CONTACT INFO.
If you would like to find out more about our events, arrange a meeting
or engage in mission, please contact the appropriate person
Trevor Johnston
Ireland Team Leader
[email protected]
Colin Morris
Ireland Staff Worker
[email protected]
Val Ellis
Activities & Relationships
Coordinator
[email protected]
Pam Smyth
PA & Belfast Office
Administrator
[email protected]
Phil Cairns
Ministry Apprentice
[email protected]
Peter Blair
Ministry Apprentice
[email protected]
Hazel Coulter
Dublin Office
Administrator
[email protected]
Republic of Ireland Office
28 Bachelors Walk
Dublin 1
+353 (1) 8729508
www.crosslinks.org
CONTACT
OUR
OFFICES
Northern Ireland Office
32 Montgomery Rd, Belfast,
Northern Ireland, BT6 9HL
+44 (0) 28 9079 6028
UK Charity No. 249986
facebook.com/Crosslinks.in.Ireland
@xlireland
SPREAD
CROSSLINKS IN IRELAND
ISSUE No.5
Pray to the Lord
of the harvest;
ask him to send
more workers
into his fields
Matthew 9.38
MISSION@CROSSLINKS
REACHING THE NATIONS ON OUR DOORSTEP
There is another opportunity to attend
this course running in the mid-Ulster
area over five Tuesday nights 1, 8, 15, 22,
29 October, 2013, from 8–9:30pm. It will
take place in the lounge of St Saviour’s
Church of Ireland, Dollingstown. The aim
of this course is to decrease fear, increase
knowledge and improve confidence in
sharing the gospel with those from other
faith backgrounds. You are encouraged
to come to all five nights if you are free
or whenever you are available.
For further information
please contact
[email protected]
Tel: 07929126407
WITNESSING TO WESTERN MUSLIMS
Dr Richard Shumack, from Melbourne, Australia is a research fellow with the
Centre for Public Christianity and Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. He
has written the book, Witnessing to Western Muslims in which he, “invites us
to break through simple stereotypes and invites us to think hard about what
it is to understand and reach out to people who may be different from us in
faith and culture. At the same time it encourages us to see that reaching out
like this is not beyond any of us.” (Greg Anderson, Head of Mission Department,
Moore Theological College, Sydney.)
Richard will be joining for a host of events of the week beginning the 14th October. Contact Val Ellis for more information.
TWO BIG OPPONENTS, ONE SMALL CITY
Christians across the world are aware that their beliefs find most
opposition from 2 major and opposing worldviews. For Christians,
especially in Europe, these major worldviews clash with explicit
beliefs in the Lord Jesus. Christian mission, therefore, must focus
upon how to speak the gospel to those from Islamic backgrounds
and secular atheists. Little did I expect to meet these 2 major opponents in the remote west of Ireland.
On the Wednesday night of a week long outreach team to the city
of Galway, I (Peter Blair) and Richard Wallace (ministry intern at
Kirkpatrick Memorial Presbyterian Church, Belfast) headed off to
meet a local Muslim evangelist I had befriended on our previous
trip to Galway during the St. Patrick’s weekend. We arrived at his
house to find that the Imam (leader of the Muslim congregation in
Galway) was there, and we engaged with him and my friend Yusuf
for over 5 hours on the topic of Jesus’ divinity, where righteousness is found, and the veracity of the New Testament.
The following day we met Dan Barker, a former pastor who travels
the world speaking at Atheist conferences ridiculing the Christian
faith. We engaged with him for over an hour on the topics of eternal punishment, the worship of God and the resurrection of Jesus.
The week was one of big encouragements - since we returned we
have been made aware of several people who have began attending two churches in Galway, and we are pursuing further dialogue
with the Muslim population of the city.
The trip was an eye-opening experience; we saw the huge need
for gospel proclamation and the opposition that it brings. But
greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world! Please continue to pray for those who heard the good news of Jesus that
week, that God would soften their hearts, and that they would
believe in the Lord Jesus.
