From 1974 The Christian Renewal Centre in Rostrevor was a beacon of light for Protestants and Catholics from all over Ireland. In the midst of one of the darkest periods in Ireland’s history, the centre became synonymous with reconciliation, prayer, and spiritual renewal. Nestled in Northern Ireland beneath Slieve Martin and the Mourne Mountains, it overlooks Carlingford Lough and the Irish Republic to the South. It’s meeting area holds up to 180, as well as cafe space, prayer rooms, seminar rooms, 5 self contained apartments, and 16 other rooms for guests and community members. But most importantly it has an incredible legacy of spiritual life, known by all Christian traditions in Ireland.

As we begin to move in we are acutely aware of standing on the shoulders of giants. Most notably Cecil and Myrtle Kerr who courageously founded the centre, and Harry and Dorothy Smith who have been leading the work for the last 10 years. As we initially build our work here we want to emphasise 4 areas of ministry; reconciliation, renewal, mission, and community.

Reconciliation: When the centre was bought in 1974 it was in a time when “the Troubles” were wrecking havoc and bloodshed up and down Northern Ireland. Yet in spite of that history the centre became a place of encounter and reconciliation for people who had been enemies, or at least had been brought up on opposite sides of the tracks. We dream of this continuing to be a place where enemies meet each other and are reconciled, not only from Ireland, but from divided tribes and countries all over the world.
“He himself is our peace who has made the two ONE.” Eph 2

Renewal: We hope to see many groups of people from all ages continue to come for retreats, weekends, day conferences, and camps. We want to be a gathering place for people from all over the country, seeing them renewed in body, mind and spirit as they soak in the surroundings and are nourished by teaching and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The doors of the centre are open now. Already we’ve had a group of 56 for a week-long camp, and for the next 2 months we will have a fairly steady stream of groups and visitors.

Community: For the last 2 years we’ve been reflecting on what it means be a Christian in Europe in a time when churches are experiencing a form of “exile”. Europe is increasingly a post-Christian continent where God and church seem like fads from the distant past. In short, “how do we sing the Lord’s song while in a strange land?” We know one of the timeless forms in impacting societal brokenness, is for communities to form around the commitment to love God and love our neighbours. We intend to live here as an open, embracing community of YWAM missionaries, serving each other, and serving the people of the area we live in.

Mission: For the last 8 years we’ve have been working to build community in the Shankill and Falls areas of North and West Belfast, following the principle that holiness and being like Jesus meant “moving towards darkness”. As the incarnation brought God in the flesh onto the streets of Nazareth, we believe that our primary calling as followers of Jesus is to incarnate God on the streets of the darkest places on earth: To be “Jesus with skin on” to places like Delhi, Bethlehem, Beirut, Durban, Serbia, Burundi, and Rwanda. We are also called to be light in the cities of Ireland, and we are determined that this new property will provide a resource for a whole new generation of urban teams. We want to see people discipled here, to see leaders trained and released to multiply incarnational work wherever God leads them. Of course if we want to train people to start new missional communities, we want to model it here first. We are praying about the idea of a community café in the centre as a place for locals to gather- whether they are single Mums, artists, or retirees. We also see the need to engage with local youth, the ones who feel unattached and who need belonging and mentoring.

In this new season for YWAM Ireland we are praying for new YWAM staff and leaders to come and be developed with vision and capacity to build vital new communities all over this island. God is calling us to join many churches and organisations that are seeking to humbly reintegrate spiritual life into the heart of the culture of this island, and to take that life from this island to the world.

We are calling the centre “An Cuan” (pronounced “on koo-in”) which is the Irish word for a harbour: A place where ships are welcomed and sent, are patched up, re-fueled, and then allowed to set sail. That is what we hope for.

Jonny and Jenn Clark
YWAM Ireland

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Around two dozen persons from Lebanon, South Africa, Israel and Palestine (and other nations) have joined us since 2003 on scholarships to attend DTS in Northern Ireland – typically in Belfast with a reconciliation focus.

We continue this as an effort to integrate faith and a vision for reconciliation to make a real-world impact in places of conflict. The sponsored trainees are recommended by partner ministries in countries of conflict where we send outreach teams. They come to Belfast to receive Christian missions training coupled with a perspective on reconciliation and peacemaking given context in the environment of post-Troubles Northern Ireland. They will then return rooted in their faith to their countries with an ability to build bridges, having ministered alongside YWAM in Belfast on their DTS.

