Tides ​ Remember you can sign up for the daily Tides email on the Home page of the Burnside Website. www.BurnsidePCI.co.uk Today is the last day of 2 weeks of promises that we have been reminded of. Today we are reminded from those very familiar words in John 3:16 that God has loved us so much that he has come among us. Remember in December our theme of “God With Us” Today Rev. Jonathan Cowan reminds us that Jesus does not socially distance.

We are advised to keep our social distance during this pandemic. We can only watch from a distance the pain that this world is experiencing from the effects of Covid-19. However, God got involved in this world and kept his promise and sent his only son to save it. Jesus did not self-isolate from the world, but came to save sinful and rebellious people. Our God makes and keeps his promises so let’s trust him more and more during these days.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:16-18

I wish to introduce you to two ladies who have meant a lot to me over the years ---- and both had become blind. The first one was my Grandmother.
After their marriage, my parents continued to reside in the family home in order to support my Grandparents.

Now if that brings to mind a picture of a little old lady sitting in the corner being attended hand and foot, nothing could be further from the truth. My Granny was an active and busy person both in the home and in her Church.

She had insisted that my Mother would resume her teaching career and, with help in the day to day running of the home, this indeed came about.
Here are some lines which sum up how she felt about life:

‘Oh, what a happy soul am I
Although I cannot see,
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.’

And who penned those lines?  They were written by a girl at the age of eight and who had become blind when she was six weeks old…. Fanny Crosby.
Fanny went on to write more than 8,000 Gospel Hymns.
One day a close friend played a melody and asked, ‘What does this tune say?’
Fanny Crosby immediately responded: ‘Why, that says ‘Blessed Assurance,
Jesus is Mine.’    

This song reflects Fanny Crosby’s walk of faith, as we read in
Philippians 1:21
‘For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.’

Very much enjoyed this fellows rendering of 23rd psalm. I first heard him on Easter Sunday when he sang “Our God, He is Alive”.  Marvellous harmony.  Perfect timing. Could listen to him all day!

My name is Michael Eldridge. I’m a pharmacist by trade with a passion for singing. I’ve been blessed by God with the opportunity to share my love for the classic acapella hymns I grew up singing, and still sing today. The goals of my work are as follows: 
- To glorify God with the gifts He has made me a steward of as long as He grants me the opportunity to do so
- To inspire brothers and sisters in Christ to use the abilities God has given them to bear fruit in the kingdom
- To refresh and admonish the spirits of all who hear
- To imprint godly lessons and principles upon the most impressionable minds
May God bless you, wherever this page finds you!
“So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:11‬ ‭

It's not just churches that have changed during lockdown. Workplaces have been turned upside down. In this latest episode of These Three Remain podcast, we talk to three Presbyterians who are keyworkers in education, health and retail. 
Primary school principal Mark Beattie, 
GP Dr Alastair Aicken (who used to lead CSSM in Portstewart)
and supermarket manager Caroline Orr 
share their experience of pressurised and changed work environments and how God is working in their lives with PCI's Discipleship Development Officer Rick Hill.

​Even in the uncertainty of these days, we can still proclaim this is the day the Lord has made as we begin another day preparing a hot Sunday meal for our many homeless friends. In His Name, we rejoice in serving and representing Him in this way!  We witness daily HIS faithful protection and abundance provision.

Although I must admit, I am not sure we realised what we were getting into as we enter our 10th  week of Daily Takeaway Hot Meal Packs at The LightHouse for the homeless community during this Covid-19 health crisis.  Yet it is the smiles, thanks and tears that keep us encouraged and pressing on, in addition to the many supporting the needs required to continue this essential service, now serving over 300 meal parcels each day and distributing countless toiletries and clothing items.  We have even begun distributing meals and clothing to homeless hostels and other related services as the needs increase and time lengthens.
​
You can SEE what we are doing in the attached video.  Would you consider being a part of the VISION through the Go-Fund-Me link below, partnering with us in this critical service to our many homeless friends.  Together we are representing God's love and compassion in such a unique time of need and despair.  This week, a woman came to our door asking for food and clothing in tears, making the comment "I have lost all dignity", such a sad statement to hear.

Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 1:1-5 (NIV)

“His timing is perfect.”
Try telling that to my son who has missed the end of his P7 year, school trip and all the fun promised post-AQE! Try telling my friends who have had to postpone their lovely June wedding. Try telling the newly 40 year old me, who missed birthday celebrations with family and friends. Try telling yourself in whatever you’ve missed, because we’ve all missed something.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.
LAMENTATIONS 3:22-27

Installation Of New Moderator The formal election and installation of the new Moderator of the General Assembly will be held at 7.00pm on Monday 1st June 2020. This will be live-streamed from the Assembly Hall and therefore available for everyone to watch by following the link that will be on the main PCI website (www.presbyterianireland.org). ​Please note this link will be ‘active’ on the PCI website from about 6.45pm on Monday 1st June. More details and the full News Release from PCI is included at the end of the blog today.

Home... but never alone A Member of Bloomfield Presbyterian Church & busy working mum Deborah Sloan reflects on how spending time at home in Lockdown has increased her awareness of God’s presence & brought lessons that might not have been learned any other way Read the Article here https://bit.ly/360rGfG

It will not come as a surprise that this year Bangor Worldwide will take on a very different format.  Our launch which was planned for Wednesday 27 May is still taking place, albeit online.  Below is the link to our promotional video and we ask if you would kindly share this with your congregation via your websites, social media etc inviting them to join us at 7.45 pm.  The launch will be streamed on Facebook, Vimeo and YouTube.  There will be singing, reports from around the world and Rev David Meredith, Missions Director, Free Church of Scotland will be speaking.
Bangor Worldwide Launch Wed 27 May @ 7.45 pm
Tom Clarke, Chairman explains how Bangor Worldwide will take place 21 – 29 August:  “In the light of current government restrictions around Coronavirus and the uncertainty about when these might be lifted, both here and across other nations where our speakers were due to travel from, the organising committee has decided to proceed with the summer Convention albeit with a different format. All the talks from various mission personnel and our weekday Bible studies will be posted online for free for people to watch and engage with. 
With a history going back to 1937, we are delighted to continue our support of mission work throughout the world and will be gathering video content to stream on our website.  The complete details of the online programme are still being worked out and more information will be released during an online launch due to take place on Wednesday 27th May.”


VIDEO. https://vimeo.com/bangorworldwide/download/417546608/1f59066bd7

New Moderator to be installed on 1 June
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland announced today (21 May) that Rev David Bruce will be installed as the denomination’s new Moderator on the evening of Monday, 1 June, in a special event, which will be livestreamed from Assembly Buildings in Belfast.
 
The installation will take place on what would have been the Opening Night of this year’s General Assembly. The annual meeting was cancelled last month due to the current Coronavirus emergency and a small 25 person Standing Commission of the General Assembly has been appointed to transact necessary business, including the installation of the new Moderator for the year 2020 / 2021. Traditionally, the service from the historic Assembly Hall, would have been attended by upwards of 900 people from across Ireland, including past moderators, civic dignitaries, and representatives from other churches across Europe, Africa and Asia.
 
This year, apart from technical support, only four people will be physically present – the outgoing Moderator, Rt Rev Dr William Henry, Moderator-Designate, Rev David Bruce and the Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the General Assembly, the Revs Trevor Gribben and Jim Stothers. Other people will be participating remotely in the livestream from the Assembly Hall, leading in prayer and praise and reading from the Scriptures. Also taking part, but remotely via a video conferencing platform, will be the members of the 2020 Standing Commission, which has been set up to conduct all necessary business of this year’s Assembly. Monday evening will be one of their main tasks - electing the incoming Moderator, PCI’s most senior office-bearer and principal public representative.
 
Speaking about the installation, Rev Trevor Gribben, Clerk of the General Assembly and General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland said, “If we think back to that cold winter’s evening of 4 February, when our Church’s 19 regional Presbyteries met and nominated David Bruce as our next Moderator, who would have thought that so many of the things that we have taken for granted, would have changed so much in such a short space of time?
 
“As I have said before, our General Assembly has been part of the rhythm of our Church life since 1840. It is the Presbyterian family coming together, and as far as I am aware a meeting has never been cancelled, only postponed, due to a different kind of national emergency in 1940.”
 
Mr Gribben continued, “Yet, unprecedented times often call for unprecedented responses, and like many organisations, we have found it necessary to find different ways of working to do what needs to be done, and this includes the installation of our new Moderator.”
 
Outlining the service of installation, Mr Gribben explained that the four people present, along with the couple of technicians in the Assembly Hall, would follow all appropriate health and safety precautions, including observing government guidance on social distancing in the large hall, which normally holds over 900 people.
 
