Stafford Carson : Presbyterian Pastor

Mr Alastair Dunne, Principal of Fivemiletown College, points out the extensive outdoor sports facilities.

The fitness suite at Fivemiletown College is an impressive facility

Rev Roy Campbell and Rev Colin Dickson wait for the Moderator to fall off the treadmill in the fitness suite at Fivemiletown College

The Head Boy and Head Girl of Fivemiletown College watch the Moderator fail miserably in his attempt to pot a snooker ball

The well-maintained swimming pool at Fivemiletown College ...is it because the Principal's a Baptist?

Former First Portadown man, Ian McConaghy, Vice Principal at Fivemiletown College, shows us the music room

Ena Sharples-style headgear humiliates everyone at Fivemiletown Creamery

Everyone says "Cheese" at Fivemiletown Creamery

The longest-serving employee at Fivemiletown Creamery is John Barrett, a member of Aughentaine congregation, who has worked at the creamery for 39 years

Elders and wives from Cavanaleck and Aughentaine meet for lunch in the Valley Hotel

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It was interesting for us to note that on the same afternoon that the politicians were putting the finishing touches to the Hillsborough Agreement on the devolution of policing and justice powers to Stormont we had the opportunity to visit the site in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, where many members of the old Royal Ulster Constabulary received their initial training. Mention the Enniskillen Depot to any former member of the RUC and they will regale you with stories and incidents that took place there during their training. Many of the police officers who were trained in Enniskillen went on to serve their communities with great distinction during some of the most difficult and dangerous days of the Troubles. Read more…

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Omagh Memorial Garden

I have spent this past week visiting the Omagh Presbytery. It has been a whirlwind tour of churches, manses, farms, schools and businesses, and it has all been energising and eventful. After 27 events in 6 days, I am feeling a bit tired, but nonetheless thankful for the opportunity of seeing so much great work being carried on by Presbyterians in west Tyrone and Fermanagh.

The name of Omagh will always be associated with the Real IRA bombing of August 1998 when 29 people were killed and over 200 were injured. It was the worst atrocity of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The memory of that awful day is still fresh in the minds of many people, and many lives have been indellibly marked by the evil that was visited on Omagh that sunny Saturday afternoon.

The Omagh Presbytery stretches from Castlederg, Co Tyrone, in the north to Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, in the south. I began the tour by preaching in Douglas Bridge and Ardstraw on Sunday morning, and throughout the week, as well as Ardstraw and Douglas, I visited the manses of Mountjoy and Drumlegagh, Second Castlederg, Trinity, Omagh, Dromore and Drumquin, Fintona, Clogher and Glenhoy, Cavanaleck and Aughentaine, and Enniskillen. It was good to spend some time with my colleagues and to hear of the successes and struggles of their ministries. The ministers and their wives also enjoyed a superb meal provided by a team from Gillygooley congregation in Gillygooley Orange Hall. It has been a week of memorable meetings with wonderful people engaged in a wide variety of activities. Read more…

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This week the General Board of our church sponsored a conference on stress in the ministry. It’s over a decade ago since a committee of the General Assembly reported a survey in which over 20% of ministers surveyed said that the work of the Christian ministry had become a real struggle and a burden due to excessive levels of stress. Apparently the situation has deteriorated in the intervening years, and many more feel under pressure.

Stress means that some ministers feel like giving up the ministry altogether. A few years ago I was involved in a project sponsored by the Lilly Endowment called Sustaining Pastoral Excellence in which resources were made available to churches and seminaries in North America to address the increasing rate of drop-out from the Christian ministry. The statistics for North America are alarming. Read more…

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Along with my colleagues, Katherine and Mark, we visited Peter Power TD, Minister of State for Overseas Development, in Leinster House last week. The primary purpose of our visit was to report on what I had seen of the Tearfund and Christian Aid projects in Ethiopia which are supported by Irish Aid, and to thank him for what his government is doing for the poor of our world. While we were with him, he and his officials were taking phone calls as they tracked a convoy of lorries traveling from the Dominican Republic into Haiti with 85 tonnes of food. It was exciting to be close to where the decisions were being taken to ensure that the relief mission was successful.

This week Irish Aid continues to address the needs of the poor people of Haiti. The Irish Times reported that Minister Power was considering a proposal that an Irish Naval Service hospital ship be sent to Haiti to assist with the relief effort. He is discussing the situation with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland to see how Irish medical professionals can be best deployed in Haiti. Read more…

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