Week 9--Northen Ireland (Politics, Peace, and Presbyterianism)

We drove up into Scotland this week and hopped a ferry across to Northern Ireland.  After landing in Belfast, we drove up the coast to Bushmills and Portstewart, at the very top of Ireland.  The scenery, with it's lush green fields and sharp cliffs falling into the sea, has been absolutely stunning. 

The purpose of traveling here has been mainly to reconnect with a good friend from seminary, Philip Wilson, and his wife, Hannah.  Philip pastors a Presbyterian church in Bushmills--our first real connection with the Calvinist tradition in Britain while on our travels--and has been a tremendous resource in helping us process our experiences so far.  He has a good understanding of both the church in America and in Britain, the challenges each faces, and has been able to validate and/or reshape some of our perceptions of the state of the church here in Britian.  Both he and Hannah have together made us feel very welcome here.

One thing we've realized on our travels is that the history and geography of each particular church greatly shape that church's ministry--and the same is true of each region as well. It's very clear here in Northern Ireland.  The politics and history are such a deep part of the culture here, and while peace between the Protestants and Catholics has taken hold for the last five years or so, the conflict is still something that affects everyone's lives every single day.  As Philip commented, "a significant part of my role is as peacemaker." 

It struck me when he said that his primary way of addressing this is not to take a public stand or to host a demonstration when violence or persecution erupt, but rather to begin asking how they as a church might reach out to those who are on the fringe of those participating in the persecution, and, in turn, how they might help these people see how destructive their behavior is.  The hope, then, would be that these people would be able to influence those participants who are even more hardened in their views.  I wondered what this might look like at Boston Square in Grand Rapids where racial and ethnic tensions continue to be present and immigration reform continues to be a pressing issue.  Please pray for Northern Ireland, that the peace may continue to take hold and that true reconciliation might be birthed between the Protestants and Catholics.

It was good to worship in a Calvinist setting again and the service reminded us of many in the Christian Reformed Church back home.   In general, it seems like the Presbyterian church in Scotland and Ireland has not experienced the same extreme secularization that the Anglican church in England has.  The Irish Presbyterian church, however, certainly faces its own challenges.  For one, because of the violence that has plagued this region for the last thirty-plus years, many of the younger generation have moved away and settled elsewhere.  In general, the Presbyterian church here is fairly conservative and has a deep history, and being able to connect with a quickly-changing culture is a on-going challenge.

On a lighter note, it's amazed us--we may finally have found a land where the weather changes even more quickly than in Michigan.

May God bless you richly this week and always,

Jay

Misadventures of the week:  (1) The "shortcut" Google maps found for us on the way to the ferry did not account for the fact that the roads were so narrow and windy that we could not possible travel the 60 mph speed limit they expected.  (2) We've been initiated into the world of car-sickness in kids.  (3) Jay thought he had saved dinner one night by stopping at the convenience store to buy express microwave rice on the way home from a walk, only to get home and discover that we have no microwave at this apartment.