First Edition

The Magazine of First Ballymena Presbyterian Church

Harvest 2006

2

Minister’s Letter

Just as you approach First Ballymena manse coming from Galgorm if you look straight

ahead a view of Slemish in all its splendour, spreads out before your eyes. I like having

landmarks to indicate to me that I am near home. For years now it has been Scrabo Tower.

When you travelled home from a distance it was always good to see the tower, or at night-

time the light of the tower, in the distance. It will be strange from now on, looking out for

Slemish or some other landmark to remind me I am near home.

Life is full of its changes and we are on the cusp of many new changes in our life. We are

moving from the town with Scrabo Tower to the city of the seven towers. There are many

new things happening for the Sinclairs and also for First Ballymena.

The gospel is all about change. It is about how God changes lives and shapes them through

their experiences and through the work of His Holy Spir it. As we start out on this new

journey together it is my prayer that we will all grow together in our relationship with our

Lord and with each other.

My vision for First Ballymena is that we will continue to grow into a caring community of

God’s people reaching out into a community which needs to hear a message of hope and

which needs to know that there are those who do care.

I come to you with anxieties and with excitement, trusting in His power to do great things

in His church. One of my first priorities is to get to know all of you as quickly as I can.

With over five hundred families that is not going to be easy. One way in which I can en-

sure that I get round as many as possible in a limited period of time is by restricting my

visits to around 15-20 minutes. Where there are problems and more time is needed then I

would arrange to call again and spend more time in the home. Please bear with me as I go

from home to home and as I try to memorise as many faces as is possible in the next few

months.

Thank you for offering me the opportunity to be your minister and with God’s help I will

seek to serve him by serving you. May God go with us together as we learn more of him.

As we offer ourselves to him in service may we experience the truth of the verse in 1 John

4:4 that “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Reverand William Sinclrair

3

Contents

Meeting Reverend William SinclairMeeting Reverend William SinclairMeeting Reverend William SinclairMeeting Reverend William Sinclair p4p4p4p4

We are part of the same bodyWe are part of the same bodyWe are part of the same bodyWe are part of the same body p7p7p7p7

Summer Teams 2006Summer Teams 2006Summer Teams 2006Summer Teams 2006 p9p9p9p9

Pyramid RockPyramid RockPyramid RockPyramid Rock p14p14p14p14

The Yeast of the KingdomThe Yeast of the KingdomThe Yeast of the KingdomThe Yeast of the Kingdom p18p18p18p18

Big Day Out 2006Big Day Out 2006Big Day Out 2006Big Day Out 2006 p18p18p18p18

Focus on an OrganisationFocus on an OrganisationFocus on an OrganisationFocus on an Organisation————PWAPWAPWAPWA p20p20p20p20

Food for ThoughtFood for ThoughtFood for ThoughtFood for Thought p21p21p21p21

Missionary FocusMissionary FocusMissionary FocusMissionary Focus p23p23p23p23

For Your DiaryFor Your DiaryFor Your DiaryFor Your Diary p27p27p27p27

Why not visit our Church Webpage

www.firstballymena.org

A Note From the Editors

We do hope you like the first edition of the church magazine to be printed “in house”.

When this idea was first mooted both Ann and myself were terrified by the prospect, nei-

ther of us having any real computer skills.

However our knight in shining armour proved to be John McQuitty, who (armed with

the Church’s new printer) has been responsible for the finished product - well done John.

Many thanks to all who have contributed articles.

Read and enjoy

Dennis and Ann Greer

4

Meeting Reverend William Sinclair As Reverend William Sinclair settles into

his role as our new minister, we understand

that many of the congregation are clearly

keen to get to know more about the man be-

hind the collar. To help fill in some of the

gaps we sent one of our roving reporters out

to meet the man himself over a cup of tea.

Q1. William, I’m sure the congregation

would be interested to know a bit about

your background. Can you let us know a bit

about that?

I was born and spent the first six years of

my life in Belfast before my father bought a

farm in Saintfield. I had a pretty normal

childhood and went to school at Down High

in Downpatrick. I attended the Church of

Ireland as a boy but was a member of the

Boys Brigade in Second Saintfield. I can’t

put an exact date down for my conversion,

it was more a gradual process, but I would

say I was about fifteen years old when I

made a meaningful commitment to God.

Following school I went to Queens Univer-

sity where I gained a degree in French. I

then moved to Liverpool for a year to do

teaching training. In this year I was really

blessed and challenged by the preaching of

the local Independent Baptist pastor, Stuart

Olyott.

When I completed my training I returned to

teach in Northern Ireland, first in Castlederg

and then Newtownards. After eight years of

teaching I felt called to apply for the Minis-

try in 1988. After an assistantship in

McQuistion Memorial I took control of my

previous charge, Strean in Newtownards, in

1993.

Q2. You mentioned your calling to become

a Minister. Could you possibly tell us more

about that and specifically your calling to

come to First Ballymena?

Looking back I would say that I first felt a

call to become a Minister in my teenage

years. It was not however until the 1980’s

that I was really challenged to put “my

money where my mouth was” and step out

in faith and go into the ministry.

I first became aware of First Ballymena

congregation six or seven years ago when

your former Associate Minister Alistair

Bates moved to Newtownards to take

charge at Scrabo. When the vacancy came

up in First Ballymena the timing seemed all

wrong for me. My youngest daughter Jill

was due to enter her fifth year at school and

we were all very settled in the congregation

in Strean. However every time I tried to set

the matter to the back of my head some-

thing from Ballymena always seemed to ap-

pear in front of me. Therefore, after prayer

with my wife Alison I agreed to have my

name put forward and start the process to

see if anything came of it.

