Recorded for the Sunday after Easter including reflection on the dawn service held on the village green by Dunmurry Churches Together. With Jack Steers on the trumpet playing Easter Hymn (Jesus Christ is risen today). With a reading from Luke ch.4 v.13-35. Click on the video above to see this reflection.
Lord of the Emmaus Road…walk with us Lord, listen to our story, and let us hear your story, straight from the empty tomb.
A couple of short acts of worship to mark Holy Week, 2022:
Some music for Palm Sunday. Four pieces plus an introduction played by the organists of Dunmurry and Ballee for a Palm Sunday service:
Hymns played by Allen Yarr (Dunmurry) and John Strain (Ballee).
How deep the Father’s love, introduction played by Allen Yarr. King of glory, King of Peace, played by John Strain. Ride on, ride on, in majesty, played by Allen Yarr. When I survey the wondrous Cross, played by Allen Yarr. Now thank we all our God, played by John Strain. Filmed at First Presbyterian (NS) Church, Dunmurry and Ballee Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church.
Image: ‘The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem’ (1320) by Pietro Lorenzetti. A fresco in the south transept of the Lower Church, San Francesco, Assisi. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.
A short prayer and meditation for Good Friday:
Rev Dr David Steers, First Dunmurry (NS) Presbyterian Church. (Source: John Pritchard ‘The Second Intercessions Handbook’. Images the crypt and a side altar (also at the top of this page) at the Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool).
We continue to pray for Ukraine and offer up our Reflections on the situation in Ukraine created by the invasion by Russian forces.
At Dunmurry we organised a collection of warm clothing, non-perishable food, medical supplies and toiletries to send to Ukrainian refugees in Poland. The response from the church and wider community was heartening. In the space of a week two van loads of goods were sent but we are aware that this is only the start of the crisis; the number and needs of refugees will only increase, the difficulties faced by so many people inside Ukraine and now exiled outside the nation’s borders will grow. There will be a need for considerable action by governments in the West.
Our March Reflections look at Nation shall not lift up sword against nation (Isaiah ch.2 v.4), particulalrly in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Led by Rev Dr David Steers at Dunmurry the organist is John Strain (Ballee Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church) who plays the hymn Lord of all Hopefulness.
In our prayers we include the ‘World Peace Prayer’:
Lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth;
lead me from despair to hope,
from fear to trust;
lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace.
Let peace fill our heart,
our world, our universe.
Amen
With an estimated one million refugees now having fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries there is desperate need for help for those people – mostly women and children – who have had to leave their homeland to get away from the fighting.
This week’s video has been brought forward so that we can give an update on what has been achieved so far in our Collection for Ukraine. First of all thank you to all those people who have already supported the appeal, the response has been magnificent. There is still time to donate if you wish to, items can be delivered up to and including Sunday, 6th March.
This week’s online Reflections shares the latest news of the appeal.
The hymn sung at the start and end of the video is called ‘Prayer for Ukraine’. The first verse translates as:
Lord, oh the Great and Almighty,
Protect our beloved Ukraine,
Bless her with freedom and light
Of your holy rays.
Click on the short video above to find out about our Collection for Ukraine.
Can you help?
We are collecting donations that will be sent and distributed to Ukrainian refugees and those impacted by the current invasion. All items can be left in the Dunmurry McCleery Hall (main entrance) up until Sunday 6th March. Items requested include:
– Warm clothes for children or adults
– Sleeping bags or blankets
– First aid supplies
– Toiletries
– Non perishable food items.
For more information, please message First Dunmurry NS Presbyterian Church on Facebook directly.
God of all,
with alarm and concern we bring before you
the military intervention in Ukraine.
In a world you made for peace and flourishing,
we lament the use of armed force.
We mourn every casualty of this conflict,
every precious life extinguished by war.
We pray comfort for those who grieve
and those who are fearful.
Hear our longing that leaders and nations
will honour the worth of all people
by having the courage
to resolve conflict through dialogue.
May all our human failings be transformed
by your wonderful grace and goodness.
We ask this in the name of Christ,
the author of peace and sustainer of Creation.
Amen.
(A Prayer from the Joint Public Issues Team of of the United Reformed Church, Methodist Church and Baptist Union)
We also have two new Reflections on our YouTube channel:
Reflections on Transfiguration
First Presbyterian (Non-Subscribing) Church, Dunmurry
Rev Dr David Steers
Pianist: Allen Yarr
Hymn: ‘Praise to the Lord the Almighty’
Reading: Matthew ch.17 v.1-13
Includes reflection on the situation in Ukraine.
