Summer 2010 - Irish Church Missions

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news
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the banner of the truth in ireland
the magazine of the society for irish church missions
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irish church missions Summer 20 0
ICM News is the magazine
of The Society for The Irish
Church Missions. The aim
of Irish Church Missions
is to promote the glor y
of God in advancing his
kingdom among the people
of Ireland.
Belfast Office
Church of Ireland House
61/67 Donegall Street,
Belfast BT1 2QH
Telephone: 028 90 241640
email: belfast@icm-online.ie
Office open:
Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm
Staff:
Barbara Lowndes
Deputation Secretary:
John McClure
Dublin office
28 Bachelor’s Walk, Dublin 1
Telephone: (01) 8730829
Fax: (01) 8748482
e-mail: dublin@icm-online.ie
website: www.icm-online.ie
Staff:
David Martin, Olive Stewart
Mark Ryan, Lois Hagger
Superintendent:
Eddie Coulter
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contents
Pages 4-5
Guidance for pastors in Serbia
Pages 9-10
Cultural or Conviction Anglican?
Page 15
The Word on the street
Page 16
Outreach fortnight at Immanuel
Page 17
Engaging with Islam course
Page 18
Apologetics Experiment success
Page 19
Godly women such an encouragement
Pages 20-21
Was Ireland ever really religious?
Page 22
The joy of serving Jesus
Page 22
Back in familiar territory
(cover image – Mulrany Strand, Co. Mayo)
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A recent article in the Church of
Ireland Gazette (June 4, 2010)
lamented what it called the ‘sorry
state of the Church of Ireland’.
The article accused the Church of Ireland
of having too much bureaucracy, too many
bishops, of being too elitist in its selection
procedures for the ordained ministry, and too
elitist in the kind of music and song used in
public worship, which was suitable for choirs
but not the ordinary church goer!
“it is our prayer that the
Church of Ireland would be
far more active in evangelism
than it currently is.”
But probably the most telling criticism the
letter made was to do with the Church of
Ireland and evangelism. The author made
the point that while other denominations
such as the Methodists were growing (in his
part of the world), the church of Ireland was
busy closing down churches. The Church
of Ireland would do well to learn from the
Methodists how to evangelize, it said!
As you will read from the articles in this
magazine, the Church is to constantly
evangelize and never stop doing that work.
Christ is in this world through his Holy Spirit
evangelizing, and he is doing this through
Let’s get the
Word out
Eddie Coulter
his people faithfully sharing the Gospel with
others.
It is a sad fact that evangelism has come to be
seen as a specialist activity to be undertaken
at special times from year to year or ‘oncein-a-blue-moon’!
Certainly, one of the desires of ICM is not only
to do evangelism, but also to help stimulate
evangelism in the island of Ireland.
As a Church of Ireland mission agency, it is
our prayer that the Church of Ireland would
be far more active in evangelism than it
currently is.
There are churches for which evangelism
and preaching the Gospel is a way of life,
but there are many more, sadly, where
evangelism is almost a forbidden word, let
alone an activity to be embraced!
ICM is committed to God’s mission in the
world, and as an Irish mission agency, we
desire to see people from Northern Ireland
and the Republic of Ireland changed by the
life-giving Word of God.
Our prayer for our denomination is that it too
will be gripped by God’s mission in the world,
to proclaim Jesus and call people from the
broad road that leads to Hell, to the narrow
path that leads to Heaven.
May the Lord Jesus so fill us with his Holy
Spirit that we glorify our Father in Heaven in
the constant preaching, teaching and sharing
of the Gospel with others.
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Serbian venture to
guide pastors
At the end of April, the Rev Eddie
Coulter, the Superintendent of ICM
and Rev Bryan Kerr, the Church of Ireland
minister of the parish of Lisbellaw, travelled
to Serbia to conduct a School of Biblical
Training (SBT).
These SBT’s are a new venture by Crosslinks
mission agency to help pastors and church
workers develop their skills of preaching
expository sermons – in other words,
understanding and communicating God’s
Word accurately and faithfully.
Invitation
The Serbian SBT was at the invitation of
Chris and Lotta Stranjic, Crosslinks Mission
Partners supported by ICM’s Immanuel
Church. It was held just a few miles north of
the capital Belgrade, in Hub Bible college in
Opovo.
About 25 students and pastors were in
attendance over five days, during which
time Eddie and Bryan preached and taught
20 times.
Eddie spoke in 5 sessions on moving from
Bible to Sermon and gave expository talks on
2 Timothy on the kind of pastor and church
leader God is seeking to lead his church.
Bryan preached from Mark’s Gospel, giving
an overview of Mark as well as conducting
sessions on a Bible overview.
The enthusiasm of the students, their
passion for the Gospel, their love of Christ,
their willingness to learn more of the Word,
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Studying at Hub Bible College and (right)
students with Eddie and Bryan
and their eager questions were extremely
encouraging and challenging.
Most pastors and students came from
Serbia, some from Macedonia and others
from Croatia.
The outcome of the week was that three
preaching groups are being set up in
Serbia.
In these follow-up groups, pastors and
church leaders meet to encourage one
another in the faithful and accurate teaching
of the Word of God.
One group is meeting in the northern city of
Novi Sad, one in the southern city of Nisz,
and one in the Bible College for the students.
There was even an invitation to come back
to teach level 2 SBT!
