Dear Friends 

This is the time of year when birds return from sunny Africa to spend the summer months with us. Any day now, we will be seeing the first swallows. They arrive at just the right time to feed on the abundance of insects that appear as the days get warmer.

In Acts 8 we read about Philip, the evangelist, who arrived at just the right time for an Ethiopian official who was puzzling over a passage in the prophet Isaiah. Luke reveals how God orchestrated the whole meeting. Not only did he meet this man at the right time, when he was searching for answers and open to God’s Spirit, but also Philip had just the right message for him, and led him to faith in Christ.

God set up the meeting, but Philip responded immediately to God’s call to go. ‘So he got up and went’, we read. These simple words say so much about Philip’s character. He doesn’t consult his diary to see if he can fit in this appointment; he makes no excuses about being inadequate for the task; he goes in obedience, not knowing what awaits him.

When we hear the feedback from Lay Witness missions, again and again we hear of a team member being ‘just the right person, in just the right place, at just the right time’. At our Lay Witness Day, May 9^th, we will be sharing how being on a Lay Witness mission is more than giving our testimony: God can use us in many other ways to touch people’s lives, as we make ourselves available to him.  

We are very grateful to God for all he has done on recent missions. You can read about our weekends in Glastry, Glenburn, Skibbereen, Tandragee and Bangor on this site. We praise the Lord that there are a number of missions planned for the autumn, and several other churches are interested in a Lay Witness Weekend.  Do keep up to date by checking the website, and please pray for the teams and churches.

We pray that, as God calls us, whether it is to go on a Lay Witness team, or something else, we will answer with the obedience and trust of Philip. 

Allen                          David

Heather                      Norma

Shirley                       Tom

 

Website

The Lay Witness Movement website keeps our members and supporters up to date with details of coming events, and reports and photographs of missions and past events. It also spreads news of what is happening in Lay Witness to a wider readership and provides an easy means of contacting the Movement for those who are computer literate. 

            You’ll find it 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 AT laywitnessireland.org

We are very grateful to webmaster Alan Hutchinson, Glengormley who has set up the site for us.  Contact him at:     webmaster AT laywitnessireland.org

Our Records

We keep a note of your name, address, email 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