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-
r rr r


Frst Thngs Frst
"l beleve . n the Boly Ctholc Church"
Unversty Chllenge
2005
JuIy-August
f1.00
The
Evngelcl
Presbytern
. . . . -.... ... -.... ... -.... ... -.... ...
. .. .
Edtor.
Harold CIbson
'StockbrIdge'
2 8arronstown Court
0FD|DFE 8T25 1F8
hgIbson@barronstown.force9.net
5ubscrptons.
UK f 7.50
FepublIc of reland 610.00
EnquIrIes to:
EvangelIcal 8ook Shop
15 College Square East
8ELFAST 8T1 600
shop@evanbooks8elfast.fsnet.co.uk
Tke Note
Dutward ound
Dver the past couple of months,
AssemblIes, Synods and PresbyterIes of
varIous denomInatIons have convened,
delIberated and presented reports.
The outcome of such gatherIngs Is often
that when all Is saId and done, there Is
more saId than done! Dne common theme
runnIng through the reports presented has
been the matter of church extensIon, or
rather the lack of It. Fesources, generally
meanIng fInance and manpower, are
often the reasons gIven for lack of progress
In thIs area. The polIcy becomes one of
maIntenance rather than advancement.

We as a denomInatIon can no longer use thIs
argument. Cod has gracIously provIded land
and new buIldIngs for us In recent years.
|en are comIng forward for the mInIstry of
the church for whIch we are truly thankful.
There Is the possIbIlIty that In a few years
tIme we could have more elIgIble men
avaIlable than we have congregatIons.

Fev Jack Peterson, on hIs recent vIsIt to
our Annual |eetIng challenged us to go
and claIm our land for ChrIst. Can we be
satIsfIed that there are towns and cItIes In
our land wIth lIttle or no reformed
evangelIcal wItness: n Northern reland
alone we have 2 countIes wIth no
EvangelIcal PresbyterIan Church and In the
other four our presence Is mInImal. There
Is no room for complacency.

Are we guIlty of havIng a polIcy of
'maIntenance' or have we the vIsIon and
zeal to claIm our land for ChrIst: We must
be a church that Is outward bound,
advancIng the KIngdom of Cod, takIng the
gospel unto the uttermost ends of the earth.
Take note, the great commIssIon commands
us to "go", not to remaIn seated.
Cover Photogrph.
Anwoth Dld KIrk where
Samuel Futherford
mInIstered 162716J8.
Fcr Anwoth by the Solwcy
The Evngelcl Presbytern
Is publIshed bImonthly by the
Presbytery of the EvangelIcal
PresbyterIan Church.
PIease vIsIt: www.epc.org.uk
Fnnce.
Anyone wIshIng to help the
Church's work may send theIr gIft
to the FInance CommIttee, C/o:
|r |ervyn Langtry
11 Pond Park Avenue
LS8UFN 8T28 JJN
The church can benefIt from the
Cjt Ad scheme from taxpayers'
donatIons. Please ask for detaIls.
Polcy.
The vIews expressed are those of
the EdItor and ContrIbutors whIch
are understood to reflect the
theologIcal posItIon of the
EvangelIcal PresbyterIan Church
Copy 0edlne.
1st of month prIor to publIcatIon
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Frst Thngs Frst
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Jesus calls us as IndIvIduals, famIlIes and congregatIons, as a
denomInatIon and natIon to: . seek ye ]rst the knydom o]
6od, cnd Hs ryhteousness; cnd cll these thnys wll be cdded
unto you. (|att 6:JJ) HIs words are a tImely exhortatIon to
yet our prortes well cnd truly sorted out once cnd ]or cll.
n essence, HIs command Is "put fIrst thIngs fIrst".

What Jesus commands Is no small thIng. t Is not always easy
to "put fIrst thIngs fIrst". Nevertheless, where there Is a wIll Cod wIll clwcys
provIde the way. f belIevers follow the Lord's dIrectIve practIcally and not just
theoretIcally - If our constant, conscIous and consIstent objectIve Is to obey
HIm then we wIll know a gracIous, SpIrIt-wrought transformatIon In every area of
lIfe. Cod wIllIng, our wItness wIll be so much clearer and so much more effectIve.

Jesus tells us what we have to do to make thIs a realIty. He makes It very
plaIn that we must set ryht prortes cnd pursue personcl yodlness ] we wcnt
to know 6od's cbundcnt provson cnd blessny.

SettIng PIght PrIorItIes
UntIl your prIorItIes are properly set your lIfe cannot be correctly ordered. f your
goals In lIfe are wrong then the whole purpose of your lIfe wIll be defectIve.
There are many thIngs that belIevers need Cod to clarIfy but we shouldn't need
hIm to do so In relatIon to our fIrst prIorIty. We shouldn't even have to thInk
about It. t should come so naturally to us. After all, our Lord has told us to "seek
ye ]rst the knydom o] 6od". ChrIst reveals that the ChrIstIan's abIdIng prIorIty
must be 6od ]rst n cll thnys, ct cll tmes, n cll plcces cnd n cll compcny.

The word "seek" means to "actIvely pursue" - to go after wIth a passIon.
8eIng present tense Its sense Is contInuously. The belIever's every wakIng
moment must be spent contInuously, actIvely and passIonately pursuIng the
thIngs of Cod's kIngdom. 8ut to be able to do so you must be seekIng the KIng
of the kIngdom - you must be seekIng Cod. Come necr to 6od cnd He wll come
necr to you. (James 4:8) You wll seek Me cnd ]nd Me when you seek me wth
cll your hecrt. (Jer 29:1J) Note It Is wth cll your hecrt, not some of It, not
even most of It - all of It!

Dnly wholehearted seekers fInd Cod. f you say you are seekIng Cod but
cannot fInd HIm the reason Is really very sImple, you cre not dony so
wholehecrtedly. You cannot seek Cod In any old fashIon. Jesus says you must
seek HIm fIrst. "PuttIng fIrst thIngs fIrst" means always puttIng Cod fIrst -
constantly, conscIously, consIstently puttIng HIm above everythIng and
everyone; above self, famIly, congregatIon, denomInatIon and natIon.
. . . . -.... ... -.... ... -.... ... -.... ...
- -- -
n |att 6:J0 Jesus poInts to the Importance of faIth as belIevers wholeheartedly
seek the KIng and HIs kIngdom above all else. WIthout faIth the quest Is
poIntless. "...wthout ]cth t s mpossble to plecse 6od." (Heb 11:6) FaIth,
lIke a dIamond, has many facets but the facet that most applIes here Is that
faIth Is ]ollowny the excmple o] 1esus who clwcys put hs hecvenly Fcther ]rst.
Cod doesn't ask for a pIece of your lIfe - he demands It all!
Cod Isn't Interested In beIng second In command or competIng for your
loyalty or affectIon - he demands complete allegIance and absolute control.
Cod demands that you respond approprIately; In the way that befIts your
heavenly Father who Is your dIvIne sovereIgn. Dnly If you respond In thIs
wholehearted manner wIll you prove conclusIvely that the KIng and hIs kIngdom
are In fact your abIdIng passIon and delIght - your great obsessIon In lIfe!

A kIngdom Is a place where a kIng rules and reIgns. SeekIng Cod's kIngdom as
your fIrst prIorIty means desIrIng and actIvely pursuIng hIs rule and reIgn over
your entIre lIfe. There must be no exclusIon zones or nogo areas. t Is wIllIngly
submIttIng to HIm everythIng you have, are and hope to be. When you set rIght
prIorItIes and your number one goal In lIfe Is actIvely pursuIng the KIng and hIs
kIngdom at least J thIngs must InevItably follow:

1 rIngIng CIory to the KIng
The Shorter CatechIsm asks the extremely pertInent questIon: Whct s mcn's
che] end The answer Is: "to ylor]y 6od". That Is your reason for beIng - that
Is why you are on thIs earth. Your whole purpose In lIfe Is not to glorIfy yourself
but "to glorIfy Cod". No wonder 1 Cor 10:J1 states: So whether you ect or
drnk or whctever you do, do t cll ]or the ylory o] 6od. HereIn lIes the cll
nclusve prncple o] Chrstcn lvny - Cod must be glorIfIed In all that you do.