Eddie Coulter
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Farewell to Ben, Cormac and Lois
We are sad to say farewell to some
of our staff at ICM. Ben and Cormac
finish their apprenticeships at the
end of August. Cormac is resuming
his studies and Ben has finished his
two-year apprenticeship.
He will marry Miss Suja Thomas in
December in Melbourne Australia, then
hopes to train at Sydney Missionary
Bible College. We pray for God’s richest
blessing on them.
We also say farewell to Lois Hagger, our
women’s Bible worker. Lois has been with
us for over four years, and has given great
service to the work of the Gospel in ICM
in Dublin. Lois’ experience and wisdom
have been a major asset to the ministry
team and the women of Immanuel. Her
theological knowledge and practical
experience of ministry to women have
helped to lay a solid foundation for
biblical Gospel ministry among women
in Immanuel and at ICM. We will miss
her cheerful, helpful personality and her
strong faith in Christ Jesus, whom she has
faithfully served in Immanuel and ICM. We
pray God will continue to bless her when
she returns to Sydney and continue to
greatly use her in the work of the Gospel
there.
Eddie Coulter
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There are two types of orders in the
army – direct orders and standing
orders. Direct orders are given
immediately and to be carried
out immediately and vary from
circumstance to circumstance,
e.g. ‘advance on the enemy’,
‘take cover’, ‘retreat’!
Standing orders, on the other hand, are
general orders to be carried out at all
times, such as saluting an officer, or rules
governing guard-duty at an army barracks
- these don’t vary and are to be carried out
at all times.
In the passage above, Matthew’s resurrection
account of Jesus in Galilee emphasizes that
Jesus has put his church under standing
orders.
Our standing orders are to go and make
disciples. These were not simply direct
orders for the disciples only at that time,
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Our orders are clear,
we just need to act
Matthew 28:16-20
Eddie Coulter
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had
told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with
you always, to the very end of the age.”
but standing orders for all disciples at all
times, as indicated by Jesus at the end of
v.20 - to be put into operation until ‘the end
of the age’.
After the resurrection, the disciples were
wondering ‘what next?’ They went to Galilee
as instructed by the risen Lord and met
the risen Lord there, ‘but some doubted’
(v.17).
This does not mean they doubted the
Lord had risen (after all, they had already
met the risen Lord a number of times in
Jerusalem), rather that some of them
hesitated, wondering what was to happen
next after this momentous event.
Matthew gives us the answer to that
in vv.18-20. Jesus places them under
standing orders to go and make disciples
of all nations.Their work and our work as
followers of Jesus is to make disciples:
always, everywhere, wherever the church
appears. Our standing orders are to be
disciple-making disciples. This involves a
number of things.
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Calling people to obey Christ
Jesus is the one with all authority in heaven
and earth (v.18). During his earthly ministry
in healing the sick, raising the dead, and
casting out demons, Jesus demonstrated
his amazing divine authority.
But supremely, in his resurrection he is seen
as the one with all authority in heaven and
earth. His words echo those of Daniel 7:14,
where the son of man is given all authority
over the nations.
Jesus is that kingly figure prophesied in
the Old Testament, God’s appointed Christ
and King, to whom the nations are called
to submit.
The resurrection is the visible proof of it.
Now Jesus sends out his disciples to call
people from every nation to come under
his kingly rule.
There are those who say we shouldn’t be
evangelizing, that we shouldn’t speak to
Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or indeed any group
of people to leave their religion to follow
Jesus. This is just cultural imperialism,
mere proselytism, pushing our beliefs on
others.
The Christian response? The standing
orders of the Lord Jesus are that the church
in every age is to reach out to every nation,
to every generation, with the call to people
to repent and submit to the Lordship of
Jesus, the one who rules God’s universe
and world.
There is no other way for human beings to
experience God’s blessing, except through
coming to Jesus and knowing him as our
Saviour and Lord. All other religions are
false paths, dead ends, leading people on
the broad road to Hell. Salvation only lies
with Christ.
Making disciples through
preaching
How do we do this? How do we carry out
these standing orders? Matthew’s accounts
of Jesus’ words emphasize the preaching
and teaching of the Gospel.
In making disciples, baptism plays a one-off
role, publicly witnessing to belief in Christ,
but it is the word that is preached that leads
to belief. This is the emphasis of vv. 19-20,
‘teaching people’, to ‘obey’ everything
Jesus has ‘commanded’. We make disciples
through the sharing of the word of God.
Within the fellowship of the church, we are
disciple-making disciples when we speak
God’s word to one another: when a mother
or father reads the Bible with their children;
when a husband reads the Bible with his
wife; when a Christian reads the Bible with
another Christian; when we talk about the
Scripture with other believers; when we give
someone a Christian book to read; when we
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give a tape or CD of a sermon to someone;
when we visit a housebound person and
end our visit by reading a portion of the
Bible.
These and many more things are ways of
putting the standing orders of Jesus into
action.
“We can live out the word
of God in our character, in
being a godly husband,
wife, friend, neighbour and
work colleague.”
Are we at least some of these things? We
are under standing orders to do it.
To those who aren’t Christians, we act as
disciple-making disciples in much the same
way as above.
There are other things, too. We can share
our testimony. We can tell them what
happened in the church, when they ask
what we did over the weekend.
