Summary of the ministry God gave David before illness
" I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service ....... The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." 1 Timothy 1:12-14 NIV Anything I am or have done is only because of the grace of God in my life. I consider myself an unworthy servant but rejoice that He chose me to serve the King. The following brief resume of my ministry is an opportunity for me to look back and see what God has done and to encourage me to look forward, for He has assured me that this promise is for me. "I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death."Psalm 118:17,18. NIV
I was a young boy when God saved me by His grace after a church service in Dungannon Baptist Church on Sunday 13th March 1955. As a young teen, I was interested in missionary biographies, and in particular the books about the 5 young men who gave their lives for the Lord as they witnessed to the Auca Indians in Ecuador. Through these books and through a number of missionary speakers in our town, I began to have a conviction that God had a plan for my life that included Christian service. One evening at the church prayer meeting, I told the Lord I would go wherever he wanted me to be His servant. My youth leader took me and other young people to meetings where we learned to give our testimony and preach. My Pastor regularly took me to a little church in the country for a late Sunday service where he encouraged my participation. Later I teamed up with a friend called Gerald Rodgers and we preached around a number of churches together. For 30 years Gerald was Pastor of two churches -Grange Baptist church, Co Antrim and Bellaghy Baptist Church, Co Londonderry. He has now retired. I
attended Dungannon Royal School for 5 years and successfully passed
Senior Certificate but, because I was the oldest in the family,
my parents felt I should leave school and earn some income for the
home. I really longed to be an architect and still have a great
interest in it. I sometimes dream of things I might have done and
yet I know my life has been in the hands of the Master Planner.
I shared this with a friend recently and received these most encouraging
words. In the early sixties, I was introduced to the ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship in Ireland. As a boy I had sat in some of the first meetings that CEF conducted in Ireland. Now aged 16 and just left school, I saw the Lord opening a door of service for me among children. I was one of the foundation members of the local CEF Youth Challenge - a monthly meeting for young people where we could find fellowship and be equipped for evangelism. We conducted children's open-air meetings, missions and clubs. My first clubs were in Ballygawley Cadet hall and in Greystone in the old Mullycar Baptist Church building. I became a member of the local CEF area committee. It was an exciting evening when we became the first Irish committee to decide to call a full-time worker. Mervyn Moffett came in the Autumn of 1966 and spent two years in the area. When he left, the committee turned to their youngest member and said "David, we want you to look after the work until we get another worker." In such a simple way I began a ministry in CEF that was to last for 20 years. At first I worked part time. I left work in June 1969 and attended the CEF Institute, held in Lamorlaye near Paris, before returning to be full-time Local Director of my home area.
European Bible Institute, Lamorlaye, Paris
The class of 1969 I always had a vision to serve the Lord overseas but the Lord never opened that door. My ministry was to be at home, though in later years He gave me many opportunities to have a part in overseas work. Almost 17 years were spent serving the Lord in the Mid-Ulster area, from Clogher in the west to Swatragh in the north, including the main towns of Dungannon, Cookstown and Magherafelt. God blessed those years; thousands upon thousands of boys and girls heard the gospel and I rejoice today to be able to look around and see the wonderful work of grace that continues in many lives. In the early 80's I was invited to lead the work of CEF into Eastern Europe. At that time the ministry was based in Vienna. Although the Iron Curtain was still tightly closed, a great ministry had been carried on for years. Despite going to meet the workers for a week and twice receiving a unanimous call to lead them, I was sure the Lord had something else for me to do. It was very difficult to say no to such a challenging ministry. It was to be nearly 20 years before God gave me the wonderful privilege of ministering directly in Eastern Europe. Today I have dear friends who live and minister there and am privileged to have a part in supporting them. In the mid 80's I was invited to join the staff at Kilchzimmer, the European CEF Centre in Switzerland.
