Ireland Team At-A-Glance |
(Be sure to page down to read more about the Ireland Team, but for now, here's a recent update:
The People -- When people hear the word Ireland, they usually think of lush green meadows, gentle, rolling hills, and a land of green. However, Dublin, the capital of The Republic of Ireland, is a thriving metropolitan city with a history that spans a millennium.
The country of Ireland, with a land mass about the size of Ohio or West Virginia, is home to only 3.5 million people, with 1.5 million living in Dublin alone. The country’s main sources of industry are technology, tourism and agriculture.
It is often said that to be Irish is to be Catholic and with 94% of the population claiming allegiance to the Catholic Church that would seem to be true. However, only about 6% attend church regularly. 4% are part of the Church of Ireland and only 2% are a combination of all the other churches (Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc).
Ireland is a true mission field because barriers to the truth keep many people unreached with the Gospel. They have little concept what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In this sense, they are an unreached people group and worthy of our attention.
The Plan for the Church -- In 1987 Team Expansion started their venture in Ireland with a group of interns. They started their ministry in Dublin conducting surveys, programs and skits in several parks. They also started singing on the major pedestrian streets in the city centre. As the response to these outreach events grew, it became evident that a church was beginning to develop. After two years of discipling, teaching and one on one evangelism, the Dublin Christian Fellowship (DCF) was born in 1989 with the first national Christians.
Now a days, the ministry is no longer singing on the streets, but they are working hard to reach the hearts of the Irish people in new and exciting ways. Lots of growth and change is being experienced within the DCF. The church began meeting in a rented community hall in May of 2003 and have recently been able to purchase a sound system which adds some freshness in order to present a seeker sensitive, modern worship style. Most of the adult Irish members of the DCF are involved in Bible studies, preaching and worship leading. DCF also has a large and vibrant youth outreach that focuses on the 12-18 age-group. Please pray that DCF can continue to grow and that the Irish believers would continue to assume roles of leadership.
The Team --
| Mark and Kelly Nichols -- The team in Dublin is lead by Mark Nichols along with his wife Kelly and their daughters Kasey (11) and Madison (8). The Nichols family arrived on field in 1990 and have firmly established themselves within a local housing estate which provides numerous, continuing opportunities for outreach. |  |
|
| Carie Canfield -- Carie has been with the team in Dublin since Jan 2001. She originally came over as an intern, but after her first year decided to stay on in a full-time capacity. Carie is a 2000 graduate of Kentucky Christian College who is originally from Youngstown, Ohio. |  |
|
|
Joel & Julie Bates -- Joel and Julie are both 2001 Graduates of Ozark Christian College. Joel grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota while Julie hails from Eminence, Missouri. Married in May 2000 The Bates’ arrived on field in Dublin January of 2003. They have pledged to spend a 2 year term here with Team Expansion, after which time they will see where the Lord may lead them to continue on in serving Him.
|
 |
The Needs -- The Dublin Team fervently requests your prayers in two particular areas. First, Team Expansion Ireland is in need of financial partners. A recent newspaper article stated that Ireland “shares with Finland the distinction of being the most expensive country in the Euro-zone for goods and services.”
Second, Team Expansion Ireland is in need of more personnel. Some helpful qualities would be a deep love for the Irish people, a humble and patient heart, and a vibrant faith in God’s power. Currently we would love to see the Lord send us families/couples/individuals who have a love for:
-College Aged outreach and ministry
-Children’s ministry
-Family and Adult Outreach
| The Thompsons -- Philip and Shirley Thompson head up another aspect of the work of Team Expansion in Dublin. The focus of this work is to communicate the Gospel message effectively in the Dundrum area. |  |
Location--Dundrum
is a suburb of Dublin which is experiencing very rapid 3rd phase growth.
