New book traces history of RP churches in Galloway

Although Stranraer is currently the only Reformed Presbyterian Church in Dumfries and Galloway, it wasn't always that way. In fact, there is a rich history of Reformed Presbyterianism in South-West Scotland. This is highlighted in the newly-released Ministers and Congregations of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland: 1688-2016 by James A. Dickson.

The front cover features the Ordnance Survey map of Whithorn from 1844

The book contains sections on both the congregations and ministers of the RPCS. Congregations particularly close to Stranraer (which originally included Stoneykirk) included Colmonell, Girvan, New Luce, Newton Stewart and Whithorn. During the ministry of William Symington in Stranraer (1819-1839), we're told that a large proportion of the members were from outside the town itself - Inch, Leswalt, New Luce, Stoneykirk etc.

For an interactive map of locations of RPCS congregations past and present, click here

Other Congregations in Dumfries and Galloway included Castle Douglas, Dumfries, Dunscore, Lockerbie (Hightae), Scaurbridge (Penpont), Quarrelwood and Sanquhar. Congregations in nearby Ayrshire included Ayr, Crookedholm, Darvel and New Cumnock.

The book also mentions a number of revivals which took place in Dumfries in the 1800s, which Stranraer's minister at the time, William Symington, was 'very much involved in'.

Let's pray and work to see God's blessing on this part of Scotland in the twenty-first century!

Ministers' Conference 2016

Stephen, along with a couple of the other Scottish ministers, recently had the opportunity to attend the 2016 RP Ministers' Conference in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland. The main speaker was David McKay of Shaftesbury Square RPC in Belfast and the subject was 'Union with Christ' - a topic he also covers in his book The Bond of Love. The opening and closing talks were given by Andrew Lucas of Omagh EPC and David Silversides of Loughbrickland RPC. There was also a talk on John Owen from David Luke of the Irish Baptist College.

It was a great couple of days of fellowship and encouragement. Next year, the speaker will be Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church and author of a number of books.

Recommended books: Mark, Ecclesiastes, Peter

On Sunday mornings we've just started back into Mark's gospel. Let's Study Mark divides the book into small sections, and adds 2-3 pages of explanation for each part. 

It would be an ideal way to get more familiar with the message of Mark's gospel, reading one section per day.

It's written by Sinclair Ferguson, who has been a minister in Glasgow, South Carolina & Dundee. All his books are worth looking out for.

There are also Let's Study guides for the rest of the New Testament books. Cheapest online price: £6.99

Finally, we've just finished a series on 1st Peter in the evening services and we're still bumping into him quite a lot in our series on Mark's gospel (Peter is most likely the eyewitness who gave Mark his information).

Peter: Eyewitness of His Majesty by Edward Donnelly (formerly minister of Trinity Reformed Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland) is a great introduction to one of Jesus' closest disciples, and shows what we can learn from him today.

Cheapest online price: £5.20

At our Thursday evening Bible study we've recently started into Ecclesiastes - which has been called the most difficult book of the Bible to interpret!

However it's also been called 'the most contemporary book in the Bible' because it 'exposes the mad quest to find satisfaction in knowledge, wealth, pleasure, work, fame, and sex'. So it's worth working hard to try and understand it!

Destiny is a brand new book which came out the day we started studying Ecclesiastes. It's easy to read, and gets the message of Ecclesiastes across very well.

It's written by David Gibson, a minister in Aberdeen and comes recommended by Dale Ralph Davis & Alec Motyer (anything they've written on the Old Testament is worth reading).

Cheapest online price: £6.79

What do you want for your children? (Newspaper article)

What do you want most for your children or grandchildren? If you could pick just one thing, what would it be? Would you choose for them to be healthy? Or happy? Would you choose academic success or a good job or for them to have a stable family of their own?

Former boxing world champion Nigel Benn was asked that question recently on national radio. He was being interviewed on the Colin Murray Show along with his son Conor, who at 19 is already a highly-rated boxing prospect. Benn snr was asked what his dream was for his son when he closes his eyes at night.

His answer was something that few would have expected. The former double world champion replied ‘to be honest with you, my dream for him first of all is to get to know Jesus’. Yes, as Benn went on to say, he’d love it if Conor went on to outdo him and win three world titles. But above all his dream is for his son ‘to know Jesus more than anything else’.

What’s all the more remarkable is that this is coming from a man who at one point in his life famously described himself as ‘Satan’s right hand man’. His older brother had died in unexplained circumstances when Benn was eight, and from then on he lived an anger-filled life. He drank, took drugs, suffered from depression and attempted suicide one night in his car. He was ‘addict[ed] to drink, sex and smoking weed’.

But interestingly, Benn wants more for his son than for him to live on the straight and narrow. He wants more for Conor than sporting success and a stable personal life. Because he realises that none of those things can bring contentment. And that a hundred years from now, the only thing that will matter is whether Conor knew Jesus or not.

Benn had all the world could offer. But it didn’t offer true joy. He realised that he had a broken relationship with his Creator that only Jesus could restore. Now, he’s a changed man. He explains: ‘I'm not chasing nothing any more. My Porsche has gone, my Cadillac's gone, I've got rid of everything, but what I have is contentment’.

Benn has found the one thing in life that ultimately matters, and he wants his son to experience it too. Will we settle for less for those we love most in the world?

Published in Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press, 8th September 2016

Stranraer GO Weekend

From 26-29 August the Stranraer congregation had the help of short-term mission team (GO team), made up of 8 people from Ireland and 3 from Scotland.

While here, the team:

• Gave out postcards (with a Bible verse & invitation to the church) to homes in Castle Kennedy, Dunragit, Glenluce, New Luce, Newton Stewart, Kirkcolm, Leswalt, Portpatrick, Ardwell, Port Logan, Drummore, Kirkcowan & Wigtown.
• Took part in open-air psalm singing in Stranraer town centre on the Saturday afternoon
• Sang psalms and spent time with the residents in Dalrymple Court (sheltered housing, just down from the church)
• Took part in several fellowship events: a church BBQ, a men's breakfast, the screening of a film about the Reformer John Knox and a church lunch.
• The team also had the opportunity to visit Covenanter sites in Wigtown and learn about those in the past for whom loyalty to Jesus had cost them their lives.

We are grateful to those who came on the team for their work, and thank God for a very encouraging weekend.