There is a famine far more severe than the loss of potatoes which has been making its way across the Emerald Isle for many decades. The land of St Patrick, home of rock band U2, is in need of Gospel seed to be sown among the many communities where a historical Catholic church has fallen into the background of tradition and culture, offering an unengaged path of religiosity through a distortion of the Scriptures.
While some of the larger cities, such as Dublin and Cork, have an evangelical presence, most of the country is without sufficient Gospel witness. In partnership with local networks such as Calvary Mission, we are engaged in church planting in various rural communities, especially in the West of Ireland. We work amongst real people, with real needs, who need a real Jesus displayed in the true Gospel.
As if the need for Gospel workers weren’t already great enough, recent changes in the requirements for a Minister of Religion visa have created new roadblocks against more laborers coming to these harvest fields. Currently, we are praying for those who have EU citizenship—and thus open access to enter and reside in Ireland—to ask the Lord if He might be calling them to be a fresh source of Gospel seed in the Emerald Isle!
In addition to engaging rural Irish, there are also opportunities to pioneer ministry amongst Irish Travellers (similar to Roma/Gypsies) as well as the growing Muslim populations in Ireland.
As the famous Breastplate Prayer of St Patrick says, we are seeking those who would come to engage in relational, incarnational evangelism, so that we might see Kingdom fruit…
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Related Links
https://calvarychurchballina.ie/
For a great article on the need for Gospel work in Ireland please read: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/reaching-ireland-christ/