Ministry in Full Swing in Northern Ireland
There has been years and years of prayer for Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. The leadership of Pastor John Ashe and the Journey team, and the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people is resulting in seeing harvest in our small town. We're blessed to be a part of this team.” These are the words of AGWM personnel Tom and Brooke Harshberger.
There has been years and years of prayer for Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. The leadership of Pastor John Ashe and the Journey team, and the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people is resulting in seeing harvest in our small town. We're blessed to be a part of this team.” These are the words of AGWM personnel Tom and Brooke Harshberger.
“We're 12 weeks into our new church plant in Downpatrick. Time is flying! God has been so faithful to bring people into our new community. Since the launch, we've had hundreds of guests, multiple healings and numerous salvations. We're so grateful to be serving alongside a team that wants to see Jesus made famous in Downpatrick. “People that have never walked into a church are walking through our doors. People struggling with addiction are being set free. People with illnesses are being healed. Jesus is moving.
“We will be doing a week of VBS, block parties, litter picking in local neighborhoods and running youth clubs. It's an 'all hands on deck' week with our team. It will be a huge opportunity to serve and love our town for Jesus.“This Fall we transition our church from Sunday evenings to Sunday mornings and also launch small groups. This will be a huge win for us as we build community within the church.
“Brooke has been working hard on launching our kids ministry here at Journey. She has a great core of kids attending weekly. They just started a series on evangelism, just in time for our iHeart Downpatrick outreach week. “This past Saturday we had our very first youth event! We hiked the Mourne Mountains with a group of teenagers. We're working with our friend Tucker to help him launch the youth ministry here in Downpatrick.
“Relationships are the backbone of life and ministry and we’ve been working to make great friendships here in Downpatrick. Each Sunday evening we have a crew of teenagers wander into our building to see what going on. In our context, this is unheard of! Many of these students have very difficult home lives and are longing for community. When you get past the rough language and crazy conversation you find gold. Each week they have been asking questions us about life, marriage (and all that goes with that), and faith. Sharing who Jesus is and how much they mean to Him is why we're here. God is bringing them to our doorstep.
“We’ve been able to lead people to Jesus for the first time, see them filled with the Holy Spirit, and experience physical healing. These encounters encourage others to follow Jesus. Ireland is a land of storytelling and God is writing a new story in Downpatrick.”