Q3. Perhaps you could tell us more about

your family?

I met Alison at Queens but it was a number

of years later before we started going out.

We were married in 1984 and have two

lovely daughters Laura and Jill. Laura is

hoping to complete a course in Business

Administration in Ballymena whilst Jill will

be travelling back to Newtownards in the

coming year to complete her GCSEs in Re-

gent House. Our family is completed by

our four year old pet dog Brandy.

5

Q4. What are some of your interests and

hobbies?

I would love to say I was a keen sports-

man but closer to the truth I am a keen

spectator of most sports. Growing up in

the George Best era, football is probably

my favourite sport and I support Man-

chester United. I also had the opportunity

to see an Ashes cricket game between

Australia and England at the Melbourne

Cricket Ground in 1998. Unfortunately I

was only able to stay for a couple of hours

but that still allowed me an opportunity to

see five England wickets. I try to keep fit

by running five miles a week if possible

and have taken part in the Belfast relay

marathon a few times.

I enjoy listening to music and have quite an

eclectic taste, from Arethra Franklin to Brit-

pop. I think my first music purchase was a

David Bowie single. In Christian music terms

I love some of the old hymns as well as some

of the newer material. I’m a big fan of Chris

Tomlin’s recent worship pieces as well as Stu-

art Townend and local boys Keith Getty,

Robin Mark and Andy Flanaghan. In terms of

Christian worship I believe it is not the age of

the music which is important, it is the spirit in

which it is sung and I really am looking for-

ward to being a part of the strong music tradi-

tion in First Ballymena.

I also enjoy reading, though I don’t get much

time for reading novels these days. Recently I

have been reading some of John Ortburg’s

work and have just finished re-reading

“Beyond Ourselves” by Catherine Marshall.

William, Alison, Laura, Jill and Brandy the dog

6

Q5. What would you say have been the

best and worst moments of your life as a

Minister so far?

The worst time must have been in my first

summer in Strean. An IRA bomb went off

in Newtownards and the inside of the

church building was destroyed. As I stood

in the debris of the church all I could see

were insurmountable difficulties. Indeed

some people were of the impression that

that was the end of the church for good.

The best moment however was when

twenty months later the church building

was reopened. Indeed during those twenty

months the church family in Strean were

really blessed and grew as God showed us

afresh that the true church is the people

and not the building.

Q6. Finally, how would you sum up your vi-

sion for First Ballymena?

That First Ballymena continues to be a vibrant

Christian community where people live and

worship as a family together, and in so doing

others will be drawn in. I desire the Church to

be known in the world as something different,

a truly loving and caring community, some-

where where people receive a warm welcome,

whether they have been there sixty years or

sixty minutes. I believe that my preaching

must have an emphasis on application and that

what people hear on a Sunday must be a help

to them on Monday.

William, thank you for taking the time to an-

swer these questions. I hope that you feel at

home very quickly in First Ballymena.

The evening of the Installation

7

We are part of the same Body (Ephesians ch4 vs25)

This year sees the 250th anniversary of the

birth of arguably (although in my opinion

without doubt) the greatest ever composer

of Classical Music.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART was

born in Salzburg (Austria) on the 27th of

January 1756 to Leopold and Anna Maria

and it was evident from a very early age

that he was an exceptionally gifted child. At

an age when you and I could barely write

our own name he had already composed his

first piece of music and when you and I

would

have been struggling with our times ta-

bles he had written his first symphony

(aged 8).

Stories abound of his unbelievable talent—

it was said that on his first hearing of a

piece of music he could not only play it but

write out the score NOTE PERFECT!!!!

There are those who believed that he was

spoken to directly by God, that he simply

wrote down what God dictated to him, and

indeed on listening to his music it is hard to

disagree!

In 1984 his music was introduced to a whole

new generation as the film ‘Amadeus’ was

released and was a massive box office suc-

cess winning 8 Academy awards—(Best Pic-

ture, best actor F Murray Abraham who

played court composer Antonio Salieri, best

director Milos Forman, best screenplay, best

Art Direction, best costume design, best

make-up and best sound. The film was

adapted from Peter Shaffer’s stage play of

Amadeus and the music conducted and su-

pervised by probably the greatest interpreter

of Mozart’s music, Sir Neville Marriner. The

film was full of inconsistencies and much

portrayed in the film certainly never hap-

pened but perhaps; it was best summed up by

Images of Mozart as a child sensation and an adult composer

8

one famous critic who reportedly said

“don’t worry about the truth of the storyline

or the acting of the cast—Just sit back,

close your eyes and listen to the music!!

Indeed if you are wondering what all the

fuss is about the music of Mozart and

want to hear for yourself I would highly

recommend the CD of the film’s sound-

track.

The most poignant scene of the film (which

certainly never happened) is when Mozart,

on his death bed, dictates the Confutatis

section of his Requim to Salier i (who ac-

cording to the film was implicated in the

death of Mozart). Mozart painstakingly

sings out each orchestral and choral part

while Salieri frantically tries to keep pace as

he transfers it to manuscript. A pity that it

never happened, but it does make for great

cinema and it also illustrates the art and

complexities of musical arrangement.

Each individual part is ins ignif icant and un-

exciting in its own right but as each part is

added layer by layer the end result is dy-

namic and inspiring.

