Mission Halls

Ballygowan Mission Hall, Dromore
 

Ballygowan Mission Hall, Dromore, built in 1993.

 

Gordon Martin Leader	Pictured above are some of the people that lead the worship at Ballygowan Mission Hall, Dromore. L to R: (front) Karen Anderson, Stephanie Gamble, Elaine Thompson and Marion Hall. (second row) John Hobson, Gordon Martin, Martin Thompson, Norman Fleck and Philip Osborne. (back row) Steven Shanks, George Fitzgerald and Stephen Gamble

Listullycurran Road, Dromore.

Leader: Gordon Martin
Telephone: 9269 2950

Gospel Services:
Saturday evenings: 8.00pm

Web site: www.gatherfortheword.com

HISTORY

The first hall was built in 1947 by the Coulter family on land donated by the Mitchell family at the junction of the Greenogue and Listullycurran Road when weekly Sunday night meetings were held. Mr Joe Coulter had a burden for the children in the surrounding area and hence a Sunday afternoon
Bible Club was started. In 1989 a Saturday night fellowship meeting started called the Word Bible Club Class and in 1993 a decision was taken to build a new hall on a plot of land adjacent to the original hall donated by the Moorehead family. The Mission Hall continues to hold Saturday Night Fellowship meetings for all ages, Childrens’ Bible Club each Sunday at 3.00 pm and Gospel meetings on the 2nd and 4th Sunday each month at 8.00 pm.

Ballymacbrennan School Hall, Lisburn
 

Ballymacbrennan School Hall, Lisburn, opened in October 2000.

Saintfield Road, Ballymacbrennan, Lisburn.

Leader: David Adams
Telephone: 9082 6248

Gospel service:
First Sunday of each Month at 8.00pm
Prayer Meeting each Friday at 8.00pm
 

Pictured at the opening and dedication of Ballymacbrennan School Hall on 30th October 2000 are the Rev. John McCaughan - Legacurry Senior Minister and Mr John Mackin.	Trustees of Ballymacbrennan School Hall. L to R: David Adams, Wesley Cairns, David Jamieson, Norman Moore, John Martin, Desmond Shortt, Tom Graham, James McAreevey and William Baird.

The beautifully renovated Ballymacbrennan Old School, now a private dwelling.	Ballymacbrennan leaders. L to R: Norman Moore, David Adams,John Martin and Desmond Shortt.   In the background is a painting by the late Jack Calderwood, showing a harvest scene.

HISTORY

The Ballymacbrennan School was built in 1834 and for some 90 years it catered for the children of the surrounding area. The teacher in the 1920’s was a Mr. Deans who lived in the adjoining house. When his own family had finished their education, he applied to the authorities to have the school closed and himself named as a beneficiary. This did not go down well with the local farmers who decided to take Mr. Deans to court. The Rev. Joseph Cordner of Drumbo House and Dr. Hemphill, Rector of Drumbeg Parish, headed the appeal.

A ruling was made that under the ownership of the Marquis of Downshire a committee of 10 to 12 men of the countryside should be responsible for the school. It was to be used as a community centre for people of the district and the adjoining house was to be let to a tenant. Mr. Deans was asked to leave.

The Rev. Cordner, Dr. Hemphill and the minister of the Covenanter Church at Bailiesmills, then held weekly meetings in the school for a period of time.

In the following years and throughout the 1950’s, various social activities took place at the school. It was used for wedding receptions and public meetings, including those of the Unionist Party. At times of elections it was used a Polling Station.

The Old School is associated mainly as a place for religious meetings. An afternoon Sunday School was held there for several decades. At its height, seven classes met regularly every week, with the building full to capacity. Mr. James Shortt, from the Ballymacbrennan area, and Mr. James Martin from the Saintfield Road, both served as superintendents. The Sunday School finished around 1980. (Mr James Shortt’s grandson - Desmond Shortt and Mr James Martin’s son - John Martin are shown in the above photo of the trustees of the property).

In November 1952 the Faith Mission organisation approached the Property Committee with the request to use the building for Gospel Meetings. This was gladly granted. The building also became the meeting place for annual conferences of the Mission.

The Old School became a Listed Building in 1987. In 1999 work commenced on the erection of the new Ballymacbrennan School Hall. In the same year, the two-storey old school, which included a teacher’s residence at the rear, was fully renovated. The building was sandblasted, and a new roof and conservatory added. It was sold in 2001 and the money used to finance the building of the new hall and large car park facility. The Rev. John McCaughan, Senior Minister of Legacurry Presbyterian Church opened the new Ballymacbrennan School Hall was opened for worship on Saturday 30th September 2000.

This brief history of Ballymacbrennan Old School is largely compiled from Mavis Heaney’s book - “Lisburn, Life in The County Down.”

Beanstown Mission Hall, Lisburn
 

Ivy Cottage, the first meetinghouse (early 1900’s).	Beanstown Mission Hall, Lisburn.