In the1970s the area expanded from local villages to a city suburb, with
continued gradual expansion. The construction of the M50 motorway has
brought another phase of rapid growth. There are currently about 37,000
housing units under construction or recently completed. Most of these are
high density apartment complexes and town houses. Infrastructure such as
new roads, a shopping mall and a rapid transit system are all nearing
completion. 87% of the population is already affiliated with an existing
Christian Church (83% Catholic). However church attendance is only about
300./0 of the local population, with somewhere between 1% and 8% of the
population being alive in Christ. There are well established Roman
Catholic, Anglican and Methodist Churches in the area. There are seven
other very small house based groups which we know of. In addition there
are probably about 50 mature Christians who live in the area but who are
committed members of churches which meet somewhere else. There is a mosque
and a synagogue just outside the area. Church attendance among the new
residents may be as low as 10%. The new residents would be predominantly
young adults. There would be a sizeable student population attending
colleges outside the immediate area.
Strategy--In order to communicate the Gospel effectively in this environment a relationship of trust and mutual respect must be established with the existing churches. Alongside this a dynamic and different post -modem approach is needed to connect with the newer residents.
To be approachable in this situation it is important that we have a non-sectarian Irish identity in Christ. We readily state that we are Christians only, but not the only Christians, and that, perfection in Christ is only found through loving as he loved. We seek to identify with both the New Testament church and the early (4 -9th Century) Irish Celtic Christians - the form the Gospel took when it was first intro_ into Irish society. Obviously these pre-date many church traditions and divisions. A river is purer at its source.
Work to date--The main thrust of the work to date has been to lay a solid foundation of trust. This has been accomplished through:
-
a weekly non-denominational ladies Bible study;
-
the running of Alpha courses with a team from the local Catholic cell community;
-
personal involvement with the cell community on a bi-weekly basis, and in assisting with annual seminars for other Catholic parishes in Ireland interested in starting cell communities;
-
regular attendance at the Methodist church;
-
once-off events such as concerts, a table quiz and tours of local early Christian sites;
-
participation in a bi-lingual Eucharist service;
-
local promotion of the Power to Change national evangelistic initiative, training of local church members in evangelism using the materials provided, and follow up with Power to Change contacts;
-
networking with churches and Christians at local, city-wide and national levels;
-
assisting with the start-up of a Nigerian congregation for recent immigrants;
-
sharing the gospel as opportunities arise.
Team Members -- Philip and Shirley Thompson have three daughters, Mary (22), Rebecca (10) and Sarah Joy (2). Shirley is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute. She has been a Christian since an early age. She has been a member of Lamar Christian Church, Lamar, Colorado since her early teens. Philip is a native of Ireland. He gave himself to Christ in 1978 and was immersed in 1987. He grew up in the Dundrum area and was a member of the local Methodist church for ten years. He is a graduate of Hope International University with a Masters in Intercultural Ministry. Philip and Shirley are sent by Lamar Christian Church. They have been working in the Dundrum area since September 1999. Mary is supportive of the work without being actively involved in it.
Plans -- With the development of the new housing and shopping mall (opening September 2004) we feel that the time is right to establish a Dundrum Community church. The form this may take is of a contemporary Celtic communion service with a flexible liturgy, followed by Sunday school for all ages and a post-modem praise service. We are hoping some like-minded local Christians will join with us to form an initial core group. Shirley would like to develop the ladies Bible study group into a wider women's ministry. Rebecca has been active in Junior CE, and now has a number of friends attending with her. We would be keen to start a TeenCE group to provide an environment for the further growth of this group. Philip is currently working in car sales with a local dealership. This has been an excellent way to meet people while we developed the foundation. To get a new church off the ground he will need to devote full-time to ministry. To do this he needs additional financial support
Personnel needs --
A
dynamic and creative self-starter who has been successful in communicating the
gospel to young adults (preferably an accomplished musician).
A single person or young couple with a burden for children and young families.
A marriage and family counselor (parenting issues, marriage breakdown, suicide,
alcohol and drug abuse and other addictive behaviors are widespread).
