer.

Research recently commissioned by Tearfund found that Northern Ireland is one of the most prayerful regions in the UK. We would love Presbyterian Women to join us in prayer for a better, more just, world where relationships are restored and lives are changed. We won’t stop until poverty stops.

Praise God for all the lives restored in the past fifty years, and pray for our staff and partners as they do all they can to see an end to extreme poverty.

Give thanks for Birungi and pray that others like her would have their relationship with God restored and be released from extreme poverty to be role models for others.

Pray for all those who are living through conflict, that they would feel God’s love and protection and that peace and unity would be restored in their nations.

21

Website: www.margaretfeinberg.com featuring her popular podcast, The Joycast.

Instagram: @margaretfeinberg

Taste and See Margaret Feinberg is a speaker at churches and conferences, such as Catalyst, Thrive, and Women of Joy, whose books have sold more than one million copies and received critical acclaim. She lives in Utah with her husband, Leif, who pastors a local campus, and their dog, Hershey. Over the next three issues of Wider World, she will be sharing from her new book, Taste and See: Discovering God Among Butchers, Bakers, and Fresh Food Makers, and reflecting on her experiences of God’s call to taste and see His goodness.

Tell us a little about why you decided to go on a food odyssey with God in ‘Taste and See’.

My husband and I have the privilege of serving the local church in Utah, and I’ve been writing and speaking for more than 20 years. Several years ago, I wrote the book and Bible study, Scouting the Divine: My Search for God in Wine, Wool, and Wild Honey. I spent time with shepherds, beekeepers, farmers, and vintners and opened up the Scriptures and asked, “How do you read these passages in light of what you do every day?” Their answers changed the way I read the Bible forever.

When I finished that project, I was undone by all I learned but also sensed I wasn’t done. That provided the genesis for the Bible study, Taste and See: Discovering God Among Butchers, Bakers, and Fresh Food Makers. I wanted to create a spiritual travel and food guide that ensured you never read the Bible the same way again; or eat bread or olives the same way, for that matter! I descended 410 feet down a salt mine, fished on the Sea of Galilee, spent time with a famous fig farmer, brought in an olive harvest in Croatia and even graduated with a Steakology 101 certificate after studying under a Texas butcher.

22 | Wider World Summer 19

RECIPES

How have these journeys helped you see the food of the Bible in a new light?

If you start to look for food in the Bible, you’ll discover it pops and sizzles on almost every page. In the opening pages of Genesis, God lays out creation like a heavenly buffet and Adam and Eve are invited to feast on everything good: ‘Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”’ (Genesis 1:29) Only one food, a particular fruit, is off limits, and yet the original couple bite into the temptation (Genesis 3:6). One might think God would make food a dark thing because of this, but instead God redeems food just as he does us.

So many miracles involve food: manna flavoured with olive oil (Exodus 16:4, Numbers 11:8); the widow’s overflowing oil (2 Kings 4); even the Promised Land is described as a ‘Michelin starred’ buffet with figs, dates, pomegranates, grapes, olives, wheat and barley. When Jesus arrives, he identifies himself with sheep, vines, living water, and the bread of life.

And when he returns, we will partake in the marriage supper of the Lamb. The Son of God is even described as someone who knocks on the doors of our souls, so we’ll invite him in for supper: ‘Here I am!

I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.’ (Revelation 3:20) As children of God, our story begins with food, continues with food, and concludes with food. For many of us who have struggled with food, whether eating disorders, food addiction, allergies, yo-yo dieting, or shame regarding eating, the Bible reveals food as part of God’s redemptive purposes. That’s a message we all need to discover!

Looking back, what is your favourite food experience and why?

I grew up on a boat in remote areas of the Caribbean, and we were dependent on the ocean for food. On my eighth birthday, I speared my first lobster (yum, yum). If we didn’t catch anything, we survived on canned foods only. That type of subsistence living helped me learn our dependence on God for food.