2 SeekIng the KIng's CuIdance
Loyal subjects long to please theIr monarch. For them there Is no hIgher callIng
than to know and do the KIng's wIll. Each day you lIve you must ask your dIvIne
monarch the questIon Paul asked on the road to 0amascus: Lord, whct wlt
thou hcve me to do And havIng dIscovered HIs Holy wIll you must get on and
do It. Knowledge of Cod's wIll must lead to actIon!

3 Coverned by the KIng
Loyal subjects of Cod's kIngdom want to be totally controlled by theIr dIvIne
KIng. Yet some wIll ask: "s thIs not a form of slavery:" n a sense It Is. 8ut the
church Is a theocracy not a democracy. The church has a perfectly benevolent
dIctator. ChrIstIans are under heaven's dIrect rule but such dIvIne government
offers us the greatest lIberty. t means we are free to serve Cod accordIng to
hIs perfectly holy wIll, under hIs dIvIne protectIon. No wonder the CatechIsm
answers not just that Mcn's che] end s to ylor]y 6od but adds cnd to en]oy
Hm ]orever. DbedIence alone enables us to tcste cnd see thct the Lord s yood.

Jesus shows us In |att 6:JJ that "puttIng fIrst thIngs fIrst" means "settIng rIght
prIorItIes", I.e. always puttIng Cod fIrst. Are you dony so
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" love the house where you lIve D Lord." (Psalm 26:8)

ThIs Is the expressIon of
love from a belIever who has that hIghest of prIvIleges and Is able to come and
worshIp Cod wIth others of lIke mInd. ThIs Is of course not the love of brIcks
and mortar but It Is rather a love based on hIs knowledge of Cod. He comes to
thIs house wIth thanks for grace, for encouragement, to praIse and to be a part
of that 'body' who are Cod's people (Eph 4:16). ThIs Is but one pIcturesque and
expressIve descrIptIon of Cod's people as he has organIsed us In groups
throughout the world and as stated In thIs ancIent Apostles' Creed to be the
holy cctholc church.

It Is The Church
There Is, only the one. (Cal 1:8) There Is only one who Is at the head of It.
There Is only one way Into It. (John 14:6) That Is through a person who Is the
very Son of Cod (1 John 1:J), the second person of the TrInIty, fully Cod, fully
man. (1 John 4:12)

Jesus came to thIs Earth to save us (John J:16), to provIde
hIs church wIth a suItable rIghteousness that we wIll be able to enter Into thIs
famIly of Cod as a great multItude of worshIppers.

HoIy
We are those called to be the 'separated' ones, dedIcated to the servIce of the
|ost HIgh. We trust Cod, 'holy', consecrated to Cod, sanctIfIed and pure. (Col
J:12) We do not call ourselves holy, for we know better. Speak to any of us who
belong to thIs church and we would regretfully speak of our sIn, our half
heartedness

to Jesus (Fev J:15), our own poorness of spIrIt. 8ut, we are called
holy by Cod hImself, because Jesus ChrIst by hIs lIfe, death and resurrectIon
has Imparted grace to us, so that our standIng In ChrIst Is Indeed as a holy
people (2 Thess 1:10). We also come In holy worshIp before the throne of Cod
on hIgh, all through grace as sInners made holy by the blood of ChrIst.
"l eleve ... n the Boly Ctholc Church"
~... :. ~... :. ~... :. ~... :.
l
ELIEVE in 60d Ihc FIhc AlmighIy, Nkc 0I hcvcn nd cIh: And
in 1csus ChisI his 0nly S0n, 0u L0d, wh0 ws c0nccivcd by Ihc
R0ly 6h0sI, b0n 0I Ihc vigin Ny, suIIccd undc P0nIius PilIc,
ws cuciIicd, dcd, nd buicd, hc dcsccndcd inI0 hcll, Ihc Ihid dy hc
0sc gin I0m Ihc dcd, hc sccndcd inI0 hcvcn, nd siIIcIh 0n Ihc
ighI hnd 0I 60d Ihc FIhc AlmighIy, I0m Ihcncc hc shll c0mc I0
|udgc Ihc quick nd Ihc dcd.
I bclicvc in Ihc R0ly 6h0sI, Ihc h0ly cIh0lic chuch, Ihc c0mmuni0n 0I
sinIs, Ihc I0givcncss 0I sins, Ihc csuccIi0n 0I Ihc b0dy, nd Ihc liIc
cvclsIing. Amcn
A ersectve on another statement jrom the Aostles' Creed
The Creed had developed to Its present form by the end of the 2nd century
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. .. .
CathoIIc
The usage of the word CatholIc had the Idea of a unIversal body of gospel
belIevers throughout the world. |en, women and chIldren everywhere and In
every 'church', those who have a savIng faIth In Jesus ChrIst and who love one
another as Jesus has loved us. (1 John 4:7) Where Is thIs love: 0oes the world
see only the dIsunIty, scandals and unbelIef: The evangelIcal, concernedly
wonders about thIs apparent lack of unIty hImself.

We are remInded by Jesus through the parable of the wheat and the tares,
that what Is portrayed and what Is seen by the publIc eye Is not the real story
of true unIty. The evIl one planted the tares amongst the farmer's good crop
but the wIse 'farmer' lets the growth of both exIst together untIl the harvest
when the tares wIll face the judgement of our just and holy Cod.(|att 1J:41)
The saInts must not despaIr as lIberals and 'other gospel' leaders cause
confusIon for those outsIde as well as those InsIde the church. What we must do
Is bear wItness to all the world about "the way, the truth and the lIfe." ThIs Is
true unIty as we keep to the truth.

Church
The church, a fellowshIp of belIevers, who In the provIdence of Cod are called
and chosen, to lIve by faIth, In local assemblIes throughout the world. We are
the brIde of ChrIst

(Fev 21:2), the apple of Cod's eye. Some have thought that
the church exIsts through dIstInctIve externals such as magnIfIcent buIldIngs,
colourful robes, customs, rItes, an appeal to the mere senses through sIght
sound and emotIonal feelIngs. The church exIsts as those who have been born
agaIn and who lIve In unIon wIth the Lord Jesus and abIde In thIs way through
the IndwellIng of the Holy SpIrIt. (Fom 8:9) These are those who love Cod's
word and make every endeavour to uphold It and lIve accordIng to It. When we
come to thInk that the glory of the church consIsts In such thIngs as our often
lovely buIldIngs then you can be sure that we are In declIne.

The local church that thInks It has 'arrIved' Is sure to be In serIous spIrItual
trouble. (Fev J:7) The church of Jesus ChrIst Is always reformIng In accordance
wIth Its progressIve knowledge of ScrIpture, Its practIce In lIfe and worshIp. We
have a 8IblIcal standard whIch Is absolute (unlIke our valuable creeds and
confessIons) and we all need to be a part of thIs lIvIng body and contrIbute as
we are able. Some are leaders, others are followers, some have fIve talents,
others one talent, some are strong In the faIth, others need a lot of support.
ThIs dIversIty blends Into harmony and love for one another In true unIty.

