Presbyterian outreach in Belfast's Sandy Row under the spotlight
Blythe Street in South Belfast is a small side street off Sandy Row, in one of the loyalist heartlands of the city.
Since the 1960s, it has been the location of South Belfast Friendship House, a place that has been providing a Christian witness in the area with fellowship and community support. Run by the Presbyterian Church's Council for Mission in Ireland, church moderator the Rev Dr Richard Murray, paid a visit there to find out about its mission and work.
Dr Murray’s visit was one of a number of engagements during his recent week-long tour of the Presbyterian church’s presbytery of South Belfast, where he saw at first-hand the work carried out by local congregations, the presbytery in partnership with other ministries, organisations, and the work of the church centrally. He was shown around by Robert Dalzell, Friendship House’s mission project leader, who has been there since 2014.
“We really appreciated Dr Murray’s visit. Apart from being able to talk to him about our work in Sandy Row, it was a nice reminder that we are part of a bigger picture, part of the rich tapestry of Christian outreach and ministry that our Presbyterian church is engaged in across the country. His visit to Friendship House, and the time he spent with some of the people that we support, was really welcome,” said Mr Dalzell.
Originally the vision of Presbyterian Women (PW), the organisation that supports the development of ministry among women across PCI, Friendship House has a small team with the project leader, a children’s worker, and a deaconess. Their work is also supported by around 20 volunteers, many of whom are students who live in the nearby Presbyterian Derryvolgie halls on the Lisburn Road.
With six after-school clubs, a large chunk of the work of Friendship House surrounds primary school children through homework clubs, a tots and toddlers' group, and new clubs for P7s and year 8-plus. While children’s and youth work has developed out of necessity, it has always been a part of the overall vision for Friendship House as it seeks to serve the whole Sandy Row community’s needs, which includes the well-attended Wednesday morning friendship group for adults.
Mr Dalzell also said the project had longevity and is well respected locally. "Indeed, the older children I worked with when I volunteered here 15 years ago, are now sending their children, so there is that ongoing connection.
“There are two great community centres locally, but we want to be seen as something a little different. When it was started by Presbyterian Women as a small kitchen house in the 1960s with one of PCI’s deaconesses, Friendship House was a place of welcome, where people could drop in and feel the warmth of the Christian love, which is still very much at the heart of the mission projcect.
“We have always drawn on First Thessalonians 2, where the Apostle Paul says we are not only happy to share the gospel with you, but our lives. As we model that out, we hope that everyone who comes through our doors gets to see a glimpse of the gospel,” Mr Dalzell added.
During his visit, the Moderator met deaconesses Louise Davidson and Ellen Hillen, who convene the Friendship House management panel. “It was a privilege to join Robert and Louise in welcoming Dr Murray to the project, and show him the evangelistic outreach that is being done in the Sandy Row area,” Mrs Hillen said.
“As this year’s president of Presbyterian Women, I am also proud of the contribution PW makes to the project, not just through funding and prayer support, but also through the wonderful ministry input from deaconesses over many years. The centre as it is today was built in 1991 and its purpose remains the same, to offer friendship and to show the love of God in a very practical way by being involved in the community. We are excited to see how the work will continue to grow and develop in the future, and I hope that the moderator got a flavour of its work and mission today.”
Speaking about his Sany Row visit, moderator Dr Murray said: “We often hear it said that many people in working class Protestant areas feel that they have been forgotten about, especially by government and others. Here in Sandy Row, the impact of Friendship House down the years cannot be overstated, as it has brought, and continues to bring friendship, care and support to people in the local community. Friendship House has become part of the community over the decades and a blessing, as it brings that all important glimpse of the gospel.”
Dr Murray added: “Over the last four months as moderator, I have been amazed and heartened by the work of the church in its broadest sense, and that has been a great privilege to see. In St Mathew 20:28, Jesus tells us that He 'did not come to be served, but to serve'. That is the example that has been set for us, an example that I certainly found at Friendship House in Sandy Row.”