Thai Green Prawn Curry You may not have easy access to lobster (or a spear, for that matter!), so here’s a great Thai Green Prawn Curry recipe to reflect Margaret’s childhood food memory:

Hands-on time: 30mins Ingredients • 2 onions, finely sliced • 3 tablespoons Thai green curry paste • 1 red chilli, sliced • 20g fresh ginger, grated • 400ml tin light coconut milk • 2 pak choi, sliced • 300g peeled king prawns • 1½ tablespoons fish sauce • Grated zest and juice 1 lime, plus wedges or halves to serve • Bunch fresh coriander, chopped • Steamed or boiled rice to serve Method 1. Heat a splash of oil in a large deep frying pan or wok over a medium heat and fry the onions for 5 minutes until starting to soften.

2. Stir in the curry paste, chilli and ginger, then stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

3. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer, then add the pak choi, prawns, fish sauce, lime zest and juice, and gently cook for 5 minutes.

4. Stir in most of the coriander, then serve with steamed rice, the rest of the coriander and lime wedges.

23

Faith Journeys with Barbara McMullen

Barbara McMullen explores the threads that God has woven together to create her personal tapestry of faith in the first of our new season of faith journeys.

WE ALL HAVE A FAITH STORY. A woven picture of our journey. Where does mine start? There are brightly coloured threads right at the beginning. Threads from faithful Sunday school teachers, patient G.B. officers and caring Youth Club leaders. All of whom embroidered the message of Jesus on my, sometimes unyielding, fabric.

IT WASN’T UNTIL MY TEENS that I consciously lifted the needle of faith myself. The stitches were not always neat or even, but the picture was now personal.

Student life at Stranmillis brought a vibrancy of new opportunities and new challenges. Throughout, God was steadfast in linking and developing the growing tapestry of my Christian witness. At the same time, he was stretching me and shaping me to ultimately surrender all of the fabric of my life to the sovereignty of Christ.

That led to teaching in China: bringing new and unfamiliar embellishments to the picture he was weaving. The golden yarn of full dependency on my Saviour was introduced, bringing a richness to all the other threads.

GOD WAS FAITHFUL as the sewing continued in Tearfund, in marriage, in family life, in teaching and in church. Sometimes, it seemed as if the work on the fabric was stagnant. At other times, a black thread could be seen. Moreover, there have always been mistakes. UNPICKING CAN BE HARD WORK, but God lovingly corrects his children. Alternatively, what seemed to be a disaster eventually turned into a beautifully intricate part of the design. God’s hand on my hand does that. The secret is in the secret place. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe - people and things, animals and atoms - get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

(Colossians 1: 18-20 MSG) The exciting part is that neither he, nor I, have finished creating my life’s tapestry. RETIREMENT DOES NOT BRING AN END. There are always new patterns to be learnt and unknown stitches to master.

B O OK R E V I E W

Trust Me ...EVEN WHEN LIFE IS DIFFICULT

After pouring over Verna Birkey’s 1990’s book, If God Is In Control, Why Is My World Falling Apart?, Heather Craig & Claire McCarey knew they had to bring the truths about God contained within it to a new audience. They have shared their journey to bring Trust Me into existence and what they have learned about trusting in God even when life is difficult.

“Our hope is to see people of all ages gathering in groups to work through this book together.”

Trust Me is available in both print and ebook versions from Amazon & other online retailers as well as through the publisher’s own website www.redemption-press.com. It can also be purchased or ordered through your local Christian bookshop.

For more information email: trustme@belfastcollective.com

25

O

ur lives are filled with great highs and great lows. There is so much to be thankful for but, at the same time, so much we are unsure of and fearful about. As Christians, we often experience the same fear, stress and anxiety that is so common in our culture today. In these times, questions come. “Can I trust God?” “Is God always good?” “Is he in control?”

These questions and emotions are what led us to search out material we could use with women in our Bible study groups. We had been involved in leading small groups in our church for several years and, as we studied God’s Word together, and shared our circumstances with one another, these questions about God kept emerging.

An older friend recommended a book called, If God is in Control, Why is My World Falling Apart?’written in 1990 by Verna Birkey. Verna had come to Northern Ireland in the early 1990’s to speak at Feminine Focus retreats and teach her workshop, ‘Enriched Living’. Her book influenced many women and, as we read it for the first time, we knew that we also needed to learn the truths communicated.

We discovered that the book was out of print, so we ordered second-hand copies. When we received the books, we were amazed to see that one of the copies had been read by someone from Northern Ireland, and a prayer card for a mission team that Claire had been on as a teenager was still in the book! We couldn’t believe the connection, and saw it as affirmation from God that he was about to do something special through this book.

