Revd Bryan Martin becomes rector of Annalong
There was delight in Annalong on Monday evening 16 June as Revd Bryan Martin was instituted as rector. The service took place in the (packed) halls as the church building is undergoing major renovation. Revd Trevor Johnston, rector of All Saints' Parish Church and curate-in-charge of St Nicholas', Lisburn Road, gave the address. Bryan and Trevor were at Theological College together and have known each other for over 30 years.
“Our journey to Annalong has been quite unique,” said Bryan, “but what a joy to be here serving with the great people of Kilhorne. It is no hardship to live in the Mournes with a view of the Irish Sea out the study window. I can say with King David, that the lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places, (Ps. 16:6). From the moment we arrived last September, we have felt such love and care, and we are delighted to now be an official member of the Kilhorne family.”
Bryan is married to Lesa, a primary school teacher, and they have 3 children. He grew up in several congregations in the Diocese of Down and Dromore - Gilnahirk, St Mark’s Newtownards, Movilla Abbey and Ballyholme.
“It wasn’t really until I was 18, that I put my trust in Christ, after watching a relay of Billy Graham’s Mission in London where he preached powerfully and simply on John 3:16-21. I can remember the challenge of “whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” I can still remember the joy and peace that I felt as I knew that my sin had been forgiven.
“A few years later, and with the encouragement of friends, I went to serve with Operation Mobilisation in North Africa, and I believe it was while I was serving overseas that the Lord was challenging me to consider ordained ministry, although truth be told, after being a minister’s daughter, this was the last thing that Lesa wanted to do. After a lot of prayer and godly counsel, and actually through the selection process, the Lord showed us that this was part of His plan for us.
“Since ordination, Lesa and I have had the opportunity to minister in five very different contexts and the journey has not always been simple, but by God’s grace we have seen people come to Christ and Christians discipled to serve the Lord. Through good times and through hard we have seen the Sovereign Lord guard and keep us and we can say that God is good, all the time.”
The future
“We have just changed our church logo and we are focusing on knowing God and making Him known. We have seen through these last months, people coming to Christ through Christianity Explored, people going deeper with Christ through studying Paul’s letter to Philippians in Discipleship Explored… we’ve seen people hungry to get into their Bibles as we’ve been studying Mark’s gospel and my heart is that people would know the love of God in Christ personally and then take that same love, that same gospel that calls us to repent, to others in Annalong, the Mourne area and to the ends of the earth.
“There is a church refurbishment coming to completion next Spring, a church family to disciple and a whole community to share Christ with as we visit every household throughout this summer.
“I want to say a huge thank you to all in Annalong, and in Down and Dromore, who have made us feel so welcome. We look forward to what the Lord has in store for us all.”
