In this latest episode of the PCI podcast, Ruth Bromley, PCI’s Children’s Ministry Development Officer, hosts a conversation with Andy Frost, Director of Share Jesus International and contributor to the Kitchen Table Project, Caroline Bradley from Care for the Family and Andy Lamberton from Legacy, about sowing the seeds of a growing faith in the l…

This episode explores PCI’s vision for church planting across Ireland. It considers why we need more churches on this island, and how that can be an effective way to reach new people with the good news of Jesus Christ. Tom Gilliam, an elder in Maynooth, and Josh McCance, church plant leader in Balbriggan, share their experiences and insights into c…

In this latest episode of the PCI podcast, Will Leitch interviews Rev David Thompson, Secretary of PCI’s Council for Congregational Life and Witness, on the thinking behind and hopes for Present - the new, denomination wide, initiative designed to encourage congregations in this season of life and witness, launched at this year’s General Assembly. …

Neil Hudson is Senior Leader of Salford Elim Church, but is better known to us in PCI for his work on the Imagine Church project for the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. That is the project that birthed the Frontlines small group material which many congregations have used and found helpful, along with two books authored by Neil, Ima…

The 2024 General Assembly opens on Thursday, 20 June and will run until Saturday afternoon, 22 June. In this episode four guests, each with different roles in next week’s event, look ahead to the annual gathering of ministers, elders and other representatives from home and overseas. They are the Clerk of the General Assembly, Rev Trevor Gribben, De…

The 2024 General Assembly opens on Thursday, 20 June and will run until Saturday afternoon, 22 June. In this episode four guests, each with different roles in next week’s event, look ahead to the annual gathering of ministers, elders and other representatives from home and overseas. They are the Clerk of the General Assembly, Rev Trevor Gribben, De…

In both good times and dark days, pastoral care is a vital ministry of the church. We all want to be confident to walk alongside and care well for those God has placed in our lives. But how do we do that? In this podcast, Andrew Collins (Director of the Certificate Course, Biblical Counselling UK), Marion Hadden (Family and Youth Coordinator and El…

We hear so much about how we are an increasingly aging society and an aging church. The focus often falls on the challenges that brings, but that reality also offers enormous possibilities for ministry and outreach through the local church if we have eyes to see them. Alex Drew who leads the work of a ministry called Faith in Later Life and David T…

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) is holding a Ministry Taster Day on Saturday, 16 March 2024. The special open day is for men and women who have been thinking, and praying about, becoming ordained ministers in PCI and feel that God is leading them in this direction. The event will take place in Belfast at Union Theological College, PCI’s pr…

All around the world, people are on the move, displaced from their homes by conflict, natural disasters, persecution, and land grabbing. In this podcast episode, Pip Florit, PCI’s Mission Support Officer for Partnerships talks to Rev Richard Kerr, Convener of the Global Development Committee, and Ruth Cooke, Christian Aid Ireland’s Head of Fundrais…

Leading in the church today can bring lots of encouragements and joy – lives transformed, people growing as disciples, a sense of purpose and community. But leading in the church can also feel difficult. Emerging from the retreat and restrictions, limitations and loss, disruption and disaster brought by the last number of years, many leaders feel w…

The world today can be overwhelming. Culture wars. Constant connectedness. Covid’s impact. A changing church landscape. Crisis after crisis local and globally. The list of challenges impacting how people faithfully follow Jesus goes on. So, how do we craft a disciple-shaped life? And how can we shape aspects of local church life – our corporate wor…

The 2023 General Assembly opens on the evening of the longest day of the year, Wednesday, 21 June, and will run until Saturday afternoon, 24 June. In this episode, four guests, each with different roles in next week’s gathering, look ahead to the annual gathering of ministers, elders, and other representatives from home and overseas. They are the M…

Over the past few weeks, much attention has been drawn to the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement with many visiting dignitaries and special events across Belfast and further afield. In this podcast episode, Karen Jardine (PCI’s Public Affairs Officer) is joined by Rev Dr Tony Davidson (Convener, Peace & Reconciliation Panel and r…

The world is a different place now than it was three years ago. Church is not the automatic place to come to for community and relationship building. No longer does the mantra of “if we open the doors, they will come” hold true. There are many children and families who have connections with our congregations and come to organisations during the wee…

Ahead of Presbyterian Women’s Annual Conference, this podcast considers the conference theme, Being Transformed which is based on Romans 12:2 - “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” We want to consider ways in which we can be transformed in Christ as we study God’s Word, take it to heart and…

In Matthew 4:19, Jesus calls his first disciples: “follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”. Since this first invitation to follow, be transformed and commissioned into the mission of Christ, billions more people have sought to follow Jesus. Featuring Rachael Gamble (Discipleship Facilitator, Sloan Street PCI), Colin Neill (Waringstown PCI) a…

