Newsletter - January 2004
Dear Friends
What did 2003 hold for you? No doubt you had moments of trouble and difficulty as well as times of joy and encouragement. Equally without doubt you have known and proved the Lord’s faithfulness through all its changing scenes. What a wonderful thing it is to know that He never leaves us or forsakes us and that He travels with us through the rough and the smooth of each new day.
We in Lay Witness finish 2003 with a sense of gratitude to God for His goodness to us. In this newsletter we will share some of the highlights of the last twelve months. There were missions in Moville and Holywood in the winter and Drimoleague, west Cork, in August. Looking ahead to 2004 you will hear about plans for Hamilton Road, Bangor in March and Limavady in May as well as for our annual conference in Castle Erin, Portrush. Many of you will be interested, by way of preliminary announcement, to learn that in 2005 we plan to move our conference to Glenada in Newcastle (18-20 March) in a bid to make the event more accessible to our members from the Republic.
There is much to encourage us as we launch into a new year. Recently we have been excited about our new website and the possibilities it opens up for good communication and interaction. The real issue however is that we are only as effective as God chooses to make us. We are totally dependent on Him for His blessing and empowerment. May that dependency be our strength and secret weapon as we move into another year.
Wishing you God’s richest blessings in 2004,
Allen Errol Heather Norma Tom Wilson
What did 2003 hold for you? No doubt you had moments of trouble and difficulty as well as times of joy and encouragement. Equally without doubt you have known and proved the Lord’s faithfulness through all its changing scenes. What a wonderful thing it is to know that He never leaves us or forsakes us and that He travels with us through the rough and the smooth of each new day.
We in Lay Witness finish 2003 with a sense of gratitude to God for His goodness to us. In this newsletter we will share some of the highlights of the last twelve months. There were missions in Moville and Holywood in the winter and Drimoleague, west Cork, in August. Looking ahead to 2004 you will hear about plans for Hamilton Road, Bangor in March and Limavady in May as well as for our annual conference in Castle Erin, Portrush. Many of you will be interested, by way of preliminary announcement, to learn that in 2005 we plan to move our conference to Glenada in Newcastle (18-20 March) in a bid to make the event more accessible to our members from the Republic.
There is much to encourage us as we launch into a new year. Recently we have been excited about our new website and the possibilities it opens up for good communication and interaction. The real issue however is that we are only as effective as God chooses to make us. We are totally dependent on Him for His blessing and empowerment. May that dependency be our strength and secret weapon as we move into another year.
Wishing you God’s richest blessings in 2004,
Allen Errol Heather Norma Tom Wilson
Website
The Lay Witness Movement now has its own website! We want to use it to keep our members and supporters up to date; to spread news of what is happening in Lay Witness to a wider readership and to provide an easy means of contacting the Movement for those who are computer literate. In its pages, as the website develops, you will be able to see accounts of past missions and events, articles written by members to provoke thought and discussion and information about forthcoming events. Already the project of setting up the site has forced us to define our focus and ourselves more clearly. On the home page, for example we state: Who We Are “The Lay Witness Movement is a network of lay people within the Methodist Church in Ireland who seek to share their experience of Jesus Christ with others. “ We define : What we do as “The Movement organises special weekend events in local churches at which teams of lay people tell their story and witness to what it means to be a Christian believer in today’s world.“ We hope that you think this a fair summary! Please do use the site to get in touch with us, tell us what you think of the pages and offer suggestions for fresh content. Remember that Lay Witness is always looking out for new friends to join with us and be part of this Movement. If you feel that the Lord is leading you to a new avenue of service with Lay Witness do please contact us. We welcome witnesses of all ages and backgrounds. You do not have to have a dramatic story to tell, or be a polished or entertaining speaker. All you need is a genuine relationship with the Lord Jesus and a desire to help bring others closer to Him. Where is it? It’s at: www.laywitnessireland.org We would like to have your email address for ease of contact and sending this annual Newsletter. Please email us with your details using the email link at the top of the page. We are very grateful to webmaster Alan Hutchinson, Glengormley who has set up the site for us. Contact him using the email link at the top of the page. |
Tom Wilson Joins Steering Group
The Steering group is delighted that Tom Wilson from Whiteabbey Methodist has accepted its invitation to him to join. Tom takes up the story….. My first experience of Lay Witness was in 1975 when an American team came to Whiteabbey Methodist Church. The first team I served on was in 1980 to Braniel and was led by Wilson Doran. Since then I have been a member of quite a number of teams and have also led teams. I have always felt it is a wonderful privilege to serve on a Lay Witness Team, and to hear testimony of what God is doing in the lives of the team members. It is also a great privilege to be in the position of a team leader or coordinator, and to realise how God always brings together the team He wants for a particular church. However my reaction to being asked by Wilson to serve on the Steering Group is one of mixed feelings. First of all I was delighted and honoured at being asked until I realised the responsibility involved. However, Wilson assures me they are an easy group with whom to work!! I was also saddened that Wilson’s illness is such that he needs to take more of a back seat in leadership of the movement. What a wonderful witness he has been for our Lord and a great inspiration to all of us in Lay Witness and the church at large. I feel humbled at the thought of following in his footsteps. However having just written that I’ve been reminded that we don’t follow each other but we follow our Lord. My prayer is that I will follow where He leads. Our Records We keep a note of your name, address and telephone number together with the mission teams you have been on, if any. Please notify us if you wish to have any details updated or deleted. If there are others you think would like to receive this Newsletter, please ask them to contact us via the e-mail or Facebook link at the top of the page. |