Another milestone for Ballymacarrett Parish
The exciting new plans for St Patrick’s Ballymacarrett took another step forward on Monday evening 13 April with the institution of Revd Mike Darbandi as Incumbent of the parish.
Earlier this month, Mike and his family moved to Belfast following a clear sense of God’s call, in partnership with Bishop David and the Church Revitalisation Trust (HTB Network), to plant a new Resource Church in St Patrick’s.
That vision has become Six:Eight Church—a new community in East Belfast centred on encounter, transformation, and being sent. Six:Eight will initially meet in the hall whilst major renovations are undertaken in the church building.
Bishop David preached on the Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37 and reminded us that when we make ourselves available and obedient to God, his Word and Spirit bring life.
In his remarks after the service Mike echoed our need to rely on God:
“Our hope here this evening is in Jesus Christ, the one who is the same yesterday, today and forever and we believe he is still calling a people here – a people to encounter him, a people to be transformed by him and a people to be sent out for the sake of the gospel.
“And so tonight all I want to encourage us to do is to hold on to hope – not tightly, not anxiously trying to control what’s ahead but steadily, calmly, together trusting in the one who goes before us because he who promised in faithful (Hebrews 10:23). And so, we entrust our next chapter into his hands because he’s the one that will lead and guide.”
Meet Mike
Mike is married to Caroline, and together they have three young children. He grew up in Leeds and studied Business Management at the University of Sheffield, before spending several years running popular cocktail bars and restaurants.
In his mid-twenties, after asking a friend some honest questions about faith, Mike encountered Jesus and everything changed. Sensing a call to ministry, he has since served on the senior teams of three large churches in England, leading across social justice, operations, young adults, and discipleship. He studied theology at the University of Oxford, was ordained in June 2022, led the youth programme for New Wine England, and served on the leadership of The SEND UK & Ireland.
Before moving to Belfast, he oversaw Discipleship and Leadership Development at Gas Street Church in Birmingham.
Mike carries a deep passion to see people encounter Jesus for themselves - not just know about Him, but know Him - and to step into the life they were made for.
He says: “In a city where many have inherited a story about Jesus but never experienced Him personally, I long to see a different story emerge - one where people discover that God is present, relevant, and inviting them into real relationship today. My hope is to see a courageous, Spirit-filled church take shape, and a city awakened to the life of God.”