Twice a month, we met in our Bible study groups to discuss the material and think about how it could help us in our everyday lives. Time and time again, we poured over the scriptural truths on every page and, as we sought to help each other understand what these truths meant, we found our perspectives starting to change. Everyday situations, as well as some extremely difficult circumstances women in our groups were experiencing, started to seem less hopeless, less overwhelming, when we understood them through the truth of God’s loving control.

After finishing the book, we found ourselves continuing to recount verses and encouraging one another with the truths we had learnt. So, we started to wonder what it would be like for more people to have access to it, perhaps even with some updating to make it more accessible to a wider audience. Could God be calling us to do this work?

Through a mutual friend, Pam Johnston, we were able to get in contact with Verna, who was now nearly 90 years old. Rather than be surprised by two women from Belfast having the nerve to contact her about adapting her book, she graciously and enthusiastically welcomed the opportunity for her work to reach a new generation. And so began what became a six year journey of taking this precious work of a faithful woman of God and adapting it in a way that both honours her original content while also making it more relevant for today’s world.

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At this time in our lives, we were mums of very young children, working in social work and education, and involved in church leadership along with our husbands. It should have seemed like an insurmountable task! But, if we really believed the truths that we were writing about then surely we could trust that God would provide a way for us to complete this work. We often found ourselves tired and stretched with all that comes with raising a family, pursuing our faith and building into our church.

We also experienced difficult circumstances in our own personal lives, and in our families. We walked alongside our church family as people encountered the most devastating situations life can bring. Yet, as we worked through the personal stories and biblical truths in the book, we were constantly reminded that we, and others, could experience in a very tangible way the peace and joy that comes from trusting in God. A core verse from the book came to be a constant encouragement that we would express to one another: ‘And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.’ (Romans 8:28 (NLT)) This incredible promise from God tells us that, as his children, his control over our lives is absolute. Although God does not cause the difficult circumstances we experience, we know that everything we experience has been filtered through his loving will for our lives. Everything he has allowed he has promised he will use for our good. But what is this ‘good’? Is it that we will get all we want or that our lives will never be difficult? No. God knows that what is best for us is to be conformed to the likeness of his Son. He knows that the more we become like Jesus in our character and in our trust of our loving Father, that we can experience all that life throws at us with a deep peace and joy and assurance of God’s love.

Sometimes we get to see a direct outworking of this promise in this life. For example, in this personal story from the book: ‘I still remember the feeling of total rejection the night my Dad threw us out of our family home. Over a period of years, we had watched our Dad move further and further away from the faith he had once passionately professed, and abandon the vows he had made before God: to love and cherish his wife and family. We were victims of these choices. The consequences were emotional and physical abuse, and, finally, total abandonment.

Growing up in this environment, I had experienced not just physical pain, but also the pain of rejection, shame, loneliness and powerlessness.

And now here we were, unsure of what the future would hold. The questions and doubts about God and his character came flooding in. Could he really be trusted? Had he really seen my pain? Did he really care?

Watching my Mum as she made difficult choices and took great steps of faith was one of the most influential things in my life at this time. She taught me much about what it means to trust in a loving God who is in control, even when we suffer at the hands of others. I now know with absolute clarity that God had a bigger plan in mind for my life, a plan that would make use of all of that pain.

“...we were constantly reminded that we, and others, could experience in a very tangible way the peace and joy that comes from trusting in God.”

As my relationship with God grew, I discovered a good, just and powerful God who had always been there and who had always seen me. He had seen my father’s ill treatment of me and of all of us. He had seen me when I lay awake frightened by what was going on in the next room.

He had seen the ways in which my father had manipulated and alienated me from good friends. He had seen the confused and hurting teenager I would become. He had seen the wounds I would carry into my adult relationships.

Though there were many negative consequences as a result of these early experiences, I can see clearly how God has used them to help me become an empathetic and compassionate person; someone that can be trusted with the secrets, pain and shame of others.

Looking back, I can see how all of these experiences have equipped me to be of help to others as I have counselled them and helped them to trust in God’s loving control.’ He had seen the wounds I would carry into my adult relationships.