The first podcast episode of 2023 explores how many Presbyterians have a deep relationship with Christ but find themselves tongue tied in talking about their faith with friends, colleagues and neighbours. Philip Houston (Ballykelly Presbyterian), Phyllis Linton (West Church, Ballymena) and Neil Harrison (Congregational Witness Development Officer) …

Being a parent of a teenager has never been easy, but many parents are seeing additional challenges and stresses for their young people and may wonder how to do the best job of supporting them at this time. This podcast begins with the voices of young people, sharing their challenges and opportunities, and what they most appreciate about their pare…

Children’s discipleship is nothing new but in light of the last two years and looking to the future, it is something that we need to prioritise more in the months and years ahead. Teaching children Bible stories, facts about God, and how to behave in church is important but it is not enough to help them to live out their faith from Monday to Saturd…

We are in a strange, kind of, in-between moment just now. On the one hand we feel like we have edged well out from the worst days of the pandemic and the lockdowns and the restrictions on what we were able to do. Whilst on the other we find ourselves asking questions about getting back together again ­– rebuilding the worshipping and fellowshipping…

The last two and a half years have been hard on all of us. Since the emergence of Covid-19, Presbyterian churches across Ireland have been faced with the significant challenge of how to biblically and pastorally respond well to the avalanche of psychological, emotional, and spiritual traumas experienced by many church members of all ages. As we rec…

Ministry in urban centres and housing estates presents unique challenges and opportunities for the church to show and share the love of Christ to a community in need. PCI’s Urban Mission Network seeks to support and encourage those ministering in these areas. To explore this we hear from Felix Aremo (Training Manager, London City Mission), Rev Rich…

Even though the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact have slipped down our news feeds with the cost of living crisis, the appointment of a new UK Prime Minister and the death of the Queen, and the Accession of King Charles to the throne, its effects are still felt by many and the task of pastoral follow up continues. To reflect on this we are joined by…

In celebration of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s translation of the New Testament into everyday language, Union Theological College is organizing a series of events called Bible for All to tell the story of how God’s Word in Scripture has come to us today, and equip people with resources and skills to get the most out of reading the Bible…

In the last episode before a summer break, regular podcast hosts Rick Hill and Neil Harrison take the chance to chat together. Their conversation focuses around the general theme of helping disciples of Jesus express their faith within every-day life, before the focus on introducing a new resource coming soon from PCI. The resource, Expressions, is…

As annual events retake their familiar place in the calendar, next week the General Assembly meets in Belfast, from Wednesday, 22 to Saturday, 25 June. It will be the first time since 2019 that it has been able to meet in its usual month and manner, following a smaller in-person meeting last October. In this episode we look ahead to next week’s gat…

This episode was recorded at the church planting conference, ‘A time to plant’, organised by the Council for Mission in Ireland that took place earlier in May in Dundalk. The conversation captures much of the energy, enthusiasm, and spirit of the day including some short reflections from a few individuals as well as an interview with keynote speake…

If you find yourself asking, 'Where have all our leaders gone?' then this conversation is worth a listen. Here, Rick Hill chats to David Thompson from the Council of Congregational Life and Witness and Christine Craig, elder elect in Kilbride Presbyterian and together they discuss themes like personally approaching people to serve, developing a lea…

It is increasingly apparent that there is a growing generational gap within women’s ministry that makes it more and more difficult to build an effective ministry to women of all ages. How can we think differently about women’s ministry and what approaches can we adopt to help us grow deeper together? To give an insight into how we, both individuall…

This week’s episode seeks to shine a light on the experience of refugees in Ukraine and the response on the ground by the Hungarian Reformed Church. We hear from Rev Nigel Craig, PCI Global Mission Worker in Hungary and Réka Gilicze who works with Hungarian Reformed Church Aid. In addition, the Moderator Rev David Bruce, shares a number of ways con…

This conversation flows out of a recent event held in Assembly Buildings for young adults called NOW. This evening event focused on the themes of discipleship, church engagement, and friendship to help the 18-25-year-olds present reflect on these important issues. Two of the speakers from that event, Zara Miskimmin (Made for More) and Chris McBurne…

The world of education has been increasingly in the spotlight, with all that the last couple of years has brought compounding and exacerbating existing challenges. Education is also part of PCI’s DNA – through the role of transferor governors and boards of management alongside the people in our pews who serve as school leaders, teachers, classroom …

The pandemic has taken its toll on all our young people, with some tough times when hope has been scarce. In April, a brand new type of youth event ONWARD: Journeying together in hope will help young people reflect on the Hope of the Gospel. This podcast features the two speakers of ONWARD, Nicola Clarke and Carl McManus, who talk to Graeme Thompso…

The podcast continues its ‘RENEW’ theme by turning attention to how we might be able to help renew our all-age worship. Children’s Director Nicky Bradley (Knock Presbyterian Church), Kidzone Leader James Cousley (Bloomfield Presbyterian) and Schools Ministry Manager and former children’s worker Mark Moorhead (SUNI) join Ruth Bromley to discuss thin…

The podcast continues its ‘RENEW’ theme by turning attention to how we might be able to help renew those who serve as volunteers within our congregations. Discipleship Facilitator Rachael Gamble (Sloan Street) and Clerk of Session Paul Elliott (Carnmoney) join Rick Hill (PCI) to discuss encouraging those who serve, drawing others into leading, carr…

It is increasingly apparent that there is a growing cultural gap between church and society across Ireland that makes it more and more difficult to reach new people with the gospel. To give an insight into how we as Christians, both individually and corporately can do this better, we draw learning from experiences of global mission in this conversa…

For our first episode of a new year, Rick Hill hosts a conversation about Refreshment and Renewal. Rev Sam Finlay, Minister of Redrock and Druminnis Presbyterian Churches in County Armagh, along with Paul Bowman, Youth Worker in Fitzroy Presbyterian reflect on coping with the challenges associated with leading in the church. They talk about sustain…

Tune in for a festive special on the Moderator's theme of, Hope at Christmas. Host Sarah Harding, editor of the Presbyterian Herald, is joined by Rev Richard Kerr, minister of Templepatrick PC, Olivia Elwood, member of Bloomfield PC, and Ilona Veres, PCI global mission worker. This episode explores how the World Development Appeal will bring hope t…

While so much of life was disrupted and so much church activity was paused last year, it could be argued that one thing that couldn’t be stopped by any restrictions was prayer. We can always approach God, and perhaps we found a greater emphasis on prayer or a freshness in how we prayed with others. Rev David Cupples (Enniskillen Presbyterian Church…

Christian parents who want to actively help their children follow Jesus may find that this role changes as their family gets older. In this episode, Dr. Gareth Crispin (Cliff College, England and father of 3) and Gillian Spiers (mum of 4 from First Dromara Presbyterian) are in conversation with Graeme Thompson (PCI Youth Development Officer) about …

The 26th UN Climate Change Conference known as COP26 is currently meeting for twelve days of talks in Glasgow. To give an insight into why we as Christians, both individually and corporately should be concerned about climate change and suggest some practical ways we can respond, this episode hears from Rachael Thomas, a member of Knock Presbyterian…

Ministry to children and families has been seriously impacted by the pandemic and we may have lost momentum that we had in this ministry previously. So, what are some of the things we need to think about as we restart children’s ministry for this season? For this conversation, Ruth Bromley is joined by Rev Mark Johnson (minister, St Andrew’s Bangor…

This isn’t an easy time to be a leader. The newness of the moment, the need to learn new skills, the pressures of decision-making among the vast array of opinions alongside constant changes and the need to generate momentum. So, what are we learning about leadership? For this conversation, host Rick Hill is joined by Rev David Thompson (Secretary, …

The General Assembly is meeting next week for the first time since June 2019. This episode looks ahead to the practicalities of what to expect and some of the themes being discussed this year as we are joined by the Moderator of the General Assembly, Rev Dr David Bruce, the Clerk of the General Assembly Rev Trevor Gribben and the Secretary for the …

The Bible is part and parcel of congregational life, whether on Sundays or through the week, but this episode of the PCI Podcast explores how we are doing when it comes to Bible engagement. We live in a time where access to the Bible has never been higher and yet readership is in decline. Add to that the disrupted rhythms of the past 18 months. So,…

Guests at the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s (PCI) centenary event ‘On These Steps’, which took place on 17 September 2021, were treated to the premier of a specially commissioned song by the Belfast-based indie singer-songwriter, Ferna. The livestreamed event from PCI’s Union Theological College in south Belfast, marked the part played by the Co…

The impact of the pandemic for declining churches has accelerated some towards the point of unsustainability. What might a journey of re-habilitation involve for congregations like this? This conversation with Rev Neil Stewart (Trinity Greyabbey and Cloughey) and Rev Marty Gray (Ravenhill) and hosted by Neil Harrison, seeks to share experience and …

The podcast returns after a summer break to bring you a fresh set of conversations over the coming weeks to help us reflect on the life and witness of our congregations at this time. This episode focuses on how we can be going about resuming and re-starting some of our rhythms in the months ahead. Host, Rick Hill, is joined by Rev Alistair Bates (W…

On Thursday, 15 July 2021, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Right Honourable Brandon Lewis MP, published a Command Paper entitled, ‘Addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past’. In its response to the Secretary of State’s statement in the House of Commons, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland said that key principles previously commi…