Ballee Baptist Church

On Wednesday the 29th April 1987 another chapter in the history of the Fellowship here at Ballee was brought to a close when a capacity congregation gathered to say farewell to Pastor and Mrs Ward and Family.

The: meeting was chaired by Pastor J. H. Chambers from the Hill Street Baptist Church, who brought greetings and good wishes from the local Churches and congratulated Mr Ward on the call to his new charge at Kilkeel, Co. Down.

Suitable messages in song were rendered by Mrs Anna Irons (member) and Miss Beverley Murray, Belfast, as was a very fitting recitation by Mrs Ina Livingstone, addressed mainly to Mrs Ward.

The secretary, speaking on behalf of the Fellowship, said that when Mr Ward was called to the ministry at Ballee "some trusted" that he would make it his life-long spiritual home, but God has other plans for him. He thanked Mr Ward for his ministry in the gospel and the sound teaching week by week in the Tuesday Bible Class, where many gathered around the Word of God. This, he continued, would be a feature missed by some for a while, but our loss is Kilkeel’s gain. Speaking to those present from Kilkeel he wished them all that was good and blessed in the days that lay ahead and trusted they would have a profitable ministry together. Mr L. Scott, Church Elder, suitably replied on behalf of the Kilkeel Church.

Gifts were presented to Mrs Ward by Mrs James Robinson; to Susan by Mr Wilson McKeown; to Sharon by Mr Raymond Herbison. Mr James Robinson on behalf of the Church Presented Pastor Ward with a cheque, and a suitably inscribed Bible. Pastor Ward replied on behalf of himself, his wife and family and wished the Church at Ballee God’s richest blessing in the future.

Mr Sam Irons presented a portrait of Pastor Ward to the Church - this to hang in the Minister's room.

Pastor S. T. Carson, Banbridge, guest speaker, delivered a very suitable message for the occasion, using as his reading Acts chapter 2 verses 41 - 47. Speaking to those who were left rather than those who were leaving, he exhorted them in the Name of The Lord to continue steadfastly in the things they had been taught and learned, and to forsake not the assembling of themselves together at every opportunity, in fellowship and in prayer, always remembering the One who is central in all things, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Pastor Carson continuing gave sound advice and instruction to all present and wished Pastor Ward God's blessing on his ministry at Kilkeel.

Over thirty travelled to Kilkeel to be present at Pastor Ward's induction service as Pastor of Kilkeel Baptist Tabernacle. The building was filled to capacity when Pastor E. Rea Chairman commenced proceedings!. Those taking part were Pastor R. Martin, Newcastle, scripture reading and prayer, Mr S. Heaney, History of call, soloist Miss Margaret Ball, Act of Induction and prayer Pastor S. C. Morrison, Portadown, Right Hand Of Fellowship to Mr & Mrs Ward - Mr L. Scott, Elder. The preacher was Pastor Jim Garret, Comber. After a very enjoyable meeting tea was provided for all present and greetings were presented on behalf of Baptist Union by Mr J. Murray, Neighbouring Churches by Pastor R. Martin, Ballee Baptist by Mr James Robinson (who excelled beyond expectation) Local Churches by Rev. D. J. McGaughey.

We, at Ballee, wish Pastor Ward and his family all prosperity and spiritual happiness and blessings in his new charge.

0 praise the Lord, all ye nations; praise Him, all ye peoples. For His merciful kindness is great towards us: and the truth of the Lord endureth forever. Praise! ye the Lord.

On April 8th we had a visit from Mr and Mrs Jack Johnston, S.I.M., who showed us slides of the work in Radio E.L.W.A., Monrovia, Liberia. Mrs Johnston was telling us about a young witch doctor who came to some of the meetings out of curiosity. Later on he got gloriously saved and turned from his witch-craft and idols to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. It just thrilled our souls to hear about these things and encourages us all to pray for missionaries and the dear people in all parts of the world who have never heard the Gospel. This was our last missionary meeting for the season.

Some changes have taken place since April, mainly Mr and Mrs Ward and Susan and Sharon going to take up a new ministry in Kilkeel. May God richly bless them in this place where he has called them. We would value your prayers for Emma and Mary and Jean left in charge until we acquire another Pastor and his Wife, in God’s own time.

The prayer meetings continued throughout the summer months (every 4th Wednesday night). God really blesses us as we hear His precious Word read and meditated upon, and to sing the lovely Hymns and Choruses, but most of all to pray for the missionaries at home and abroad, also our native land in these troublesome times, and our families and friends and our church assembly. It thrills our souls when missionaries tell us they pray for us often and our prayers intermingle at God's throne of grace.

Derbyshire is a beautiful county set in the heart of England. There are many small villages in Derbyshire, each with its own distinct personality. The beauty of the area is unparalleled in England, with its rivers, and lovely waterfalls.