We are Indeed a cIty of Cod. (Fev 21:10) Loved by Cod even before the
creatIon of the world, called to be Jesus' dIscIples, justIfIed and redeemed,
beIng prepared as we lIve by faIth In thIs fallen world. Yet we are also lookIng
for the fullness of salvatIon whIch Is yet before us, and thIs wIll be
consummated when Jesus returns. |ay we look forward to thIs as dId those of
old from thIs very same church who set down thIs creed as a concIse help and
remInder of the glorIous thIngs they and we belIeve.
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.
when n Unbelevng Prent 0es
. .... . .... . .... . ....

lcn Hcmlton s the mnster o] Ccmbrdye Presbytercn Church. Ths crtcle
]rst cppecred n hs church newsletter cnd s reprnted here by knd permsson.

Twenty years ago my mother dIed. She had been raIsed a Foman CatholIc In a
devout CatholIc home. n the years after my conversIon, whIch baffled her
("8ut surely your baptIsm washed away your sIns"), was able to speak wIth her
about the gospel of our Lord Jesus ChrIst. And then she dIed. Whether she dIed
trustIng alone, however sImply, In the SavIour, Cod alone knows.

Last year my father dIed. n the years after my conversIon, found It so very
dIffIcult to speak wIth hIm about ChrIst. Whereas my mother's CatholIc
background gave some sense of the Importance of 'relIgIon', my father sImply
"suppressed the truth In unrIghteousness" and studIously avoIded engagIng me
In spIrItual conversatIon (though, to my shame, rarely sought out the
opportunIty to speak wIth hIm of the Lord Jesus). suppose In some sort of way
they were proud of theIr son; not proud that had become a ChrIstIan, but
proud that had gone to unIversIty, marrIed a wonderful wIfe, and had four
lovely (at least to them and us) chIldren.

Why mentIon any of thIs: For thIs reason:
How are belIevers to cope when parents, and
other loved ones, dIe wIthout havIng any clear
trust In the SavIour: To dIe wIthout ChrIst Is to
dIe eternally, consumed forever (can you even
begIn to begIn to grasp thIs:) wIth the
unquenchable wrath of a holy Cod.

How then are we to cope emotIonally, far less spIrItually, wIth such a thought:
can only share wIth you the two thIngs that have helped me these past 20 years.

ConsoIatIons
Frst, Cod alone knows how anyone dIes. The conversIon of the thIef on the
cross at the last mInute, remInds us of the astoundIng grace of Cod. To all who
looked on, here was a man reapIng the solemn fruIt of a godless lIfe. To Cod,
here was a man fIndIng peace wIth Cod as he was about to expIre. Cod alone
knows how anyone dIes. have lIttle doubt, that heaven wIll be a place of
revelatIon; perhaps many wIll be there that we never expected would be there;
and many not there that we fully expected to be there.

Second, and for me thIs was the most consolIng, Cod Is a holy and rIghteous
Cod, who does all thIngs well. When heard of my mother's sudden death, as
drove up to Clasgow from NewmIlns, one verse kept ImpressIng Itself on my
Cod aIone knows how
anyone dIes. I have
IIttIe doubt that
heaven wIII be a
pIace of reveIatIon ...
. . . . -.... ... -.... ... -.... ... -.... ...
, ,, ,
The Cleb Foundton
Promotny the Fundamentals oj the
Hstorc Protestant Fath
WIshes to appoInt an
AdmInIstratorlLIaIson DffIcer (Part-TIme)
to assIst wIth the forward development of Its work.
n the fIrst Instance, apply In wrItIng to
|r C 0awson
c/o PD 8ox 211, |IllIsle, Newtownards, Co 0own, 8T22 2WZ
mInd and heart: "WIll not the Judge of all the earth do rIght:"

All our Cod does Is good and rIght. He can do nothIng that Is not perfectly just
and rIghteously good - "Whate'er my Cod ordaIns Is rIght". Surely here we cast
our anchors In the mIdst of lIfe's perplexItIes, uncertaIntIes and paIns. Dur Cod
can be trusted always to do what Is rIght and good - who he Is InsIsts on It.
The Lord has been pleased not to exclude hIs
beloved chIldren from the "sufferIngs of thIs
present tIme". He does, however, InvIte us to
rest the weIght of all our heartpaIns upon the
grace of hIs blessed, holy and rIghteous and
mercIful sovereIgnty (read |atthew 11:28-J0).

WIthout thIs, lIfe would be sImply unbearable. ThIs Is why there wIll be no
sorrow or regrets In heaven. All wIll be there who the Lord has destIned to be
there; and whoever Is not there, Cod wIll have rIghteously excluded from hIs
holy presence.

We are only too human, so we feel deeply the paIns of uncertaInty, or even
of assurance. 8ut faIth rIses above the world of the seen to the world of the
unseen. Cod Is In hIs heaven accomplIshIng all hIs good and perfect wIll. Leave
all your burdens In the glorIfIed, naIlpIerced hands of your SavIour. He gIves
grace upon grace, for he Is the Cod of all grace.
Dur Cod can be
trusted aIways to do
what Is rIght and
good - who he Is
InsIsts on It.
EPC Cmps 2005






wc c0mmcnd Ihis imp0InI w0k I0 Ihc pycs 0I ll 0u cdcs
Plese obtn Cmps Pryer Letter nd use t dly
JunIor
2- JuIy ushmIIIs Careth urke
IntermedIate 2- JuIy Avoca hanor Shaun Caston
SenIor -16 JuIy SuffoIk Pobert eckett
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From the Churches
Sunday SchooI Project 2005
Well done to all the boys and gIrls, not forgettIng the Sunday School teachers
and parents too! The 2005 projects were all of an excellent standard and the
CommIttee really enjoyed readIng about the lIves of Amy CarmIchael and
AugustIne of HIppo. 49 projects from 5 congregatIons were submItted In varIous
formats IncludIng, for the fIrst tIme, one presented on C0! Perhaps by 2010 the
project wIll be submItted onlIne!

The CommIttee however dId have a 8C problem. SelectIng prIzewInners from
the entrIes that showed the hard work and effort put In by all. 0o not be dIs
couraged If your name does not appear In the lIst below-your Sunday School
SuperIntendent wIll have a book token for you.

The PrIzewInners

Under 5 1
st
SamueI Thompson Croomsport
2
nd
TImmy KeIso 8allyclare
J
rd
Andrew CraIg CrumlIn

5-7 1
st
AIIce CampbeII StranmIllIs
2
nd
Puth KeIso 8allyclare
J
rd
Andrew Lynas Croomsport

8-10 1
st
Joshua KeIso 8allyclare
2
nd
LoIs Ladds LIsburn Foad
J
rd
AIIson Lynas Croomsport

11-13 1
st
hark SeweII 8allyclare
2
nd
AbIgaII aIIantIne Croomsport
JoInt J
rd
EIspeth WooIsey CrumlIn
KIrsty urke StranmIllIs

14+ 1
st
Pebecca Hanna CrumlIn
2
nd
PIya Ceevarughese CrumlIn
J
rd
Jenny honroe CrumlIn

Soon It wIll be tIme to start research on next years project, Hudson Taylor or
The DrIgIn and WItness of the EvangelIcal PresbyterIan Church.

,. :.,. ^... .. .. ^... ,. :.,. ^... .. .. ^... ,. :.,. ^... .. .. ^... ,. :.,. ^... .. .. ^...
. . . . -.... ... -.... ... -.... ... -.... ...
r r r r
From the Churches
AnnuaI heetIng of Presbytery 2005
TrInIty EP Church, FIchhIll, was packed to capacIty for the annual meetIng of
Presbytery held on Saturday 2J
rd
AprIl. DutgoIng |oderator, Fev Jeff 8allantIne
conducted openIng worshIp and gave a comprehensIve report of the past year.
He poInted out that whIle there had been setbacks and dIffIcultIes yet we had
known many encouragements and blessIngs.
Fev Jack Peterson from the Drthodox PresbyterIan
Church In AmerIca brought greetIngs from our sIster church.
|r Peterson gave a word of encouragement and challenge to
go forward and claIm our land for ChrIst.
Fev 8Illy EllIott was Installed as |oderator of Presbytery
for the next year. |r EllIott preached from |atthew 6:JJ
"seek fIrst the kIngdom of Cod".
Everyone was InvIted to the receptIon that followed
whIch was provIded by the ladIes of FIchhIll.

