God started a small work in Cookstown just over ten years ago. It has truly been a delight to see
how God has been building up His church in Mid-Ulster during this time. It’s been a long standing
prayer of our church family that someday we would be self-governing with our own ruling elders.
The 29th March 2024 was the evening when we saw God answer our prayer. Joy and thankfulness
were the predominant emotions as our church family witnessed the ordination and installation of
Mr. Peter Neilly and Mr. Roger Sloan to the office of ruling elder within the congregation.
Until this point, we have been under the care of the Lisburn session. We are truly thankful and
indebted to our Lisburn elders for all the love and care they have shown each of us over the past 10
years. Even though we now have our own newly established session, we will still be assisted by the
elders from the Lisburn Congregation for the next year or two.
On the evening, Mr. Paul Wright, preached from 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 on “The Servant’s Duties.” In
this passage, King David was charging his son, Solomon, to know God and be devoted to Him
because he had been chosen by God for the task of being the next King. Peter and Roger, along
with the rest of the congregation, were reminded of how God has chosen each of us to be a servant
of Christ in our own particular callings. We were challenged to fulfil our duties of knowing God
more in our lives and to be fully devoted to Him.
Paul Wright then put the prescribed questions to the elders-elect, after which the men were
ordained and installed with prayer and the laying on of hands.
The evening ended with a charge to the newly-ordained men and the congregation. We were
reminded that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who has given us two ruling elders [Ephesians 4 v 11]. As
the role of an elder is spiritual, we must be praying for them [Ephesians 6 v 17-20] so that they will
not come under the condemnation or snare of the devil [1 Timothy 3 v 6-7].
The congregation gives thanks to God of His wonderful answer to prayer in providing new leaders
within the church. Please pray for these two men as they begin this new task within the Church of
Jesus Christ, that they would be equipped for the task to which they have been called; that they
would be a be a blessing to those whom they serve and that they in turn will be blessed in their
serving.
Lydia Sloan
