It was a typical North Coast morning – grey, rainy skies with the sun trying to break through – as our first ‘Living with Cancer’ event was held. The weather seemed reflective of the emotions of those gathering – all living with cancer, or living with those who live with cancer, yet able to see the hope of their faith still shining through. The warmth of the church, and hopefully of the welcome, soon displaced the damp outside.
Of the 64 guests attending, many hailed from our North West’s ‘triangle area’, although quite a number had travelled some distance to attend – some from as far away as County Armagh and East Antrim. And whilst the broad spectrum of our Christian traditions was represented among those attending, the uniting common feature keeping us focused was that we were all dealing with cancer from our shared faith perspective. The healthy buzz of conversation during both the morning coffee break and the extended lunch proved that there is merit in simply being together with others in the situation of a common illness, and strength is found in sharing together.
In the formal parts of the day’s programme, a panel of speakers shared their own experiences of cancer and faith – some personally, and others in their capacity as a carer. These included Julie Peake, Rev David Brown, Dr Aine McNeill, Joan Kirkpatrick, Alison Mark and Anne Harbinson. In these sessions the rawness of suffering, surgery, scars and hair-loss, as well as the impact upon children and families were not glossed over. Neither was the avalanche of emotions that accompany cancer – or the pain of bereavement. However, all pointed repeatedly to faith in Christ being the anchor in the storm, and to the hope that the gospel gives even in the face of death.
Rev John Kirkpatrick and Roz Stirling helped us reflect scripturally and spiritually on suffering and our Christian hope, and how God ministers to us in a cancer experience. It was my privilege to conclude the day by presenting a Christian counselling model. This showed how ‘reframing’ our experiences of suffering and trials in light of Christian hope and God’s amazing grace can transform our view of painful realities – even cancer – into something positive and God glorifying.
The team of volunteers from Portrush Presbyterian Church, who helped in so many ways in the smooth running of the day, spoke of the benefit that they received from their participation. Alongside the enjoyed social interaction with everyone present, they also described the value in being better equipped to help others on a cancer journey, through a greater understanding of the realities and impact of cancer on individuals and their families.
The response afterwards from those attending was very encouraging, with many indicating a desire for such events to be repeated here, and also made available in other locations. A number also expressed an interest in coming to a more regular ‘support group’ type event if it were to be offered on an ongoing (perhaps bimonthly) basis. This is now being explored in consultation with all those who have expressed such an interest.
On behalf of all the co-ordinators of the event, we wish to express our sincere thanks for the generosity of the management team of Portrush Presbyterian Church’s New Beginnings Charity Shop, who financially sponsored the event as part of its stated purpose to support outreach to the wider community.
Rev Ian Harbinson is the former minister of Ballyroney and Drumlee and Moneydig Presbyterian Churches.
You can also read about the motivations for this event in Julie Peake's original blog on the Living with Cancer day.