PoyaI UIster AgrIcuIturaI Show 2005-Dur 60th Year
An able team of volunteers from seven of our congregatIons joIned the shop
staff In mannIng the exhIbIt In the KIng's Hall 8almoral. They also helped In Its
constructIon and dIsmantlIng.
The weather was sunny and the crowds were bIgger than In recent years.
Fubber WWJ0 wrIstbands were all the rage wIth our younger customers.
We featured John 8lanchard's booklet on the tsunamI and Foger Carswell's
evangelIstIc folder warnIng agaInst the novel The 0c \nc Code. As well as
sellIng 8Ibles and ChrIstIan books for all ages we handed out NKJ7 New
Testaments to those who promIsed to read them. The team were encouraged
by what was sold and by conversatIons on the stand.
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DbItuary: hrs Anna Jess, Somerton Poad
Dn 25 |ay 2005 |rs Anna Jess, a long tIme member of Somerton Foad
congregatIon, passed peacefully In her 98
th
year Into the presence of her SavIour.
A natIve of EnnIscorthy, Co. Wexford, |rs Jess came north In 1945, lIvIng fIrst In
HIllhall and then after her marrIage In North 8elfast. She fIrst came Into contact
wIth the church through doortodoor vIsItatIon by the late Fev C H Carland.
|rs Jess played a very Important part In the lIfe of the church for 50 years.
CIfted In many ways both naturally and spIrItually she devoted her lIfe to the
servIce of others. She was organIst untIl 1988 and served as treasurer untIl
1990. She was fully commItted to every aspect of church lIfe. She had a great
love for mIssIonary work and lIved sImply In order to better support It. She was
a woman of prayer and neIghbours flocked to her door to enlIst her prayers In
tIme of need. She was greatly Interested In the work of the N HospIce
volunteerIng regularly her servIces untIl well Into her 90's. Truly "a |other In
srael" she wIll be greatly mIssed but we rejoIce she Is now abIdIng In the
heavenly love of her blessed SavIour. Dur sympathy Is extended to her famIly
cIrcle In the FepublIc of reland and her wIde cIrcle of frIends. PC
From the Churches
The South 8elfast congregatIon, comprIsed of groups from the LIsburn Foad,
Shaftesbury Square and Drmeau dIstrIcts, was formed In 0ecember 1927 and
met In the AllIance Hall, Shaftesbury Square. When the LIsburn Foad group
moved Into theIr own buIldIng In Dctober 1928, the remaInIng congregatIon was
renamed 'Shaftesbury Square'. The AllIance Hall contInued as the venue untIl
J August 19J0 when the congregatIon became '8otanIc Avenue', the address of a
church buIldIng rented from the Feformed PresbyterIan Church. Fev Alex Foss of
0umbarton Free Church of Scotland conducted the openIng servIces. The
buIldIng was purchased In January 19J5. The move to the StranmIllIs Foad In
Dctober 1971 produced the current IdentIty 'StranmIllIs'.
otanIc Avenue: a 130's photograph
Frst 5teps. otnc Avenue~5trnmlls
StranmIIIIs: A Front VIew
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r. r. r. r.
EPC Pryer 0ry~1uly
FrI 1 Dmagh Pray for the outreach at Dmagh Show tomorrow
Sat 2 Camps Femember JunIors and nters Camps startIng today, pray for safe travel
Sun J PreachIng Pray for the preachIng of the gospel today, that sInners would be saved
|on 4 South AfrIca Pray for Angela FeId as she recovers after surgery
Tues 5 Jnr Camp Pray for JunIor Camp In 8ushmIlls, that young people would trust the SavIour
Wed 6 Thanks PraIse Cod for hIs kIndness towards us In ChrIst Jesus
Thur 7 nters Camp Pray for nters Camp In Avoca that they would know Cod's blessIng
FrI 8 CrumlIn Pray for the housebound and IncapacItated
Sat 9 Snr Camp Pray for SenIor Camp as they travel to pswIch today
Sun 10 8allyclare Pray for LouIse HIggIns as she settles back Into lIfe In N
|on 11 Carlands Pray for SId and Jean Carland returnIng to NIgerIa today
Tues 12 Crosscollyer Pray for the Stauros Croup, theIr spIrItual welfare and blessIng
Wed 1J Snr Camp Pray for SenIor camp, for real blessIng and fellowshIp
Thur 14 StranmIllIs Pray for the student contacts Fobert Johnston has made over the past year
FrI 15 Knock |ark Thompson In NIgerIa and 0avId Stephenson In the Solomon slands
Sat 16 0ublIn 0IstrIbutIon of our evangelIstIc newssheet, Perrynews, for good contacts
Sun 17 ndIa Pray for fruIt from the recent HolIday 8Ible Clubs In the churches
|on 18 Croomsport Pray for the HolIday 8Ible Club, 1822 July
Tues 19 P Johnston Pray for Pamela and the work of ACTS
Wed 20 Dutreach Pray for 8each |IssIons, CSS|, etc, and our young folk on the teams
Thur 21 FIn/LIsb Fd Pray for the unIted prayer meetIngs over the summer months
FrI 22 FIchhIll Pray for Cod's blessIng on vIsItIng preachers durIng mInIster's holIday
Sat 2J Carlands Peter, 0ebbIe and Anna Carland, Involved In varIous mInIstrIes In NIgerIa
Sun 24 Cross/Som Fd Pray for the summer camps, for conversIons among the young
|on 25 Thanks CIve thanks to Cod for HIs mercy towards us In ChrIst Jesus
Tues 26 Peru Pray for the future locatIon of ColegIo San Andrs In LIma
Wed 27 |oodIes Pray for Andrew and EunIce |oody In Uganda, for health and safety
Thur 28 South AfrIca Pray for AlIstaIr WIlson and famIly, due to arrIve at 0umIsanI soon
FrI 29 CW Pray for fInance and personnel, that the work mIght advance and grow
Sat J0 Cospel Pray for an opportunIty to share the gospel wIth someone today
Sun J1 Preachers Pray for those who preach In our churches today
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r r r r
EPC Pryer 0ry~August
|on 1 Europe Pray for those who serve the Lord In Europe
Tues 2 ChrIstIan nst Femember the work of the ChrIstIan nstItute In the UK
Wed J 8ook Shop Femember the EvangelIcal 8ookshop In Its mInIstry
Thur 4 Dmagh Pray for the congregatIon In theIr contInued vacancy
FrI 5 |InIstry Femember our candIdates for the mInIstry
Sat 6 |InIsters Pray for each of our mInIsters
Sun 7 ColombIa CIve thanks for the development of the 8Ible SemInary at |edellIn
|on 8 Croomsport That Cod would contInue to speak to those who came to the recent mIssIon
Tues 9 South AfrIca Femember Norman FeId In hIs extra dutIes as |oderator of KIng 0IstrIct
Wed 10 Crosscollyer CIve thanks for the fellowshIp and the Cospel wItness In the dIstrIct
Thur 11 Students nternatIonal Students Work. Pray for a new worker for the comIng term
FrI 12 Knock Pray for guIdance and help In thIs tIme of vacancy
Sat 1J HolIday Pray for those on holIday, for rest and spIrItual blessIng
Sun 14 FIchhIll Pray for the HolIday 8Ible week, startIng tomorrow
|on 15 LIsburn Fd Pray for the HolIday 8Ible Club commencIng tonIght
Tues 16 8allyclare Pray for the HolIday 8Ible Club that Cod would bless
Wed 17 Dff 8earers Pray for our Elders and 0eacons In theIr servIce of the KIngdom
Thur 18 Dutreach Pray for the HolIday 8Ible Clubs In the varIous churches
FrI 19 ACTS CIve thanks for the new warehouse for ACTS
Sat 20 Somerton Fd Pray for the HolIday 8Ible Club, startIng on |onday
Sun 21 |InIstry Pray for other men consIderIng the Cospel mInIstry
|on 22 CrumlIn Pray for the HolIday 8Ible week, thIs week
Tues 2J FInaghy Pray for the HolIday 8Ible Club
Wed 24 WItness Pray for an opportunIty to speak of ChrIst to someone today
Thur 25 ndIa Pray that the FCC wIll be able to open new congregatIons
FrI 26 Arabs Pray for those brIngIng the gospel to Arab countrIes
Sat 27 YPA Pray for the electIon of a new commIttee
Sun 28 StranmIllIs Pray for the HolIday 8Ible Club, next week
|on 29 0ublIn Pray for the work and wItness of the church In thIs needy cIty
Tues J0 F CrIer Pray for Fosemary CrIer as she goes to 8elgIum wIth FES In early September
Wed J1 Youth Pray for our young people returnIng to school and college

