"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’’ John 1:5
Reflections & prayers for Ballymena after the events of the last 10 days.
After 52 Days of Prayer for the rebuilding of the walls of Ballymena, it could be very easy to become dismayed or discouraged by what happened when a young girl was assaulted by two young boys. The assault is one of a number of similar horrendous acts over recent months. These attack’s have caused such hatred and anger to spill out into the streets, not only in Ballymena, but other parts of Northern Ireland too. The assault’s and the racist response has brought Ballymena to the world’s attention. The deeply held thoughts and feelings of a number of people have caused such heart ache, pain and misery. The impact of these events will be felt for a long time.
A friend (who has lived in Ballymena for many years) reflected on the way that many in the streets around where the violence impacted the most put signs and symbols on their property to mark that they were locals.
They hoped that this would stop them and their houses being targeted by the racial cleansing the criminals were determined to enact. This reminded him of the way the Jews were marked and ‘cleansed’ from Nazi Germany. Martin Niemöller, a protestant pastor, wrote after the war reflecting on his and other protestant church leaders lack of response to Hitler in Nazi Germany,
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Towards the end of last week as I was praying and reflecting on the tragic events I was led to pray for the Body of Christ using the words,
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:14
While reading the context of this verse I was struck by the verse before, Ephesians 5:13,
“…when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible…”
As we continue to pray for the Lord to do a new thing in Ballymena and the surrounding communities I invite you to pray that the darkness in peoples hearts and lives, that which we have seen on the streets, will be “…exposed by the light…”.
Lets pray that the prayers and acts of kindness lived out by the awakened giant, the Body of Christ, will expose the deeds of darkness in people’s hearts and bring the transformation and change we long for.
Please pray:
That Body of Christ in the Ballymena area to awaken and arise (Ephesians 5:14).
That the deeds of darkness in the hearts of those in Ballymena determined to do evil will be “…exposed by the light…” (Ephesians 5:13).
For the Church Leaders event on the evening of the 17th June at the Leighinmohr House Hotel. Dianne Holt from Thrive Ireland will introduce a Church Community Transformation tool for unlocking the missional potential in our churches. This tool will be offered free of charge to the 17 churches represented at the evening. Please pray for clarity of communication and for commitment to this opportunity for the church in Ballymena.
For the new Teen Challenge weekly outreach starting at 6.30pm this Friday, 20th June. This work will focus (to begin with) in the north end of Ballymena. In the weeks to come we will be looking for volunteers to pray and help with this work.
For conversations with Teen Challenge about the development of this new work and any other opportunities that may flow from this developing relationship,
For the continued growth and leading for Crack of Dawn Prayer Walk on Wednesday mornings from 6.30-7.30am.
Since November we have had 80 different people from 24 churches including 15 church leaders join us at Crack of Dawn.
And finally, for the continued growth of united prayer and mission as we look forward to September - we are sensing that the Lord is calling the church in Ballymena to a 24/7 week of prayer. Please pray for clear planning, communication and commitment to this opportunity.
A number of you have been in contact this week. We are so grateful for your love and care.
Thank you so much for your friendship, prayers and financial support!
If you are called to support us financially please scan the QR code or click the ‘Support us through Stewardship’ button for a tax efficient way to give.
If you would like to join us for a catch up video call on Sunday June 29th 8pm please message so we can send you a link for the call.
Bless your week!
Love
N,A,S,E&E