Noon Dublin time is approaching and I am in the waiting area of the Dublin airport listening for an announcement regarding my delayed flight to the USA. The good part is that when leaving Dublin many times you can go through US Immigration at the airport, so when arriving in the US you do not have to go through that process. That plus Global Entry status makes the lines much easier and shorter…So I will use this time to compose this blog entry.

Part 1: Ireland

At the end of June I began two months of service to four small Presbyterian Church of Ireland churches—Newbliss, Clones, Ballyhobridge, and Stonebridge. I knew the experience would be different from the previous six years on the island, and I was right. It was different and wonderful. The churches were located on the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (UK), and had gone through some interesting and difficult experiences in the Times of Troubles. But all that has changed and the area is peaceful. In fact one symbol of the times is that one of the churches is actually in the North, while the other three are in the Republic. And as the border is very transparent and highly irregular, on one short ten mile drive near our house we began in the Republic, crossed into the North, crossed back into the Republic, crossed back into the North, then ended at our destination in the Republic. One road, straight, and short…

The churches are in the Monaghan area, a part of Ireland known for its dairy products—and the people were almost all farming people. They were gracious, friendly, and hard-working—tied to the milking of the cows, raising chickens, the cutting of silage, and the vagaries of the weather (which was wonderful-the best weather in anyone’s memory).

In addition to preaching on Sundays I initiated a Sunday evening gathering where we began with studying parables but moved wherever questions led. And the highlight for me was visiting… I was able to call on and be welcomed into almost every family home in the four churches. Unannounced, but shuttled by George or Gerald, two key leaders in the churches, I chatted, drank tea or coffee, and ate innumerable scones or buns around kitchen tables or in sitting rooms. I learned about the people, the place, and farming…And was blessed.

Nancy and I lived in a small attached workers’ cottage on the main (and only) street of Newbliss. Situated there we were able to get to know almost everyone in the town who either ran or owned the corner store, the chip shop, and the butcher—the only retail businesses in town apart from three pubs. We had chances to talk about the lives of the people, and they asked about ours and the churches we served. While there is a divide between the Protestant and the Catholic communities, I sensed no hostility only curiosity and a genuine desire to know more. While recent history has focused on these divisions, it is important to remember that both Catholics and Presbyterians were equally disenfranchised for centuries, and both suffered equally under the Anglican establishment. In fact one of the churches, the Stonebridge church, is situated where it is because when it was built in the 1700s it was illegal to build a Presbyterian church within two miles of any town. So it was the Clones town church but out in the country.

The churches that I served stand as monuments to rugged endurance, often that of just a few families but always for many years. Farming in this part of the country has been hard and unattractive to newcomers, and the border troubles have been difficult, so the Protestant population and church attendance has declined dramatically over the past generation. But those who have stayed are now seeing a happier time as farms prosper and the religious divide subsides. The peoples’ faith and culture are closely intertwined, and history is important, but I found an openness to the strange ways of a strange American, and a desire to see the church grow. I firmly believe that the churches of Ireland, and particularly those in the Republic, have much potential for spreading the gospel as they seek new and creative ways that move beyond a label to the core of the good news—Christ.

When Nancy and I began this kind of ministry seven years ago there was an under-supply of pastors for churches in Ireland. That has, by the grace of God, changed as more are responding to the call to ministry, so that there is now an adequate supply. This is good news for the church in Ireland, but means that the need for what we have been doing is less. If that is the case it may mean that this year was a final one for us in this role. If so, we could not have had a happier experience for the ending.

Part 2: Cycling 

On September 1 Brian Magowan and I took off on what is turning out to be an annual event, a bike tour. Our plans had been to cycle through the Italian, Swiss and French Alps, going over some of the highest passes in Europe, including many of those featured in the Tour de France. However, on reconsideration and a moment of sanity, we decided to change—not to the easiest trek but to one that was a bit less demanding. In the end we did do some Alpine cycling, but most of the time was in central Italy, Sardinia and Corsica.

Our trip began in Bergamo, Italy, Ryanair’s Milan airport. The first day cycling we made our way into the Alps around Lake Como, arriving late in the day at what is known as the Cyclists’ Chapel, a chapel just above Bellagio that has been officially dedicated and consecrated to cycling by the Pope.

The next day we descended into Bellagio and by ferry and train made our way to Modena, Italy.
From there we cycled to Lucca and then Livorno, took the ferry to Olbia, Sardinia, then cycled north through the Costa Smeralda of Sardinia. After a short ferry to Bonifacio, Corsica, we cycled up to the center of the island then down the other side. Next we followed the coast road north to Calvi and L’Ile Rousse, where we took a ferry to Nice and caught the plane back to Dublin.

Having chosen to bypass the heights of the Alps, we still found plenty of hills, passes, and long hauls. The central area of Italy is divided from Tuscany by a rather high range of mountains, and we went over them. And Sardinia and Corsica are both simply made up of a mountain range that sticks up out of the sea. There is nothing particularly dramatic to report on such a ride, except that each day was a challenge and each day had its rewards. The scenery was fantastic as we went over high passes and as we pedaled hundreds of meters above the blue sea as it crashed into rocks creating inaccessible coves. The Tour de France began this, its 100^th year, in Corsica, and locals are certain that the sights that were seen by millions will bring a flood of new visitors next year. I am sure they are right.