Matlock, the main town in our area, is similar in population to Ballymena. Not too far from this is Matlock-Bath. Matlock-Bath is a tourist area, and people flock from all corners to this small village, famous for its mineral waters. It is in this setting that New Tribes Mission chose to set up their European Headquarters and Bible Institute.

The United Kingdom Committee were able to buy the building and a surrounding 26 acres of land for £30,000 in 1979. The owners had previously turned down an offer of £70,000, but in a miraculous way, God had provided a place where missionary candidates could train for the great task of world evangelisation.

In January 1986 Geoffrey began his first term of training at Matlock. Then in that following summer, he took unto himself a wife and Gillian returned with him to Matlock where we continued our training together until May 1987.

During our past two terms at Matlock we have been living in a one-room apartment. Although small, it was cosy, and more than adequate for our needs, providing a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom. That became our first home, and we grew to love it for the Lord became our portion and He made provision for all our needs through the faithful support of His people, both financially, and more importantly prayerfully. Living in the close environment of a bible college means that there are plenty of opportunities to have fellowship and build up relationships with other students. We especially became very close to a young couple from Co. Armagh, Clive and Hazel Walker. They too are hoping to continue with the training in America and are expecting their first child in January.

At 6.00 am. the daily routine starts for most of the students. 7.00 a.m. is breakfast time for the single students in the Dining Hall, while the marrieds enjoy meal times in their own rooms. 8.00 a.m. begins the first class, 3 mornings a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday we had Memory Class, and this term that meant learning the whole book of Phillipians off by heart. After that, until 12.15 p.m., we had classes on many varied and interesting subjects such as: Bible Doctrine; Prayer: The Life of Christ; Evangelism; O.T. History; New Testament; Church Principles and Missions along with studies on many books of the Bible like: Daniel, Revelations, Hebrews and Romans. Then, from 12.15 - 1.30 was lunchtime. After lunch we had WORK DETAIL for everyone except the mothers of children. There were many different jobs to be done around the building eg. Welding ... Then there was wood crew.. There was much renovation to be done and during our time there three chimneys were replaced. Some of us worked longer than others.

The wives without children - there were only two of them - Gillian and Hazel, worked.from 1.30 - 3.30. The rest of us until 4.30 pm.

At present N.T.M. are working to put up a new building because of the increasing amount of new students. We pulled down an old coach house, cleared the way for the new building, but as a result, the land behind it has started to slide and at any time about 100000 tonnes of earth could come down and damage the building. As, a precaution the local council ordered N.T.M. to put up a temporary retaining wall. This has cost N.T.M around £3,000. Please pray about this as it has really upset the plans for the extension. Pray for wisdom for the Committee as they seek to find the best thing to do.

Another of the jobs on work detail is boiler duty, which involves cleansing out the boiler daily, and then getting into the boiler every Thursday and brushing it out. One or two days a term, we have WORK DAY. On work day there are no classes, just all day work detail from 8.00 a.m. until 4.30 p.m.

From 4.30 - 7.15 is free to catch up on reading letters or for Gillian preparing tea, then from 7.15 - 9.30 is study time. This is when we read our test books, did essays and revised for the exams at mid-term and final.

Another vital part of our lives at Matlock was the fellowship of a local assembly. Stanton Lees Chapel is an independent assembly, because of modernism the believers there felt they should withdraw from the Methodist Church, and in order to guard the pulpit from error, they left the Methodist Church in 1971, and became a Free Evangelical Church. The pastor there is Peter Hulland. Peter is also a part-time lecturer at the college, and we both have been really blessed by this man's ministrv.

Back to college, and during the term we have what are known as "Socials". There are usually 1 or 2 socials every month, and these vary from a meal, (prepared by the students themselves), to a hike in the nearby hills. Each of the ladies has got a secret prayer partner, someone who prays for them and leaves little gifts and notes of encouragement for them. Then at the end of term, they have a party, where they all find out who is their partner, and also they have a bit of fun by playing a few games. Also there is a time when they can each tell how the Lord has been blessing them, and teaching their hearts through His Word.

The term finishes with the Diploma Service. It is open for visitors, and many friends come from nearby churches. Of the students leaving, some to go home for a while to build up finances and prayer support, and others to go on to America.

We had our Diploma Service on May 29th 1987, and D.V. we will be pressing on to America to Jersey Shore Boot Camp in Pennsylvania where we will be continuing our training in September. As the U.S. Army have a rigorous course of preparation for combat, so New Tribes Mission also have, and this name of Boot Camp comes from the name given to the army course. Please pray for us as this will not only be the most rewarding time of our lives, but the most difficult. Going to America may sound very glamorous, but the reality of the hard life we will face is much more daunting.