Peter Blair
PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL
ROBERT & SHARON HEANEY
The vision of St. John’s University in Tanzania (SJUT) is to provide
Christian education for young people that in their lives and in
their careers they might transform society to the glory of God.
In January 2010 the Heaneys left life in Oxford and family in Co.
Down and Co. Antrim behind to make the move to Dodoma.
Robert and Sharon taught undergraduate courses and developed the MA. “Students were lively, engaged, and critical” Sharon
says. “Close readings of texts in seminars and teaching English for
academic purposes were some of the most useful work I was
involved in at the university.” She is particularly aware that every
theology and every Christian belongs to a particular context. “This
was reflected in the research topics that students chose. They explored how the Gospel impacts the issues that their communities face daily especially in regard to poverty, education and the
environment.”
the many people who prayed with us during his bouts of illness and in his adventures and misadventures in Tanzania.”
For the past seven months the Heaneys have been back in Oxford fulfilling their commitments during Home Assignment. Robert has also been working on research at the university, Sam happily returned to his old school, and Sharon has been organizing
the Heaneys next move. Robert has been appointed Director
of the Center for Anglican Communion Studies and Assistant
Professor of Christian Mission at Virginia Theological Seminary in
the USA. Asked if he was looking forward to the US, Sam responded, “Sometimes I am homesick for Dodoma but we are
going to get a dog in America!” The Heaneys would continue
to value your prayers as they begin ministry in a very different context with very different challenges and opportunities.
“In many ways Tanzania exceeded our expectations” reflects
Robert. “Certainly one way it exceeded our expectations was
in the responsibilities that were thrust upon us which we were
not prepared for.” Robert became the university’s first Director
of Postgraduate Studies and Research. “In any context I would feel
that such a job was beyond me. But in a context where Masters
courses had already been launched in the absence of any Higher
Degree Regulations it was a particularly challenging task!” Robert was ably assisted by a great team without whom, he readily
admits, he could not have survived. “They did so much to make
the Directorate work and at the same time testified to the grace
and service of God which is the very reason the university exists.”
As well as her academic work Sharon was the main carer for Sam. “We are very proud of Sam and so grateful for
MINISTRY APPRENTICES
Farewell to Richard Balmer and Ross Mungavin, ministry apprentices at Crosslinks from 2011-2013. Richard has
moved to London to begin a 3 year degree in Theology at Oak Hill Theological College, London. Ross, along
with his wife Emma have begun ministry in Hampstead, North West London. We want to thank them for all
that they brought, their management of camps and the
deep investment which they made in various lives over
the course of their apprenticeship.
Welcome to Peter Blair and Philip Cairns, new
Crosslinks Ministry apprentices. Peter is no stranger to
us having been involved in camps and teams for the
past number of years. Phil Cairns is from Glengormley
and has completed a one-year youth ministry internship at a local church. Do pray for them as they begin
their involvement with Crosslinks.
Trevor Johnston
SUMMER TEAMS
GALWAY
TEAM
For a week in July, Crosslinks had a team of 15 students in Galway doing street evangelism and children’s work. Over the course of the
week hundreds of people were spoken to through the use of questionnaires and gospel literature. After morning devotions and our
team Bible studies, we sent the afternoons preaching in the open-air and giving testimonies to the crowd. Many people stopped to listen
and someone would often approach the preacher after the talk to ask for a gospel booklet.
Devout and disillusioned Roman Catholics, free-thinkers, spiritualists and philosophers were only a selection of the people we met. We
were surprised to meet a high-profile atheist who has been involved in debates in the UK. He engaged the team in debate and asked
difficult questions. Two team members were invited to debate a local Imam over tea at a Muslim’s house one evening. A highlight of
the week was a man who approached a team member and said he wanted to have the living hope he saw in her. He was concerned
about how his feelings left him uncertain of going to heaven. Please pray that he will put his faith in Jesus and not rely on his feelings
for assurance. We were also able to recommend churches to Christians we met who had recently come to study or work in Galway.