We can live out the word of God in our
character, in being a godly husband, wife,
friend, neighbour and work colleague.
We are disciple-making disciples when
we pray for the conversion of others: pass
them Christian books; finance the work
of the local church; encourage the godly
leadership of the church; invite people to
church; offer hospitality; share a Gospel
outline with them; give them a Christian
perspective on a live topic of contemporary
debate; again, these and many more things
are ways of putting the standing orders
of Jesus into operation. Are we doing at
least some of these things? We are under
standing orders to do it.
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Only with Christ’s help
Ultimately, it is not we who convert people,
but the Lord himself. So, Jesus emphasizes
that he is with his people always in helping
them in their task (v.20).
Through the Holy Spirit, sent on the day
of Pentecost, the Lord Jesus continues
his mission in the world, calling to himself
people to be his disciples.
He has given us a key role in all of this.
We are to speak his word to the world
- not angels, not God speaking through
the clouds - but ordinary people like us,
changed by Jesus, telling ordinary people
about the Lord Jesus.
These are our standing orders. With the help
of the Lord who is with us always, we are
always to be about this task. It is not for the
professional clergyman, but it is the mission
and task of every Christian.
Let’s not wait for direct orders, lets work at
how we can put these standing orders into
effect, given our life circumstances, the
people we know, the church we go to, and
the world in which we live.
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Cultural Anglican or
conviction Anglican?
On the evening of Thursday, May
6, a good number of visitors from
General Synod gathered in
the ICM building at Bachelors
Walk to hear a superb talk on
Anglicanism by Phillip Jensen,
Dean of Sydney Cathedral.
Phillip spoke clearly on his upbringing in the
Anglican church of Australia, his conversion
to Christ, and the difference that this made
to how he viewed Anglicanism.
Cultural Anglicanism
Brought up within the culture of Anglicanism,
his conversion stimulated him into becoming
a ‘conviction Anglican.’
‘Cultural Anglicanism’ is a collective
description of a way of doing things that
we normally take for granted in attending
an Anglican church.
This would include the liturgical practice of
the Book of Common Prayer, the church’s
services, the reading of the Bible, the Lord’s
Supper, baptism, the sermon, and morning
and evening prayer.
Phillip Jensen
Immersion
This cultural Anglicanism is quite biblical
and points the church-goer to the things
that the Bible teaches us about Jesus,
his life, death, Resurrection, Ascension,
Lordship, and Second Advent.
However, immersion in this cultural
Anglicanism is not what makes us
Christians.
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From left: John McClure, Phillip Jensen, Brian Courtney and Eddie Coulter
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Cultural Anglicanism, though, does point us
to the need of repentance and conversion to
Christ and is an aid to corporate worship.
One of the results of his conversion to Christ
was to move Phillip from a mere cultural
Anglicanism to ‘conviction Anglicanism.’
This is an attitude of conviction and
certainty that the teaching of Anglicanism
is biblical and good as it is expressed in the
39 Articles, the Book of Common Prayer,
and the Ordinal.
Conviction Anglicanism
A conviction Anglican differs from a cultural
Anglican, in that the former goes beyond
the culture and agrees with the biblical
teaching and foundation of Anglicanism
as a valid expression of Christian life and
witness.
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The conviction Anglican actively enters
into the experience of Christ as Saviour
and Lord and knows the salvation of which
cultural Anglicanism speaks.
Salvation
A conviction Anglican is an active partaker
in the reality of the things of God (taught
clearly by cultural Anglicanism), whereas
a cultural Anglican is an active partaker
only in the culture of church-going and
liturgical services, but hasn’t yet penetrated
through to experience the Christ of whom it
teaches and the salvation to which it clearly
testifies.
For members of the Church of Ireland
present at this lecture, this was a timely
and accurate analysis of church life within
our own denomination. So, thank you to the
Dean of Sydney for such wise words.
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Prayer Diary...
Day 1 Pray for ICM’s special outreach to
International students at the end of July and
beginning of August. This has taken a lot of
organization and planning and more volunteers
are needed.
Day 2 Pray for the staff of ICM as they continue
to meet one-to-one with newcomers to Immanuel
Church in evangelistic Bible studies. Pray for the
Bible studies for international students that will be
run this summer, Lord willing.
Day 3 Pray for the staff in N. Ireland. Mrs.
Barbara Lowndes, Secretary in the Belfast office.
Pray for Mr. Murray Hunter, ICM’s Company
Secretary.
Day 4 Pray for Davood, who is being trained
by the Superintendent for the work of the Gospel.
Pray for his work in helping Churches understand
Islam and for his travelling throughout Ireland to
meet Muslims and do evangelism amongst them.
Pray for other Christian Iranians to come to help
in this work. Keep praying for the Iranian church
which meets on the last Sunday of the month.
Day 5 Pray for the witness of Immanuel church
to the many tourists who come to Dublin during
the summer holidays. Thank God for the growth
in Immanuel over the past year.
Day 6 Give thanks for the recent engagement
of our apprentice Ben Hewitt to Suja Thomas.
Ben and Suja plan to marry in Suja’s home city of
Melbourne, Australia on December 27, 2010.
Day 7 Pray for ICM’s first Mission Partners,
Brendan and Carinne Meyerink and their young
family (Kian, Rory, Ryder and Arwen) as they settle
into Ballina to do the work of the Gospel there.