It is probably my favourite scene of any

film I have ever seen and as I watched it I

immediately thought of that famous chapter

in the book of 1st Corinthians. In chapter 12,

Paul paints a picture of the Church being

made up of all types of people—gifted in

different ways , and like the music, fairly

insignif icant in their own right, but put all

the people together and the result can be a

church that is dynamic—alive and having

an impact that cannot be measured

As we in First Ballymena embark upon a

new era under the ministry of Rev. William

Sinclair how appropriate is that passage

of scripture. Bobby Brown (Belfast City

Mission), in his address on Sunday eve-

ning (23/07/06) touched upon this very

topic and called for the people of our con-

gregation to rise to the task—to get in-

volved and use the gifts that God has

given them to work alongside our new

minister and to promote the gospel in this

place and indeed in this town. May we all

respond and play our PART in this new

and exciting chapter in the history of First

Ballymena and seek to fulf il the obliga-

tions in our Mission Statement.

First Ballymena Presbyterian Church seeks to be a Welcoming Christian Fellowship where people of all ages can Hear God’s Word, Praise God’s Name, Obey God’s Call and Share God’s Love

1ST Corinthians 12 vs 5

There are different ways to serve the

same Lord and we can each do different

things. Yet the same God works in all of

us and helps us in everything we do.

1ST Corinthians 12 vs 12&13

The body of Christ has many different

parts ………………But God’s Spirit bap-

tized each of us and made us part of the

body of Christ.

Ephesians 4 vs 16

Christ holds it together and makes all its

parts work perfectly , as it grows and be-

comes strong because of love.

Dennis GreerDennis GreerDennis GreerDennis Greer

9

Summer Teams 2006 As many of you will be aware, as with pre-

vious years, 2006 saw a number of younger

people from the Church spending their sum-

mer holidays leading different Christian

teams throughout the world. The work un-

dertaken by these teams may have varied

greatly – from kids’ camps on the north

coast to house building in Africa – but the

purpose of those taking part from the church

was the same, to glorify God and show His

love to others.

Throughout the summer I know that it has

been the privilege of many in the congrega-

tion to work as a partner in this work

through continued prayerful support, as well

as providing generous financial help. I

know that all the younger people involved

would wish me to take this opportunity to

say an enormous thank-you for this sup-

port.

As I write this article I am in the throes of

reading “Let the Nations

be Glad!” by the American Pastor John Piper

(the keynote speaker at New Horizon this year

and Paul Brush’s minister whilst he spent his

year in the States). In the book the reader can

feel a contagious overwhelming love for God

flowing from each page. To John Piper mis-

sion should be as natural as breathing to the

Christian, as the sheer scale and awesomeness

of God’s love should inspire us to praise him

by telling others.

Within the family of First Ballymena we must

count it a real blessing that we have so many

people of all ages who can relate to these sen-

timents (though if you are like me you can re-

late to an equal reality of missed opportunities

to share the love of God). To encourage us all

to continue to strive in sharing the truths of

Jesus I have compiled a few stories and mes-

sages from the “summer teamers”. These I

hope will warm our hearts and remind us of

the gracious support God provides each of us

in our lives.

10

Exodus Team to Romania and

Hungary - by Christine Wilson

Have you ever questioned God’s plan?

What a foolish thing to ask you may say,

considering the all-knowing nature of our

sovereign God. But should I dare to pose

this question I wonder how many hands

would be raised. In honesty I admit that my

hand would be in the air.

Our Exodus team to Hungary and Romania,

with Dave McConnell at the helm and my-

self as co-worker was a late team to be

formed. We struggled to find members and

as we started our weekly meetings a month

after the other teams there were only five of

us sitting in my living room eager to see

what the next few months would bring our

way. I fully expected more people would

join the team. A group of five was feasible

but ideally six or even seven would be bet-

ter we thought. God had different plans.

The weeks went by and no more applica-

tions arrived. We prepared as a team for

our summer project, meeting weekly for

prayer, bible study, fellowship and to raise

the required funds for our trip. However in

the back of my mind I still thought that a

slightly bigger team would be best. In

hindsight I couldn’t have been more

wrong.

Our time overseas was split between two

locations and two different projects. In

Bodrog, Hungary, we worked alongside a

small church, carrying out missions in four

local villages. Each member of our small

team was used. We all gave our testimo-

nies, all took part in a drama, all helped

lead games, and if we weren’t playing mu-

sic for the praise we were singing and do-

ing actions.

Our time in Zalau, Romania was predomi-

nantly spent running a kids club in a gypsy

village in the mountains, where yet again

each team member had a role to play. With

praise, games, crafts, memory verses and

stories each of us were kept busy.

We all discovered that in a small team

there is no place to hide! The best thing to

do is accept the challenge ahead and step

forward in faith knowing that God shows

his strength best when we ourselves are

weak. God has everything planned to the

finest detail. Who are we to question his

methods? The next time I find myself

doubting this truth I’ll cast my mind back

to the small team of five he hand picked to

carry out his work in Bodrog and Zalau in

the summer of 2006.

Christine and the team

11

Building African Houses for God

- by Lois McFadden

As we flew over the countryside of our des-

tination what stretched out beneath us

caught me by surprise. Miles and miles of

green fields, trees, rivers and mountains in

the distance. This was the first of many les-

sons I would learn in Ethiopia.

Our purpose as a team of 14 was to help the

people of Shashemene help themselves to

make life that little bit easier – reaching

across from Ireland as brothers and sisters

under the umbrella of Habitat for Humanity.