Please pray for Galway Christian Fellowship and the Reformed Presbyterian church in Galway. We were blessed by these local churches
who hosted us and came to the street to support us.
The team also ran a lively children’s programme in a local estate each evening. with over fifty taking part. Please pray that each child who
heard the stories, learnt memory verses and received a gospel leaflet will come to understand that Jesus died as a substitute for them.
Richard Balmer.
THAILAND TEAM
During the summer, I was part of a team of 8 people from Donghcloney
and Waringstown Church of Ireland Church who visited Thailand. We
linked up with the Crosslinks mission partners in Bangkok, Peter and
Ineke Cook. Peter is the minister of the Anglican church, Christ Church,
Bangkok. We visited to organisations in Bangkok and further afield, to
give us an idea of the mission work that is going on.
Whilst we were in Bangkok, we got involved with prison ministry, helping street kids, university evangelism and work with the Bangkok sex
and human trafficking trade. Many of the sights that were in Bangkok
were distressing, but it was encouraging to see Christians who had reaching out with the gospel in very different contexts.
On the second week we visited an academy in the north of Thailand called Noh Bo. This academy was
set up by Christ Church for the children of a group of people called the Karen. The Karen people are
natives of Burma but many have fled into refugee camps in Thailand because of violence and ethnic
cleansing. As well as teaching the children subjects like Thai, geography and English, Noh Bo shares
the gospel of Christ through assemblies and Bible studies. For many of these kids who have lost so
much, it is great to see the hope that God’s word brings to them. Noh Bo relies heavily on the work
of volunteers all year round for the academy to continue its work.
We were very blessed to have our trip organised by Crosslinks. They gave us some excellent orientation which meant we got used to the different culture, were always on hand to answer any questions
and ease our worries. Our church is looking into creating a long term partnership to continue working
on an annual basis in Thailand, revisiting many of the places we were this year.
Dave Armstrong
SUMMER CAMPS
JUNIOR
CAMP
Howdy, partner! Junior Camp was a brilliant week of Bible teaching for children who came from all over Ireland. This summer we had
Christiaan Snell teaching the children as we explored the book of Judges. We saddled up and headed out to the Wild West where
“everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Along the way we discovered the cycle of human sin and God’s grace in sending rescuers
for His people. This challenged us to see how sinful sin really is and how merciful and kind God continues to be. Ultimately we looked
forward to God’s final Rescuer – Jesus.
The outings each day gave us time to get to know each other better and have lots of fun. We really enjoyed the Marble Arch Caves
even though they were dark, wet and scary! But having already seen the boys’ bedrooms, we were ready for anything! The trip to the
cinema gave us time to sit back and rest after an energetic swim and an afternoon spent at the playpark.
Each day included time to learn about mission and discover more about what God is doing in His world. We enjoyed tasting unusual
food, modelling colourful clothes and learning new languages as we learnt about mission in Brazil, Morocco and Tanzania. It was exciting
to learn about the persecuted church and how Christians have remained faithful under pressure. We also learnt about William Tyndale
and how we got our Bibles in English. This helped us appreciate the great privilege we have that we can understand what God is saying.
Of course, no Wild West camp would have been complete without our Pistols at Dawn Waterfight and Catch a Cow races. The cowboys and cowgirls had lots of fun and we hope to see everyone again next year for another adventure at Junior Camp.
Richard Balmer
SENIOR
CAMP
God is sovereign. Something which we all learned or relearned at Crosslinks Senior Camp this year. In the run up to camp there were
various issues, which God provided for abundantly. And on camp His goodness refreshed the leaders and challenged the campers every
day. We heard talks from the book of Daniel and spent time studying it in quiet time groups too. Over the course of the week we
covered all twelve chapters, which was difficult for both leader and camper alike, but God is sovereign and many of the campers had
their faith in the Lord deepened and some even put their trust in Him for the first time.
