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Lisburn, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
 
 
 
 

�Summer Reflections� at the last city centre churches summer joint epilogue service

 
Ministers and representatives from four city centre churches that took part in the last summer joint Epilogue Service in Railway Street Presbyterian Church last Sunday evening. L to R: (front row) Evelyn Whyte - Deaconess at First Lisburn, Jean Gibson - Railway Street and Elizabeth Spence - Lisburn Cathedral. (back row) The Rev. Winston Good - Seymour Street Methodist, the Rev. John Brackenridge - First Lisburn and the Rev. Brian Gibson - Railway Street.

Ministers and representatives from four city centre churches that took part in the last summer joint Epilogue Service in Railway Street Presbyterian Church on Sunday evening.
L to R: (front row) Evelyn Whyte - Deaconess at First Lisburn, Jean Gibson - Railway Street and Elizabeth Spence - Lisburn Cathedral. (back row) The Rev. Winston Good - Seymour Street Methodist, the Rev. John Brackenridge - First Lisburn and the Rev. Brian Gibson - Railway Street.

During July and August, the congregations of four of the Lisburn City Churches, Lisburn Cathedral, Seymour Street Methodist, First Lisburn Presbyterian and Railway Street Presbyterian have joined for an Epilogue Service each Sunday evening at 8.00pm. Sunday evening 28th August 2005 was the turn of Railway Street Presbyterian Church, bringing to an end a summer period of joint worship, praise and fellowship. One of the items in the service was entitled �Summer Reflections�. Jean Gibson - Railway Street and Evelyn Whyte - First Lisburn shared memorable incidents from their summer.

Jean Gibson spoke about the visit she and her husband, the Rev Brian Gibson, made to Venice Beach in California when they were attending the Saddleback Church Leaders Conference in May. Jean described the drummers on the beach and how they reminded her of the quotation, �If a man is out of step with his fellows, it may be he hears the sound of a different drum.� She linked this to Colossians 3: �Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.�

Evelyn Whyte explained that what really stands out for her over the summer was the week the Prayer Healing Team set up prayer times at First Lisburn, during the Holiday Bible Club on 15th - 19th August. Evelyn explained that some people walked in off the street, all with different needs, some who had not been at church for years and some carrying very heavy burdens. She recalled the pleasure of sitting alongside people and praying with them. She explained that there are a lot of hurting people out there in our streets and in our churches, and that the main thing for her was the assurance of knowing that God is all-powerful and he answers prayer.

The Rev. Brian Gibson - Railway Street, led the service; the Rev. John Brackenridge - First Lisburn, gave the address; Elizabeth Spence - Lisburn Cathedral read a portion of scripture; and prayers were said by the Rev. Winston Good - Seymour Street Methodist. Dr. Bertha Cowan - Piano, Janet Ferguson - Cello and members of the church choir led the praise.

Refreshments were served after the service providing the opportunity for members from each congregation to meet, chat and make new friends at the last of the joint summer epilogue services.