I’m a local man through and through being born in the Robinson hospital, Ballymoney. I was baptised in Trinity, Ballymoney (well actually in our home as I was a sick baby) into the Covenant family of Trinity. I went to school at the Model primary, Dalriada and then onto Greenmount College for a year as I always knew I wanted to farm. It was during this year at Greenmount that my father moved farm to the ‘Urble’ where I still live along with my wife Rosemary.
We have three grown up children. Two girls Suzanne and Rosalyn both married, Richard the youngest who has just finished his chemistry degree. We moved to Dervock church in 1973 when the Rev Boyce was minister. Our three children were all baptised into the Covenant family of Dervock under the Rev Dr Thompson. I realise now looking back how important the vows we as parents made and which the congregation made to pray and to help bring our children up to know and love God.
I have taken part in most of the activities in Dervock church. I’ve been in the choir since my late twenties ( I’ve outlasted a lot of organists). Rosemary and myself led the Youth Fellowship for 10 years which we really enjoyed and I was an avid badminton player in my younger years. I helped with the Friday night youth club and have been a committee for many years. I joined the session in 1994 along with five other new elders. Together as a team both younger and older we have always tried to have the best interests of Dervock church at heart as we seek to bring more people into church and to have a saving faith in Jesus. I was selected to succeed William Peden as clerk of session on 21st December, 2013 when the church was vacant. One of my first major tasks was to go to Union Commission and present our case for a new minister. Thankfully we were successful and the Rev Moore was installed in November 2014 much to everyone’s delight. It gives me great pleasure to see the impact the Rev Moore’s ministry is having in church and in the surrounding district. It is always a leap of faith when you install a new minister, but I firmly believe that the Rev Moore is God’s man in this place at this time.
I would really like to encourage the whole congregation to become involved in some of the many organisations and events now taking place. Do not just come to church on Sunday. We are called to be Christians 7 days a week, get involved and get so much more out of your walk with God.
The God we serve is a good God, a loving and bountiful God, a God with solutions for our problems and a God who never fails us. So get involved and get that joy of living that Jesus promised.
‘I have come that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly’ John 10.10