2010
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For the DTS starting on 21 January 2010, we are hoping to have 4 sponsored trainees. One is from Israel. One is from Lebanon and has been volunteering with us since the summer. The other two are from South Africa, currently working with two of our partner ministries outside of Durban – World Changers Academy and Light Providers. These organisations are involved in a variety of community projects in their area (online at http://www.wca-sa.org and http://www.lightproviders.com).

If you want to know more about these outstanding individuals, please contact YWAM Belfast directly.
Our needs for them are:
-To cover basic living costs – apprx. £2150 minimum for lecture and outreach phases, per person
-To cover travel costs for the South Africans – airfare and visa costs, apprx. £750 per person.

Will you help us raise up ambassadors for Christ in broken places?

Consider making a donation for this cause – any amount will go a long way.

Donations using PayPal are quick, easy, and safe.  For other methods, please contact YWAM Belfast.

Also, join our cause on Facebook and invite your friends to participate.

Note: Scholarships are not generally available; you cannot apply for financial aid for DTS. We offer them (as a step of faith) only to those whom are recommended to us by our partner ministries in countries of conflict.

Jonny Clark (Director, YWAM Ireland & YWAM Belfast) led us through a brief but meaningful examination of Irish history to set a practical context for our surroundings and the teaching we would have.  Our primary guest speaker was Peter Adams (http://www.reconciliationtalk.com), who is involved in reconciliation work in England and overseas.  He spoke at length about peacemaking as part of the Christian mission, as well as God’s plan for the reconciliation of all things, and how we participate in that – in relating to people and in speaking about Jesus.  He used many stories about his work in Luton (England) with the Muslim community and his work in places like China and the Middle East.

In the afternoons, there were field-trips to community projects around Belfast to see how various groups engaged with the needs of this city.  The purpose of these outings were to inspire and spark ideas, as well as connect the teaching with practical application.

The video below was taken at the conference, and is pieced together from a 75-min talk Peter Adams presented on God’s plan of ultimate redemption for all of creation and our call to participate in it (Vimeo – about 30 min.).

(This blog entry first published at nakedicame.com)

“Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Prov. 31: 8-9

Patricia Green addresses this vital area of concern for the church today

Friday 27th November: 8 pm (Tea & coffee from 7.30 pm)
Saturday 28th November: 9.30 am – 4.30 pm (Lunch provided)

YWAM Centre – “Closkelt House” – 45 Closkelt Road, Ballyward
Phone Ros on 07766286933 for information & directions

Patricia Green is the Founder of Rahab International who work on behalf of sexually exploited women and children. She is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, a social worker, and has a Master’s degree in Community Psychology. She is also a well-known speaker on issues of sexual exploitation, trafficking and prostitution. Patricia’s passion is to create an awareness of these issues and to motivate people, especially Christians, to reach out to sexually exploited women and children in the name of Christ to offer them a new life.

Download the flier by right-clicking this link and clicking ‘Save-As’

The DTS will be approximately six and a half months (ending late January 2011), with an emphasis on having flexible lecture and outreach phases. The lecture phase will consist of three 5-week sections, each comprised of four weeks of lectures in Dublin followed by one week of processing and time out in a European city, which could be Prague, London, Budapest, Reykjavick, or somewhere else. The remaining 13 weeks will be a combination of outreach in Dublin and abroad, including a time of debrief at the end.

This DTS is a great opportunity to build a foundation for a lifetime of following Christ with purpose and intention. During this time, the trainees will be joining a pioneering community, helping to contribute to reaching Dublin in creative and meaningful ways.

You can find more info about the DTS starting July 2010, including info on how to apply, at ywamdublin.com.

YWAM Dublin also has a group on Facebook you can check out.

Last week between Monday evening and Friday morning, folks from teams around Ireland gathered for a time of fellowship, input, and prayer together at our facilities in rural Co. Down. We were joined by Barry and Kay Austin, based with YWAM at the King’s Lodge in England, who are YWAM veterans from the early days (Barry lead the second DTS ever!) and continue to be instrumental in leadership training for YWAM around the world. Barry and Kay lead us in looking at Hebrews 1-6, a scripture establishing the identity of Christ and pinpointing obstacles to following him with full faith and expectation. We followed in prayer for our mission and challenging each other to thoroughly move in God’s momentum. Also, a good amount of time was dedicated to hanging out, catching up, and various antics – from hiking, to lazing on the beach in nearby Newcastle (during the one sunny day), to cooking, to table tennis tournaments. Overall, these few days were a good mix of nurturing activities and team-building.

