So I forgot to mention the fact that the reason we had home-stays in Belfast was to re-kindle past relations with Fisherwick Church in Belfast who has received England Term students in past years. Therefore, we were staying with families affiliated with the church.
Continuing on…That evening Christine was so wonderful – she was willing to stay up late (which seemed like the norm anyway) to drive me to Fisherwick Church to check out their “Night-watch” ministry. Here’s an excerpt from a travel writing paper I wrote that tells you more about Fisherwick:
“Fisherwick Church is a congregation passionate about community involvement, known for their free student lunches every Thursday (as they are located just down the road from Queens University), as well as Friday and Saturday “Night-reaches” geared towards ministering to those coming home from the bars late at night. Fisherwick has a rich history of mission, evangelism, pastoring, and social justice from its past leaders that makes up its DNA today; and added to that is the current Pastor Derrick McKinney’s passion for hearing God. However, despite this wealthy make-up of faith history at Fisherwick, my brief connection with the church showed there to be a variety of faith statuses related to their congregation…”
Though Christine and I went in search of the ‘Night-reach’ crew, we soon found that it wasn’t taking place that night, so she drove me down the SOS Bus instead. What’s the SOS Bus, you ask? I was wondering the same thing. When we got there, we met Robert. Here’s another excerpt from my paper that explains a little ofwhat I learned that night:
“Meet Robert. He drives the SOS Bus, a faith-founded ministry on wheels that provides a safe haven on the streets from 9 PM – 3 AM on Fridays and Saturdays for those who have had a little too much to drink, or who are just in need of a cup of tea or coffee. It started as a branch-off ministry from Fisherwick’s “Night-reaches”. With a customized interior, the SOS Bus contains padded bench seating along the sides and a large flat-screen TV swung in front of the back door that opens up to a fully stocked ambulance facility for emergencies. According to Robert, most people hang outside the bus and linger with their free cup of tea or coffee that was handed out by one of the volunteers. However, the SOS Bus is also there for those who have had their drink spiked, can’t find their way home, or just need a place to sober up. And it seems as if as long as they behave they can watch TV or movies on the bus’s big screen. Robert readily admits that he’s not a Christian himself, however, (and therefore not a member of Fisherwick): “I told him in my interview,” he said, “when I was asked how I would feel about working alongside other Christians, I said fine, as long as they don’t preach to me,” he continued, “I already have enough of that; my Uncle’s a Presbyterian minister and he knows not to preach to me either. I’ll come around in my own time to accept whatever whenever I want to. Plus, as far as I’m concerned, these volunteers here are far more Christian than any ‘Christian’ I’ve met who says they go to church.” It seems to me that Robert actually has an accurate view of Christianity, but is running into the hypocrisy of the church, which is especially prevalent in Belfast’s history of Catholics and Protestants who are able to shoot at one another and still believe in the same God. Obviously, America has her own share of “Roberts” who don’t care for religion and don’t want to be preached at, yet there’s a certain irony (though not a surprising one) about a faithless man living in a faith-struggling city. Though it hasn’t been just a religious conflict (due to the complexity of politics), Catholics and Protestants were (and are) clearly passionate about being on one side versus the other, so it’s ironic to see a polarized religious conflict create apathetic people who don’t see the value in church at all. The fighting has cut out the faith.”
Sunday morning we went to a more liturgical service at Fisherwick Church, mingled in the back drinking coffee and tea afterwards, and then came home for lunch. Lunch was magnificent. I guess it’s their usual, but it was truly a treat to have a homemade meal of meat, vegetables and potatoes galore…plus, dessert and tea and coffee, no doubt. Our lunch and conversation lasted two hours and was very fun; both James and Brian came over to join us and Brian’s girlfriend Leanne. We finished chatting just in time for Erin and I to go back to the church for a “lecture” on Irish church history, and then here a personal bit from the pastor, Derrick McKinney. Here’s a third excerpt from my paper that tells a little more about Derrick:
“Finally, meet Pastor Derrick McKinney who leads Fisherwick Church and carries a passion for people to hear God. Despite the varying positions of faith held by the faces mentioned, his sense of vision reaches out for those hungry for the Kingdom of God. In his prayers for others he calls out destiny, he desires for people to hear God’s voice and be blessed through that connection. His personal testimony in relation to Fisherwick is an intense one due to the fact that his ministry at the church parallels the violent Catholic and Protestant struggles of his generation starting in the late 1960s, which are often referred to as “the troubles”. In one instance Derrick married a young couple only to also officiate their funeral about a week later – their deaths due to the terrorist-type violence that was frequently taking innocent lives. Yet out of circumstances like these, Derrick carries a strong sense of hope, a vision for unity, and a desire for people to meet God. Therefore, with a more recent bleak history, the Christians (and non-Christians) of Belfast are all over the map in terms of how prevalent their faith is in their lives. However, I saw in Belfast a unique realism brought alongside faith, based on the fact that these hurting people need to know a God on a practical level that speaks to their broken past.”
At 7:00 PM our group attended the more contemporary service, mingled afterwards, and then went home to pack for the plane ride the next day. It totally hadn’t hit me yet that I was going to Paris.
No comments:
Post a Comment