Dear
Friends
What did 2003 hold for you? No
doubt you had moments of trouble and difficulty as well as times of joy and
encouragement. Equally without
doubt you have known and proved the Lord’s faithfulness through all its
changing scenes. What a wonderful
thing it is to know that He never leaves us or forsakes us and that He travels
with us through the rough and the smooth of each new day.
We
in Lay Witness finish 2003 with a sense of gratitude to God for His goodness
to us. In this newsletter we will
share some of the highlights of the last twelve months.
There were missions in Moville and Holywood in the winter and
Drimoleague, west Cork, in August. Looking
ahead to 2004 you will hear about plans for Hamilton Road, Bangor in March and
Limavady in May as well as for our annual conference in Castle Erin, Portrush.
Many of you will be interested, by way of preliminary announcement, to
learn that in 2005 we plan to move our conference to Glenada in Newcastle
(18-20 March) in a bid to make the event more accessible to our members from
the Republic.
There
is much to encourage us as we launch into a new year.
Recently we have been excited about our new website and the
possibilities it opens up for good communication and interaction.
The real issue however is that we are only as effective as God chooses
to make us. We are totally
dependent on Him for His blessing and empowerment.
May that dependency be our strength and secret weapon as we move into
another year.
Wishing you God’s richest blessings in
2004,
Allen
Errol
Heather
Norma
Tom
Wilson
Website
The
Lay Witness Movement now has its own website!
We want to use it to keep our members and supporters up to date; to
spread news of what is happening in Lay Witness to a wider readership and to
provide an easy means of contacting the Movement for those who are computer
literate.
In
its pages, as the website develops, you will be able to see accounts of past
missions and events, articles written by members to provoke thought and
discussion and information about forthcoming events.
Already the project of setting up the site has forced us to define our
focus and ourselves more clearly.
On
the home page, for example we state: Who
We Are
“The
Lay Witness Movement is a network of lay people within the Methodist Church in
Ireland who seek to share their experience of Jesus Christ with others. “
We define : What we do as
“The
Movement organises special weekend events in local churches at which teams of
lay people tell their story and witness to what it means to be a Christian
believer in today’s world.“ We
hope that you think this a fair summary!
Please
do use the site to get in touch with us, tell us what you think of the pages and
offer suggestions for fresh content. Remember
that Lay Witness is always looking out for new friends to join with us and be
part of this Movement. If you feel
that the Lord is leading you to a new avenue of service with Lay Witness do
please contact us. We welcome
witnesses of all ages and backgrounds. You
do not have to have a dramatic story to tell, or be a polished or entertaining
speaker. All you need is a genuine
relationship with the Lord Jesus and a desire to help bring others closer to
Him.
Where
is it?
It’s at: www.laywitnessireland.org
We
would like to have your email address for ease of contact and sending this
annual Newsletter. Please email us
with your details at : contact.us@laywitnessireland.org
We
are very grateful to webmaster Alan Hutchinson, Glengormley who has set up the
site for us. Contact him at:
webmaster@laywitnessireland.org
Tom Wilson Joins Steering Group
The
Steering group is delighted that Tom Wilson from Whiteabbey Methodist
has accepted its invitation to him to join.
Tom takes up the story…..
My
first experience of Lay Witness was in 1975 when an American team came to
Whiteabbey Methodist Church. The first team I served on was in 1980 to Braniel
and was led by Wilson Doran.
Since
then I have been a member of quite a number of teams and have also led teams. I
have always felt it is a wonderful privilege to serve on a Lay Witness Team, and
to hear testimony of what God is doing in the lives of the team members. It is
also a great privilege to be in the position of a team leader or coordinator,
and to realise how God always brings together the team He wants for a particular
church.
However
my reaction to being asked by Wilson to serve on the Steering Group is one of
mixed feelings.
First
of all I was delighted and honoured at being asked until I realised the
responsibility involved. However, Wilson assures me they are an easy group with
whom to work!!
I
was also saddened that Wilson’s illness is such that he needs to take more of
a back seat in leadership of the movement.
What a wonderful witness he has been for our Lord and a great inspiration
to all of us in Lay Witness and the church at large.
I feel humbled at the thought
of following in his footsteps. However having just written that I’ve been
reminded that we don’t follow each other but we follow our Lord. My prayer is
that I will follow where He leads.
Our
Records
We keep a note of your name, address and telephone
number together with the mission teams you have been on, if any.
Please notify us if you wish to have any details updated or deleted.
If there are others you think would like to receive this Newsletter,
please ask them to contact us c/o:
contact.us AT laywitnessireland.org
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