Our desire is to Love Christ and make Him known
As a congregation, our desire is to Love Christ and make Him known. Our Mission Strategy helps us organise our local and overseas outreach work we do as we try to live our lives for Christ every day, every way, everywhere.
Recognising that we are a part of PCI, we strongly support the work of mission and evangelism which is undertaken centrally. PCI has two main appeals each year to generate support for Mission & Evangelism work in NI, Ireland and across the globe.
United Appeal
At the heart of all the work we do as PCI is the ‘United Appeal for Mission’. Every aspect of the Church’s mission depends to some extent on United Appeal as it supports people, projects and programmes both here in NI and across the world. We see the outworking of United Appeal through youth and children’s ministry, support for Deaconesses, social action, training of leaders, support for missionaries, etc. An animation telling the story of how the United Appeal helps mission across the Presbyterian Church in Ireland can be viewed here.
World Development Appeal
Every year as we approach Christmas, PCI holds its World Development Appeal (WDA). Over the Advent and the Christmas season, as so much money is spent in our shops, WDA aims to raise vital funds for development projects overseas. This funding is channelled to where it needs to go through PCI’s aid agency partners – Christian Aid and Tearfund.
At the heart of all our mission work, whether as a congregation or a denomination, is the dedicated group of individuals and families who carry it out. All of us are called to live our lives for God and share His love with those around us, but for some people that call of God may take them away from friends and family, to unusual and perhaps difficult circumstances.
Support for those providing and undertaking training for Mission work is an important element of our Mission Strategy. Belfast Bible College provides training to equip people for faith, for church and for life, while also allowing use of their buildings as a location for mission related courses undertaken by Global Connections.
As faster travel and communication continue to make the world feel like a smaller place, many of those who now share this space we call home are not from here originally. Many have moved, sometimes from a long way off, and now also call our small part of the globe ‘home’. This move is not always an easy one to make!
The International Meeting Points established in Belfast by PCI welcome migrants and asylum seekers from around the world with a good old ‘Norn Iron’ cup of tea – and, more importantly, are also dedicated to meeting the practical and spiritual needs of those they meet.
More Information
Interested in the big questions of life? Click on the link below to find out more about ‘Life Explored’ and ‘Christianity Explored
Find out moreThe Bible teaches us to work together as we share God’s Word with His people. In 2004 we established a partnership with Mulanje Mission Station in Malawi and Dun Laoghaire Presbyterian Church in Ireland to support each other in our work to share the love of God. We are in regular communication with both congregations and over the years a number of groups have travelled between Mulanje and Ireland.
The church does not exist in a vacuum, but as part of a local community – and with a key role to play in that community.
As we look around, it’s easy to see the erosion of the foundational standards of Christian morality that would have been taken for granted 50 years ago. To hold to a Christian point of view today can leave us feeling uncomfortable, perhaps even marginalised in a society rapidly developing a more secular view of the world. What should we do about this? How should we respond? What is the role of Christians in medical ethics or education?
Considering the role of the ‘Church in the Public Square’ helps us to think about how we can take a Christian perspective on many of the current, sensitive and emotive issues impacting us today.
While we can perhaps be made to feel uncomfortable when expressing a Christian perspective, we know that we can do so in relative safety. For many around the world, expressing a Christian point of view can lead to violence, imprisonment or even death.
As we work with organisations like Hamsayeh International and Open Doors we show our support for our brothers and sisters around the world living in fear because of their faith.