Reflections on Wisdom
First Presbyterian (Non-Subscribing) Church, Dunmurry
Rev Dr David Steers
Organist: John Strain (Ballee Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church)
Reading: Psalm 90
So far in February we have had two online Reflections which look at verses from Matthew chapter 6; Look at the birds of the air, and from Psalm 46; Be still and know that I am God. But the call to still ourselves in the presence of God and an awareness of the natural world around us are both routes to closer engagement with the divine. There are different ways to centre ourselves in a way that leads to deeper communion with God.
I am very pleased too, to have images of birds taken by Graham Bonham which feature in the video, some of which are reproduced here.
February Reflections: Look at the birds of the air
Rev Dr David Steers
First Presbyterian (Non-Subscribing) Church, Dunmurry
Pianist: Allen Yarr
Hymn: ‘For the beauty of the earth’
Bird photographs all taken and kindly provided by Graham Bonham
Reflections on Psalm 46
First Presbyterian (NS) Church, Dunmurry
Organist: John Strain (Ballee NSP Church)
In the month of January 2022 we have uploaded four new short video Reflections to our YouTube channel. These cover Epiphany; the installation of the Rev István Kovács as the new bishop of the Hungarian Unitarian Church in Kolozsvár, Transylvania, Romania; the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity; and Psalm 8. John Strain and Allen Yarr provide music. The Reflections are by Rev David Steers and Jennifer Miles provides a reading. The picture at the top of the page and the thumbnail for the fourth video are images taken remotely from the camera on the International Space Station. The videos can be seen below.
The whole alphabet of Non-Subscription is now available to view on our YouTube channel. This tells the story of Non-Subscribing Presbyterianism in twenty-six chapters looking at a different aspect of the history, ethos, identity, theology or practice of this denomination. Filming began in June and ended in December 2021 with a service going live every week. Filmed at Downpatrick, Ballee, Clough and Dunmurry Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Churches, music has been provided by John Strain, Laura Patterson, Allen Yarr, Alfie McClelland, and Laura Neill. In addition a team of readers have taken part in these services each week including Elsie Nelson, Annabel Cleland, Noelle Wilson, Mary Stewart, Bobby Graham, Robert Neill, Emma McCrudden, and Gilbert Cameron.
The full list of topics covered is as follows:
Abernethy, John
Bible
Collecting Ladles
Doors
Education
Faith
Gifts of the Spirit
Hymns and Hymnbooks
Inquiring
Jesus
Kedron
Lord’s Supper
Montgomery, Henry
New Light
Organ
Pews
Quires and Places where they sing
Remonstrant
Stained Glass
Tokens
Ubi Spiritus Domini ibi Libertas
Verse
Women
eXile
Yahweh
Zechariah
They can all be accessed from this link:
The A to Z of Non-Subscribing Presbyterianism
We have now completed the whole of our alphabetical survey having added the letters V to Z over the Christmas period. V stands for Verse, W looks at the role of Women in the church and ministry, X is represented by eXile, Y stands for Yahweh, and Z is for Zechariah. All the videos can be seen below.
Verse
Where fishes play and bells do ring
Having reached the letter V in our study of Non-Subscribing Presbyterianism we look at poets and poetry in our tradition. Radicals, United Irishmen, literary giants, writers in Ulster Scots; the story of poets in our tradition is remarkably broad.
Who was the first person to refer to Ireland as the ‘Emerald Isle’? Which Ulster town was described as a place ‘where fishes play and bells do ring’? Which hymn penned by a Non-Subscriber has been in print for over 200 years? To which congregation did the ‘Shipyard Poet’ belong? Find out the answer to these and other questions in today’s service which looks at seven poets from the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian tradition. Conducted by the Rev Dr David Steers and filmed at First Presbyterian (NS) Church, Dunmurry the reading is from Isaiah ch.12 v.4-6. Church organist Allen Yarr plays the hymns: Just as I am, Thine own to be (Church Hymnary 497) and Thy Kingdom come, O God (Church Hymnary 152).
