Ireland: A wee overview of The Bridge, N. Ireland history, and the G8

Well, it has been about a week since I have started my travels. I arrived last Thursday morning on June 13th in the Belfast airport. 

Friends, Ireland is magical. It is so gorgeous. It is beautiful and bright even when the sun is covered by the clouds but when the clouds no longer hide the sun, it transforms in an even more magical beauty. I love it here. 

(This is the backyard view of Northern Ireland from Clive and Shelia Johnston's house.)

Who I am staying with: 

Meet Clive and Sheila Johnston. 
I am staying with the Johnstons at their house in Sion Mills outside Strabane, Northern Ireland for about 3 weeks. 

-Clive is known as "The Book of Knowledge" by most of the fellowship at The Bridge and rightly so since he is full of wisdom and knowledge. Clive is one of the elders at The Bridge.
-Sheila is known as "The Oracle" because she is full of wisdom and discernment. 

(This was in the garden of the castle in Glenveagh in the County of Donegal in the Republic of Ireland)

Strabane and a Little History of Ireland

Strabane is in Northern Ireland, very close to the border of the Republic of Ireland. 

Northern Ireland is still part of the UK while the Republic has been a separate entity. In 1922, the "Irish Free State," still under dominion of the British Commonwealth, seceded the UK under the Anglo-Irish Treaty. It has been called the Republic of Ireland since about 1949. The Republic comprises 26 of the 32 counties in Ireland. 

Because Strabane is on the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic, it has been in the middle of the political and social struggles known as "The Troubles," (in Irish: Na Triobloidi). Strabane is an impoverished city with a rate of unemployment at about 30%. Strabane has the highest concentration of Catholics in Ireland at 98%! The remaining 2% is nominally Protestant with only 10% of that 2% being strong believing Christians. 
Part of that 2% is at The Bridge Fellowship of Strabane. 


The Bridge Fellowship of Strabane:

The Bridge started 3 years ago in 2010 with a small group of evangelical Christians who had a heart and a mission for Strabane and the unbelieving people of the city. Sadly, Catholicism and Protestantism in the country of Ireland have been more and more political entities and less and less about actually Christ centered faith and works. The people at The Bridge have desired to reach out with the purpose of evangelism and discipleship to the city of Strabane. (The name came from a little bridge in Strabane and also symbolic purposes of evangelism. :) )

They have been in this building since 2011 and their fellowship has grown to about 25 members and 30 attending on Sunday mornings in the past 3 years which is virtually impossible in such a heavily Catholic concentrated city. How great is our God? 

A Few of the People at The Bridge: 

Joe and Darlene Cornell and their daughter Lauren are from Danville, Virginia and have lived in N. Ireland for 5 years. They are heavily involved at The Bridge. They are in the process of moving back to Virginia this July. Joe is the leading elder at The Bridge. The whole family helps with the various ministries at The Bridge. 

Meet Stephen and Kerry Aiken and their little ones, Timothy and Naomi. Stephen is from Rochester in Kent, England but now lives right down the way from Clive and Shelia with their daughter who is his wife, Kerry. Stephen is the deacon at The Bridge. Kerry leads the young adults group called, Fuse at her house on Sunday nights and plays piano for worship on Sunday mornings. 

Meet Alastair and Alison Smyth. Alastair (Ali) and Alison have recently married in December and are new Christians. Ali has designed the logo for The Bridge. Alison has been keeping up the walking club on Tuesday nights.

(Bowling last Saturday night, June 15th, with the fellowship.) 

Meet Claire Smyth. (The girl sitting down on the cannon- this is on the walls of Derry.) She is in charge of worship on Sunday mornings- she plays guitar and sings. She also is in charge of and started a youth night called Elevate on every other Friday night. 
William Boggs is a member of The Bridge as well and works with Jason Smyth (Ali's brother). 

Activities at The Bridge: 
Sunday morning worship
Fuse- Sunday night young adults group at Kerry Aiken's 
Tuesday morning prayer meetings 
Walking club Tuesday nights 
Cafe ministry on Tuesdays and Fridays 
Soup kitchen every other Friday (2nd and 4th Fridays of the month) 
Elevate youth club on Friday nights 
3 home group bible studies held at members' houses 

Something that has caused alot of talk over here is the G8 meeting. 
The 39th G8 Summit:
Last week, June 17-19, President Obama came to stay in Ireland representing the USA for the Group of Eight, commonly called the G8, which is an annual forum of eight of eleven of the world's largest economies. The holder of the presidency of the G8 decides the agenda, hosts the summit for the year, and determines what ministerial meetings shall take place. Such events bring together ministers responsible for various portfolios to discuss issues of mutual and/or global concern. Topics include health, law enforcement, labor, economic and social development, energy, environment, foreign affairs, justice and interior, terrorism, and trade. Responsibility of hosting the G8 changes in this rotation: France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada. (The European Union is also represented but cannot host or chair summits. China, the 2nd largest economy, Brazil, the 6th, and India, the 9th, are not included.) France and the United Kingdom wish to extend the G8 to a group of five developing countries, known as the Outreach Five (O5) or Plus Five (P5) consisting of: Brazil, People's Republic of China, India, Mexico, and South Africa. 
This year was the 39th summit held at the Lough Erne Resort, a five-star hotel and gold resort on Lough Erne's shore in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The UK's prime minister, David Cameron, was the host. This year's official topic of discussion was tax evasion and transparency but with all the unrest in Syria, the Syrian civil wars was the main focus of conversation.