Little did I know as they reciprocated that

friendship I would leave with a greater un-

derstanding of what it really means to be a

community.

Our mission when we chose to accept it

meant rolling up our sleeves and getting

stuck into all that we could to ensure that 5

houses (and their latrines) would be as near

completion as possible in the 3 weeks of our

trip. I am pleased to report that because our

team, the homeowners and all the labourers

worked so hard we actually had to be told to

slow down.

Not only did God provide new homes but

because of the money gathered from fund-

raising the team was also able to buy sheep,

blankets, notebooks, pens and pencils,

sports equipment, food, basins, soap and

new land for more homes. This list left me

flabbergasted. God always manages to take

the boundaries and throw them beyond our

line of sight, and the people of Shashemene

praise God everyday for it. They thank eve-

ryone who contributed to our journey and I

thank you too.

The mud, stick and concrete houses we

built are the start of a great new beginning

for 5 more families. From these families

radiated more joy, warmth, love and

friendship than I could have believed pos-

sible given the poverty they survived in.

Their “secret” was clear . . . God. With lit-

tle to rely on except him, their love for him

was distilled and refined. Of course there

was pain and sadness but then there is God

and He is always providing and caring.

The cliché that you get more back than you

put in is true (especially for those who

came back with a tummy bug) and as much

as I hate clichés I praise God for giving me

so much from this team.

Lois helping with the work

12

need for love and necessity of working to-

gether for God.

A lesson that was learnt afresh by Chris Wil-

son on the Portrush CSSM team was the

need for different skills and callings. After a

couple of years of being at the front, Chris

found himself working behind the scenes this

year as treasurer for the team. As Chris put it

“Working as treasurer really made me real-

ise that the speaker at the front is only ever a

member of a team, as I witnessed first hand

all the work others were also silently doing.

It is great to know that God doesn’t want us

to do the same job and that He values all

roles equally”

It may well be the case that on Earth we will

never know the influence these teams have

had on the young lives of those who at-

tended. However, as a congregation we

should give thanks for the opportunities God

provided to spread his word and continue to

pray for any we know who attended such

clubs.

Outreach Work in Ireland

As well as teams around the world, again a

number of the younger people in the congre-

gation helped this summer in more local out-

reach work. This work primarily focused on

holiday bible clubs and teen camps. Nor-

mally lasting one or two weeks these camps

included talks and games in equal measure (a

recipe for fun as well as a drain on the body

and minds of those responsible).

Venues varied from the north coast resorts of

Portrush and Castlerock to the Republic

towns of Avoca and Mullingar, not to men-

tion the sunny town of Bangor and the sun-

nier village of Ahoghill.

Situations and children were very different in

these locations. Some worked with heavily

churched young people, others with children

who had never visited a church or read any

of the Bible. However, in all of these sites

blessings were felt by those taking part as

they witnessed for God. Important lessons

were learned about the power of prayer, the

Worship at the Mullingar Team

13

Sharing God through Urban

Regeneration in Belfast - the story of

StreetReach

Belfast. This forced move has in turn unex-

pectedly opened up new and exciting oppor-

tunities to share God’s love. Not least of

these is StreetReach.

StreetReach forms a vital and growing ele-

ment of the work at Summer Madness as

organisers attempt to use the event to aid

participants not only take in Bible teach-

ing and worship but also to give back

time and effort in the service of God.

This is achieved by undertaking a number

of practical projects around the city. These

projects are best described as urban regen-

eration schemes, for example the cleaning

up of some of the most run down estates.

What a powerful Christian message the

sight of teams of teenagers from around the

country working to remove graffiti from

headstones in Belfast cemetery on the Falls

Road must have been this year! That truly

is an active Christian witness.

For the second year in a row a member of

our congregation, 16 year old Rachel

Heaney, was involved in helping with Street

Reach. Rachel’s group were based in the

loyalist Tiger’s Bay estate in the north of

the city. Her work included a general clear

up of this area as well as supporting a local

community centre.

I hope these short insights into the work un-

dertaken this summer have been an encour-

agement to you all. If you would like any

further details or know of anyone else in the

congregation who is keen to get involved in

similar work please contact any of those in-

volved this year or myself.

John McQuitty

Romans 8 v 28 – “And we know that in all

things God works for the good of those who

love him and have been called according to

his purpose” – may be one of the most badly

used pieces of the Bible but again and again

God proves it to be true. A recent example of

this can be seen with good now coming out of

the signif icant trials of the Foot and Mouth

Disease which ravaged Northern Ireland’s

farming community. As a knock-on implica-

tion of FMD the organisers of Summer Mad-

ness (an outdoor Christian festival primarily

targeted for teenagers) had to change venue

from the rural space of Armagh to the more

urban setting of the Kings Hall grounds in

Tracy helping at registry desk

14

PYRAMID ROCKPYRAMID ROCKPYRAMID ROCKPYRAMID ROCK At the end of August First Ballymena held a

Holiday Bible Club again. When the idea of

holding this outreach was first voiced it was

received with some trepidation with those

most likely to be responsible for organising

it. However when it became apparent that

about thirty people in the congregation were

willing to either lead or help with making the

concept a reality everyone realised with con-

fidence that this was something that God was

planning.

The week followed the Scripture Union pro-

gramme “Pyramid Rock”, with a few minor al-

terations to best fit our own circumstances.

Having this already prepared material was a

great help to team, and everyone was impressed

by the quality of handouts and videos which

were available.

