Blog for the congregation and members of Dromore Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church - Dromore Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church

A spiritual lightening bolt

2/7/2017

Lynda Kane at Dromore Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church

Lynda Kane at Dromore NSP Church

Lynda Kane was welcomed back to Dromore at the beginning of the summer holidays. In a personal message to the congregation she says, "A massive thank you for having me lead your service today. Always a pleasure and lovely to see you all again. God bless til next time."

Do you ever wonder how something can work out "just so" when it was out of your hands or entirely beyond your control? We may never encounter a burning bush, a blinding light, or be struck down in some way by the power of God....but God does speak to us all. God's ultimate divine plan for us remains in place.

You can listen to her sermon, "A spiritual Lightening Bolt", again here.
Use the Search Box (above) for more from Lynda.

Wanted: men and women who are not for sale

4/6/2017

Very Rev William McMillan at Dromore Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church

Very Rev William McMillan

Money can buy so many things that those who have it can so easily forget the things it cannot buy - it's a good thing to check up, every once in a while, that you haven't lost the things money can't buy.

Rev Mac took Luke 12: 16-20 as his text:
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ (Luke 12: 16-20 )

Seeing is believing - or is it?

30/4/2017

Rev Dr Will Patterson

The old saying, "seeing is believing" is well established. Anything we can see with our own eyes is real; we can depend on it; trust it; rely on it.

Can we see air? Can we see electrons in the electricity wire that powers so much of what we take for granted in our homes and factories? Can we see the electo-magnetic waves above our heads that provide the mobile communications that we all rely so much on?

We can't see so many things in our world and yet, they are real.

Joy, sadness, heartache, love, the bonds that bind people - all things that can't be seen yet they too are real. We can feel them and know that they are authentic, and have a lasting effect.

So there are things that we can't see and yet are definitely real and that endure.

At the same time there are things that look permanent - our coastline, mountains, the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, and our physical bodies - that yet, are in the process of changing and, in fact are in the process of decay.

Paul reminds us that there is faith, hope and love - things we can't see but that are most real and last forever.

Paul said, We do not look at the things that can be seen. We look at the things that cannot be seen. The things that can be seen will come to an end. But the things that cannot be seen will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4: 18

Let me remind you of the good news!

23/4/2017

Sam Agnew was the preacher at Dromore Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church

Sam Agnew challenged those who are still "stuck at Good Friday"

Dromore man, Sam Agnew was back in our pulpit and lost no time in challenging those who may be “still stuck at Good Friday”!

Sam reiterated the nub of Christianity namely that:

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. I Corinthians 15: 13, 14

In a world where all knowledge is challenged and “fake news” abounds then, Sam suggested, that there are three possible approaches to any claim to truth:
1 believe straight away
2 refuse to believe until you see it for yourself
3 believe only when backed up with evidence

With regard to the resurrection of Christ, Sam assumed that those who attended church tended to fall within the first group!

Since it’s not possible for anyone living today to have witnessed the resurrection for themselves, Sam thought it pertinent to consider evidence of the central and crucial claim of Christianity and which he considered to be:

1 the empty tomb
- the Roman authorities could have stopped the spread of Christianity in it’s infancy by producing the body of Jesus. The could not.
2 the evidence of multiple eye-witnesses
- some 515 witnesses, on 12 separate occasions, spread over 40 days
3 changed lives
- after the death of Jesus the disciples had locked themselves away with fear, and yet following their encounter with their risen leader they were transformed into the greatest missionary team the world has ever seen. Each suffered horrible deaths and yet each one could have avoided death if they had said that Jesus was dead. They did not.

Jesus said, “You believe because you have seen me.
Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” John 20: 29

The Power of the Cross

16/4/2017

Leona Coulter at the piano in Dromore Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church

Leona Coulter

Church organist, Leona Coulter and the choir performed, "The Power of the Cross" at out Easter Sunday Service 2017. You can listen to it again, here.

The power of prayer

5/3/2017

Dr Heather Walker at Dromore Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church

Dr Heather Walker on the importance of prayer

Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. Exodus 65: 24

Dr Walker used the story of Peter's arrest and escape to illustrate the power of prayer.

While we are still asking, God is putting things in place....
He answers yes, no, or not yet....but keep praying.

And if you don't get the answer you think you should:
- it's not because you don't have enough faith
- it's not because you're not good enough
- it's not because God didn't want to

God knows the best pace for one thing to happen so that another can come to pass. God knows what we cannot possible see in front of us. Some things have to happen to fit in with the parts of the plan 'on the other side of Jerusalem' that we can't see.

Trust that He is working
Trust that He is caring.
Trust that He is listening and answering.

We don't know who is standing outside the door until we open it.

Dr Heather Walker: When you pray you really do make a difference

To question is to grow

20/2/2017

Alister Bell photographed after preaching at Dromore Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church

Alister Bell at Dromore Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church

Alister Bell was the preacher on Sunday past and his call to worship was from Psalm 95: 6,7

“Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!”

The opening hymn was, Majesty, worship His majesty.

Alister told the story of the minister who, when asked how his flock was, replied, “I don’t have one; they think for themselves.

He encouraged the congregation to continue the Non-Subscribing tradition of liberal, free thinking - to challenge, question and interpret, in a respectful way.

Alister quoted M-People singer Heather Small and her 2000 hit which reached No.16 in the UK Singles Chart:

“Still so many answers I don't know
Realize that to question is how we grow”

You have to work it out for yourself. Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons doesn’t make it right.
To question is to grow.

Guests at the Bowlers Service at Dromore Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church

Dromore Non-Subscribing Church Bowlers Service in 2010. Included are Tom Gribben (organiser), Rev Trevor Kennedy (speaker), Fen McCandless (secretary), George Erwin (organist), Rev Sam Peden (minister) and Eric Anderson (chariman).

Alister revealed that he wasn't the only member of his family to have preached from our pulpit. His uncle, the Rev Trevor Kennedy was the speaker at our Bowling Service back in November 2010.

It's a good offer!

12/2/2017

Rev Dr Will Patterson in the pulpit at Dromore NSP Church

Rev Patterson spoke about the promises made by God to Abraham

Rev Dr Will Patterson encouraged the congregation not to avoid the prompting of God in our minds and lives. Abraham in Genesis Chapter 2, he said, was prompted by God to have faith, to "take a chance" and promised in return to:
- that he would be blessed, and
- be made a blessing to other people.
And God holds out these same promises to us.

A "blessing" in the bible is used to express the happiest, most perfect state of life; to face any odeal without fear; not to be anxious for tomorrow. Such a way of life cannot be attained ourselves nor can it be received from other people; it is the gift of a power greater than ourselves and can only come from God.

We can have faith and rely of God's promise to bless us
- and on His second promise - the desire that we should be a blessing to other people.

Don't avoid God's prompting but have faith is HIs promise
- It's too good an offer to refuse!

"Serve the Lord with gladness" - Rev Dr Will Patterson (7 February 2016)