APRIL 2019
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Rostrevor Presbyterian Church
Flower Festival Youth Residential Starting from £36pp Day Trips Starting from £12pp - 21 Wet & Dry Activities
Site Includes:
- Accommodation for 1-60 persons
- Lounge Room - Dining Hall
- Enthusiastic, Fun & Fully Qualified Staff - Large Grass Area - Snack Shop
- Catering & Self Catering Available
- BBQ Area
- Close to Benone Beach, Giants Causeway, Binevenagh Mountain & much more
Local Church Information Available
15% OFF when you quote ‘HERALDCAC’
info@carrowmena.co.uk
“MIRACLES, TEACHINGS AND SACRIFICE OF CHRIST” Viewing Times Friday 19th April 2pm - 6pm Saturday 20th April 10am - 5pm Sunday 21st April 2pm - 6pm
Join us for Easter Sunday Worship & Communion at 10am Light refreshments available throughout the weekend Rostrevor Presbyterian Church 8 -10 Warrenpoint Road, Rostrevor, Co Down BT34 3EB. Telephone 07927 971257
02877763431 www.carrowmena.co.uk
Child Evangelism Fellowship®
Children’s Ministry Leadership Course
A unique 12 week training course (11 weeks onsite, and one practical week), which can be taken in two six week parts, that will equip you for a Gospel centred ministry among children. This course is ideal for Sunday School teachers, or ANYONE involved in reaching and teaching children the Word of God.
2019 Course in Romania // 9 June – 24 August // English/Multi-lingual Cost: €1200 (€600 for 6 weeks) (includes course materials, accommodation* and food) If you are interested in attending the course or finding out more, contact Beverley in our National Office at: e: beverleym@cefireland.com t: 0044 28 9073 0928. *This residential course will be held at the CEF® centre in Sibiu, Romania. Child Evangelism Fellowship of Ireland is a charity, registered with The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (NIC 100984) and with the Charities Regulator in the Republic of Ireland (RCN 20201509).
CMLC AD.indd 1
www.cefireland.com/cmlc 28/02/2019 15:26
CONTENTS | APRIL 2019
FEATURES 14 Sowing the seeds of faith Reaching out at the ploughing championships
16 Power dressing
Moderator’s Easter reflection
20 The missing generation Equipping young people to lead
31 Joy in the trial
Interview with Rev Adrian Adger
34 Left to their own devices? Parenting advice for the digital age
36 Restore
Interview with PW speaker, Helen Warnock
38 Tackling Bible poverty
The work of the Bible societies in Ireland, north and south
Power dressing p16
REGULARS 4 7 8 9 12 13 19 22 23 40 42 46 47
Letters News In this month… My story As I see it Life lessons Arthur Clarke Talking points Mission Connect Reviews Life in PCI Crossword Betsy Cameron
Joy in the trial p31
CONTRIBUTORS
Cover illustration: Barry Falls April 2019 No 819 £1.50 (€1.80) Published by: The Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Assembly Buildings, Belfast BT1 6DW. T: +44 (0)28 9032 2284 E: herald@presbyterianireland.org W: www.presbyterianireland.org
Left to their own devices? p34
Editor: Sarah Harding Subscriptions and Advertising: Elaine Huddleston; Phil Alcorn; Suzanne Hamilton Design and Layout: Edward Connolly Printing: Nicholson and Bass Ltd.
Katharine Hill is the UK Director of national charity Care for the Family. A bestselling author, speaker and broadcaster, she is married to Richard with four grownup children.
Rick Hill is PCI’s Discipleship Officer. He is a member of Carnmoney Presbyterian Church and lives in Doagh with his wife Sarah and sons, Noah and Micah.
Rebecca McConnell manages Purple Rain, a public relations company (www.purple-rain.co.uk). She is also a member of First Rathfriland Presbyterian Church.
Arthur Clarke is a former editor of the Presbyterian Herald and minister emeritus of Donaghmore and Glascar Presbyterian churches.