Though there were many negative consequences as a result of these early experiences, I can see clearly how God has used them to help me become an empathetic and compassionate person; someone that can be trusted with the secrets, pain and shame of others. Looking back, I can see how all of these experiences have equipped me to be of help to others as I have counselled them and helped them to trust in God’s loving control.’

We may not see fully how God has worked everything together for good in this life, but when we see him face to

face, all life’s mysteries will be made plain and we will see how his love and power only worked for our good in that seemingly impossible situation. We may not always understand, but we can always trust in what he has promised.

As we have benefitted from re-working Verna’s book, we have grown increasingly passionate about other people having this material available to them. Our hope is to see people of all ages gathering in groups to work through this book together. Reading stories from the Bible and from people today. Studying the truths from God’s Word, both Old and New Testament, and helping each other apply God’s truth together. The truth that we can trust he is good and in control, even when life is difficult.

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Peter and Jayne Fleming arrived in Nepal in January 2018 and are based in Kathmandu.

Peter, who works with United Mission to Nepal as an adviser in integral development, reveals how, 4 years on from the massive earthquake that devastated the country, communities are being restored.

A

lmost eighteen months ago, Jayne and I moved from the life we had been so familiar with in Northern Ireland to Nepal; the country we had been learning about for over a year. While we gained a lot of knowledge from books, the internet and other people, setting foot in the country immediately changed second hand knowledge into a more vivid, dusty, noisy, bumpy and exhilarating reality.

Our days have been filled with enjoyment and challenge.

Jayne and I are very aware that we are guests here and our role is to serve. We find needs and issues all around us that would cause outrage at home, and know that anything we can do is small in comparison with the practical, social, emotional and spiritual needs we see. The vision of United Mission to Nepal (UMN) is to bring ‘fullness of life to all in a transformed Nepali society’ and our chief role is to live as disciples of Christ, demonstrating his grace and generosity.

UMN has been serving the people of Nepal for the last 65 years, with a strong link to the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Over these decades, there has been a succession of our members serving here and there are countless areas were the dedicated work of UMN has made an impact.

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Among the most dramatic of these in recent years is one in which members of our congregations played an important role.

On Saturday morning, 25 April 2015, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 occurred. Its epicenter was in the Gorkha district, about 100 miles from Kathmandu. Church services were just ending as, around the country, Saturday is the main day when people are off work, so the Nepali Church meets then. Offices and businesses were closed, and most people were either outside working in fields or resting in the warm weather. It was, nonetheless, a devastating natural disaster.

9,000 people were killed, 22,000 were injured and 80,000 homes were destroyed. There were landslides that wiped out whole villages. A massive avalanche on Mount Everest killed 21. In parts of the country, transport and communication in huge areas was almost impossible. Every emergency resource was stretched to breaking point.

UMN swung into action in the areas where it has had a long-term involvement and so did the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

G L OBA L M I S SION

The Moderator’s Appeal raised close to £600,000 which was divided in thirds between Christian Aid, Tearfund and UMN. Using this money, and many other gifts from Christians around the world, emergency food and equipment was distributed, and the overwhelming task of recovery and reconstruction began. The Nepali government instructed UMN to focus on schools in the North Dhading area.

Throughout the country, education for nearly one million children was completely disrupted. Over 32,000 classrooms were destroyed; 80% of school buildings in Dhading collapsed. Fifty schools were earmarked for reconstruction under the supervision of UMN and, over the past four years, this work has been progressing.

However, the work has been hugely demanding; not least because of the inaccessibility of most of these buildings.

Some can only be reached on foot, which takes two or three days. Consider the task of carrying steel work, sand, cement, doors and windows either by mules or often on the backs of porters! Another major challenge was finding those qualified to manage and oversee the work and enough skilled workers, so stonemasonry training was given to 500 people to help them build earthquake resilient homes and schools.

The project grew and, thus far, 51 schools have been completed and are now serving their communities. A further 29 are under construction and two more are soon to begin. The final number will be 82 schools (with toilets), providing a total of 200 classrooms. Throughout this period, Peter Lockwood and other UMN engineers have been visiting regularly to monitor progress and quality.

In mid-January, it was a special privilege for me to visit North Dhading and witness this work at some sites. Along with Peter, Prakash Timalsina and Julian Vander Noord (1 Nepali, 1 Australian & 2 Irish – no joke!), we walked for eight days, far away from the nearest roads. We covered almost 90 kilometres, climbed 6,856 metres, slept in very simple homes, and inspected nine school sites. The sites we visited are in the penultimate phase of the overall project.