Pray for more Mission Partners to work with ICM
in Gospel work in Ireland.
Day 8 Pray for those leaving ICM staff this
summer. Miss Lois Hagger finishes her time with
ICM at the end of June. Cormac and Ben leave
the apprenticeship scheme at the end of August.
Jeremy will also take over as a student worker
from September for 3 years with Immanuel.
Day 9 Pray for the staff to be able to find suitable
MTS apprentices to begin in September. Pray
for the work of the Dublin office, remembering
especially Mrs. Olive Stewart, our secretary, David
Martin and Eddie Coulter
Day 10 John McClure now helps out at St.
Michael’s on the Shankhill Road, Belfast, on one
Sunday in the month. Pray for the Bible-study
he conducts there, for the parish, and the work
of the Gospel. Remember his wife, Margo, and
daughters Stephanie and Rachel.
Day 11 Pray for Mr. Mark Ryan, who has been
employed part-time by ICM to do evangelism
amongst the marginalized and those with
addiction problems in Dublin. Mark is married
to Emily and has two children. Pray for strength,
wisdom, patience and growing help in the work.
Day 12 Give thanks to God for the recent birth
of Abigail, baby daughter of David and Honor.
Pray for them and Caleb as they make the
adjustment to a new addition. Remember David
as he continues his part-time training for ordained
ministry in the Church of Ireland.
Day 13 Pray for Miss Ruth Bridcut, the new ICM
Women’s worker, beginning in September.
Day 14 Pray for Mark Ryan and the
Superintendent who are leading the new outreach
venture in September. A community centre has
been booked in the north inner city Dublin. Pray
for the door-to-door visitation and that many will
come to the planned Thursday evening Bible
talks.
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Prayer Diary
Day 15 Pray for John’s work in the ‘Helping
Hand’ among addicts. Thank God for the people
who are responding to God’s Word. Pray for John
to have much wisdom, patience and strength
as he ministers amongst those who are having
suicidal feelings.
Day 16 Pray for the work of the ICM Trustees
and for Rev. Brian Courtney, Chairman of ICM.
Pray for wisdom for the Trustees in making
decisions to forward the work of the Mission.
Day 17 Pray for growth in prayerful and financial
support for the work of ICM.
Day 18 Pray for the use of the ICM theological
library. This contains books of Reformed
Evangelical scholarship. Thank God that many
students are beginning to make use of it.
Day 19 Please pray for the Superintendent, his
walk with Christ, his family life, his leading of the
Mission, the training of the staff, the preaching
and leading of the church and administrative work.
Pray for wisdom and courage to keep developing
the preaching of the Gospel in Ireland.
Day 20 Pray for our former MTS apprentices,
Rev. Stanley Gamble in Knockbreda, Len Carolan
teaching in Dublin, Simon Donohoe in Oak Hill
College, and Dorothy Jones, married to Nick who
is seeking ordination in the Church of England.
Day 21 Thank God for the very encouraging
time the Superintendent had in Serbia. As a result
of the SBT, 3 preaching courses have been set
up and a follow up SBT next year.
Day 22 Pray for those on summer holiday to be
physically and spiritually refreshed.
Day 23 God’s Word instructs us to pray for all
those in authority. Remember those who govern
in the Republic of Ireland and those in political
power in N. Ireland.
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Day 24 Pray for the growth of the Sunday school
at Immanuel. Pray for more families to come to
Immanuel. thank God for all those trained as
Sunday school teachers.
Day 25 Pray for those affected by the economic
recession in the Republic of Ireland.Some
Immanuelites have lost their job and some have
had their working week reduced.This is a stressful
time for many.Please pray that Christians will
patiently endure this difficult time.
Day 26 Pray for growth in godliness and
obedience in the lives of all our workers.
Day 27 Remember former MTS apprentices:
Stanley Gamble – curate at Knockbreda, Belfast;
Len Carolan, teaching in a Dublin school; Simon
Donohoe training for ministry at Oakhill, London;
and Dorothy, also at Oakhill, married to Nick, who
is seeking ordination in England.
Day 28 Give God thanks that newcomers to
Dublin have come along to ICM and to Immanuel
through looking up our websites on the internet.
Do please pray for the publicity of the work of the
Mission, that many would be attracted to support
the work of the Gospel in ICM.
Day29 Pray that ICM might be an encouragement
and support to Gospel ministers in Ireland.
Day 30 Pray for the preaching of the Word of
God, that it might be rightly handled and taught.
Day 31 Praise God for the work of ICM over
the years. Pray for a hunger and thirst for the
Gospel throughout N. Ireland and the Republic
of Ireland. Ask God to raise up more harvesters
for the harvest field as Jesus encouraged us to
pray (Matthew 8:38)
23
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Summer 20 0 irish church missions
A Chairde (friends)
PART of my work with ICM involves street
evangelism with Mickey Walker.
A number of us from different evangelical
churches in Dublin meet in ICM for fellowship
and prayer (and of course tea and biscuits)
before we go out on to the streets to share
the Gospel.
We set up on North Earl Street, beside the
James Joyce statue just off O’Connell Street.
We use the sketchboard presentation of the
Gospel to get the attention of passers-by.
The public preaching using painted words and
drawings usually attracts a crowd and takes
about ten minutes. Normally, we would get to
do about three or four messages. Then we
pass out tracts and strike up conversations
with the people who stop to see what’s going
on.
