The Ponderings of a Meandering Minister…
This weekend twenty-four years ago, the first ‘Autumn Soul’ weekend for Youth Fellowship groups of The Methodist Church in Ireland took place in Bangor, Co. Down. Run by a group of young volunteers overseen by David Neilands and led by Julian Hamilton from the Department of Youth and Children’s Work (now IMYC), we took over … Read moreDeath and Re-Birth
As the COVID-19 lockdown continues into its third week, churches around the world have moved their worship, community and care online. Video worship is a whole new world for most church leaders (including me!), so I was asked to gather a few key tips. None of these is original to me, so I’m grateful to … Read moreRecording for Video Worship
Ross and I have worked from home in various capacities during our adult life. This has changed as we have added more kids to our brood and while we have dealt with childhood cancer in our household. We’ve had to learn how to make it work in the middle of difficult situations – sometimes this … Read moreThe wonders of working from home!
When life is challenging it is not unusual for people to talk about the goodness of God. One person says… “How can you still think God is good?” Another says… “God has planned this for good”… I’m going to clear this up to begin with… There are a few things that I don’t believe to be … Read moreThe Goodness of God
I was in England on a school trip, singing eight-part harmony, high church spiritual songs in grand cathedrals, when news of the IRA ceasefire broke. As teenagers we were overjoyed, though few of us had directly experienced the impact of The Troubles. And then we went back to singing our songs, returning to life as … Read moreAll Life Matters
This morning, our local church expressed their thanks for our ministry amongst them over the last five years. It’s a bit of a weird transition – I’ve been on compassionate leave since Christmas, and the lovely Ruth Craig has been the minister since July, but we still live in Ballynahinch and consider the Methodist Church … Read moreA Word for Ballynahinch Methodist Church
Last Friday night, as I lay down in a sleeping bag and on an airbed in a church hall, knowing I’d have to get up several times to quieten the boys in the next room, I found my heart and head simply filled with praise to God for the privilege of being there. [‘There’ was … Read moreSoul Mates Weekend 2016
I just signed a few petitions and sent a letter to our MP regarding the mounting crisis facing people attempting to escape war, persecution and poverty in their own countries, by travelling to Europe. What if every church in the UK and Ireland took in just one family? Here’s the letter:————————————— Dear Mr Shannon, My … Read moreRefugees
There have been a number of suicides in our area recently, a tragedy that has reared its head before but had been more calm for a while. Our church is connected to one of the grieving families and so I was present for the funeral of a beautiful young woman the other day. The depth … Read moreHelp and Hope
You may have heard of ‘Back to Church Sunday‘ – it started in England about ten years ago, encouraging local churches to have one Sunday a year where every member had the chance to be an evangelist in a low-intensity manner: invite a friend to go to church with them. There was an initial flurry … Read moreInvite, Welcome, Befriend