The Installation, which is being livestreamed and can be watched by following the link on the PCI website (www.presbyterianireland.org), will start at 7pm with an introduction and call to worship from the outgoing Moderator, Dr Henry. He will give a short address about his year in office and his theme, ‘Enjoying God’. Following a worship song from members of Dr Henry’s home congregation, Maze Presbyterian near Lisburn, the Clerk of the General Assembly will then formally propose David Bruce as Moderator, with the Deputy Clerk seconding the nomination. The members of the 2020 Standing Commission will then be asked to elect PCI’s new Moderator for 2020 / 2021.
 
Following the election, Dr Henry will then pray for David Bruce, installing him as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. He will then take the Moderator’s Chair for the first time and give his address. During the evening, Scripture readings and prayers will be led remotely by the Chaplains of both the outgoing and incoming Moderators. The installation will close with a final hymn and the Benediction, which will be pronounced by the new Moderator, by then, the Rt Rev Dr David Bruce, the 175th person to hold the office.
 
Trevor Gribben concluded by saying, “This is always a special moment in the life of our Church and for our new moderators and their family. This year, by necessity, it will also be a different kind of ceremony for a particularly unique time in our history. We very much hope that many will join us by watching the livestream on the night.”

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
MATTHEW 6:25-34
​

I can hear the birds. The soundtrack of my day is normally traffic, Spotify, notifications, voices and the constant din of thoughts racing around my head of doubts, fears and to-do lists. However, in the midst of a pandemic, when fears, needs and economic uncertainty have intensified, the noise and busyness around me and within me has reduced. So as I walk through the park, I hear the birds singing. They aren’t worrying about their wellbeing or fearful about finances. Simply being. Simply trusting.

Beard Watch On Tuesday I had asked for a picture of Eric’s hedgehogs and his beard. Eric says that it will be difficult to get a photo of the hedgehogs but he sent me this photo of his beard. ​Lockdown suits you Eric.

Wednesday Prayer Time Each Wednesday the prayer meeting took place in Burnside at 9:30am, I encourage you to take some time today to pray, most of the articles on the blog today are themed around prayer and do remember that you can go to the Virtual Prayer Room to find inspiration for your prayers. https://bit.ly/BurnsidePrayerRoom

PCI Global Mission Prayer Global Mission Worker updates for May are now available over on the PCI website. Read how Coronavirus has been affecting their life and witness in the countries they are serving in. Each bulletin also includes prayer points https://bit.ly/3buTgTI

walk-and-pray-resource.pdf
File Size:	189 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

---

Prayer For Moldova You may remember Robin Peake from Innovista coming to Burnside a few years ago with Slavic from Russia. Innovista have now realised a podcast and the first episode focuses on Christian Leadership in Moldova. In this episode we hear from Maricela, Innovista's national director in Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe and formerly part of the Soviet Union. In her conversation with Jon she reflects on 2019, and the impact of training church leaders last year. Then she tells us about the effects Covid-19 is having on the leaders she’s worked with, and on Moldova as a whole. Join Maricela and Jon to be encouraged, as together we hear about Leadership in Difficult Times and Places. https://innovista.podbean.com/e/the-one-about-moldova

Daily Hope This also appeared in the weekend email. (If you don’t receive that email please send me your email address) To be VERY clear this is nothing to do with Burnside but I draw it to your attention because so many people have benefitted from our own Phone Burnside. Daily Hope has been set up by the Church Of England and is a phone line of hymns, reflections and prayers. It is a Freephone number (But please be aware that calls from a mobile may incur a charge - check with your mobile provider) The Telephone Number is 0800 804 8044

night-of-prayer-virtual.pdf
File Size:	117 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

---

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. 9 Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
​Philippians 4:8-9 (MSG)

Keswick Ministries tweeted Great to have nearly 100 people join an online preaching workshop today! 
It was led by communications consultant Richard Garnett & Ministry Director James Robson. The workshop helped people, who are now preaching regularly online, on some key questions around communication.

PROVERBS 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

The promise of guidance is offered in this verse when we lean on God and stay close to him. To do this, we need to turn to his Word which guides us in the wisdom of his ways. Leave all your questions with God. Park your worries and concerns with him. It is what he wants us to do. He didn’t make us to have all the answers. The truths he wants us to know are found in his Word.

" The time for the singing of the birds has come "  Song of Solomon ch 2 v 12
When listening to the lovely hymn, “How Great Thou Art”, in the praise section of the Virtual Prayer Room, I was reminded that in Lockdown, we have not been able, so far, to "wander in forest glades" but we have been able to hear "the birds sing sweetly in the trees". Less pollution, less noise, and the wonderful sunshine have made the birds very happy. Many more than usual, have visited our gardens. Some people of course may not have relished a noisy dawn chorus!