The Lord seems to have brought people from
every tribe, language and nation to Dublin over
the last number of years.
It is a huge privilege to be able “to do the work
of an evangelist” (2Tim 4:5), and almost be
like an overseas missionary without having to
leave my own city!
Sometimes you have to adjust the way you
present the Gospel in accordance to whom
you are speaking, but the message is the
same.
Sometimes you are sowing seed; sometimes
you are watering seed that others have sown;
and sometimes you have the privilege of seeing
somebody come to know the Lord right there
on the street. Often you don’t see the fruits of
The word
on the street
Mark Ryan
your labour, but are happy to be used by the
Lord and are encouraged by the promise in
Isaiah 55:11 “The word will not return to me
empty, but will accomplish what I desire and
achieve the purpose for which I sent it”.
The Lord of the harvest knows what he is
doing and our responsibility is to be faithful in
what He has called us to do.
Not only do we meet people from all over the
world, but also people from all different walks
of life: rich, poor, educated, illiterate, sick,
healthy, male and female, people of all colours,
shapes and sizes, religious people, atheists,
moral and immoral people, happy people and
sad people.
The scripture says that “God commands all
people everywhere to repent, for He has set a
day when He will judge the world with justice
by the man he has appointed” (Acts 17:310.
Often I find the hardest people to reach can
be the religious people who are trusting in
their own righteousness to make them right
with God.
Paul makes it very clear in the first three
chapters of Romans: “There is no difference
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God and are justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that came by Christ
Jesus” (Rom 3:22-24).
The good news is so good because the bad
news is so bad. We are in the last days (Acts
2:17) and the time is short (1 Cor 7:29). If
anyone would like to join us on the streets,
feel free to contact me at the ICM office on
Bachelors Walk.
Grace and Peace, Mark
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Immanuel is a church of united
nations. One reason is that we’ve
stumbled upon a need within the
international community.
Since many people come to Dublin to learn
English, a few years ago the church began
‘English Corner’. While the flood of language
students of previous years has shrunk
because of the squeeze on finances, we still
get a steady flow of students.
A real privilege of my job has been to
get stuck into the Bible with a number of
the guys. The best way to deal with their
scepticism, questions, and curiosity is to
open the Bible with them. They can see for
themselves the timeless truth of the gospel.
A simple concept, but life-changing. The
Word comes to life as they see Christ for
themselves, they hear him speak and see
him living in Christians in church.
At Immanuel, our experience in international
ministry has been fruitful, thanks to God’s
grace. Cormac and I had a couple of weeks
last summer as part of two teams working in
international student ministry in Edinburgh
and Cambridge.
We thought the format would work well
in Dublin. And so, we will host Dublin
International Outreach, July 25-August 8, in
partnership with the IFES InterAction team
in Dublin. A team is coming together from
all over Europe - the only conditions are a
good grasp of English, being aged 18-30
and being a committed Christian. Each
weekday morning will be spent in training,
Page | icm news
International outreach
fortnight at Immanuel
handling the Bible, then with insights into
cross-cultural ministry. We’ll have training
on practical help in sharing the Gospel,
reaching people from a Muslim or an East
Asian background. We want to give the
volunteers confidence in the Gospel, and
equip them to take this back to university
with them after the summer. Afternoons
will be given over to meeting some of the
students at Dublin’s various language
schools, with evenings dedicated to running
a café from Immanuel church. We’ll host
different themed cafes each night, with a
slot for a drama that will pose a question
for the students, or bring out a big idea for
them to think about. This will be followed
by an invitation to a bible study on the night
for anyone seeking to push the discussion
a bit further.
Jesus in Matthew 28 calls his followers to
“go and make disciples of all nations”. God
has brought all nations to us; our response
can only be to make disciples! This call
doesn’t skip over any of us; it’s the standing
order for every follower of Jesus.
We’d love you to keep us and the students
we’ll meet in prayer. God’s grace alone will
bring them into His kingdom. Prayer is the
most important way in which you can help
with our outreach. That said, if anyone has
these two weeks free this the summer, or
you know someone who might be interested
in getting involved, please don’t hesitate
to drop me an email (hewitt@tcd.ie). We’d
love to have you on board. The continued
support and prayer from all of you is
invaluable, thank you all!
Summer 20 0 irish church missions
2 Corinthians 4:1-2
1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we
have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2 Rather, we have renounced secret and
shameful ways; we do not use deception,
nor do we distort the word of God. On the
contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly
we commend ourselves to every man’s
conscience in the sight of God.
I thank God he has changed my life and is
using me as his servant to share the gospel
with Muslim people. I thank the Lord for your
faith and prayers, because I know many of
you pray for us. Please continue, as we need
and know the power of prayer!
In March, a family arrived at Immanuel. The
woman was from Iran and her husband from
Sweden. Five years ago she converted her
husband to Islam. One Sunday they were in
Dublin walking along the street and saw two
Iranian people.
She asked where they were going and
they told her that they were on their way to
the Iranian church. She asked if she could
accompany them, even though she is a
Muslim. They welcomed her.