'There are still many who are in bondage to Satan, many who have never had an opportunity to hear the Gospel. It is our job, yours and ours, to see this world reached with the Gospel. Tribal people are searching .... but how can they hear without a preacher? We must go out and reach them. The call has already been given! (Matt. 28: 18-20). What is needed now is obedience!

New Tribes Mission are seeing many turned from darkness .... to light;.... from serving Satan, to serving Christ.

Thank you all for your prayers for us, but yesterday's blessing are no good for today or tomorrow. Please continue to pray for us, in our many preparations for August and for us when we are in the States, that the Lord would provide the support and keep us there.

We are having great times at our meetings, where we receive much blessing and encouragement during these times of fellowship.

On Sunday 3rd May Mr G. MaCorkell, from Gideons International came to speak and show slides of his recent visit to Nigeria and to give out Bibles. This meeting really challenged our hearts of the need of Christ in that far off land.

On Sunday 10th May our meeting was taken by thirty of the Y.P.F. from Magherafelt Baptist. The prayer room was well filled and we all had a good time around God's word. The last Y.P.F. meeting before breaking up for the summer months was taken by the Mayor of Ballymena, Alderman Sandy Spence. At the.end of this meeting we elected our new committee for 1987 - 1988. Those elected are as follows: Kim McCullough, Alison Calderwood, Linda Cameron, William Kirk, Martin Campbell, Stephen Irons and Ian Cameron.

A number of activities have been planned for during the summer break such as horse riding and trips to the Leisure Centre

Also congratulations to Kim and William on the occasion of their marriage on the 18th June 1987.

'The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler,

The Good News Club continued to meet weekly (save for a break on Easter Monday) until the end of April. Our series of lessons on "God's Word and Me" ended in March, leaving us with just three meetings in April to bring us to the end of the term. The Lord demonstrated again to us that He is indeed in control of the Club, in the way He provided a guest speaker for each of the last three evenings.

Mr Trevor Boyd took the meeting on 6th April. As we all know in Ballee, Trevor is indeed richly gifted in telling the gospel, and especially to children. He spoke about the different kinds of vehicles that we can come across on the roads, and about how each of these vehicles has a lesson to teach us with regard to our need for salvation.

Mr Noel McMeekin (a fellow pupil of mine many years ago, in the Sunday School in Ballymena Gospel Hall) spoke on 13th April. He too concentrated on some of the things that we can see on the roads round about us every

day - but on traffic signs this time. It is surely good for the children (and for the rest of us too) to know that God can indeed speak to us in this way: even through such common every-day objects as these.

Miss Liz Blair (from:C.E.F.) gave the lesson at the final meeting of the series, on 27th April. She spoke on the theme "He Is coming back again", reminding the youngsters that the Lord will indeed be Coming back again – but for His own children only. The meetings then ended for the season with each child receiving a small gift.

The Good News Club will re-commence on 14th September (D.V.) Please continue to pray for the children throughout the summer months - that many of them would see their need for salvation and indeed that all of them who have not already done so would come to know the Saviour personally.

"Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish".

I cannot say like some that I was brought up in a Christian home. My parents did not attend a any Church on a regular basis. From a very early age I remember being sent along to Tully Gospel Hall by my mother. There, under the strict eye of Mr Tom McKillen (now at home with the Lord) I certainly learned respect for God’s word and God's house. Lessons which I was taught lay dormant for many years. On reflection there were times when God's spirit was at work drawing me to himself, but we all have a free will and don’t always respond to His voice. For many years I continued in my sin, from time to time turning over a new leaf and trying to make a fresh start. But! Without Me ye can do nothing. I can however look back to September 1969 and a visit to our home from the then Pastor of this Church. During the course of our conversation I made a true commitment to My Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I have proved the Lord over these past eighteen years as one who sticketh closer than a brother. I have known His presence in the place of prayer, around His Word, in distress, disappointment and sorrow.

The Hymn which follows sums it up very well. May I be worthy of the price He paid at the place called Calvary.

CHORUS

Only one life, and white is the field,
With compassion this great need I view
This one life that I have I will yield,
And the little I can, I will do.

One poor life, small the offering at best,
Yet the world, and the flesh, often call;
This my answer shall be to each test,
“I’ll not serve God with less than my all!”

Congratulations are in order to John Kirk and Jennifer Kennedy who were married on 16^th April. Also William Kirk and Kim McCullough who were married on 18^th June.

Robert and Pamela Neill on the birth of their son on 13^th May (8lb 12ozs) His name is David Stephen

Alan and Heather Hoey on the birth of their son on 18^th June ( 9lb) His name is Jonathan David.

Stephen and Linda Irons on the birth of their daughter on 24^th April (8lb 11oz) Her name is Laura Jayne.

CHORUS

CHORUS

Bereavement