Celebrations for Baptist Church’s 25 year anniversary

In the evening, a special guest service is planned, and everyone is welcome to join the church as they look at some footage of past history, and hear the ministry of Craig Dyer, Director of Christianity Explored.

Tea will be served following the service, and all are invited to remain and renew acquaintance.

The service will include a covenant and will be read in the morning to remind members and guests of their commitment to each other and to the Lord.

Everyone is welcomed to attend the celebrations at Ballymoney Baptist Church.

The beginning

In 1981, seven Baptists who lived in Ballymoney began to meet together, once a week, with Bill Johnston, a Baptist Missions worker.

Initially they met in each others’ homes, but following the arrival of Steven and Gail Curry, also from Baptist Missions, they began to look for a suitable site.

During this time, there were many instances of encouragement and support from the local, mainly Presbyterian community, including the offer of a field near the town as a temporary initial site.

Unexpectedly, a local estate agent offered them a small site in Ballybrakes, right

beside the water, so perhaps congenial to Baptists!

A portable hall was erected, and a short time later, the present church was constituted, on the 20th September, 1986.

The little hall on the riverside was packed to overflowing on a bright harvest day, when friends from neighbouring churches met to mark this exciting event.

Thirteen people (Baptists are not superstitious!) covenanted together to become the founder

members of Ballymoney Baptist Church.

Amazingly, no-one, including the many children, was scalded when tea was served from a little hut outside to this very cramped congregation!

The Church Covenant

The thirteen believers signed a covenant on the day of their constitution, as follows:

“We, the undersigned believers, with deep humility, being gathered together before

God our father, dedicate ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ and to one another as

brothers and sisters in Christ.

“By God’s grace we declare ourselves to be a church after the pattern set forth in the

New Testament, gathered together for the preaching of his word, the observance of his

ordinances, and the evangelisation of our fellow men.

“Therefore, we do solemnly join ourselves together in a holy union, fully subscribing

to the above constitution, and recognising Christ as the only Head of the Church.”

Underneath, in the then-new minute book, are the following signatures: Derek Boyd,

Joy Boyd, Annie Craig, Steven Curry, Gail Curry, Valerie McFall, Robert

McClelland, Margaret McClelland, Barbara McCook, James McCook, Betty Scott,

Alastair Smith, and Jackie Smith.

A new constitution

The formation of the constitution was one of the many new ventures undertaken by this newly-formed group, under Steven Curry’s leadership.

What might well seem on the face if it to be a laborious and painstaking exercise, proved a time of productive searching and discussion of the truth of the Bible, and of the Baptist faith.

It turned out that discussions of doctrine and theology were enjoyable and helpful in building a

team of believers together into a unit.

Church growth

The present church grew in numbers, and moved its Sunday services for a time to the town hall, during which period, they called Steven Curry to be their pastor, a position he filled until his departure to Bethany in Bangor in 2008.