At the service, the Holy Spirit touched her
heart. Afterwards, she told me she wanted
to know more about Jesus. We started to
read the Bible with her and after a short time
we could see the Word of God changing
her. Unfortunately, after two months they
had to return to Sweden. However, she
now knows that Jesus is far greater than a
prophet. She and her husband see Jesus
is the Lord of lords and have turned from
Engaging with Islam
course is spreading
Ben Hewitt Davood
Islam to embrace the truth. Her husband
never believed in Islam i but embraced the
religion because of his desire to marry. He
is now free to commit to the faith he once
professed. We are trying to connect them
with a church in Sweden.
In the past few months I have been meeting a
young Iranian man to read the Bible. He has
come to see the Lord Jesus as his personal
Saviour and Lord.
As you know, we run the ‘Engaging with
Islam’ course. John Samuel, pastor of
Grosvenor Road Baptist Church, Dublin,
invited me to speak to his congregation
about responding to Islam and reaching
out to Muslim people. Many people came to
listen and the response was very positive.
God willing, I will run the course in that
church in the coming months. Billy, one of
the pastors in Galway, invited me to speak
to his congregation about how I came to
know the Lord, and how they can reach
out to Muslim people. Again, there was a
very positive reaction and come September
they would also like to run ‘Engaging with
Islam’.
Our monthly Iranian service is constantly
growing. Please continue to pray that people
will respond with faith to the proclamation
of God’s Word. Pray also for those Muslims
who have yet to know the Lord Jesus; that
through the monthly gatherings at Immanuel
their eyes would be opened to the truth of
the Scriptures.
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irish church missions Summer 20 0
Life has begun to quieten a little at Immanuel,
as the summer months roll in. Many of our
students have recently left for home. Some
are off on overseas mission trips and others
taking up summer jobs. English Corner has
also finished for the summer. But there’s
plenty to keep me busy.
The Apologetics Experiment is continuing
apace, with a core group of at least six
people turning up each week. We have
worked through a number of contemporary
ideas that pose a challenge to Christian faith
and belief.
For example, we looked at how to respond
to the belief that science disproves the
existence of God and the idea that there is no
such thing as objective truth. Taking the time
to work through a short paper on the topic
at-hand, we then discuss it. If time permits,
we watch a DVD presentation connected to
the material.
At one recent Apologetics Experiment
evening, after learning how to effectively
(and compassionately) challenge an atheistic
mind-set, we watched a short film by Francis
Schaeffer.
The Apologetics Experiment aims to offer
church members the chance to wrestle with
ideas that often cause non-Christians to
disregard the truth of Christianity. Often, as
we seek to share the Gospel, it is necessary
to point up the inconsistencies of a world
view founded on unbelief and the rejection
of God. This can help to clear space for a
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Apologetics Experiment
is showing great results
more open-minded hearing of the gospel.
We cannot reason people into the Kingdom.
But, time and again, I have seen that effective
apologetics can offer a powerful and
persuasive witness. When compassionately
and humbly put to the service of commending
the gospel, apologetics can draw people
to a critical encounter with the living and
active Word of God. One seminar examined
arguments or proofs for the existence of God
and the final two look at the Person of Jesus
and his resurrection.
Once the Apologetics Experiment is finished,
I’ll scrap material that proved unhelpful in an
effort to refine the course for those who wish
to be part of it next year.
Preaching and sermon preparation also keep
me well occupied. We have been working
through 1 Peter on Sunday evenings. It is a
very rich book and I have been struck time
and again by how cutting-edge and relevant
1 Peter is to today’s church. Plenty of lively
discussion follows the evening service,
as people grapple with issues raised by
the sermon. 1 Peter looks at work ethics,
marriage, our role as Christians in society,
how we should honour our government – big
issues that many of our students are trying to
think through. And because 1 Peter speaks
into vital issues, many members have invited
non-Christian friends to come along. It was
great to have Phillip Jensen speak on 1 Peter
3.1-7, which deals with male and female
relationships, sex and marriage. That night,
every seat was occupied!
Summer 20 0 irish church missions
Matthew 18:20 says: ‘For where
two or three come together
in my name, there am I with
them.’
This verse sums up two things which have
struck me during my time over the year so
far in my MTS apprenticeship: God’s work
by his Holy Spirit and God’s work through
his people.
I have been humbled as I’ve seen this in
action. In all the areas where we meet those
who aren’t yet Christians, we need Him to
be convincing their hearts of the truth of the
Word.
From sharing my faith with people we meet in
English Corner - telling them about Jesus for
the first time - to those I read the Bible with
as they try to understand God’s plan for the
world, I know I need Him be at work.
It is humbling, knowing that I can’t win people
over by my enthusiasm for Jesus or by a
carefully constructed argument.
While those things are no doubt very valuable,
I have seen that people need to have their
own personal encounter with Jesus through
the work of the Spirit.
It is a privilege to see people going through
that process. To see a light going on - as
they realise that Jesus is the Son of God or
that Jesus has the power to forgive sins - is
exciting and encouraging.
On the other side of the coin are the days
when I need the Sprit to keep me going
through the discouragements and the
Immanuel’s Godly women
such an encouragement
Jeremy Haworth Jillian Lyttle
frustrations. When people are disinterested
in the Gospel or are struggling in their faith, I
find that I need Him to keep me walking with
the Lord and convincing me of the truths of
the Word.
I am also thankful for God’s work through
His people every day. Through my mentor
Lois, God has shown me how we should
be living as His children. In her wisdom
and experience, she has kept me walking
the narrow path. Through weekly teaching
sessions with other MTS apprentices in Re:
Source I have had the opportunity to learn
from some fantastic teachers.