The views expressed in the features, news reports, letters and book reviews of this magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor. Editorial comment and signed articles do not necessarily contain the official views of the Church, which can be laid down only by the General Assembly. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply endorsement of the goods or services. The Editor reserves the right to decline any advertisement or letter without assigning any reason. Letters may be edited for publication. No correspondence can be entered into regarding non-publication of advertisements or letters.
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland is a Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104483); Registered Charity in Republic of Ireland (20015695).
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The missing generation
Rick Hill discusses the issues involved in discipling young adults and highlights an upcoming PCI resource to help equip congregations for the task.
O
ne of the iconic images of last summer was a waistcoat clad football manager standing on the touchline leading his country to the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time in almost 30 years. Gareth Southgate won plaudits from all corners for his bold approach of trusting young players he had nurtured with the responsibility of playing for their country on the biggest stage. How can we be as caring and courageous when it comes to nurturing and releasing the next generation in our congregations? The first decade of adulthood often contains the most significant transitions of life. As young adults leave the bubble of their teenage years behind them, they are suddenly confronted with having to make real decisions, each packed with moments that have the potential to cause faith to crumble. In these transitions, it’s so easy for many to lose confidence in
the faith they once had. In many places, young adults are the most likely to leave church and the most likely to not return. It’s right to acknowledge the missing generation.
fully in an upcoming resource on young adult ministry. Two of the central themes that emerged were ‘relationship’ and ‘responsibility’.
Young people leave church when we ask them to be passengers rather than participants.
As we listened to the stories of young adult ministry, words like ‘relationship’, ‘community’, ‘belonging’ and ‘mentoring’ all featured highly. It became clear that the young adults most involved in church activities were those most deeply engaged in their church community. This generation of young adults are at risk of information overload and choice paralysis. With endless social media feeds, constant movies on demand and instant access to smartphone apps, this generation are capable of accessing more information and creating more connections than ever before. Even when it comes to the things of faith, online sermons, podcasts and audiobooks mean
Last year, we hosted several focus groups for people engaged in ministry to young adults within congregations across our Church. The purpose of these discussions was to discover key principles to help congregations be effective in reaching and discipling young adults. Some of these principles are shared here, while others will be unpacked more
Relationship
Top tips 1. Relationship and example Words like ‘mentoring’, ‘relationship’ and ‘example’ featured heavily in our conversations. Create opportunities where young adults can gather together and develop relationships with one another.
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2. Belonging to the church family There was a sense that the young adults best connected to the wider church family were those who stuck around long-term. Create opportunities where young adults can serve alongside older members in the church.
3. Foundational truth is vital It is vital to provide more than social opportunities for young adults, but also engage them in things of spiritual depth. Run a short series focused on real-life issues for young adults such as ‘Fruitfulness on the Frontline’ or invite some young adults to come along to your small group to encourage them to engage in Bible study.
4. Release them to serve and lead Some young adults are frustrated by the lack of opportunities to shape and lead things within the life of their congregations. Allow them influence and not just involvement. Invite the inputs and perspectives of some young adults at your next Session meeting.
5. Effective mission to young adults happens by young adults Young adults are often connected to a huge network of people through study, work, leisure or social media. The best placed people to reach young adults are young adults themselves. The more that young adults can be involved, the more they will own.
that they can discover, read and hear Christian content without ever setting foot in a local expression of the church. The need isn’t more connections or better entertainment, but deeper relationship, and our focus group conversations underlined the benefits of getting alongside young adults and being present in their lives. In settings where ministry among young adults was thriving, the emphasis seemed to focus more on the lives of their people rather than the nature of their programmes. While we might not think we have anything to pass on, we should be encouraged by the fact that we aren’t called to be perfect in our lives, but rather be present in their lives. Let’s not underestimate the power of our lives and the potential of relationship. Let’s not place young adults off to the side of church life but bring them more fully into our lives. Let’s not neglect everyday actions, such as the question of: “How was your week?”, the invitation to join an activity, or welcoming them into our homes for a meal.