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r- r- r- r-
Unversty Chllenge
LookIng back over the past year am truly thankful to the Lord's leadIng Into
the student work. LIke so much In the ChrIstIan lIfe there have been hIghs and
lows, great encouragements and tImes of frustratIon. |ore than ever have
come to see that only "Jesus ChrIst Is the same yesterday today and forever".
Dnly In hIs strength can we persevere In the work of hIs KIngdom.
From the begInnIng, last September, Cod provIded tremendous spIrItual
support through famIly and spIrItual famIly alIke gIvIng constant care. The wIder
famIly of the EPC receIved me to prayer meetIngs where the burden of the
work was shared, and prayer Is ongoIng. |any blessIngs have been experIenced
through churchbased evangelIsm, most sIgnIfIcantly Is the knowledge that
never battle alone. am confIdent that "as hIs part Is who goes down to the
battle, so shall hIs part be who stays by the supplIes; they shall share alIke."
WhIle engaged In thIs work have met other church
workers In south 8elfast, we have met together for
prayer every fortnIght and sought to share resources
where possIble. These contacts proved a blessIng In
befrIendIng InternatIonal students In partIcular. QuIckly
they recognIsed what we had In common: Jesus ChrIst,
the Cospel! So we could together warn many students
of a very present threat of Jehovah's WItnesses. t also
meant that when others were too busy to spend tIme
wIth students onetoone, could meet them - some
good frIendshIps have come from thIs.
8efrIendIng students has been a joy - although somewhat dauntIng at the
start, 've come to know some very well. These frIendshIps are fresh In the
sense of them knowIng me as the student worker. They know why 'm In the
post - to share Jesus ChrIst, and when we talk together conversatIons always
centre on spIrItual thIngs.
|eetIng ChrIstIan students proved to be a very mutual blessIng. Study wIth
unbelIevers was often challengIng, meetIng wIth dIffIcult questIons and
encounterIng dIfferent worldvIews whIch were at best frustratIng! Thankfully
the Cospel has a sImplIcIty that all can understand - the more students
shared the Cospel wIth, the more It struck home to my own heart: It Is
amazIng! Though my tIme as student worker Is over, frIendshIps remaIn. Please
contInue to pray that Cod wIll come wIth much savIng grace - that as have
sown and you have watered through prayer, so Cod may gIve the Increase.
Dne of the hIgh poInts of the work Is wIthout a doubt the student lunch. ThIs
has never faIled to encourage! Dn some Tuesdays almost unmanageable
numbers passed through the church yet there were always a number of useful
spIrItual conversatIons. Dften begInnIng wIth "What Is the EPC:" or "Why do you
. ,... . ,... . ,... . ,...
Hy Yer s 5tudent worker
Hot Pot!
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r- r- r- r-
work here now:", conversatIons quIckly centred on the Cospel. Cod's help In
speakIng to folk each Tuesday was prayer answered agaIn and agaIn. |any students
also took lIterature and some were gIven books or 8Ibles If an Interest was shown.
About half those attendIng were from overseas. Everyone enjoyed the lunch
Immensely, many commentIng on the qualIty of the lunch Itself - many cannot
get theIr heads around the Idea of our ladIes In the church provIdIng such a gIft
specIfIcally for them. Such obvIous ChrIstIan love Is a perfect settIng to begIn to
speak of ChrIst. Dn the last day of the lunch we gIve each student a gIft pack. t
sImply explaIned why we ran the lunch and InsIde was a gospel of John, a tract
and a StranmIllIs InvItatIon card. The lunch Is where the vast majorIty of
frIendshIps were formed - It remaIns a real hub In the outreach to students.
From the lunch stemmed 8Ible studIes, both onetoone and group. Events
such as student servIces In the church were made known and outIngs for
InternatIonal students. At each outIng opportunIty was taken to share the
gospel In epIlogue as well as speakIng of ChrIst as we walked. t was good to
show InternatIonal frIends the sIghts of our provInce! North, south, east and
west - CIant's Causeway, CranfIeld, 8angor and to top It off, Fermanagh! See
some more photos at http://www.atstranmIllIs.com/outIngs.htm.
Df the new thIngs we trIed thIs year, the door hanger tract for the Halls of
FesIdence was a good start. We got Involved In the FA welcome programme -
meetIng overseas students at the aIrports. ThIs was a real joy - especIally
when you meet a brother In the Lord! We ran a tradItIonal ChInese meal (hot
pot) In the church and thIs too was well blessed by the Lord. The EPIC coffee
stop (Thursdays 2.005:J0) was also a new venture - a small number of students
would drop In each week. Chat was often good and a short 8Ible talk was gIven
relatIng to a current Issue. Some students found great joy In playIng the pIano!
EPIC also opened our eyes to the communIty round about: though Intended for
students some others have come In from tIme to tIme. n Cod's provIdence we
have been enabled to mInIster to those from many dIfferent backgrounds.
t has
been a
busy year.
A year of
meetIng
many new
people and
makIng
new
frIends. A
year where
many fears have been transformed Into opportunItIes and encouragements. A
year where Cod's sustaInIng grace has been abundant. The most Important
lesson 've been taught Is sImply thIs: There s no yrecter ]oy thcn shcrny our
Scvour, 1esus Chrst. "We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves! Spread the
tIdIngs all around: Jesus saves!" ThIs wonderful day of grace Is stIll upon us and
the challenge of the Student Work remaIns - and a vacant post: "Therefore
pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers Into HIs harvest."
DutIng to CranfIeId
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r. r. r. r.
All Lnds to Cod!
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
The sheep tht could not run wy
West engaI to JabaIpur
|y parents are from West 8engal and
they came and settled In Jabalpur In
1975. |y mother Is a teacher In a
|IssIon School. |y Father
does not have any
permanent work but he
always trIes to fulfIll the
fInancIal needs of our
famIly by doIng any kInd of
work. have one younger
brother who Is learnIng
some skIlls In musIc. And,
as you know, have a kInd
wIfe and a beautIful
daughter.