So, the good news is that as I approach my 70^th birthday God continues to enable me to enjoy his creation in this manner. As I go along mile by mile and minute by minute I am grateful. And I marvel at what God has made!! As the Psalmist wrote long ago, For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. Psalm 92:4.

 

Update from Newbliss, Ireland

Over the past several weeks a number of people have commented to me about the lack of updating to my blog. So here goes what may turn out to be the beginning of a more regular attending--or a one off entry!

Nancy and I are currently living in a small house, one of several in a row of houses built for workers on the now-defunct estate which used to own all this area. The big house was torn down some years ago and the small houses now form the core of what shows up on a map as Newbliss. The name supposedly was given the area when a woman from Dublin visited, and finding it so peaceful and calm, named it for her feelings. There is a butcher's shop, a Landis (corner grocery), a chip shop, and three pubs on the main street. At the edge of town is a fiberglass factory that used to produce boats but with the downturn in the economy has had to cut back and now produces various other fiberglass products.


The church I am serving for July and August here in Newbliss is on the outskirts of the village, on the road to Monaghan, and is one of the four in which I am preaching these months. There is a rotation system for Sundays which brings me to the Newbliss church each week, then alternately to the smaller churches of Stonebridge or Clones and Ballyhobridge. Just two weeks ago the congregations voted on a new minister who will begin in October, so I am just filling in while they wait.






It is hard to believe, but this is the seventh summer in a row that I have had the privilege of serving vacant churches in Ireland, and each has been different. This area is dairy and cattle farming area, and almost all in the churches live off the land. It has been a good year for milk prices, because of a drought in Australia, and the weather has been kind to the land in its production of silage. So things look good. While my main official responsibility is preaching, I also do a fair amount of visiting, which gives me a chance to see into the homes and lives of the people. The other night George and I were out visiting and ended up knocking on one door at 10:30, only to find the 80 year old owner outside cutting field grass that was growing onto the fence in the back. I found it curious that we would be out so late, but the farmers are in the fields until dark, and was encouraged by the energy and welcome of the man we came to visit...

 

Driving from the Clones church to the Ballyhobridge church is a short distance, but the road crosses from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland (UK) and back again. Which is to say that we are on the border. The small roads used to be impassable (craters blown into them by the British army), while the larger roads all had checkpoints, but that is all past. Today the only indication of moving from one country to another is road signs in the North are only in English, not English and Irish, and the road side lines in the North are yellow while in the Republic they are white. On both sides of the border people are friendly, both with each other and with us strangers, and I sense no tensions at all. Having said that, the drawing of the border lines was quite contentious when done, and many Loyalists (Protestants) on this side felt betrayed by the North in the final results. Some even chose to move north, so the balance of population is changing, but there is peace and neighbors are neighbors.

 

While we are here Nancy and I plan on renewing acquaintances with as many of the people we have known in the past as possible. Our first day here we traveled to Galway for the celebration of the installation and induction of their new pastor. Three years ago I spent two months there, met some wonderful people, and was glad to see that pulpit finally filled. The family is coming to visit us next week, and the Enniscorthy-Wexford congregations have thankfully opened the vacant manse for them to use--so we will renew those relationships. We have already spent time with our dear friend Stuart Ferguson, and have seen friends and attended the Sunday night service at Elmwood, in Lisburn. The last Sunday in August I will be preaching in Dublin, at Adelaide Road Presbyterian Church, the church I served in 2007. And we hope to visit Carlow while in Enniscorthy, and Cahir and Fermoy some time as well. We are amazed by the number of friends we have on this island, and so grateful to God for the times we have spent and the ministry we have shared.

Needless to say I have had good opportunities to get out on my bike while here. The roads twist around fields in every direction, and while some are better than others, almost all are amenable to cyclists. It seems there has been an upsurge in interest in cycling, so much so that seldom do we go anywhere without seeing some local cyclist on the road. There is even a cycling club in Clones and there will be cycling activities in a couple weeks--as part of Newbliss' celebration weekend. Plus Brian, my friend from the North, and I have planned a trek through Italy, Switzerland and France for early September...

While I am here Nancy is continuing her work and ministry via the internet. She has just finished reviewing a class she will be teaching online starting tomorrow, continues her communication with hundreds of Afghani teenagers, keeps working on the Christian English Language Educators' Association, plus is getting ready for some online course teaching for Azusa Pacific University...

So--how's that for a quick catch up. All in all our lives keep moving along with joy, and with some sadness. One of my dearest friends, David Legters (Bito) passed away suddenly while I was in Mexico teaching this past spring, and another long-time friend and host in Albania, Bob Osborne, passed away also. These deaths were occasions for grief, of course, but at the same time brought back to me the importance of keeping on with the work of the Lord, knowing that at the end there is a great prize to be had--that prize being the welcome of a loving Father and the words "well done, good and faithful servant...and beloved son..."