Last week, when walking the shore path, I had my first sighting of several swallows, zooming in a loop the loop Red Arrows style, across the rocks at Edgewater beach. My spirit was lifted, as I thought about the distance these birds had flown, possibly, all the way from South Africa, I wondered had these swallows been at this spot before, where there is a little stream they could drink from, and catch a few flies. I also wondered where they were nesting, and thought about Psalm 84 and the the swallows  and sparrows finding a home in the temple courts. How blessed we are to be able to walk along the shore! At our Friendship Hour, last year we had a speaker from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Before his presentation began we were reminded and amazed, to discover the many different birds that are mentioned in the Bible. They include the dove,  raven, buzzard, vulture, hawk, heron, stork, pigeon, osprey, and many more. The gulls and cormorant are also mentioned and often, the Eagle.
In Exodus 19 v 4 the eagle is mentioned as a picture of God's deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt. He said "I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself " The eagle is the symbol of the power, strength and protection of God which is a available to us all.
We have a promise in Isaiah 40 v 31

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar  on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint "
​
A wonderful promise in our difficult times !
Wilma

Get Your Life Back A book by John Eldredge, Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad. Available on Kindle https://amzn.to/366cbTv

Aaron House Staff of Aaron House in Belfast would like to extend their sincere thanks for the gift of hand cream from Mitchell House School whose staff & pupils held a ‘virtual coffee morning’ to raise funds. Their kindness is much appreciated

#MrWhippeyDoorStepDeliveriesNI

Jigsaw Top times submitted for yesterday’s jigsaw Eric 5.06 (With proof) Derek 5.07 - So close! Puzzle For Today ​ https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0eefeddfa69c

Weakness Not Strength

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9

We’re not called to be strong, but instead rely on the One who is strong. We’re not meant to have all the answers, but rather walk with the One who is the answer. You are weak. He is strong.

... take time to thank God for your weaknesses. Ask him to flood those weaknesses with his strength and enable Christ’s glory to be displayed through them.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who walks beside;
Who floods my weaknesses with strength
And causes fears to fly;
Whose every promise is enough
For every step I take,
Sustaining me with arms of love
And crowning me with grace. My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who walks beside;
Who floods my weaknesses with strength
And causes fears to fly;
Whose every promise is enough
For every step I take,
Sustaining me with arms of love
And crowning me with grace.

What I have GAINED and LOST from lockdown - Eric Leslie
GAINED
1. A son who now bugs ME about any jobs needing done!
2. A whole new perspective of Portstewart through the eyes of Richard’s camera (truly beautiful).
3. The Getty family (what a joy!).
4. A weekend that lasts all week.
5. A scruffier bible.
6. Not one but TWO hedgehogs (isn’t life wonderful).
7. A beard!
8. Burnside @ Home (Brilliant)
9. Sore hands from clapping on a Thursday evening (I now use saucepan lids).
 
LOST
1. ½ a stone (only joking Julie).
2. A son who never sees the jobs that need done.
3. The company of you folks from Burnside. (I haven’t lost it but I sure miss it).

Irish Blessing I sent out an email yesterday evening to tell most people about The Irish Blessing. Some of you may have missed this. It is a plan to include members of churches all across Ireland to sing Be Thou My Vision and release it for Pentecost Sunday. If you enjoy singing all the details can be found on the Web-Site below. All you need to do is follow the instructions, download the backing track and record yourself singing, the team will then mix everything together in a similar style to the UK Blessing. This is a unique opportunity to be involved in something momentous, so act quickly and get your video recorded sent in before they are inundated. If you are not of the singing kind then do pray that God would use this ministry to impact this country.  https://theirishblessing.com

​

Something New Each week I am trying to add something new or do something differently. This week there are two things. 1) Lost & Found Have you tried to find something on the website and simply given up because you can’t remember which church service, blog article or prayer point you last saw it. I have now introduced a search feature on the Home page. Enter what you are looking for and you should get a list of all the places that it is mentioned.

2) Burnside At Home Podcast We have all been learning new words during Lockdown and many of you have been introduced to Podcasts. I am pleased to announce today that we now have a Burnside Audio Podcast. It is basically an edited version of the Sunday service, (This is what you hear if you Phone Burnside) so if you have watched the service and now want to listen to something again you can using your Podcast Software. It is also a convenient way to listen to the service while out walking. I used to listen to Podcasts when driving, but who drives anymore? It is only available on Spotify & Google Podcasts initially but hopefully should appear on iTunes and lots of other platforms over the next few weeks. This is all a learning curve and apparently it can take a new podcast a few weeks to be approved. https://anchor.fm/burnside