Kilchzimmer I was called to teach students at the Institutes, travelling there for 3 weeks each summer and autumn. The remainder of my time was given to Teacher Training throughout Ireland and the writing of children's Bible lessons. Teacher Training was an area of the ministry that I really enjoyed. We had left a strong training programme in Mid-Ulster and this new emphasis was to provide me with a wonderful opportunity to impact upon the ministry to children around the world. But a conviction was growing that the Lord was leading me in a very different direction. Writing was not my gift; I found it very difficult to produce lessons in a style that met with the approval of all the workers throughout Europe. (This was the first attempt to adapt American text and evangelism methods for Europeans and there was some initial resistance. Today that vision has become a reality.) While I loved teaching in Kilchzimmer, I was moving about a lot and missing a personal interaction with people. Because of these and other frustrations it became clear that the Lord was unsettling me. With great sadness but with a sense of anticipation, I informed CEF that I was leaving the mission in April 1988. At that point I had no idea where the Lord was leading me. I still have a great admiration for the ministry of CEF and indeed am privileged to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Specialised Books Ministry of CEF. Teaching materials and manuals are provided free of charge to thousands of children's workers around the world. This ministry was led by my good friend Sam Doherty who was my first contact in CEF when, as a boy, I sat in some of his meetings in our village. Baptist ministry - Evangelism and church planting. Being a convinced baptist, I made enquiries about work with Baptist Youth in Ireland. Financial constraints hindered the employing another worker but a shared ministry was explored by Baptist Youth and Baptist Missions. Jim Henry was leader of the Evangelism and Church Planting team. He was the only full-time staff member and for health reasons he needed help. An arrangement was put in place where I would be employed by Baptist Missions but would spend two days each week working with Baptist Youth. It was a challenging task seeking to balance two responsibilities that quickly developed. With Jim, I conducted evangelistic campaigns all over Northern Ireland, in cities and rural communities. With Baptist Youth a new training course for teachers was established, training days were held in many parts of Ireland, an in-depth survey of children's work in our churches was produced and some children's missions conducted. After two years, pressure of developments in Baptist Missions work, brought this partnership with Baptist Youth to an end. The main focus of my ministry with Jim Henry was to plant churches in the "commuter belt" that was growing around Belfast. Before I joined the Church planting team, God had blessed and established churches in Moira (where I was to later become Pastor) and in Saintfield. I came along just as work was beginning in Crumlin. A large part of my time over three years was given to nurturing the few believers there and laying foundations for the Baptist Church that is established and growing in Crumlin. I also spent a lot of time over a two-year period in Donaghadee seeking to plant a church there. Today both towns have a strong Baptist witness for the gospel, fine buildings and a Pastor of their own. It was becoming clear that the demands of the work were too heavy for Jim Henry's health condition. The time was drawing near for change of leadership and focus. I was asked to support the small church in Castlederg and to seek to encourage the Baptist witness in the West. A vision was growing for church planting along the border counties of the Irish Republic. I was given the task of surveying the border counties with a view to Baptist Mission getting involved in the region. God was later to bless that outreach and today there is a witness in several border regions and a Baptist church in Cavan. At this time I was also seeking God's will for my own future. Baptist missions were thinking through how best to develop the ministry in Northern Ireland when there were such great needs and new openings in the South. I had also had an approach from a church to be their assistant Pastor. In the early summer of 1990, Jim and I had held a Tent mission in Bleary, outside Lurgan, as an outreach from Lurgan Baptist church. I did not know then that the church wanted to appoint an assistant to Pastor Alec Judd but before the end of the year I had received a call. Baptist Pastoral ministry After much heart searching, consulting with Baptist Missions and prayer, I believed the Lord wanted me to move to Lurgan. I was inducted there on 30th April 1991. Four challenging but fruitful years followed.
Farewell service in Lurgan During my time in Lurgan I was invited to become a part time lecturer at the Irish Baptist College; that ministry continued until my illness interrupted it. Previously I had assisted with some lectures in Belfast Bible College for a couple of years. My subject was the Evangelism of Children. Over the years I have been greatly privileged to have a part in preparing many students for Christian ministry in Ireland and around the world. Lurgan is only 5 miles from Moira. Over the years in Baptist Missions and in Lurgan I had opportunities to fellowship with Moira baptists and occasionally help in their services. In the Autumn of 1994, the Moira elders approached me enquiring about my future plans in Lurgan. Pastor Judd had indicated to the Lurgan Church that he planned to retire at the end of 1995. I believed the Lord had opened this door and at the end of April 1995, I moved from Lurgan to be Pastor of Moira Baptist Church.
After eight years, my ministry in Moira has ended. I had hoped to spend a great deal more time there and had so many plans for the future of the ministry. But God's ways are not our ways. I am seeking God's plan for my future ministry once I have my heart transplant. While illness delays "active" service, I am thankful for this 2hearts ministry the Lord has given me. Your prayers are appreciated. to see David's final message to the church
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some of my interests
go to this web site The
update page is a collection of email messages shared initially with
church folk and family and friends. It has grown to include many
people from around the world. It is the prayer support gained from
these updates that has been the inspiration for this website.
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