Editorial: Life begins at forty
Anna Rankin

Comment: Leadership on the move
Stanley McDowell

From the director: The discipleship factor
David W Porter

Four things for leaders to do at the end of the world
Derek Poole

Pastoring people in prophetic living
David Montgomery

Being a servant leader
Diane Clutterbuck

Interview with Maria Garvey: Oil and water
Anna Rankin

Nurturing the next generation
John-Mark Mullan

The Word made flesh - East Belfast
Glenn Jordan

The Word made flesh - North Belfast
Bill Shaw

The Word made flesh - Derry
Sue Divin

The Word made flesh - Enniskillen
David Cupples

The Word made flesh - Poleglass
Martin J Magill

Resisting temptation
Drew Gibson

Review: And now let's move into a time of nonesense
Claire Martin

Review: Christianity for Dummies
Scott Vance

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THE WORD MADE FLESH
Five examples of church in the local commnuity

NORTH BELFAST

174 TRUST IS BASED IN A FORMER Presbyterian Church on the lower Antrim Road, north Belfast – right at the top of the New Lodge Road.

We are a non-denominational Christian organisation that takes seriously Jesus’ command to be ‘peacemakers’ in a divided society. One of our main contributions has been the creation of a neutral and safe space in a Community Centre (formerly Duncairn Presbyterian Church) that caters for all sorts of activities from Irish Dancing to Alcoholics Anonymous. An average of 800 people a week, of all ages, from both the Catholic community where we are located and also from nearby Protestant communities, use the facilities and are involved in the programmes here 7 days a week.

This is one of the most disadvantaged areas in Northern Ireland with unemployment rates two or three times the national average and scandalously low educational attainment that perpetuates the ‘poverty cycle’. The legacy of the ‘Troubles’ has added an additional layer of disadvantage. We are situated in the middle of ‘Murder Mile’ where during the Troubles 20% of the murders were committed and where the effects are still felt.

Our method of working is to help local people identify and meet local needs, working together with them in the planning and delivery of the various activities and programmes. A number of the projects cater for some of the most marginalised and vulnerable in our society – the Playgroup and Mothers and Toddlers will enable women to retrain and get employment; the Disability Project enables a growing number of people – kids/teens/adults – to fulfil their potential and play an active part in society as well as accessing employment opportunities.

The ‘neutral venue’ also allows us to organise specific events with a ‘cross-community’ content – from football (where young men from the Shankill Road and New Lodge areas can meet) to political debates. People here, in many respects, are more divided than they ever were with Catholic and Protestant communities often separated by the socalled ‘Peace Walls’. Then there are the ‘walls’ in people’s minds that are harder to demolish... Every street and building is ‘owned’ by one side or the other and people feel threatened when they move out of their own neighbourhood. The Duncairn Complex is something truly unique. That didn’t happen by accident – it’s something we’ve worked hard to create – and is even harder to sustain.

174 Trust is also about accepting people for who they are. It’s about helping people where they are. Jesus didn’t just preach at people, he got into relationships with them, accepting them for who they were – as they were – and helping them to move on. As well as telling people about the Good News – he was ‘good news’. He showed grace and modelled grace. He loved people – all sorts of people – especially those the ‘religious’ of his day considered far away from God.

This has been part of my learning as a Christian leader. In one church I worked in after my assistantship – a mixed area but also a disadvantaged one – I saw needs that the Church wasn’t even aware of, much less addressing. I quickly realised that preaching all the right things and having all the right doctrine – without meeting people at their point of need – wasn’t doing anything to improve their situation – or advance the kingdom of God. I came to see that we needed to help people where they were, taking them as we found them, accepting them for who they are.

It was also during this time that I came into real, meaningful contact with Catholics – for the first time in my life they literally were ‘my neighbours’ and I even got to know some as friends. This was, with hindsight, essential preparation for my current role here in the New Lodge where I continually come into contact with all kinds of Catholics – some who are content to simply rely on tradition and ‘their church’ finding comfort in the familiar liturgy (like many Protestants!), while I have met other Catholics who have a deeply personal relationship with Jesus and give expression to this with a faith and vitality that would shame many evangelicals.

It was here in Belfast that I have always felt that I wanted to ‘make a difference’ and play a part in changing attitudes, challenging sectarianism. I had come to realise that, as a Christian, the greatest need in a divided society like ours was to be a ‘Peacemaker’.

I want people to walk through the door here at the Complex and feel accepted, to know that they belong. I hope – and I don’t think it’s too grand a claim – that we are a model, or channel, of grace. We don’t ask people their religious background or even whether they go to church. We want people to feel welcomed and accepted whatever their background and to know that they matter to God.

Experiencing God’s grace – often from the most unexpected sources and especially in difficult times – has, I think, softened my attitude and at the same time given me a bigger view of God – as well as a greater desire to show and share God’s grace to those who might not otherwise experience it.

BILL SHAW is a Presbyterian minister and Director of the 174 Trust.

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