Stephen Wilson - Irish Mission - Board of Mission Ireland - MissionIreland.org

Irish Mission: Stephen Wilson - Mullingar

I became a Christian through the work of a Sunday school in Lisburn. After leaving school I worked in the field of building design and construction. I was also involved in voluntary mission work leading to several years spent in East Africa. On returning to Ireland in 1992 Karen and I met and got married.  God began to open our eyes to the mission field on our own doorstep in Ireland. I continued to work in Precast Concrete until August 2005 when we moved as a family to Mullingar. Karen works part time as a midwife in the local hospital as well as coordinating the Parent and Toddler group in Mullingar. Our sons Patrick and Callum have settled well into school life. 

In my role as Irish Mission worker I work with Rev. Stephen Lockington who is minister of Mullingar and Corboy Presbyterian Church. They are the only Presbyterian Churches in Co. Westmeath and Co. Longford.

In Mullingar the Church has seen a remarkable turn around. Six years ago there were only a handful of people, now we regularly have around 65 each Sunday morning and are facing a situation where there is insufficient room in the existing building. All this bears witness to the fact that God is at work in Mullingar.

We believe that in God’s providence changed times have opened up new opportunities for the gospel. My work seeks to dovetail with the work of the local Church while building bridges into the community. Day to day work includes opening the Church building to visitors, a weekly bookstall, forging links with other agencies working in the town, follow up visits, inviting people to our meetings and making them aware of activities going on at the Church.