Philip is an Irish mission worker and has been working alongside Arklow Presbyterian Church in County Wicklow since November 1995. His work is mostly community-based and he is heavily involved in children’s and youth work, including a weekly children’s Bible club. In addition, he is involved with the weekly Bible study and Coffee Dock, as well as visitation and evangelisation.

Every person who comes through the church doors is loved by God, is cared for and has a personal story, and Philip and his colleagues strive to guide them into to a personal relationship with Jesus. This can be done through, Bible studies, Bible lessons, teen talks and one-on-one chats. Philip also spends time in shopping areas, meeting and getting to know people and also helping at church in various capacities. The annual holiday Bible club has been greatly blessed by God down through the years and many, many children have heard the gospel through it.

“As trust is built up with individuals you get more opportunities to live and share the gospel with them. This is such a privilege, but also an amazing and rewarding responsibility, filled with enjoyment. To see the sheer joy of some people when you talk about God and to see some come to faith in Christ is simply amazing. That hope and expectation can never diminish. It’s Jesus who saves and my goal is to bring as many as I can to accept his salvation and then to develop their faith. We see about 125 people from the community on a weekly basis, and this gives us many opportunities to build up relationships and bridges with goal of bringing them to Jesus.”

Philip is married to Susan and they have one adult daughter. Susan runs a Montessori pre-school in the church hall and this has proved valuable in getting young people to come to the weekly Bible clubs, as well as the holiday Bible club.

Prayer Points

• Pray for Philip and those he works alongside, that they will never lose sight of the Saviour and that their relationship and dependency on God will always be growing.
• Pray for the children’s and youth clubs, as well as the holiday Bible club, that through these ministries many young people will come to know Jesus.
• Pray for Arklow congregation, a small congregation who are determined in their involvement in mission and in the community.

A United Appeal video highlighting the work of Philip Whelton, Irish mission worker at Arklow Presbyterian Church, Co. Wicklow.

Latest report – April 2023

Prayer, planning and preparation

Come sunshine or rain, the children and young people rarely miss a chance to come to our weekly clubs. The Friday youth club has about 60 young people each week and a good group of volunteers. The Wednesday Bible club has around 50 children who are always eager to learn the Bible lessons and verses. A recent lesson explored Jesus healing Jairus' daughter. The children discussed the woman who wanted to touch the hem of Jesus' robe for her healing. Several thought there was no way that could work, but one boy said, "Jesus can do anything - and he knows everything! Jesus will know the woman touched his robe." They were so excited to hear the rest of the story and learn what Jesus can do. 

The adult Bible study is on Monday nights and has a good group of people who are interested to learn and study God's Word together. The Coffee dock continues each Tuesday morning for toddlers and parents. It is an informal setting for parents to chat while their children play. This is a brilliant way to get to know families in the community and parents find the support helpful and encouraging.

Each of these groups requires prayer, planning and preparation. There are always some who ask questions or discuss difficulties they are facing. With over 100 families involved in the weekly clubs, extra time is required to maintain contact, listen to individual needs or try to be an encouragement. Please pray that we will be effective in our preparation as well as having wisdom to reach out and help when needed. We had several young people become communicant members recently, so please pray for them as they continue their journey with Christ. Pray also for our church family, including the session as we plan programmes, continue with outreach in various forms, and remain available to listen to those who need to be heard. 

The holiday Bible club is planned again for August and there is much work to do for that. Our theme this year is 'Make Waves' and we are working on ordering the t-shirts, with registration beginning in March. Through engaging Bible lessons, fun activities, as well as music and crafts, we will do our best to help the children understand how they can share God's love with the people around them. By the time you read this there is a good chance that the holiday Bible club will be fully booked. We still need help for that, so we would appreciate your prayers for the right people to be available this summer.

Please pray: 

• Pray for Philip and his team of volunteers as they plan and prepare for the various activities they run each week. 
• Pray for the young people who recently became communicant members.
• Pray for the church family and session as they plan programmes, continue with outreach in its various forms - that they would have wisdom, energy and encouragement. 
• Pray for the holiday Bible club planned for August, that the right people will step forward to help and that it would be a time of true blessing for everyone involved. 
   

To download a printable PDF of Philip's reports visit the Mission Reports listing at the top.