This year many new faces joined us. As the bookings for campers came in we were perplexed because we couldn’t work out how they
had come to know about camp, but this was just another demonstration of God’s sovereign power. We also had a number of new leaders who had grown up through camps and it was an encouragement for all the old heads to see how they had matured in their faith.
We had a fantastic time in a really beautiful setting. The activities were great, and a highlight of the week for everyone was seeing the
dance-off between our very own Colin Morris and Trevor Johnston (available on Youtube). The final day is always emotional, but this
year even more so. With many of the senior campers in their last year there wasn’t a dry eye on camp as we said farewell.
God was lavishly good to us: please do pray for all the campers and leaders as they go back to their churches and schools and that God
would continue to bless and grow this vital ministry.
Ross Mungavin
GAMBIAN SMILE
Hi, my name is Patrick Tice and I’m from Wicklow and, along with 11 others, was in the
Gambia (a small West African country) with the Crosslinks Smile Team 2013. Also from
Ireland was Rachael Williams.
Our main role in the Gambia was to work as school teachers in both primary and secondary schools. On Sundays we helped in a local church and did street evangelism, ran Sunday
school classes, bible studies and youth groups in the local community. On Friday mornings
we ran devotional services in a pair of small primary schools. Our 45 minute slots were
filled with songs, memory verses, a few games and a talk.
I taught English in a secondary school called Latrikunda Sabiji Upper Basic. In my classes,
ages ranged from 16 to 19 with class sizes generally around 50. As you can imagine, it’s a
very different environment to St. Columba’s College, the small Dublin boarding school I
attended for the last six years.
While not teaching English, I got the opportunity to meet with a small group of Christians
who go to the school. Simon Addcock (the other team member who also works at Latrikunda) and I were fortunate enough to establish strong friendships with members of this
small group. The students were enthusiastic about their faith and regularly brought along
Muslim friends to meet and chat with us. A couple of these friends were growing very sympathetic to Christianity and we pray that
they will take the next brave step and invite Jesus into their lives.
The trip proved to be a great period of personal growth as well. As a team, we
studied Mark’s Gospel together every Tuesday and Friday evening. On Monday
evenings the team leader Will Nichol led us through a bible overview and on
Wednesdays we did a seminar on particular topics which included the Doctrine
of the Trinity, The Holy Spirit, The Cross, Gender and Marriage.
It was an exciting time. Living in a small, three bedroom house with thirteen other
Christians in a totally foreign culture, climate and country proved challenging yet
massively encouraging. Trips each afternoon to the beach (a ten minute walk
away) in 35 degree heat for some football, sunbathing and swimming certainly
did’t make things any easier!
We had a wonderful moment in one of the devotional services when in front of the whole school, in answer to a game deciding question, a young boy came to the front and perfectly recited 1 John 3:16. His name was Mohammed. I think this little anecdote somewhat
summarised our work out there.
I am so grateful to everyone involved in Crosslinks who helped make this trip happen and hope that you’ll continue to pray for the
work of the Gospel in this small, vivacious country.
Patrick Tice
CROSSING THE FINISH LINE
It is amazing to think that at long last I and the rest of the Run4Christ team have
reached the finish line in Crossmaglen. We set out on the 29th June and there was
uncertainty as to how it would all go but I can confidently declare that God was
with us every step of the way and blessed everybody involved in so many ways. He
kept us safe on the roads, brought us into contact with his people throughout the
country who displayed amazing hospitality and most importantly provided us with
opportunities to share the gospel all over the country. I am greatful to Crosslinks for
their assistance and their shared vision of seeing new disciples of the Lord Jesus being
made - I would appeal to you all to support them financially and prayerfully so that
they can continue spreading the gospel.
Alistair Donaldson
If Alistair’s amazing feat has inspired you to make a donation to Run4Christ, you can do so at:
http://www.crosslinks.org/sponsorship/run4christ-alistair-donaldson
“If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would
have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health,
he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need
involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death;
and he sent us a Saviour.”
DA Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation