American Teams

As a small church, our impact in the community is largely a continuation of the work undertaken by our American mission teams. Since, we have been working closely with two specific teams:

 

Pastor Steve Burton – Nashville, Tennessee.

This is the larger of the two teams, made up of a wide cross-section of families and individuals. Many team members return year on year, which has created a unique partnership between us, as we work together for God.

 

 

The team’s afternoon activities consist of ‘Vacation Bible School’ and Soccer Tournament programmes, for primary aged children, on the Dunclug pitch.

 

Evenings typically involve a number of small workshops and focus nights for the older age-groups, at Hillside.

The week often concludes with a concert, where music, dance, art & drama groups have the chance to demonstrate what they have learned to their families and friends.

 

As well as activities for children and teenagers, some of the team, along with Hillside members, visit and pray with the many parents and others we meet over the week.

These contacts can then be followed up at Hillside during the Winter season.

 

In Autumn 2008, Steve moved to a new church post in Jackson, Mississippi. As a result, we are currently discussing the viability of continuing this team on such a scale.

 

 

University Christian Fellowship – Birmingham, Alabama

This student team comes to Northern Ireland for a 4 week block each Summer, spending two weeks in the Coleraine area, one in Ballykeel and the final one with us in Dunclug.

 

Although initially involved in similar activities to the Nashville team, in more recent years, the team has concentrated on smaller ‘Backyard Bible Schools’, close to the homes of particular groups of children, with whom we have built up strong links.

This has allowed them to duplicate their morning and afternoon programmes across the various parts of Dunclug, as well as nearby Doury Road and Murob Park.