Many schools have already been completed and handed over to management committees, but we also discovered the importance of monitoring as we came across some work that was sub-standard and had to be corrected. These are not just places for the safe education of children, but also community centres for when the next earthquake strikes. We need to accept that this is likely to happen along one of the world’s most active fault lines, so for this reason it is vital that the buildings are constructed to a suitable standard.

During those strenuous days, we had so much to be thankful for: protection in travel; health and strength;

good company and the warm and generous welcome of village people living in very basic circumstances; the beauty of the the mountains; excited children; and work progressing to provide the next generation with education. It was a humbling experience to encounter these things first hand, and see the realities of life for thousands of people who have never been given the life opportunities I have had.

This is just one brief experience of life in Nepal during the months we have lived here.

There are many others we could share. It is a window on many aspects of life: the work of UMN and the challenge of responding to great need; the toughness and quiet determination of Nepali people; and the fact that life can change so quickly. Just over a week after we left North Dhading, there was heavy rain and snow bringing a landslide close to where we had stayed that trapped two herders and their goats and sheep. These men did not survive.

Jayne and I love living in this country. We simply want to be servants of people and of the Lord. We feel motivated by the vision of UMN to bring ‘fullness of life to all in a transformed Nepali society’. We know that this is what our Lord Jesus Christ came among us to do and, therefore, his followers are called to share the same fullness of life.

It is good for us to be aware that we are following in the same path as so many partners from around the world; not least from the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

The generosity of so many in our congregations is making a difference. We want to continue following Christ’s example in all we do.

Noel Richards has captured this well in his hymn Filled with Compassion: God, You are waiting.

Your heart is breaking For all the people who live on the earth.

Stir us to action, Filled with Your passion For all the people who live on the earth.

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G RO U P N E WS

A Special Bond CONNOR PW

Flo Houston shares her thoughts on the rhythms of togetherness that have helped draw the women of Connor’s PW Group closer to one another, closer to their community and closer to God.

We’re all familiar with the saying, ‘The family who pray together, stay together.’ That is what comes to mind when I think of Connor’s PW Group. Each meeting feels like a family get-together because we are intentional about including women of all ages in our meetings and activities (it might also be because we have so many mothers and daughters in our group!).

PRAYER is central to all that we do. Our committee meets a few days before each event to pray for our members and speakers. We desire that God’s honour and glory would be evident in all that we do. Over the years, we have encouraged interaction between generations by establishing ‘prayer partners’ and ‘friendship triplets’. Anyone who wanted to be a prayer partner put her name forward to be randomly selected. They then met with their partner outside of our Group, finding ways to help and support one another in their faith journey. It was lovely to see women taking a genuine interest in each other’s burdens and purposefully asking for updates. Out of that scheme also grew a prayer text ministry that has now moved to WhatsApp! 30 | Wider World Summer 19

Similarly, the ‘friendship triplet’ was a voluntary getting-toknow-you exercise involving women, selected by the leader, who did not know each other very well, and I continue to feel a special bond with the women in my triplet.

In Connor, we are blessed to have a gifted musician and a WORSHIP leader on our committee, which means we learn many beautiful modern hymns. These times of worship always help us to focus on the fact that Presbyterian Women’s main objective is to help women live for Jesus, and this worship helps us lift our eyes to him.

“We make a conscious effort to take a fresh approach to every event and regularly ask ourselves how we can do it better.”

Even though most of us are well past our school years, we love LEARNING new things. Sometimes we learn from someone’s testimony, at other times from a time of Bible study and discussion, or by taking part ourselves in the programme. At other times, we learn more practical skills such as flower arranging, crafting or cooking. In order to provide these learning opportunities, our group could most definitely not be a ‘one-man-band.’ We have ten members on committee, each for a four-year term. Everyone is given an area of responsibility depending on their gifts and talents (we haven’t had anyone on committee who didn’t have any!), which means that no one is overburdened and there is a great sense of team work.

SERVING together is also a great way to build strong bonds with each other. Each year, we work together to organise a couple of fund-raising events to support the work of the PW Mission Fund.