The Yak-Shak

‘They tried to make me go to re:hab, I said, “No, no, no”. ‘

YWAM Ireland presents The Yak Shak. This is the place for chillout, for
hanging out with each other, and experiencing God and the world in a
low-key environment.  You’ll find sofas, art, hot drinks, pool, table
tennis, and a special pampering area for the girls – even spectacular
Summer Madness haircuts for everyone!

The “Yak -Shak” afternoon workshops are a multi-sensory extravaganza,
filled with magic, escapology and energetic hi-jinx from Yan Nicholls of
YWAM England and his YWAM Ireland volunteers.  Don’t miss it — or
you’ll miss out!

Saturday (4th)
2.30-3.30 “Yak-Shak hour”
4-5 “Yak-Shak presents” – Donking Rongavilla and the Passion
Freestylers
10-11.30 “Yak-Shak re:creates”

Sunday (5th)
2.30-3.30 “Yak-Shak hour”
4-5 “Yak-Shak presents” – Donking Rongavilla and the Passion
Freestylers
10-11.30 “Yak-Shak re:creates”

Monday (6th)
2.30-3.30 “Yak-Shak hour”
4-5 “Yak-Shak presents” – Norn Irish singer songwriters unplugged
10-11.30 “Yak-Shak re:creates”

“Yak-Shak re:creates” is an evening in two parts. Music from our
resident house band made up of SM campers (that’s you!), magic
mayhem, laughter, culminating in an alt. worship experience for the more
contemplative Summer Madness participant. Mixing words, silence, and
ambient tunes to bring us on a journey of encounter with faith, poverty,
the Kingdom, and the prodigal Father.

Yak-Shak hour: An extravaganza filled with magic, escapology and
energetic hi-jinx.

Yak-Shak presents: Donking Rongavilla and the Passion Freestylers.
Check out their hip hop dance style and learn some yourself!

re:creates – the journey begins with a house band and ends with
contemplation.

Join the Facebook event for more info and automatic reminders!

We have been keeping busy switching between different ministries, and have had the chance to work alongside a few different organizations as well as YWAM. The first two weeks we started out with Mercy Ministries in two different slums – teaching in the preschools and helping with the clinic. The second two weeks in Delhi we were doing university evangelism in the afternoons and helping in a ‘daycare’ for street kids called King’s Kids School in the mornings. Those same kids we have gotten to know really well during our time here in Delhi as we also help with a Street Kid’s Ministry on Saturdays. It fast became our favorite activity, and we spend any of our free time with these kids in their local hangout/place of ‘work’ – the community centre. It’s where we eat lunch and where we build relationships. These children, for most of us, are the reason we are here, and the reason we want to come back! The relationships we have built are so filled with life and beauty. We give the children the love and attention they are starved for, and in return they give us their trust – and their help whenever they can! It gives me so much joy to see a kid helping us negotiate the price of a rickshaw in Hindi, or when they take us by the hand to their parents to pray over them. These are small steps towards a much larger dream, and it is inspiring to be able to be apart of it.

In the middle of our outreach, we took a couple weeks out to go join up with another team from Northern Ireland in Pune, India. There we helped run a Christian youth camp with SOS communities, and joined again with YWAM to visit a number of different orphanages and homes for children over the period of a week. From there we made a short trip to Mumbai to spend time with one of the SOS communities there, and then it was back to Delhi for another couple weeks with the same ministries. It was a good break from the hard work we had been doing in the slums and on the streets of Delhi, and it gave us a more rounded view of this country.

It is encouraging to see God’s hand at work in so many places and through so many of His willing servants. All of our group has been impacted in a powerful way because of this experience, and we are all looking for different ways to stay connected and apart of what is going on in India. In many ways, this trip to India is just the beginning…

Jennifer Volkman
R-DTS Student

Outreach in India has been life changing. It has been an opportunity to go to a place that needs God desperately and serve as the hands and feet of the Lord. It has been a time of great cultural learning and more importantly, growing closer to the Lord.

In India I have had the chance to see God at work in the lives of people so different than me and 1000s of miles from my home. I have learned from them and been inspired to dream bigger while at the same time helping serve them and their ministries. Outreach in India has meant being face to face with poverty, child abuse, and suffering. But, it has also meant experiencing the power of the Lord as he leads his people to action. I return to Belfast with a personal connection to India, and names and faces to pray for and seek the Lord about.

Carolyn Betts
R-DTS Student

Please consider sponsoring a YWAMer for this event.  Any gift will go a long way, and it’s easy to give with a debit or credit card using PayPal.  If you have any questions or have an alternate means of giving, please don’t hesitate to send us an email.

Check out what Jonny Clark has to say about the fundraiser and training for the marathon in this funny YouTube video.