Gillian Martin Deaconness Woodvale
Woodvale Presbyterian Church is located at the junction of Woodvale Road and Ballygomartin Road in North Belfast, Northern Ireland. The building was first opened in 1899.
Many changes have occurred in the area over the years. But the Church still stands, a home to the congregation and a witness to the area.
Woodvale is a busy congregation catering for the needs of its members & the wider community.
We have Sunday services at 11.00a.m. & 7.00p.m. each Sunday. Refreshments are served before the morning service.
We have Girls Brigade and Boys Brigade, Sunday School, the Lighthouse Club and a youth fellowship called Squat
We also have regular meetings for prayer, PWA, Sunshine Hour, OMF prayer meeting, and we run a number of courses each year. Over the past few years we have had Alpha, Christianity Explored, and Book by Book.
As I begin to write this report I realise that this year it will be thirty years since I was commissioned as a Deaconess in Scrabo Presbyterian Church.
I continue to be involved in many areas of the church, from younger to senior members of the congregation. Part of this year’s visitation plan has been visiting members on the fringe of the life of the church. I enjoy the pastoral aspect of my work – visiting in the homes, nursing homes and hospitals, as well as the daily administration and preparation involved with all the organisations, opening devotions, attending Session and Committee meetings and leading worship. In June we ran a youth club for primary school children called Mayhem which kept us in touch with the children during the summer holidays. In the summer we had a PCI youth team who ran a holiday club and worked with young folk in the church and the surrounding area. We gave hospitality on the church premises to the eighteen young people on the team.
This year I also appreciated the opportunity to attend Belfast Bible College for a 12-week course entitled Family Ministry. In October I attended a Deaconess Conference organized by BMI in Newcastle which provided an opportunity for keeping up to date as well as a time for reflection and refreshment.
During my deputation I have enjoyed meeting many of our PW ladies. I appreciate the warm welcome I always receive and the opportunity to get to know women in the different PW Groups. I appreciate your continued prayer support. I would like to thank the PW and BMI staff for their care and support during the year and especially for their continued prayers. My sincere thanks also to Rev Ken and Mrs Hilary Doherty and to the members of Woodvale for their love, support and p
Prayer Topics
The car slid to the left side of the road. It seemed to do it all by itself and furthermore I was all by myself! I really did try and correct it. It slid into the kerb and no matter what I did it would simply just NOT MOVE.
I was out delivering Christmas presents to our housebound members in the district. It was ok if I kept to the main roads - but here I was stuck on solid ice in a cul de sac. I just sat for a few minutes and prayed.
Then I heard a voice - a gentleman had seen my dilemma and was scattering salt and grit and in a few minutes I was on my way again. Twice that day I found myself in the same dilemma and each time someone came to my rescue.
When I finally got home that day and sat down with a warm cup of coffee I began to reflect on the day’s events. The verse that came to mind was, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord…the maker of heaven and earth...” Psalm 121).
I needed to look up above to God and rise above the situation. God wants us to ‘live above’ our situations. Yes, I need to look around at my own situation and as humanly possible, do all I can. However, to look upward and pray was inevitable.
Surely this is what God wants from me – learning more day by day to ‘live above’ the situation.