God is at work to teach and equip us through
the work of his servants, who are more
seasoned in the work! I have so much to learn
and am very excited to get stuck in!
I have been encouraged by the many Godly
women in Immanuel, by their perseverance
and their joy in all circumstances.
Seeing Jesus reflected in their lives as they
go through day-to-day joys and struggles
gives me hope and something to strive for;
that I might do the same.
One of the most encouraging nights was the
ICM supporters’ evening, where I met many
people who have been praying for our work.
To encounter such perseverance in prayer
was such an inspiration.
I love how God is at work through His people;
to see how unity promotes the love of Jesus
and the growth of His church. It is my prayer
that I’ll continue to see this in abundance next
year and that, by His Holy Spirit at work, I’ll
be able to play my part.
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irish church missions Summer 20 0
Understanding the context in which we
wa n t to s e e t h e g o s p e l g r ow i s
essential if we want people to hear and
understand what we are actually saying.
This is not to diminish at all the authority of
Scripture to do God’s miraculous work in
the hearts of men and women today.
However, too often churches - and especially
paid Christian workers - can hide behind
the doctrine of Scripture’s authority and
use it as an excuse for laziness, not to think
critically about the culture in which God
has placed us.
We need to know our culture if we are
to challenge the nation of Ireland in its
sinfulness, and also if we are to encourage
men and women to pursue lives that
actually do please God.
This raises a whole host of issues for any
responsible church to think through.
But I want to get the ball rolling by pointing
out something that was brought to my
attention 3 years ago. It was from an article
in Magill Magazine, which commented on
Ireland’s political and cultural life at the
time.
Page 20 | icm news
Troubling question
on Ireland and God
David Martin
Has the context for gospel growth changed over recent years in
Ireland? With the roar of the Celtic Tiger now firmly silenced, and the
revelations concerning the sexual abuse scandals of the religious
orders public property, is Ireland more or less likely to turn and be
healed?, asks David Martin
In the March 2007 edition, Malachi
O’Doherty wrote a perceptive piece
entitled, ‘Losing our Religion?’ and in it he
asks the searching question as to whether
the Irish ever had it in the first place.
“We need to know our
culture if we are to challenge
the nation of Ireland in its
sinfulness...”
In the light of the recent revelations detailing
the sexual abuse scandals carried out by
religious orders, O’Doherty’s article is given
substantially more weight.
O’Doherty’s context is that he is writing at
the height of the Celtic Tiger. Materially,
things had never been better for Ireland
and most warnings of the bubble bursting
were muted. In that light, he asks: ‘If we
were as religious as we thought we were,
how come we suffered no particular cultural
and moral trauma when religion went into
decline, when the seminaries closed, the
priests aged and the Christian Brothers and
nuns mostly left and got married?’
Summer 20 0 irish church missions
Troubling question on Ireland and God David Martin
He writes: ‘Maybe we weren’t very
religious at all.’
Of course, there is no denying the
interest that Pope John Paul II’s
visit had upon the nation in 1979,
but O’Doherty does not give that
much weight, in terms of deciding
whether the nation as a whole was
devoutly Catholic or not.
‘It is hard to think of
a single short story,
novel or play which
empathises with the
priest as the devotee
of God...’
(Malachi O’Doherty)
Instead, he turns to literature and
art and compares Ireland with
other nations that are traditionally
religiously-based. ‘Genuinely
devout cultures like those of India
and Pakistan throw up artists
who excel in the expression of
religious devotion…The Hindu
culture produced, for instance,
Rabindranath Tagore, whose
devotional poetry moved Yeats.’
In these cultures, the artistic
expression captures the true
sense of where a culture’s
attitudes to God really lie, and
by and large in most cases their
works are exultant celebrations of
the love of God.
Where is the Irish equivalent?, asks O’Doherty. He
comments, ‘Whenever an Irish writer depicted a
priest, it was always from the humanistic perspective,
which either pitied him for his misfortune (The Sisters’,
James Joyce) or admired for his uncharacteristic
wisdom (‘My Oedipus Complex’, Frank O’Connor).
‘It is hard to think of a single short story, novel or
play which empathises with the priest as the devotee
of God or treats religious devotion as an adequate
response to human circumstance.’
In O’Doherty’s estimation then, the Irish were never
all that religious anyway. We may have celebrated
crossing over from a censorious, religious past
to a more modern and secular present when the
Tiger roared, but, according to O’Doherty, nothing
fundamentally changed.
Congratulations to David and Honor
Martin on the birth of Abigail
icm news | Page 2

irish church missions Summer 20 0
It’s hard to believe it’s time to prepare
to head back to Sydney after being
here 4½ years. I will be going to
London for a conference at the end of
June and then travel around Europe
and Turkey for a while further. I plan
to arrive in Sydney at the end of
August.
As I reflect on my time here I am very
thankful to the Lord for his immense
generosity in bringing me to Dublin to
be involved in the ministries of ICM (and
Page 22 | icm news
A time of joy in Dublin,
serving our Lord Jesus
New ICM worker in
familiar yet strange
surroundings
My name is Ruth Bridcut, and God willing, I will
be starting in September as a women’s worker
with ICM. In many ways it is a completely new
venture, while in some it is returning to the
familiar.