Closer to home, bereaved members of our congregation or our community will often ask members of our PW Group to cater for the funeral in our church hall. At short notice, wheels are set in motion, our sleeves are rolled up, homemade baking appears, and, together with sandwiches and endless cups of tea, a peaceful, relaxed environment is created in which the grieving family can be comforted by friends and family.

Before I wrote this, I asked some of our ladies what they would like me to say about our Group. Without exception, everyone commented how much they enjoyed the FRIENDSHIP and FELLOWSHIP. For many of us, PW meetings and activities are our best opportunity to get to know other women in our congregation beyond polite greetings on a Sunday morning.

While chatting in a relaxed setting, we learn how to help and support each other.

The last words I would use to describe our group are OUTWARD LOOKING. We are never content with the status quo. We do not see ourselves as a ‘club’, rather, we are always looking for ways to welcome newcomers into our meetings and activities. “But we’ve always done it this way,” is not something I often hear in our group. In Connor, we make a conscious effort to take a fresh approach to every event and regularly ask ourselves how we can do it better.

I have really appreciated the opportunity to be challenged, encouraged, and sometimes carried, by my sisters in Christ. I know that I have benefitted from the wisdom and understanding of our older ladies, and the enthusiasm and technical knowhow of our younger ladies!

Please don’t get the impression that we are the perfect PW Group. We are not! The amazing thing is that God loves to use imperfect people. There are so many examples in the Bible of God using people, who had let him down, to do incredible things, and that encourages us to seek forgiveness for our failures and ask for his help to do better.

Let me leave you with the words of Peter: ‘If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.’

(1 Peter 4:11)

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G RO U P N E WS

Kilkinamurry PW Retirement after 50 years as Wider World Agent.

Margery Adams, on left, being presented with a gift by Joan Redmond, the incoming Wider World Agent, as a token of thanks and appreciation.

Katesbridge PW Beatrice McElroy, a founder member of Katesbridge PW Group, celebrated her 90th birthday with family and friends at her home on 12th December 2018.

Pictured are Mrs McElroy with her minister Rev Nigel Kane and his wife Sonia.

32 | Wider World Summer 19

Carnmoney PW Carnmoney PW recently celebrated its 70th Anniversary with a celebration dinner at the Hilton Hotel, Templepatrick. A special welcome was given to the Reverend John Dickinson, PW President Lynda Stothers, and former Group Presidents and Leaders, Joan Patterson, Patrica Carson, Christine Dickinson and Linda Cameron. Guests were welcomed to the beautiful music of Harpist Lorna Rankin and enjoyed after dinner entertainment provided

by Sam Baillie on Guitar.

First Ballymena PW Members of First Ballymena PW recently celebrated their 90th Anniversary with a celebratory dinner at the Ross Park Hotel, Kells.

Lynda Stothers, PW President, and Rosemary Ross, Ballymena PW LINK Chairperson, were special guests.

Pictured cutting the cake are Alison Sinclair, PW Leader, and Betty Hetherington, Past President.

Carolyn Arnold shares that, “We were enriched and encouraged in our faith by Rev. Mairisine Stanfield at our service of thanksgiving and Irene McCann’s uplifting solo ‘Mercies of God’ touched the hearts of everyone. We give thanks for the many women past and present who give so willingly of the talents, time and money in supporting those less fortunate in our world through the work and fellowship of PW.” Cutting the cake left to right: Linda Cameron, Carolyn Arnold, PW President Lynda Stothers, Christine Dickinson and Patricia Carson.

Ryans PW Ryans PW members had a very enjoyable evening at their annual dinner in the Old George Hotel, Rathfriland. After dinner, their secretary Margaret Mitchell tested their biblical knowledge with a quiz on ‘Beautiful’ women in the Bible. It was lovely to share the friendship of women of all ages in our Church.

Cavanaleck PW Celebrates 60 Years Cavanaleck PW Group celebrated its 60th anniversary on 16th October 2018.

The event took place in the Valley Hotel, Fivemiletown. The Leader, Valerie Adams, welcomed members, past and present, along with several guests including former ministers and their wives. Hazel Hopper, Secretary, gave a most interesting and comprehensive account of the past 60 years.

Glenwherry PW

Ballygrainey PW

Glenwherry PW organised a hot food supper at their eldest member’s house to raise money for the PW Mission Fund. They enjoyed a time of fun and fellowship together and finished off with an epilogue. A grand total of £650 was raised!

