Colin Birnie full of expectation as he takes on new role in St Clement’s
Colin Birnie has been commissioned as Parish Worker for St Clement’s, Templemore Avenue, and he is full of faith for what God will do in the parish and surrounding community.
Bishop Harold commissioned Colin and preached at the service on Monday 9 September. In March 2016, Colin was among the first Diocesan Evangelists to be commissioned for the diocese.
He introduces himself below:
I was born and raised in East Belfast and live a five–minute walk from St Clement’s. I came to faith seven and a half years ago through witnessing the transforming power of the Gospel, as my wife Angela began to follow Jesus. I was amazed at how her life was transformed by the love of Jesus and I began searching for myself. After completing an Alpha Course I came to the realisation that I needed to surrender my life to Jesus, and my life has never been the same since that day. My passion is for everyone to experience the love and freedom that comes with encountering Jesus face to face.
Every step of my journey with God so far has opened my eyes just that little bit more to see His plan and purpose for my life. As the Holy Spirit has called me to various opportunities over these past years, I have to be honest and say that most of them frightened the life out of me. But following His call is an adventure that I am glad I have embraced because, as Nicky Gumble says, “ The call of God is not just a nice experience; it’s a life changing encounter”.
I have been serving God in St Clement’s these past three years and Angela and I love the people of this Church. We both have a burning desire to see the lives of the people who live in the streets around us impacted and transformed by the power of the Gospel. I love the story of Gideon in the Old Testament, as this reminds me that if God is with me then all things are possible.
As I step into this new role, I pray that I would not run on ahead of God and try to do things in my own strength but wait and listen for the Holy Spirit’s leading and guidance. I am looking forward to this next step of my journey with an expectation that the Holy Spirit will move in power; that the Kingdom of God will break into the everyday; and that God’s Church would flourish and grow.
My prayer is that Angela and I would love and serve the parish of St.Clement’s well and that we will always keep Jesus at the centre of everything we do.