The week looked at some of the roles God can

play in our lives, using the story of Joseph to

demonstrate these. Within each evening the

children were encouraged to learn memory

14

Some of the young people and leaders

15

verses, take part in games, quizzes, wor-

ship and group work. Each night also in-

cluded a video on Joseph’s life and a short

talk, as well as a visit from everyone’s fa-

vourite puppet super hero “Captain

Ketchup”.

A massive thanks is extended to all those

who helped in any way with this venture,

especially Tommy Heaney who took over-

all responsibility, as well to parents,

grandparents and friends who so loyally

brought children to the club. Sharing

God’s love with young people is both an

enormous challenge and a blessing and

the support of everyone is greatly appreci-

ated.

15

Worship, Group Work and

Games

16

It is tempting for us to imagine that, in our

time, the battle for the kingdom has been

lost. In Post-Christian Europe our faith is

mocked, our values are ridiculed and our

opinions marginalised. Yet the Bible tanta-

lises us with the prospect of a Messianic

kingdom that spans the globe (Dan. 2v39),

is nurtured and protected by the world’s po-

litical powers (Is. 49v23) and whose “yeast”

is so powerful and irresistible that its value-

system will permeate the whole of society

(Matt. 13v33). Quite a vision, but how do

we capture it?

One response is to be so overwhelmed by

the scale of the vision that we act as if it’s

only a dream that awaits Christ’s return. We

become spectator Christians, shaking our

heads sadly as the heritage of Faith slips

away and while we batten down the hatches

for the Last Days. But Jesus was no mere

onlooker. He was not content just to ob-

serve the world he lived in. Jesus wanted

to transform it. So how did he go about it?

The first thing he did was call a group of

ordinary people to be his disciples and their

very ordinariness is a tremendous source of

encouragement to you and me isn’t it? How

good to know that we don’t have to be Ein-

steins, film stars or philosophers to qualify

as disciples. God is much less interested in

fame than he is in commitment and it is

through people who are committed to co-

operating with him that the kingdom is built

in the day to day life of the world.

The second thing he did was show them

how to carry the message of salvation to the

world and his technique is simple. It’s about

getting up close and personal with people to

show love through good news, healing, and

friendship. Now just loving people may

sound a bit simple as techniques go, but for

Jesus it was the centre of the Christian way

and the beauty of it for mere mortals like us

is this: anybody can do it!

You don’t have to be a “Missionary” to

love people. You don’t have to go to Bible

College to know how to comfort them when

they’re hurting, to rejoice with them when

they’re happy and to bring them into your

home for a cup of tea. There are two great

advantages to engaging as friends. The first

is that you don’t need to spend all your time

stressing about creating opportunities to talk

to people about your faith. As people grow

to respect you and confide in you, the ques-

tion of Faith will just naturally bubble to the

surface. Deep down, people want to talk

about Faith, even if it’s just to give it a kick-

ing but it’s hard to give it a kicking if the

Christian you’re talking to is someone who

you know loves you. The second advantage

is that loving people makes your message

real. If they know who you are and they

know that you care about them as people

they can hear you.

Now all this is why Jesus uses yeast as a

picture of the process and effects of evan-

gelism. Loving people takes time and it

starts small. Billy Graham’s rule of 31 says

that it takes an average of 31 meaningful

contacts with Christians before someone

comes to Christ. That’s 31 of you and me

being Christians at work, Christians at home

and Christians at play just showing love.

Allister Pattison

The Yeast of the Kingdom

17

Poems and Words of WisdomPoems and Words of WisdomPoems and Words of WisdomPoems and Words of Wisdom

Be still my soul, the lord is on thy side

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change He faithfully will provide;

Be still, my soul thy best thy heavenly Friend.

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Nine Requisites for Contented Living

Health enough to make work a pleasure.

Wealth enough to support your needs.

Strength to battle the difficulties and then overcome them.

Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them.

Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished

Charity enough to see some good in your neighbour

Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.

Faith enough to make real the things of God.

Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future

Goethe (1749-1832)

If God Should Go On Strike

How good it is that God above has never gone on strike

Because He was not treated fair in things He didn’t like;

If only once He had sat down, and said “That’s it! I’m through:

I’ve had enough of those on earth, so this is what I’ll do –

I’ll give my orders to the sun – Cut off your heat supply:

And to the moon, Give no more light, And run the oceans dry,”

Then just to make things really tough, and put the pressure on,

“Turn off the vital oxygen till every breath is gone.”

You know, He would be justified, if fairness was the game,

For no-one has been more abused or met with such disdain

Than God, and yet He carries on, supplying you and me

With all the favours of His grace, and everything for free!

Men say they want a better deal, and so “on strike” they go;

But what a deal we’ve given God, to Whom all things we owe,

We don’t care who we hurt or harm to gain the things WE like

BUT - what a mess we’d all be in IF GOD SHOULD GO ON STRIKE

18

BIG DAY OUT 2 September 2006

Some images from the recent Church Family Day in Carnfunnock Country Park

19

1. NICA 11. LOOONSM

2. MAAAHRB 12. HAARS

3. MEULSA 13. DEEONBAG

4. CNDMUOSIE 14. NNSAIAA

5. SLZAUAR 15. LEARCH

6. CSAIA 16. AAANNLEHT

7. TURH 17. SSNOAM

8. JHSEOP 18. CCHSAAEZU

9. LOHTGAI 19. LEADIN

10. BAAIILG 20. RAYM - EEAAMLGND

Unscramble the following letters to display some Bible names

Example SOMES = MOSES

Answers : Cain, Abraham, Samuel, Nicodemus, Lazarus, Isaac, Ruth, Joseph, Goliath,

Abigail, Solomon, Sarah, Abednego, Ananias, Rachel,Nathanial, Samson, Zaccheus,

Daniel, Mary Magdalene.