AtheIsm to ChrIst
t was by the grace of Cod that my
famIly came and settled In Jabalpur.
call It grace because thInk that the
settlement of my famIly played an
Important role In my conversIon. |y
parents joIned the Premnagur
congregatIon of the Free Church In
Central ndIa In Jabalpur and we
started to take part In many actIvItIes
of the church - church servIces, Sunday
School, 7acatIonal 8Ible Schools and
camps. So have had a relatIonshIp
wIth the FCC sInce my chIldhood. 8ut
thIs relatIonshIp was broken many tImes
because of my worldly lIfe and desIres .
Soon became an atheIst and
began to lIve my lIfe as wIshed to.
went to church only rarely, and that
was not to get to know Cod but only to
be IdentIfIed wIth my communIty.
However, Cod pulled me towards hIm.
He used one of my HIndu frIends to
encourage me to attend church In
order to know the evIdence for Cod's
exIstence. |y HIndu frIend's faIth In
hIs gods and the study of Hab 2:18 led
me to attend church
regularly agaIn. Through
my regular attendance at
church and personal study
of Cod's word, gradually
started to feel the joy of
knowIng ChrIst personally.
experIenced the work of
the Holy SprIt In my
atheIstIc heart whIch
enabled me to accept
ChrIst as my Cod and
SavIour. Now could say
that Cod not only changed
an atheIst Into a theIst, but also
accepted me as hIs chIld. He helped
me to grow In faIth and the knowledge
of ChrIst and hIs death.

CaIIed to the hInIstry
As was enjoyIng the joy of salvatIon
my mInIster, Fev 0avId John, asked If
would lIke to be traIned In semInary to
be a mInIster of ChrIst. saw that
proposal as an InvItatIon to share my
faIth and ChrIst's love wIth many
people. So decIded to spend my lIfe
servIng the Lord and was ready to go
to semInary.
ThIs decIsIon was taken when we had
been marrIed just fIve months.
Everybody knew crItIcIsed and
opposed me sInce they thought It was
not the rIght tIme to take thIs kInd of
decIsIon. had to leave my job and
depend on my parents to fulfIl my
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r r r r
famIly's fInancIal needs, and also had
to leave my pregnant wIfe who would
have lIked me to be wIth her at that
tIme. 8ut one who Is greater than all
was wIth me and hIs grace enabled me
to hold fIrmly to my decIsIon.

PTS 0ehradun
After crossIng many emotIonal barrIers
fInally reached PresbyterIan
TheologIcal SemInary (PTS) at
0ehradun. was unable to pass the
entrance exam because of my poor
EnglIsh, so was asked to enter the
PreTheology year and work hard.
started to do so, but soon the most
expected day of our lIves came, when
our daughter SheryanshI (SuperIorIty)
came Into the world. got
dIscouraged because could
not be wIth my wIfe at that
precIous moment of
welcomIng our daughter.
8ut though was a
dIscouraged student Cod
helped me and passed
both semesters (200J04)
wIth credIt and now am
preparIng to be an
effectIve wItness of ChrIst .
n the past academIc year of PTS,
200405, was allowed to brIng my
famIly whIch made my studIes much
easIer. enjoyed my fIrst 8Th year
wIth my famIly wIth me. The subjects
helped me to grow In faIth and
knowledge, especIally Theology and
Church HIstory. Next year wIll be In
second year 8Th and wIll be studyIng
Theology (ChrIstology/SoterIology),
|IssIon, FelIgIon, EthIcs, HomeletIcs,
Prophets, Pneumatology, Pastoral care
and CounsellIng, HermeneutIcs, and
the PaulIne wrItIngs.

Summer AssIgnments
Last year worked under the
supervIsIon of Fev. 0avId John In
Jabalpur. shared Cod's word at
cottage meetIngs and at Sunday
evenIng worshIp. also taught the
chIldren at 78S and Sunday school.
ThIs year am workIng wIth Fev Shyam
8abu, mInIster of Lakhnadon. Here also
am speakIng at cottage meetIngs and
Sunday servIces. Last week we held
78S to whIch 90 chIldren came and 80
of them were nonChrIstIans.

LookIng to the Future
n my future mInIstry would lIke to be
a mInIster of the FCC. would also lIke
to plant some new churches In
Jabalpur. Although we have our
doctrInal basIs, we do not always share
these bIblIcal truths wIth
the people of other
denomInatIons. n other
words we do not have to
lImIt our sphere of
mInIstry. Father we have
to expand It so that
ndIan Churches and
ChrIstIans can be
reformed. Therefore,
durIng my semInary lIfe
wIll be preparIng myself
as a mInIster and church planter and
trustIng that wIll be an effectIve
wItness for ChrIst.
To sum It all up, would lIke to say
that as an atheIst could not run away
from Cod. FInally my Shepherd found
me and delIvered me from all of my
unbelIef. He not only found and
delIvered me but Is now usIng the sheep
he has found to call other lost sheep.
FInally am very thankful for your
prayers we also remember you In our
prayers. Please do contInue to pray for
my famIly and my studIes. |y wIfe and
daughter are well. Please accept our
greetIngs and love, and share them
wIth your congregatIons.
JabaIpur
0ehradun
West
engaI
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r, r, r, r,
hrs HeIen hcCracken
|rs |cCracken wIll be 95 on J0 July 2005. We congratulate
her and wIsh her a happy bIrthday. We thank her agaIn for
her wonderful lIfe's work and her unceasIng prayers for the
KIngdom of Cod, IncludIng her home church-her own
congregatIon was Somerton Foad. Her address Is:
8ox 526
KNC WLLA|'S TDWN 5600
Eastern Cape, South AfrIca
All Lnds to Cod!
PrIson Work-KIng WIIIIam's Town
"Sadly the prIson work seems to have come to
an end In KIng WIllIam's Town for the tIme
beIng. We used to have a regular Wednesday
mornIng 8Ible class In the prIson, conducted
by the students but It fInIshed at the end of
last year and though we have made several
attempts to restart It, the prIson authorItIes
have not gIven permIssIon. There has been a
shake up In the prIson admInIstratIon and that
Is part of the problem. We may try agaIn at a later date. However, we have many
prIsoners studyIng by correspondence In other prIsons throughout South AfrIca and
some of them are experIencIng blessIng In theIr lIves. Fecently one prIsoner wrote
about sharIng hIs course wIth 25 other Inmates and askIng for prayers for them."
KIng WIIIIam's Town
SIdney and Jean CarIand
SIdney and Jean vIsIted a number of our churches when
they were home durIng June and July. We wIsh them a
good journey when they leave for NIgerIa agaIn on 11
July. We are delIghted and thankful that Jean's health
has greatly Improved sInce she began new treatment In
November 2004. They ask for prayer partIcularly for the
completIon of the new ACTS warehouse. They expect to
see the shell completed when they return, but the whole
programme of fInIshIng and equIppIng lIes ahead.
SIdney hopes to provIde us wIth an artIcle for the next Issue.
LouIse HIggIns
LouIse returned from
FomanIa 16 June 2005
after servIng there for
three years. We thank
her and welcome her
home. We look forward
to readIng her story In
the next Issue.
CatherIne CrIer
We are glad that
CatherIne returned
safely on 15 June from
her 2 months In
Uganda, and Is back at
studIes In Aberdeen. We
wIsh her well In her
round of examInatIons.
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r r r r
Hove you pocked yef for your summer hoIidoys7 Or moybe you hove jusf
orrived bock from church comp ond empfied ouf your suifcose. There ore
so mony fhings fo remember when you ore going owoy, even for o
weekend spore cIofhes, foofhbrush, money, pyjomos ,. I hove fhoughf
of somefhing eIse you musfn'f forgef fo pock. Here ore some cIues:
If wiII nof foke up much room in your suifcose
You shouId use if every doy
PeopIe in some Ionds wouId woIk mony miIes fo gef one

In cose you hoven'f guessed yef, fhe onswer is in fhis IiffIe chorus.
I huve u wonderfuI treusure
The gift of Sod without meusure
And so we truveI together
My ILE und I,
When fhe oposfIe PouI wos o prisoner in Pome, he wrofe o Ieffer fo his
deor friend Timofhy. In if he osked Timofhy fo bring him some ifems
when he come fo visif. You con find fhe ifems in Z Timofhy 4 verse I3.