Women
The twenty-third in a series of alphabetical explorations of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland. W – Women. Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Worship conducted by the Rev Dr David Steers. Filmed at Ballee and Dunmurry Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Churches. Reading: Acts ch.16 v.11-15. Organist: John Strain (Ballee) who plays the hymns: My spirit longs for thee (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 301) and Sent forth by God’s blessing (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 409). In today’s service we look at the role of women in our denomination and at the Rev Gertrude von Petzold who has the distinction of being the first women minister, commencing her ministry in Leicester in 1904.
X is for eXile
In this service we look at the considerable contribution made by Non-Subscribers who left their native shores to found churches and extend their faith all around the world, particularly in Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. Who knew that there was once a Presbytery of Canada or that the first electoral register in the Cape Colony in South Africa was introduced by a Non-Subscriber and paid no attention to race? The service is conducted by the Rev Dr David Steers and filmed at Downpatrick and Dunmurry Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Churches. The reader is Gilbert Cameron (Dunmurry) who reads Jeremiah ch.24 v.4-7 and the organist is Laura Patterson (Downpatrick) who plays the hymns: In the bleak midwinter and When he cometh. At the start of the service John Strain also plays ‘Hark a thrilling voice’ on the organ at Ballee.
Yahweh
The name of God
In the penultimate service in our alphabetical journey through our religious tradition we have reached the letter ‘Y’ and look at the Hebrew word for God, what we understand by it and how it influences our faith in the twenty-first century. Filmed at Ballee, Clough and Dunmurry Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Churches the reader is Elsie Nelson (Clough) who reads Exodus ch.3 v.1-6. John Strain plays the hymns: I heard the voice of Jesus say (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 199) and Go work in my vineyard (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 294). At the start of the service John also plays Lo he comes with clouds descending.
Zechariah
Having reached the letter Z in our journey through the alphabet of our denomination, Z stands for Zechariah. This service is filmed at Ballee and Dunmurry. The reader is Robert Neill (Downpatrick) who reads Luke ch.1 v.67-79. Laura Neill (Downpatrick) plays Auld Lang Syne on the bagpipes. John Strain plays the hymns: I heard the voice of Jesus say (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 199) and Go work in my vineyard (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 294).
We have been powering on with our alphabetical journey through the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland and have now added the letters R to U to our survey. R covers the topic ‘Remonstrant’, S is ‘Stained Glass’, T stands for ‘Tokens’ and U is ‘Ubi Spiritus Domini ibi Libertas’. I will upload the video for each letter below.
Remonstrant
Remonstrant is an interesting word, not unique to Ireland, but only really used as a denominational name in one other country in Europe. In this video we look at the meaning behind the word and its resonance for us today. Conducted by the Rev Dr David Steers, Robert Neill (Downpatrick) reads Matthew ch.4 v.16-23 and John Strain plays In Christ there is no East or West (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 235), Thy way, not mine, O Lord (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 347) and Be still for the presence of the Lord at the start of the service on the organ at Ballee NSP Church.
Stained Glass
Some of our churches have only ever held plain glass through which the light shines directly illuminating our worship. Over time more churches have installed stained glass of various types and designs and have used light to tell a story or to beautify the sanctuary. In this service we look at the stained glass within Non-Subscribing Presbyterian churches. Robert Neill is our reader again, reading from Job ch.28 v.12-18, and John Strain, Ballee, plays Bright the vision that delighted (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 35) and Light of ages may Thy ray (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 270).
Tokens
In this service we use the history of Tokens – more specifically Communion Tokens – to look at our attitude to Communion which has always been open and inclusive.
In this service Emma McCrudden (Dunmurry) reads from Mark ch.14 v.22-26 and John Strain plays O thou who this mysterious bread (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 407), Put peace into each other’s hands (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 408) and This is the hour of banquet and of song (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 403) at the start of the service. The video contains examples of eighteenth-century communion tokens. Click on the video above to see the service.
Ubi Spiritus Domini ibi Libertas
Under the letter U we look at the phrase Ubi Spiritus Domini ibi Libertas, its meaning and significance to us.
Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Worship conducted by the Rev Dr David Steers. Filmed at Ballee, Clough and Dunmurry Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Churches the reading is 2 Corinthians ch.3 v.12-18. Ballee organist John Strain plays the Advent hymns O Come, O come, Immanuel (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 112), Hark the glad sound! The saviour comes (Hymns of Faith and Freedom 107) and, at the start of the service, Soon and very soon. The meaning of liberty for us.
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