QUIZ PAGE

20

By the time you read this a new session

of the Presbyterian Women’s Associa-

tion, PWA, will have commenced. The

PWA meets on the second and fourth

Tuesdays of each month, enjoying a var-

ied programme with plenty of time for

fun and friendship and we are always

open to new ideas to improve the meet-

ings. We have interesting speakers and a

cup of tea afterwards, with members en-

couraged to stay and chat. Two outings

are also being planned for the coming

year.

A very warm welcome is extended to la-

dies of all ages in the congregation. We

would especially welcome more younger

members this year. The PWA in First

Ballymena has always been strong and

enthusiastic, but every organisation

needs new younger blood to keep up the

momentum. At this time when we are

embarking on a new phase in the life of

the congregation an even larger PWA

would surely be an encouragement to

Rev and Mrs Sinclair.

Please think seriously about becoming

involved even if you cannot attend every

meeting. Set aside as many evenings as

you can.

Focus on an organisation - PWA

Programme for 2006 / 2007 Theme : Servants of the King

Sept 26 - Icebreakers

Oct 10 - My life as a minister

Rev James Clark

Oct 24 - Box Opening

Nov 14 - Women’s Aid

Nov 28 - Bush Fire Ministries

Dec 12 - Christmas Party

Jan 9 - Use your talents

Jan 23 - Mission Aviation Fellowship

Feb 10 - United Town Rally

Feb 27 - Gift Night for Kidney Research

& Mental Health

Mar 13 - One man and his pigs

Alan Ashenhurst

Mar 27 - Evening out to TBF Thompson

21

Food for Thought Bread

“I will send you rain in its season, and

the ground will yield crops and the trees

of the field their fruit. Your threshing

will continue until grape harvest and

grape harvest will continue until plant-

ing, and you will eat all the food you

want and live in safety in your land”

Leviticus 26 4&5

Bread is mentioned hundreds of times in

the Bible, more times than any other

food, but most often it means the loaves,

cakes and biscuits we commonly recog-

nise as bread. The Bible records many

instances of brethren eating bread to-

gether, of a stranger being given bread

and of God providing bread to His peo-

ple. Jesus describes Himself as the

Bread of Life (John 6 v 3)

In biblical times it is recorded that there

were many long periods of prosperity

during which a large variety of healthy

foods were enjoyed. We are told that

abundant harvests were considered a re-

flection of God’s favour.

In the Bible, fresh elemental foods are

celebrated; the sweetness of fruit; the

richness of the milk, cheese and olives;

the heartiness of the grains; the special

qualities of almonds, grapes, figs, on-

ions, spices and herbs. The Bible fre-

quently draws metaphors from the blos-

som, fragrance and cultivation of the

plants that sustained everyday life.

From a nutritionists point of view we are

encouraged to return to this more natural

way of eating. High fibre, low choles-

terol, fresh food and moderate meat intake -

all the standards of modern nutritional wis-

dom are embodied in the ancient diet of bib-

lical times. The refining processes that have

robbed food of too much of its nutritional

value had not been invented. The over re-

finement of food is a recent development of

the past 150 years.

To enjoy the fresh bounty of God’s harvest is

such a wonderful privilege. Let us praise

Him with all of our hearts for His never end-

ing goodness granted to us each and every

day.

22

RecipesRecipesRecipesRecipes

There is something so very different about the taste and texture of home made bread. Ad-

mittedly it takes a lots of practice to achieve the perfect loaf or scone and while I know that I

do not always achieve that perfection, my family and friends can scoff a griddle soda or a

chunk of fresh brown loaf and thankfully suffer no ill effects. Perhaps you would like to

have a go with a few of my favourite recipes.

Margaret Johnston

Brown Bread 6ozs white flour

11ozs coarse brown flour

3 tablespoons of bran

2 tablespoons of wheatgerm

2 heaped teaspoons of baking powder

1 dessertspoon treacle

1pt milk

(Makes 1 2lb loaf)

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a

large bowl. Add the treacle and stir in

enough of the milk to give a moist mixture.

Place in a well oiled 2lb loaf tin and bake

in an oven preheated to 200C for 20mins.

Reduce the heat to 170C and cook for a

further 50 mins.

Run a knife around the tin and ease the

bread out. If it sounds hollow when tapped

on the bottom it is cooked; if not return it

to the oven for a further 10 to 15 mins. No

need to put it in a tin, just set it on the

shelf.

Apricot and Honey Scones

1lb self-raising flour

A pinch of baking powder

A pinch of salt

2ozs caster sugar

4ozs unsalted butter

1 egg lightly beaten

3 fl ozs plain yoghurt

6 fl ozs milk

1 tablespoon of runny honey

3ozs ready to eat chopped apricots

1 egg beaten with a little water to glaze

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into

a bowl and stir in the sugar. Using finger-

tips lightly work in the butter until the

mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add

the apricots, the egg, yoghurt, honey and

milk. Mix well until it has a soft doughy

texture.

Gather the dough into a ball and turn it out

on to the floured surface and roll lightly

with a rolling pin to 1inch thick. Cut out

with a round cutter, transfer to a greased

baking sheet and brush the top with the

egg glaze.

