Kieron Lynch, pastor of Immanuel Church Dublin shares some of the highlights from 2022 and explains that gospel ministry will always mean change and upheaval

Mark Smith, pastor of City Church Dublin shares some of the highlights of 2022 and looks forward to 2023 as they reach 10 years of ministry and plan to launch their first church plant.

Rev’d Cameron Jones reflects on the year just gone and calls us to continue to trust in God’s majestic Word to accomplish his purposes.

Bishop Wallace Benn spoke at our AGM earlier this year with the clear message: God is faithful through it all.

David Martin speakers to Rev. Cameron Jones , a pioneer evangelist with a ministry for office workers.

We are much like the Colossians, and so we work hard to deepen our knowledge of God’s will by study of God’s word. This is as essential for Christian discipleship today as it was for the believers in Colossae. Christian discipleship is founded in the study of God’s word.

By Gods grace many Iranians lives have been changed over the years. One of these Iranians is Mehran, he is the leader of one of the underground churches in Iran which we planted about one year ago.

If we are therefore to continue in Jesus’ footsteps, and seek to make our Bible teaching as simple and clear as possible, what expectations are appropriate for such a commitment?

From the beginning of my time in ICM, I regularly heard the phrase “Word-based ministry”. This wasn’t a particularly new concept to me, but I remember an apprentice whom I mentored commenting on how God’s word underpins absolutely every meeting. That is not to say that there isn’t a role for taking time to build genuine friendships with people, which often happened, for example with international students at the English Corner café or our Parent and Toddler group, but there was always an opportunity for those attending to be exposed to reading God’s Word for themselves.

We’re about to begin some extensive work on the front of the building and also renovate all windows in the building. This pre-renovation work is aimed at conserving and restoring many of the original features of the building. We are planning for the major renovations to follow after these.

Why then is the preaching in our churches so often so poor? Because we so easily forget what we have been called to do and what our priorities are. We need to repent where necessary and “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (I Tim.4:16).

More than that, I am personally convinced that there is a need for church planting and rejuvenation outside of the existing parochial structures of the Church of Ireland. As far as possible I want to work alongside the existing Anglican structures, but the work needs to continue regardless. As Chairman of ICM I would truly value the prayers of all ICM supporters as we seek to navigate these matters with care, and in a way that brings honour to the Lord Jesus.

In our seasons of difficulty, in our struggles with sin and suffering, we need each other. Our relationships grow in depth as we ask God and each other for help. The local church becomes the focus. Ephesians 4 moulds our thinking, each one has a role to play. The commands of Scripture come alive: love one another, be kind to one another, forgive one another, bear with one another.