Ballygrainey PW welcomed visitors from local PW groups to their Hospitality evening. Their guest speaker for the evening was Dr Marion Gibson, who told of her life journey which took her to different disasters round the world, supporting victims facing very harrowing situations. Her compassion for the situations she found herself in made for a very thought provoking evening thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.

Photographed is Bertha Hamilton, who very kindly offered her house for the fundraiser, with Anna Murphy, Glenwherry PW’s secretary presenting the flowers.

Pictured: Ballygrainey PW Leader Vera McCormick with speaker Marion Gibson, with committee members Libby Dunn, Dorothy Hamilton, Marilyn Scott and Phyllis Caldwell.

Two poems, based on the PW motto ‘Living for Jesus’ and the theme for this year, Beautiful, were contributed by Oonagh McQuigg. A banner, also reflecting the motto Living for Jesus, was presented to the organisation by the Church Banner Group. The theme of Beautiful was further focused upon in a presentation given by a number of PW members.

Musical items were provided by Sandra Irvine and Sarah O’Neill. This culminated in community singing of songs commemorating the centenary of the First World War. Violet Lee, a founder member, cut the cake celebrating 60 years. Lorraine Bleakley, Assistant Leader, brought a most enjoyable evening to a close by expressing thanks to the hotel for a delicious meal, and to all present, especially former ministers, their wives and past presidents. She presented a gift to Hazel Hopper for arranging a wonderful evening.

Temple PW

Macosquin PW

The Temple PW, Keady, recently held its AGM in David Alexander’s Antique Vehicle Showroom, Markethill. David starred in the BBC NI Programme ‘Hame’. This venue provided an opportunity for the PW committee to invite all members of the congregation to view (and try out!) this magnificent collection of vehicles & machinery. A very enjoyable and informative evening was had by all.

Macosquin PW recently celebrated 110 years in support of PCI missionaries and women workers - and also those who have gone out from their Church in service with other agencies.

Pictured L-R: Florence Nicholson, Carol Alexander, Sabrina Gillow, Lila Hawthorne.

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G L OBA L

Mission Department, Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Assembly Buildings, 2 – 10 Fisherwick Place, Belfast, BT1 6DW Tel: 028 9041 7263 Email: global@presbyterianireland.org Website: www.presbyterianireland.org/mission

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.

Prayer Diary

Diane Cusick

Derek & Jane French

Location: Lusaka Mission: Early Childhood Education

Location: Bilbao Mission: Student Ministry

• Give thanks that the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian Synod of Zambia have some Early Childhood Development centres in the Copperbelt, and pray that Diane will be able to assist them in their daily programmes.

• Pray for Diane as she works together with Rev Nehemia Mkwayi and a small team, on a child protection policy for the Synod. Pray that together with Synod officials, they may identify someone to work alongside her in the department.

• Pray that Diane will make new friends as she settles into life in Lusaka, and that Diane’s spiritual life would be enriched by those she meets and works with.

•

•

•

Diane also writes a blog which you can read at www.dianecusick.com

34 | Wider World Summer 19

As Derek and Jane continue with their work on MOCLAM (theological training course), pray that they would continue to be a blessing to those who study the course and in turn that these leaders would be a blessing to those whom they serve in the church.

Pray for their ongoing work of translating books and resources for children and youth, Sunday school and parents.

This involves selecting books and resources in English, acquiring copyrights, translating, etc. This is a very important project in which Derek and Jane are delighted to be involved.

Pray for the French family, that they will be a good witness in their community and continue to develop good relationships with local churches, and for their children, that they will grow up to have a vibrant personal relationship with God.

Overseas News Personnel News Chris and Rachel Humphries, along with their two young children arrived in Porto, Portugal at the beginning of March and have begun serving in the Comunidades Pedras Vivas church plant in Senhora da Hora, alongside James and Heather Cochrane. The family are settling in well and Chris and Rachel have also begun Portuguese language lessons.

Christopher and Nivedita Benjamin retired at the end of March after 30 years’ service reaching out to the Gujarati community in the Wembley area of London. The Benjamins will be moving back to India later this year.

Naomi Leremore was on a short home assignment in March/April which involved deputation in a number of PCI congregations.