Responsibility However, it was clear that young adults desired more than merely relationship on its own. What emerged from our conversations was the desire young adults had to be involved in serving and
The need isn’t more connections or better entertainment, but deeper relationship… leading in the life of the church. In fact, the more responsibility that could be given to young adults over time, the more committed they seemed to become to ministry and mission. One congregation shared an example of a programme that had regularly failed to engage young adults. The simple transition of handing the keys of leadership over to a small group of committed young adults saw that completely change. By allowing them to shape things, they saw both commitment levels rise and the age demographic change. In other words, the people best placed to reach young adults, were young adults! Another congregation shared how their young adults’ group wasn’t so much about doing ministry to young adults, but actually about doing ministry with young adults. This emphasis meant giving more ownership of the programme over to them while continuing to maintain some level of overall leadership and control. If you want to develop young adult focused initiatives, the more that young adults are
Resource To help develop the conversation of how we can be more effective in ministry to young adults, we will soon be launching a new resource called ‘Passing the baton’. This resource is designed to be used by kirk sessions or those already engaged in young adults’ ministry, to help congregations consider how they can be more effective in ministry with this age group. ‘Passing the baton’ will offer four different models that could be adopted for young adult ministry, while also providing key recommendations and sharing some practical examples on video from congregations doing this well. This resource will be available in May on the PCI website (www.presbyterianireland.org). More information to follow in the May Herald.
involved in planning and shaping it, the more they will own it! Perhaps we might be tempted to be overly cautious and choose not to give responsibility to those who seem young, or perhaps we have been frustrated in the past by lack of commitment in a younger generation. However, it is key we move young adults from mere involvement to more influence. James Lawrence said, “Young people leave church when we ask them to be passengers rather than participants.” If our desire is simply for young adults to attend rather than contribute, then we run the risk of frustrating them in the present and missing their influence in the long-term. There is no doubt that involving young adults in leadership can at times lead to frustrations or even failures, but we should be encouraged that throughout the story of Scripture, God is constantly in the business of using the young. While it might mean effort in the short-term, it should lead to celebration in the longterm. It’s messy in the nursery but neat and tidy in the graveyard, so let’s be prepared to take the risks and embrace the mess! Rick Hill is PCI’s Discipleship Development Officer.
Quotes from Passing the baton: “Our church does a thing called ‘Discipleship Duos’ where we get partnered up with someone older and wiser from the church who prays for us and keeps us on track. It’s really nice to know that someone is there praying for you and to keep us accountable with our faith.” Hannah McBride, Whiteabbey Presbyterian Church “They had never led before and were stepping up, so we thought we needed to train them in some way. We didn’t want to set them up and tell them to work away, but we wanted to try and equip them for that role.” Rev Neil Stewart, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Greyabbey “The good thing is that they’re adults so if I’m not able to be there, they can do it themselves. It’s been empowering for them to know, ‘We can do this!’ And they do it very well.” Scott McKeown, Union Road Presbyterian Church, Magherafelt
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Left to their own devices?
U
ntil about 10 years ago, the advice we would give to parents wanting to protect their children was to put the family computer in the living room so that internet use could be easily monitored. Enter Steve Jobs and the rise of the smartphone, and this recommendation was rendered obsolete. Digital technology is now advancing at an incredible speed, and it will take some time for society to adjust. As parents, though, time is a luxury we simply don’t have. Our children need our help and guidance now, not in 5, 10 or 15 years’ time, when it will be too late.
Most parents today will probably be what experts call ‘digital visitors’…most young people are ‘digital residents’…And therein lies the challenge.
Katharine Hill, from Care for the Family, gives some much-needed advice on how to parent confidently in a world full of screens.
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The digital age brings many advantages and wonderful opportunities. Long journeys with bored children and endless games of I spy are now a thing of the past. Learning opportunities are so much greater – no longer limited to children with access to books in the home. We can connect with friends across the city and families around the world. And what parent hasn’t breathed a sigh of relief when putting a child in front of a screen during the ‘happy hour’ – 5pm to 6pm – when blood sugar is running low, sibling rivalry is at its peak, and the pasta is not yet on the table. But alongside the advantages, there are a number of challenges. The issue of screen time, for instance, causes many rows at home – you may be tearing your hair out right now with your three-yearold having an iPaddy when told to put the tablet away or a teenager who appears to be surgically attached to their mobile! Along with worries about screen time, many parents are rightly concerned about the more serious dangers of pornography, sexting, cyber-bullying, internet addiction and grooming, not to mention the relentless pressure on children of social media and the selfie culture.