Bake in a preheated oven 180C for 15 to

20 mins until well browned.

23

Missionary Focus Billy & Jeanne Campbell – News on a

special family celebration in Wales. The

Cambodia School Project providing pri-

mary school education to hundreds of vil-

lage children. Missionary candidates

from Australia to South Africa.

In 1st Ballymena in July: It was wonderful

that we were both able to be together and

speak in 1st Ballymena at the beginning of

July. Some of you also met our elder daugh-

ter, Kathleen, who was also in the church

with our first grandchild – 6 month old

grandson Pierce, all the way from the USA

where Kathleen and Andrew and the baby

live.

100 Not Out!: When we left Ireland we

travelled to South Wales. Our younger

daughter, Caroline, joined us there from

London, where she lives and works. As a

family we spent a most enjoyable week to-

gether in Saundersfoot. July 6th was a very

special day of family reunion when Jeanne

and her sister, and the family circle and

friends, gathered to celebrate their mother’s

100th birthday!! - Yes, ‘Granny’ Philipps

got her letter from the Queen simply stating:

“I am so pleased to know that you are cele-

brating your one hundredth birthday on 6th

July 2006. I send you my congratulations

and best wishes to you on such a special oc-

casion.” Elizabeth R. We include a picture

that shows Jeanne and her s ister and some

of the immediate family and local dignitar-

ies, with ‘Granny’ Philipps in the Care

Home where she lives in Carmarthen, South

Wales.

Cambodia School Now Open: Other pic-

tures in this report show the Cambodia

School opened and operating with several

hundred village children receiving a primary

school education in a rural community in the

Kompong Speu province. We continue to be

involved with this project as there is neces-

sity to help provide a water pump, filter, stor-

age tank and platform, together with a gen-

erator to provide electric power to the site.

With electricity we would be able to plan for

short-term medical teams – which is a vision

and desire we have as we continue to serve

these disadvantaged people most of whom

lack what most of us would consider the ba-

sic necessities of life.

100th Birthday Celebrations

Grand Opening

24

Australia Challenges: In August we re-

ceived a bridging visa that enabled us to re-

tain our base in Australia while the applica-

tion for an extension of our Tempo-

rary Visas (religious workers visas) was be-

ing considered. Hopefully by the time you

read this news in the Autumn (your Autumn

– Spring in the Southern Hemisphere!!) we

will have a renewal of our Temporary Visa

here. Billy’s special assignment with OMS

International in Australia isn’t quite com-

plete; as yet a local mission representative

hasn’t been appointed. Efforts are being

made to fund the position within Australia

and hopefully this can be achieved in the

coming months. We praise the Lord for

new missionary candidates appointed and

two of them are completing orientation and

gathering around them a support team and

prayer partners as they prepare to leave for

Africa in the coming months. Pray for us as

we prepare for Leadership Training ministry

in September (Billy in Northern Thailand);

late November (Billy in Northern Philip-

pines); and January (Jeanne in Myanmar,

Burma) meeting with pastor’s wives from

among the Lahu tribal peoples.

Thank you: We are grateful for the finan-

cial support you give and your regular

prayer for us. As we serve the Lord in the

Asia Pacific region and in greater Asia, we

are your representatives and an extension of

the missionary outreach from 1st Ballymena

in the unfinished task of ‘Reaching the Na-

tions for Christ.’

Billy and Jeanne Campbell

News from Nigeria The Missionary Fellowship received recently

an email via Dennis and Ann Greer from our

good friends Elisha and his family. They are

doing well considering the economic and po-

litical climate that exists in Nigeria today. It

is not easy being a Christian in this country,

yet Elisha remains very positive. He asked if

we could help repair his car which was

needed for him and his family to continue

their work. We were delighted in a very

practical way to help and as a result the vehi-

cle has been repaired

This is only one of numerous occasions

when your valuable contributions help those

in need, and again the Missionary Fellowship

are grateful to all who support the envelope

scheme allowing us all to have the opportu-

nity to share in God’s work.

Ian McElhinny

The Missionary Fellowship in collabora-

tion with Majed and Arab World Minis-

tries is planning a fact finding tour of

Morocco.

It will take place in March / April 2007.

This opportunity is only available to

members of the congregation, and we be-

lieve it is a unique opportunity to learn

first hand about God’s work in a very

different part of His world.

Please contact Ian or any member of the

Missionary Fellowship if you would be

interested.

25

The Committee is pleased to report that there

was a very generous response to our first an-

nual appeal on behalf of Charitable Organi-

sations. The sum of £4246.50 was raised and

when Gift Aid on contributions is added the

final amount will be slightly over £5000, a

most commendable amount. The congrega-

tion is to be applauded for their usual gener-

osity. The nine Charitable Organisations to

which we hope to give £500 each this year

are as follows:

Braid Valley Hospital Equipment Fund

Action Cancer – Northern Ireland

MacMillan Cancer Support

The Cedar Foundation.

NI Chest, Heart and Stroke Association

St John Ambulance – Mid Antrim Div.

Camphill Communities Trust (NI)

Age Concern – Northern Ireland

Presbyterian Orphan & Children’s Society.

Should you still like to avail of the opportunity

to give in this year, please put your donation in

an envelope, marked for Charitable Organisa-

tions, along with your FWO number and place

on the offering plate.

