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Introduction:
Exile & Homecoming
Derek Poole
From
the Ardoyne Road...
Norman Hamilton
From
the Director
David Porter
Exile
and Homecoming
David McMillan
Be
Careful What You Wish For
Gareth Higgins
Bonfire
Reflections
Alwyn Thomson
Rights,
Relationships and Responsibilities
Kelvin McCracken
Wilson
On Suffering
Alan Wilson
Faith
and Practice - Debbie Watters
Ruth Hutchinson
Forgiveness
Janet Morris
FROM THE ARDOYNE
ROAD ...
At the
time of writing, the dispute on the Ardoyne Road in North Belfast is still
ongoing and is well into its third week. Without doubt these have
been the most demanding weeks of my time as minister of Ballysillan Presbyterian
Church, one of the local churches in the area. It is still too early
to be able to reflect adequately on all the issues and lessons to be learned
- not least because the full resolution of the dispute is still some way
off. However, I feel privileged to be given the opportunity, even at this
stage, to offer some comment and reflection.
The first, and perhaps the most difficult issue, is how to maintain a
biblically faithful ministry in the midst of conflicting expectation and
the actual realities on the ground. To condemn out of hand is to rubbish
the underlying hurt, even despair, of the local people and the community.
Not to condemn is to come rather too close to giving approval to some
dreadful incidents - such as the throwing of the blast bomb on the third
day of the protest. At a different level, one has to find ways of
reaching out the hand of christian love to those in the nationalist community,
without jeopardising the relationship and the trust built up with one’s
own people. The atmosphere is extremely fraught and tense. There
is nothing new in this dilemma, and 30 years on in the ‘troubles’
it seems as difficult as ever.
The second main issue, still largely unexplored, is how the wider church
and its leaders relate to the local community. As one community leader
put it to me, “Are they going to shepherd us or slaughter us?” There
is much work to be done in thinking this question through to a conclusion
that helps deliver effective Christian ministry on the ground. Again,
thirty years on we still appear to have no coherent answers on this one.
At a more personal level, I have been aware of the enormous amount
of informed and passionate prayer offered, not only for the situation
and the people but for myself. The spiritual protection offered by
that prayer is perhaps evidenced in the fact that out of about the 200
letters, emails, letters, cards and calls I have received so far, not
a single one has been negative or hostile.
Even at this stage it is clear that there are huge opportunities for new
christian ministry opening up in the area as a result of our involvement. Can
we see clearly enough how those opportunities might be taken? Not at present,
but we need to get a handle on this within the next few weeks, otherwise
the agenda may move on and the opportunity be greatly diminished.
The situation on the Ardoyne Road may be the one currently in the public
eye or of most recent memory, but most certainly it is not the only
one of its kind either in Belfast or Northern Ireland as a whole. That
fact alone makes it all the more important that we discern clearly and
urgently what ‘the Spirit says to the churches’.
We invite you to help us in that task.
Norman Hamilton
Ballysillan Presbyterian Church
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