Pictured at a Commissioning
Service in Hillhall Presbyterian Church last Sunday
morning (2nd July) is L to R: John
Connor - Clerk of Session, Alan Beattie, Rev Jack
Richardson, Velma Beattie and Joe Lockhart. (back
row) Belle McIntyre, Alice Simpson, Matthew Stewart,
David Walters, Lorraine Smyth, Pat Walters, and
Sally Richardson. Missing from the photo is Eddie
Thompson, who due to work commitments was unable to
attend the service.
A Commissioning Service was held in
Hillhall Presbyterian Church last Sunday morning (2nd
July) for ten members of the congregation who will leave on
Tuesday 11th July for 2 weeks of missionary outreach
work in Kikuyu, Kenya. Led by Alan and Velma Beattie, the team
comprises of Sally Richardson, Belle McIntyre, Lorraine Smyth,
Alice Simpson, Matthew Stewart, Eddie Thompson, David and Pat
Walters. In addition to several fundraising events, much of the
funding for the trip was made possible by the generosity of the
late Mrs Ellen Mewharter who died in September 2004, leaving a
large sum of money to the PWA. The team would like to thank
family and friends of Hillhall for their generosity and
support. They would also like to thank Mr Bobby Morrison and Mr
Jim Mercer for the sponsorship of the team uniforms and Mr
Ashley Williamson (Finaghy) for supplying pharmaceuticals for
the team.
The minister, the Rev Jack Richardson led
the service and Gerald Woods on organ and the Church Choir led
the praise. Alan Beattie - joint team leader, gave an
informative talk about the planning and preparation for the trip
and explained that the Hillhall team will be involved in
replacing a leaking rusted roof of Thogoto Home for the Aged;
Refurbishing, repainting and supplying beds; Ministering and
reading to the blind and also to those unable to read; Working
with teachers at Compass Primary School where most of the
children are orphans and assisting in carrying out home
assessments; and also running a Bible Club at Compass Primary
School. Producing a piece of a jigsaw that was distributed to
the congregation earlier in the year, Alan (who keeps his piece
at his computer) reminded the congregation that the efforts of
each team member is just a part of the overall picture and
explained the need for the entire congregation to play their
part through prayerful support for the team.
Mrs Margaret Graham, a niece of the late
Mrs Mewharter, read the first Scripture lesson from Exodus 3 and
the minister read the second lesson from Acts 13. The Rev Jack
Richardson assisted by John Connor - Clerk of Session and Joe
Lockhart, a nephew of the late Mrs Mewharter, conducted the act
of commissioning. Mr Richardson showed the congregation a brass
plaque that the team will attach to Thogoto Home for the Aged on
completion of the refurbishment work. The inscription on the
plaque is: �This residence has been re-roofed and
refurbished by a team from Hillhall Presbyterian Church
(Northern Ireland) thanks to the generosity of the late Mrs
Ellen Mewharter - July 2006�.
In a challenging and practical address to
the team, Mr Richardson spoke about the calling of Moses as
recorded in Exodus 3 and also about the first missionary journey
by Paul and Barnabus as recorded in Acts 13. He pointed out
that these servants were �sent� people, called by God with all
their inadequacies. Jack explained that so too the Hillhall
team are �sent� people, called by God to represent not just
Hillhall Presbyterian Church, but the Church of Christ. He also
reminded the team that the God who calls - is also a God who
equips. He further explained that just as an orchestra needs to
focus on the conductor, so too the team must focus on their
conductor, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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