I grew up in Dublin and attended the Mission church
(now Immanuel Church) from when I was in a pram
(my dad, Willie Bridcut, was superintendent of ICM),
through to my time at college in Dublin.
I then left to study for a year in Scotland and
afterwards I worked with X-ray machines and MRI
scanners throughout Northern Ireland, based in
Lois Hagger
Immanuel Church,). I have seen enormous
growth in this time, not only numerically, but
also in the commitment of many who, week
by week, give of themselves sacrificially
to the work here. God has been raising
up gifted men and women to serve, to be
trained and to lead the ministries here.
There are many diverse ministries which
continue to attract people from all walks of
life. Being located in the centre of Dublin
is another gift of God for the growth of his
kingdom in this city.
During my time here I’ve had the privilege of
meeting many godly, encouraging women.
Belfast. I enjoyed being part of
All Saints Church, Belfast and
helping with its youth group and
international student ministry.
In 2007, I moved to Hertfordshire,
just north of London, to study
Summer 20 0 irish church missions
They have graciously kept me on my toes,
keeping me sharp, as I try to train and equip
them for a life time of ministry wherever God
takes them. It has truly been an international
ministry for me and I have learnt so much
about other cultures, tasting different
culinary delights I wouldn’t otherwise have
had the opportunity to sample. I’ve had the
pleasure of training Dorothy on MTS; she
is now in London with her husband Nick
studying at Oak Hill College.
I currently meet with Jill, who is halfway
through her apprenticeship and a delight
to work alongside. And of course the team
here at ICM are of one heart and mind,
wanting Dublin and the world to hear
the life giving words of Jesus. What an
encouragement to be co-labouring with
others who love the Lord Jesus and are
committed to the preaching of Christ risen
and sins forgiven.
With the ups there are always the downs
part-time at the Cornhill Training Course
in London, and to work part-time as an
apprentice (similar to the MTS scheme)
at Christ Church, Little Heath, in Potters
Bar. I will be leaving in August, to move
back to Dublin.
I moved to London with a view to gaining
experience of full-time Christian Ministry,
seeing whether that was a way in which
I could serve God, while being trained in
teaching the Bible at Cornhill.
I gained so much during my time here,
both in learning how to understand and
teach God’s word better and in practical
experience of working with a church.
My work has been very varied, from
teaching at Sunday School and an afterschools
club for primary children, to
helping with teenager groups, to reading
and I’ve had a few very sad moments in the
last 4½ years. Not everyone has continued
to trust Jesus, which shouldn’t come as
a shock. There are others who, for no
reason, completely vanish without a word.
All the insecurities come into play, but I’m
continually reminded that God is sovereign
in all situations and that I always need to
keep entrusting these times to him.
The future is very unclear. I’m going back to
Sydney not knowing where I’ll be living or
working. But, once again, I can rely on my
heavenly Father to care for me during this
time of upheaval and uncertainty.
Thank you very much for your support and
prayers during my time here. I have had
the pleasure of meeting quite a number
of you on different occasions and I would
like to thank you for your encouragement
to me, personally. Please continue to pray
as I leave Dublin for whatever God has in
store for me.
the Bible with students, young mums and
more mature(!) ladies, to meeting Senior
Citizens up to the age of 99! I hope and
pray this will have prepared me for serving
God in Dublin, seeking to point others to
life in the Lord Jesus and to build one
another up in our faith.
There have been massive changes since
I last lived in Dublin, particularly after a
financial boom and with many nationalities
now present and represented at Immanuel
Church. Please pray for me over the
summer as I say goodbye to friends at
Little Heath.
Please pray that I would settle back well
into life in Dublin and that I would be able
to renew old friendships, make new ones,
and settle into my new role at ICM.
icm news | Page 2

irish church missions Summer 20 0
According to a survey by Aontas (an
alliance of Irish Evangelical churches)
there are around 53 towns in Ireland
with a population of over 7500 with
no evangelical witness.
About 17 of these towns are over 20,000
people. A recent academic report on
Ireland projected that the Irish population
will rise over the next two decades to
something like 8 million people, gathered
in or around 8 major cities, Belfast, Dublin,
Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Sligo,
and Londonderry.
Irish Church Missions is looking to place
teams of Mission Partners in many of these
key areas.
We are looking for Evangelical men and
women willing for the sake of Christ and
his Gospel to reach Irish people.
•
•
•
•
•
Wanted: more ICM Mission Partners
Men or women committed to their
relationship with God.
Convinced that the Word does the work
in evangelism and discipleship.
Receptive to training through personal
training and practical experience.
Hard workers, both as part of a team and
on their own.
Willing to geet stuck in to a range of jobs
and responsibilities.
Page 2 | icm news
We are looking for people willing to be
sacrificial, willing to give up at least 3 years
in working to evangelize and plant new
churches in many of these places.
For further details, contact Eddie
Coulter in the Dublin office.
apprentices appeal
ICM is committed to training people today who can build the church
in the future. They will be trained in Biblical Ministry and be equiped
to serve in various contexts including our multicultural and student
churches. Successful applicants will be:
further information
contact Eddie Coulter
Tel: 00 353 1 873 0829
Email: eddie@icm-online.ie
Address: 28 Bachelors Walk,
Dublin 1, Dublin
Website: www.icm-online.ie