We are indebted to Mr A McNeill and Mr C

Russell, who have kindly agreed to oversee

the distribution of the funds and should you

wish to recommend an organisation, which

you consider worthy of support, please give

details to either Alastair or Colin. It would be

the Committee’s intention to support up to ten

Charitable Organisations each year, but not al-

ways the same ones.

L H McQuitty

Hon. Sec.

Funding for Charitable Organisations.

BELFAST BIBLE COLLEGE

As the academic calendar ticks

round to the start of a new se-

mester please find below infor-

mation on Belfast Bible Col-

lege and courses available

there. The college attempts to

run a wide range of modules

suitable for all backgrounds

and ages. For more detailed

information why not visit

www.belfastbiblecollege.com

26

Congregational Record

BaptismsBaptismsBaptismsBaptisms Jesus said, “Let the little children come to

me, and do not hinder them”

Matt. Ch 19 v14

18th June 2006

Sarah Elizabeth Gillan

MarriagesMarriagesMarriagesMarriages “What God has joined together, let man not separate”

Matt Ch 19 v6

21st June 2006 Karen Rosetta McQuitty to Alan Walker Millar

22nd July 2006 Sarah Jane Hamill to Gary David Smyth

DeathsDeathsDeathsDeaths “Underneath are the everlasting arms” Deut Ch 33 v27

16th November 2005 Martha Leith *

17th February 2006 Mr Carson Conway

17th February 2006 Mrs Clara Taylor

26th February 2006 Mr Herbie McAteer

11th April 2006 Mrs Florence McCart

19th April 2006 Mrs Wendy Adams

20th June 2006 Mr Harry Currie

23rd June 2006 Mr John Wilson

12th July 2006 Mr David Manson

14th July 2006 Mr John Simpson

16th July 2006 Mrs Annie McAteer

21st July 2006 Mr Jim Taggart

9th August 2006 Mr Jack Greer

* amendment from previous magazine

27

For your Diary Harvest - Sunday 8th October

Morning worship led by Rev William Sinclair

Evening worship led by George Barkley

Pre-Communion - Thursday 2nd November

Communion - Sunday 5th November

Remembrance Sunday- Sunday 12th November

Family Service - Sunday 26th November

(Evening)

The Spirit comes upon the church, proud of

its past, and compels that church to take se-

riously the radical words of Jesus - “He who

saves his life shall lose it; and he who loses

for my sake shall find it.” It is daunting

thought, this incalculable destiny. But it is

thrilling too. It means you just cannot tell

what God may yet make of your life and

character.

If only we would take Christ at his word to-

day! If only the church, if one of us, would

allow the Holy Spirit to have His way with

us. There will be many difficulties, but will

I take Jesus at His word? Now is the ac-

cepted time.

As we prayerfully consider the start of a

new session in the life of our church, we

earnestly pray for the working of the Holy

Spirit in this community of believers. In

humility, we await the marvellous prospects

for everyone - all the drabness and tedium

vanquished, all the suffocating poisonous

atmosphere of disillus ionment gone with the

wind of His refreshing grace.

Oh Lord how we long for this.

The Wind of the Spirit

28

Contact Details

Church Services and Activities

Minister Rev William Sinclair XXXX XXXX

Pastoral Assistant Rev George Preston XXXX XXXX

Clerk of Session James Gregg XXXX XXXX

Treasurer Rodney Bryans XXXX XXXX

Musical Director Paul Brush XXXXXXXXXXX

Assistant Musical Director Karyn Logan XXXX XXXX

Secretary of Church Cttee Lyle McQuitty XXXX XXXX

F.W.O Secretary Roland Woods XXXX XXXX

Covenant Secretary William McDowell XXXX XXXX

Sunday School Superintendent Tommy Heaney XXXX XXXX

Gir ls’ Brigade Anne Smith XXXX XXXX

Boys’ Brigade Jim Eccles XXXX XXXX

P.W.A Secretary Mae McQuitty XXXX XXXX

Youth Club Leader Steven Wilson XXXX XXXX

Badminton Club Secretary Wilson Burns XXXX XXXX

Church Officer Alistair White XXXX XXXX

Presbyterian Herald Agent Jack Montgomery XXXX XXXX

Christian Irishman Agent Allister Pattison XXXX XXXX

Wider World Agents Vera Wylie XXXX XXXX

Cis Johnston XXXX XXXX

Church Library Barney & Ruth Graham XXXX XXXX

Editors of First Edition Dennis & Ann Greer XXXX XXXX

Mission Secretary Ian McElhinny XXXX XXXX

Admin. Secretary Anne Smith XXXX XXXX

Sunday Services 11.30am and 6.30pm

Sunday School and Bible Class 10.00am

Creche Sunday 11.30am

Youth Fellowship Sunday 7.45pm

Bowling Club Monday 7.30pm

On the Move Club Monday 7.30pm

Explorers Tuesday 6.15pm

Girls’ Brigade Tuesday 7.30pm

P.W.A. 2nd and 4th Tuesdays 8.00pm

Midweek Fellowship Wednesday 8.00pm

Badminton Club Monday 7.30pm (for beginners)

Thursday 8.00pm

Choir Practice Thursday 7.45pm

Friendship Hour 1st Thursday 3.00pm

Young Women’s Group Thursday 8.00pm (monthly)

Anchor Boys Friday 6.45 pm

Boys’ Brigade Junior Section Friday 6.45pm

Boys’ Brigade Company Section Friday 8.00pm

Junior Youth Club (711) Saturday 6.45pm

Revelation Zone Saturday 8.30pm