Meet Diocesan Bible Teacher/Catechist, David Hughes
David Hughes is one of seven Diocesan Bible Teachers/Catechists commissioned at a service in Mount Merrion Parish Church on Thursday 30 April 2026. He is a parishioner of Holywood Parish.
I was brought up in a Christian home, and I responded to the gospel for the first time as a teenager at a Christian youth camp in Sussex. I went on to attend that camp a couple of times each year, and I was encouraged to give my testimony and later to lead and teach there. I have always really enjoyed studying, understanding and discussing what we believe, and I have always understood that I have a responsibility to use my gifts and skills to serve others. I worked with missionaries on my gap year, and took leadership roles as a student in bible study groups and prayer groups. I studied church history, and have been able to read widely in a way that deepened my faith.
My wife and I moved to Northern Ireland with my work in 2001, and I have been a member of Holywood Parish since then. I have had opportunities to lead services and teach, and I have been a parish reader for a number of years. At the same time, in my career as a civil servant, I have been given plenty of experience in training colleagues, and presenting and explaining the work of my Department.
Recently, with my children grown up (although not away!), it felt right to look at how I could contribute more within my church community. The idea of the Bible Teacher and Catechist course was suggested, and it felt like a good fit with what I enjoyed doing and what my experience had prepared me for.
The course built upon what I had been taught much more informally over the years; it was good to be given the structures and principles which I can build upon for the future. And it was especially a pleasure to meet up with others who were doing the same thing and learning at the same time.
There are already opportunities for serving in Holywood parish, but I rather expect that new things will come along, and I trust that I am ready for them!
Might this be your calling too? The course will run again in autumn 2025. Find out more in our Training Section HERE.