Along with her family, Naomi returned to Nairobi, Kenya in late April and in May commenced working alongside Rev Elizabeth Kimani, writing materials for the Presbyterian Church of East Africa Women’s Guild.

Gary and Mary Reid and family are due on home assignment in July and August and will be undertaking speaking engagements from 21 July to 25 August.

Peter and Jayne Fleming are due to return from Nepal in August on home assignment and will be engaged in deputation from 1 September to 22 October.

Global Mission Workers

Moderator’s Appeal for Cyclone Idai In mid-March, Cyclone Idai swept through Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe causing severe flooding and major devastation.

Hundreds of people were killed and around 2.6 million lives deeply affected. Countless homes were destroyed, large areas of farmland submerged and numerous roads and bridges were damaged or destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people remain in camps, and are dependent on humanitarian aid and will need assistance to rebuild their homes and livelihoods. As many crops have been destroyed, there are fears of food shortages in the months to come.

In response to the flooding, the Moderator launched a special appeal to help those in need. Funds raised will be distributed between PCI’s relief and development partners Christian Aid and Tearfund who are already engaged in longer term sustainable development work in the affected regions and are well-placed to direct additional efforts to the crisis, and the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (Blantyre Synod) our partner church in the region affected.

For more info to www.presbyterianireland.org/moderatorsappeal Overseas Visits The Moderator, Rt Rev Dr Charles McMullen, his wife Barbara, Rev Trevor Gribben (Clerk), Rev Uel Marrs (Global Mission Secretary) and Heather Clements (Convener of the Council for Global Mission Partnership Panel) visited Thessaloniki, in northern Greece in mid-March to visit projects and explore global mission partnership with the Greek Evangelical Church.

Pip Florit, Mission Support Officer (Partnerships) plans to visit Myanmar in late June to attend a partners’ consultation hosted by the Presbyterian Church of Myanmar.

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

Volker & JinHyeog Glissmann PO Box 30048 Chichiri Blantyre 3 Malawi

Stephen & Angelina Cowan PCEA Tuum PO Box 13 Baragoi via Maralal 20601 Kenya

Peter & Valerie Lockwood c/o UMN PO Box 126 Kathmandu Nepal

BRAZIL

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

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

KENYA Johnny & Lyn Dowds PO Box 5 Livingstonia Malawi

MALAWI

MALAWI

NEPAL Peter & Jayne Fleming c/o UMN PO Box 126 Kathmandu Nepal

NEPAL James & Heather Cochrane Rua Monte da Mina, 4466 3 Dto. Leça do Balio 4465-693 Matosinhos Portugal

PORTUGAL

Chris & Rachel Humphries Rua da Mainça, 85, 2 Esq. São Mamede Infesta Matosinhos Porto 4465-197 Portugal

PORTUGAL

Csaba & Ilona Veres Str Intre Lacuri 43 Cluj Napoca Jud Cluj

ROMANIA Derek & Jane French Calle Mendibile Ostekoa 12, 2-A 48940 Leioa Spain

SPAIN Diane Cusick The Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) PO Box 320261 Woodlands Lusaka 10101 Zambia

ZAMBIA

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

ENGLAND

Women’s ministry is something we do alongside one another in our congregations so that we can grow together in following Jesus. Side by side, we find support, challenge and encouragement through relationships that go deeper than small talk. In a meeting of hearts and minds, we share life together and find ourselves better able to know life in Christ.

The Side by Side events this autumn will begin to explore a variety of expressions of what this can look like in your church for women of all ages and stages of life.

SAVE T HE DAT E FO R YO U R A R E A : Saturday 7 September 2019 - 10.30am-1pm Assembly Buildings, Belfast Saturday 21 September 2019 - 10.30am-1pm Richhill Presbyterian Church Saturday 5 October 2019 - 10.30am-1pm Wellington Presbyterian Church, Ballymena Saturday 19 October 2019 - 10.30am-1pm Kilfennan Presbyterian Church, Londonderry

Please book early as places at each venue will be limited and allocated on a first come, first served, basis.

Booking opens: 15 May 2019 Closing date: Two weeks prior to each event Cost: £5.00/€6.00 per person To book: Go to www.presbyterianireland.org/sidebyside or call the CLW office on +44 (0)28 9041 7247