C - - - - - - - - or S - - - - - - especioIIy fhe P - - - - - - - - -
PouI wos woifing fo die in prison ond he wonfed fo spend his Iosf doys
reoding his books. Whof do you fhink wos wriffen in his books7 Yes, 0od's
Word. The 8ibIe wos o very specioI freosure fo PouI ond he wonfed fo
hove if wifh him righf fo fhe end of his Iife.

Whof obouf you7 Do you core obouf your 8ibIe7 Of course, pocking if in
your suifcose or keeping if beside your bed won'f do ony good. PSALM 119
feIIs us fo HIDE SOD'S WORD in our HEARTS. This wiII heIp us nof fo
SIN ogoinsf 0od. (Find fhe words in OLD in fhe grid)

Thof meons reod your 8ibIe, Ieorn verses
from your 8ibIe ond osk 0od fo heIp you fo
Iove if ond obey if. If you hoven'f oIreody
sforfed, sforf fhis hoIidoy ond moke sure
your 8ibIe froveIs wifh you everywhere you
go, in your suifcose ond in your heorf.
Chldren's Pge
H E A R T S
I R S E S I
D R O W O N
E S D N P E
T P S A L M
. . . . -.... ... -.... ... -.... ... -.... ...
. . . .
0n Course wth Chrstn
,.. ~,... ,.. ~,... ,.. ~,... ,.. ~,...
The story oj the Plyrm's Proyress, Part 2

(10) hr VaIIant for Truth


He was standIng by the roadsIde wIth hIs face and hands covered In blood. n
hIs rIght hand was a sword. Creat Heart asked the questIon they all wanted to
know - "Who are you:"
am called "7alIant for Truth", and have just endured three hours of battle
wIth three wretches, WIldHead, nconsIderate and PragmatIc.
"Though bloody the battle, see you held fast. sn't that a Jerusalem
blade:" saId CreatHeart.
"Yes, It Is, and as fought It was as If the sword was attached to my arm"
saId 7alIant.
"You have done well, resIstIng to the poInt of blood. Can ask you what
made you become a pIlgrIm:" CreatHeart asked.
"A man came to our town, and told us about a certaIn man called ChrIstIan,
who set out on a journey to the CelestIal CIty. The story was so wonderful that
could do nothIng else but follow thIs man ChrIstIan".
"0o you know thIs lady here:" asked CreatHeart. "ThIs Is ChrIstIan's wIfe,
and her sons."
"Wonderful - what a joy It wIll be to have them reunIted In that land."

....

As we follow the Lord's wIll and way we wIll face battles In thIs lIfe. Some of
them wIll be hard, agaInst wIld thoughts, InconsIderate people, and those who
belIeve that as long as It works It Is fIne In Cod's sIght. 8ut Cod's Word Is the
only rule of faIth and practIce, and we ought to be "valIant" and strong In
defendIng It agaInst those who would prevent us.

ndeed we should have Cod's Word so unIted to us, so known by us, that we
fIght battles not on our own strength but wIth that Jerusalem blade. So as
8unyan wrote at thIs poInt In PIlgrIm's Progress Part :

Whoso beset hm round wth dsmcl stores,
0o but themselves con]ound, hs strenyth the more s.
No lon ccn hm ]ryht, he'll wth c ycnt ]yht
8ut he wll hcve c ryht, to be c plyrm.

Are you ready to fIght gIants: Are you Dn Course wth Chrstcnc
,.. ,.. ,.. ,..- -- -~.. ~.. ~.. ~.. .- .- .- .-
.r .r .r .r
Fth nd Lle
A seres o] one pcye summcres o] the JJ Chcpters o] the Westmnster Con]esson,
wth comment where spcce on one pcye permts. Plecse recd the Con]esson Chcpter tsel]!
Chater 4-Creaton
SectIon 1 Cod Created the WorId and EverythIng In It
n the begInnIng, Cod the Father, Son, and Holy SpIrIt, created the world out of
nothIng to dIsplay hIs glory. He brought Its vast vIsIble and InvIsIble totalIty to a
state of perfectIon and beauty In the space of sIx days.

SectIon 2 Cod Crowned hIs CreatIon Programme wIth han and Woman
FInally Cod created one man and one woman, from whom the human race has
descended. He made them In hIs own Image, holy, wIth ratIonal and Immortal
souls. He equIpped them wIth knowledge for lIfe, generally by wrItIng hIs law In
theIr hearts whIch they had power to fulfIl, but were capable of fallIng, theIr free
wIlls beIng subject to change. He dIrected them partIcularly wIth a command
not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evIl, makIng the communIon
they enjoyed wIth hIm and theIr domInIon over the creatures condItIonal upon It.

The ConfessIon begIns, lIke Ussher's ArtIcles, wIth the doctrIne of ScrIpture,
makIng It the basIs and startIng poInt of Its system of theology. ts approach Is
not scholastIc, determIned by deductIon from Cod's eternal decrees, as Is
sometImes alleged. The openIng chapters are logIcal In order, each buIldIng on
the one before. The exIstence and nature of Cod are establIshed In chapter 2,
and from thIs follows hIs decrees In Chapter J. Chapters 4-CreatIon, and 5-
ProvIdence are the outworkIng of the decrees.
Dne of the ongoIng creatIon debates concerns the length of the days of
CenesIs 1. 7Iews of the days Include a sIxsectIon account of an 'Instantaneous'
creatIon, 'ordInary' 24 hour days, 'dayage' IndetermInate aeons of tIme,
'IntermIttent days' - ordInary days wIth long perIods between, 'analogIcal days' -
our workdays are not IdentIcal to Cod's workdays but analogous to them. n
addItIon, some argue for an extended gap between CenesIs 1:1 and 1:2, and some
regard the days as a lIterary structure In whIch the creatIon story Is presented.
mportant as It Is to address these dIfferent vIews, that Is not our purpose
here. Dur task Is to determIne WestmInster's vIew of the days. t does not use
the 8IblIcal expressIon "In sIx days" but "(wIth)In the space of sIx days", In
ConfessIon and CatechIsms. There Is a strong opInIon that the 0IvInes adopted
CalvIn's expressIon from CenesIs 1:5, whIch he used to refute Instantaneous
creatIon and a nonlIteral vIew of the days. CalvIn hImself held the 24 hour day
vIew and so dId the WestmInster 0IvInes, possIbly to a man.
The vIews of the 0IvInes are clear-and they knew the pedIgree of fIguratIve
vIews, held at least sInce AugustIne. Whether they Intended to exclude other day
vIews by theIr expressIon Is a more complex questIon. Some, lIke the old PrInceton
tradItIon, belIeve they dId not and argue that If they had, they would have left us
In no doubt. |any In the reformed constItuency have not made day vIews a test
of confessIonal orthodoxy, but It Is an InterestIng questIon for those lIke ourselves
who use a strIct Formula of SubscrIptIon (after 0eclaratory and AmendIng Acts.)
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0efence of the Truth - ContendIng for the faIth yesterday and today.
hIchaeI A C HaykIn, EvangelIcal Press, paperback, 129 pages. f7.95
ThIs book Is excellent! n just 129 easIly read pages the author covers a
large amount of ground. After a helpful IntroductIon he takes
hIs readers on an InterestIng journey through sIx stImulatIng
and InformatIve chapters. At the end of each chapter there Is a
sectIon that reenforces the poInts he seeks to drIve home. A
fascInatIng appendIx deals wIth the heresy of |odalIsm.
A number of vItal and Important areas are covered, the
doctrIne of ScrIpture, the TrInIty and the need to have a
passIon for mIssIon, to name but a few.
HaykIn effectIvely draws on a number of Important fIgures
from early church hIstory IncludIng bIographIcal sketches of
AugustIne and PatrIck, and by so doIng provIdes a marvellous InsIght Into the
perpetual need to preserve and defend the major tenets of 8IblIcal ChrIstIanIty
agaInst all attacks. Dne of the thIngs that really stuck me was the pastoral
concerns of those who defended the truth and contended for the faIth In the
dIstant past rather than a desIre to score poInts or wIn arguments.
ThIs Is a tImely volume wIth so much to commend It. t Is a book that looks
back to the past, consIders the needs of the present and remInds us what the
fInal outcome wIll be In the future. ThIs Is a book that wIll encourage and
motIvate us to keep on contendIng for the faIth agaInst every heresy and In the
face of all theologIcal dIstortIons. HaykIn comments: "Chrst's knydom s
eterncl. lt shcll be estcblshed cnd the yctes o] hell wll never prevcl cycnst t.
lts trumph s certcn cnd nothny ccn stop t. To shcre n thct trumph s the
yrectest prvleye c humcn beny ccn hcve - cnd to belony to thct knydom s
to hcve weclth beyond compcre". :... -... :... -... :... -... :... -...

