One of Belfast's most historic churches, May Street Presbyterian, hits the headlines once again this Wednesday, 19 November at 7.30pm when Rev Keith Drury is inducted as the first Director of Mission in Belfast City Centre and minister of the May Street congregation.
This imaginative and exciting new ministry is an initiative of South Belfast Presbytery, the Presbyterian Board of Mission in Ireland and the May Street congregation and aims to revitalise the witness of the church in the city centre.
In its heyday May Street would have been filled to capacity Sunday by Sunday, morning and evening but today the membership of this church, reputedly built specially for the ministry of Rev Henry Cooke in the mid 1800's, has reduced to 85 families, many of whom travel in to the city centre for Sunday worship, some from as far as Downpatrick.
In recent years the congregation has developed a weekday lunchtime ministry for its parish of 9 to 5 city workers and the success if this together with a strategic city centre location and the commitment of the present congregation has led to the development of this new ministry.
As first Director of Mission in Belfast City Centre Rev Keith Drury is very excited about the church's vision for the city and the "different opportunities that investing in new ways and models of ministry will bring in terms of meeting people where they are." He views his work as a "therapeutic ministry where people can bring their problems to a safe place, talk them through without in any way being judged and ultimately find a resolution."
Formerly minister of Third Portglenone, Keith describes himself as a 'city boy' having been brought up in the Saintfield Road area. His first job was round the corner from May Street in Adelaide Street.
"It's early days for this new style of ministry in Belfast and much of the first months will be taken up in more detailed planning building on the original vision and developing links with other ministries already working in the city centre," says Keith. " It will be strange working in a parish that disappears at five and reappears the next morning, but in many ways it will be similar to Christ's ministry in Nazareth being out and about and among people rather than waiting for the people to come to us."
Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
PCI Home . . . Press Office . . . News Archive