From their infancy, our role as parents is to teach our children life skills that will keep them safe. We teach them to tie shoelaces, cross the road, and swim – we have these skills ourselves, so we can pass them on. But when it comes to digital technology, many of us feel we have no idea how to keep a step ahead, and with teenagers especially, we can easily feel that they know more than we do. Most parents today will probably be what experts call ‘digital visitors’. We use technology as a tool – going online to check the train times, do a grocery shop, or send an email. In contrast, most young people are ‘digital residents’ – digital technology is an integrated part of their lives. As ‘visitors’, even if we digest a digital dictionary and learn acronyms such as pcm (please call me) or, more importantly, pos (parent over shoulder), we’ll never be as at home in the digital world as those who live there. It involves a different attitude and approach to life. And therein lies the challenge. While we don’t need to be experts, we can do things not only to protect our children from the dangers but to help
If we have our phones at the meal table…or if the first thing they see us do when we come home from work is to check into a screen, they will take their cue from us. them make the most of what the digital world has to offer. When they are little, we put sharp knives and the bleach out of their reach. In the same way, we can use passwords, filters, and parental controls to keep our children safe online. Many families have found it helpful to sit down together and create a ‘family media agreement’ – age-appropriate guidelines in line with their family values that everyone, including parents (here’s the challenge!) signs up to. Boundaries around internet use at home are vital, especially with those at the younger end of the spectrum, but they only go so far. What about when our children are out and about and we aren’t there? Unless we equip them to deal with
the issues themselves, they will only be as safe as the least protected child they know. Ultimately, our task as parents isn’t about raising children or even teenagers – it’s about raising adults. We do this by passing on wisdom and values in the context of family life. The saying that ‘values are more often caught than taught’ is so true; we may think our children aren’t listening to us, but the truth is, they don’t miss a thing. We are their role models. They will notice our actions and our reactions and, in particular, they will notice the relationship we have with technology. If we have our phones at the meal table, if we are scrolling through Twitter in the playground when collecting them from school, or if the first thing they see us do when we come home from work is to check into a screen, they will take their cue from us. As parents, we are the greatest influence on their lives and, as well as this being a challenge, it gives us a great opportunity. Little by little, through conversations, time spent together, and the everyday ups and downs of family life, we are sowing values into their lives which become their reference point when they make their own decisions in years to come. The writer of the book of Proverbs says: “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom” (Proverbs 4:6-7). Our role as parents is a positive one. Instead of being naysayers who limit our children’s options, we can teach them to manage their freedom well, training and empowering them from the inside out to make good choices in a world where all choices are possible. Katharine Hill is the UK Director of Care for the Family.
Left to Their Own Devices: Confident parenting in a world of screens Katharine Hill £9.99 (Available from www.cff.org.uk or www.muddypearl.com)
Katharine Hill explores the impact of the digital world on teenagers and younger children, giving practical advice on screen time, social media, and consumer culture, as well as how to tackle some of the more serious issues such as online bullying, grooming and pornography.
Left to their own devices? Belfast event Tuesday 21 May 2019 Orangefield Presbyterian Church, 464 Castlereagh Road, Belfast, BT5 6BH 7.30pm-10pm (doors open at 7pm) Tickets priced at £7 each (£4 concession) available from www.cff.org.uk Speakers: • Katharine Hill (UK Director of Care for the Family) • Philip Jinadu (Philip and his wife lead Woodlands Metro, a Bristol church full of millennials). This event will help parents: • Positively engage with their children’s digital habits; • Gain insight into the importance of the most popular social media tools; • Gain practical tips on how to manage screen time.
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