Strength In Weakness, 2
nd
CorInthIans sImply explaIned
J. PhIIIp Arthur, EvangelIcal Press, large paperback, 192 pages, f8:95
The church at CorInth, lIke churches today, faced a crIsIs of authorIty and
leadershIp. The future of the church depends largely on the
qualIty of the next generatIon of spIrItual leaders. n 2
nd
Cor we
have a stern warnIng about styles of leadershIp that we should
avoId and an example of the one we should ImItate, a model of
lovIng servIce based on the character of ChrIst hImself.
PhIlIp Arthur brIngs thIs epIstle of Paul's to lIfe. ThIs
commentary wIll appeal to all and Is readIly understood. Arthur
makes use of many modern day examples whIch keeps the reader
focused and wantIng to read on. f you are lookIng for a good
IntroductIon to 2
nd
CorInthIans look no further! n these pages the reader Is
brought face to face wIth the Apostle's lIfe and to a new awareness of the
Lord's assurance, "|y grace Is suffIcIent for you, for my strength Is made
perfect In weakness". 8uy thIs book and fInd strength In weakness. ^... ^... ^... ^...
ook kevews
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. . . .
WaIkIng wIth Cod, LearnIng 0IscIpleshIp In the Psalms
PIchard 0 PhIIIIps, 8anner of Truth, paperback, 182 pages, f7.00
ThIs Is a heartwarmIng devotIonal book takIng us through 12
well known Psalms. As the author poInts out In hIs preface,
"when false spIrItualIty abounds both wIthIn and wIthout the
church, the 8ook of Psalms Is Cod's guIde to true spIrItualIty".
The book Is dIvIded Into two parts, part one dealIng wIth
Dur relctonshp wth 6od and part two consIders The ]rut o]
ths Relctonshp. The book Is worth buyIng for the author's
exposItIon of Psalm 8 alone!
The warmth and applIcatIon found here wIll surely cause the
reader to proclaIm, "D Lord, our Lord, how majestIc Is your
name In all the earth". Dther chapters deal wIth How to Prcse the Lord, How
to Prcy and Sprtucl Recovery. The book concludes wIth a number of helpful
dIscussIon questIons. . ,... . ,... . ,... . ,...

What the Bible says about Going out, Marriage and Sex
Chris Richards and Liz Jones, Day One Publications, A5, 64 pages, 3.00
This second booklet in the Wise Choices series is concise
and clear. Beginning at developing friendships with an eye to
one being life-long the authors tackle all the issues you expect
them to.
As the title would suggest there is much Scripture quoted
throughout. It is insightful and real as it talks about pressures put
on young people to be going out, as well as the danger of
being preoccupied with a relationship. In some places they
speak frankly about sexual issues, which I feel is an unfortunate
necessity in the age we live in. As well as being clear on what
God says is right and wrong, there is much talk of God as loving and sovereign.
The book highlights the forgiveness of sin through repentance and faith in
Jesus Christ and as such the book is very suitable to be given evangelistically to
unsaved friends. . , . , . , . ,... ... ... ...

Sam and the CIass PaIace, A 7IctorIan Adventure based on the work of Lord
Shaftesbury. Norman Cook, 0ay Dne PublIcatIons, 96 pages, f5.00
"Sam and the Class Palace" Is a chIldren's novel about a
young orphan called Sam Clarke who lIved In 7IctorIan tImes.
n the story Sam Is gIven care and work by the Fagged
School UnIon and he Is also gIven an educatIon and taught
about Cod's Word for the fIrst tIme. EverythIng seems to be
goIng well untIl Sam's wIcked Uncle Jack appears on the
scene and kIdnaps hIs nephew. Through the help of frIends
and Cod's goodness everythIng works out In the end for Sam.
ThIs book was a faIrly good read and would gIve It 7
marks out of 10. However, younger chIldren may fInd It a
lIttle hard to understand and It Is probably more suItable for those over 12
years of age. .. :., .. :., .. :., .. :.,
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.- .- .- .-
Summc R0lidy kcding

PrInted by Edenderry PrInt Ltd UnIt 6 Agnes Street ndustrIal Estate 8ELFAST 8T1J 1C8
Evngelcl ook 5hop
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15 College Square East 8ELFAST 8T1 600
Fax: 028 043 8330 Telephone: 028 032 052
EmaIl: shop@evanbooksbelfast.fsnet.co.uk
0IggIng 0Itches 0r HeIen Poseveare f6.5 f5.00
n retIrement 0r Foseveare has used her speakIng and wrItIng gIfts to InspIre
another generatIon to follow wIth her In fullhearted commItment to ChrIst and
Involvement In mIssIon. We welcome her new book due for publIcatIon In July
and congratulate her on her forthcomIng 80
th
bIrthday.
Second KIngs
Focus on the 8Ible Commentary
PaIph 0aIe 0avIs f.5 f6.50
0r 0avIs' books have helped many ChrIstIans In theIr devotIons and aIded
preachers and teachers In theIr preparatIon. HIs deep knowledge of the Dld
Testament world and hIs eye for modern IllustratIons combIne to provIde
practIcal spIrItual lessons from the text. He avoIds readIng Into the text what Is
not there as many other modern authors have faIled to do.
Dur Hymn WrIters and theIr Hymns FaIth Cook f14.5 f11.20
ThIs nIcely produced hardback gIves us the lIfe storIes of the major EvangelIcal
hymn wrIters of the eIghteenth and nIneteenth centurIes.
t has black and whIte IllustratIons and brIefly mentIons earlIer and later authors.
PeformatIon: Europe's House 0IvIded 0IarmaId hacCuIIoch 700 pp f.
ThIs Is wIthout doubt one of the best modern hIstorIes of the FeformatIon.
The author prevIously wrote a masterly lIfe of Cranmer.
The 0omInance of EvangeIIcaIIsm
The Age of Spurgeon and |oody
0avId W ebbIngton f16. f13.
The author provIdes a factual survey of worldwIde evangelIcalIsm between
1850 and 1900.
Through the rItIsh huseum
- wIth the IbIe Travel CuIde
rIan Edwards
CIIve Anderson
f. f7.50
The unIque 8rItIsh |useum CuIde 8ook from 0ay Dne PublIcatIons