The annual Ministers’ Conference for men from the Irish and Scottish RP Churches was held at the end of September. Around 40 men gathered at the Drummond Hotel in Ballykelly for three days of fellowship, prayer and teaching.
The opening sermon was delivered by Rev. Malcolm Ball, recently retired after 33 years’ missionary service in Nantes, France. The main speaker was Rev. Mark Johnston, of Cardiff Presbyterian Church in Wales. Originally from Northern Ireland, Mark is well-known through his work as a Banner of Truth Trustee. Mark’s topic was ‘An Old Testament Perspective on Ministry’ and his four addresses were all taken from the book of Ezekiel.
The Monday evening and Tuesday morning were devoted to prayer for the four different Presbyteries in Ireland, the Scottish Presbytery, as well as retired ministers and recently vacant congregations.
On the Tuesday afternoon a historical paper was delivered by Rev. Stephen Steele (Stranraer RPCS) on ‘William Symington on the Christian Ministry’, former Stranraer minister Symington having been ordained 200 years ago in August. The closing sermon was, as usual, delivered by the Moderator of the Irish RP Synod, who this year is Rev. Mark Loughridge (minister of New Life Fellowship, Letterkenny and Milford Reformed Presbyterian Church), who spoke on the sevenfold encouragement of Scripture ‘he is able’.
As usual it was an encouraging few days and a real privilege to be able to attend.