Pictured at Beanstown Mission Hall are people who took part in the thanksgiving and final service on Sunday afternoon 27th July 2008. L to R: Jim Hamilton, Derek Greenaway, Rev Ronnie McCracken, Trevor Matthews, Margaret Sharkey, Robert Watson, Rosemary Campbell and Wesley Campbell.

The final service at Beanstown Mission Hall was held on Sunday 27th July 2008
and services will be held in homes and other venues.

Regrettably, the hall will be demolished due to major road reconstruction in the area.

Leaders: Robert Watson and Mrs. Margaret Sharkey.
Telephone: 9266 5996

Gospel services:
First Sunday of each month at 3.30pm.
Prayer Meeting each Wednesday at 8.00pm.
 

Wesley Campbell, now age 92, attended meetings at Ivy Cottage in the late 1910’s, and supplied the historical information about Beanstown Mission Hall.	This excellent 1915 photo of the Campbell family shows Wesley Campbell, age 2, sitting on his mother’s knee.

 

Pictured on Sunday afternoon 6^th November 2005, are some of the people who gathered for worship each month at Beanstown Mission Hall. 
L to R:  (front) Billy McCleery, Margaret Sharkey, Robert Watson, Wesley Campbell and Rosemary Campbell - Organist.  (back row) John Spence, Sammy Law, Harper Kirkpatrick, Jean Kennedy, Betty Kirkpatrick, Annie McKeown and Jim Reid.

HISTORY

HISTORY
In the early 1900’s, Mr William Orr, a member of Magheragall Presbyterian Church began holding afternoon meetings in the living room of his home at Ivy Hill Cottage on the Ivy Road, Derriaghy. The meetings were well attended for many years. When Mr Orr moved from Ivy Hill to a small farm at Beanstown he had no room on his farm large enough for Gospel meetings. He approached a Miss Boomer and asked for permission to rent part of an old hand loom weaving shop in a row of buildings on the Beanstown Road; she approved and a Sunday afternoon Gospel Meeting commenced here in about 1920. Very soon this meeting place became too small so he rented the room next to it and took down the dividing wall making one large room.

In 1921/2 a Gospel Mission was held, led by Mr. Tommy Haire. Mr Haire was a plumber by profession and was well known in those days as the ‘Preaching Plumber.’ Numbers continued to grow and the full use of the hall was granted.

In October 1923, the Faith Mission Pilgrims were invited to hold a Gospel Mission in the hall. Led by Miss Joan Harper from Scotland, the six-week Mission was so popular that separate meetings were held for children in order to accommodate the numbers of adults attending. During the Mission the fellowship at Beanstown witnessed a ‘Mini Revival’ and as a result of this, the Prayer Union was formed. They met on Wednesday evenings at 8.00pm and these meetings together with the Sunday afternoon Gospel Meetings continued until Sunday 27th July 2008, when the final service was held at Beanstown Mission Hall led by committee members Mr Robert Watson and his sister, Mrs Margaret Sharkey. Regrettably, the hall will soon be demolished due to major road reconstruction in the area but services will continue in other mission halls.

Mr Wesley Campbell
Mr Wesley Campbell, who took part in the final service on Sunday 27th July 2008, supplied the history of Beanstown Mission Hall. A lifelong Methodist, his full Christian name is John Wesley, named after the founder of Methodism. Wesley was born on 2nd July 1913 and when being interviewed, he explained that as the only surviving founder member, he was probably the only person who could have supplied this historical information.

In preparing this article I went with Wesley to Ivy Cottage, the first meetinghouse. Although renovated and with a modern extension added, it has still maintained many of the characteristics of the original old cottage. We met the present owner and had a most interesting chat about what the cottage was like in the early 1900s. Wesley asked to see the room where the meetings were held and recalled as a young boy coming through the porch and joining the packed gathering of worshippers in the front room of the house.
Wesley also recalled with great clarity being saved on 26th October 1923, at the age of just 10, during the Mission at Beanstown Mission Hall led by the Faith Mission Pilgrims. I reminded him that he had explained earlier that no children attended those meetings to which he quickly explained that his father on that occasion had cataracts and was awaiting eye treatment. As he was unable to see properly, the ten year-old Wesley was asked to accompany his father to the Mission (the 1915 black and white photo of the Campbell family reproduced above shows Wesley, age 2, sitting on his mother’s knee). Wesley’s father was caretaker of the Lisburn Water Works, and he can clearly remember his father taking him by the hand from their home at the Water Works to the Sunday afternoon Gospel Meetings at Beanstown Mission Hall.

Wesley enjoyed a lifetime of Christian fellowship at Beanstown and during the final service on Sunday 27th July 2008 he gave thanks for many precious and happy memories at the Mission Hall.

Bottear Mission Hall, Moira
 

Bottear Mission Hall leaders. L to R: (front) Kenny and Margaret Patterson. (back) Benny Lyness and George Megarry.	George Megarry pictured leading the praise at Bottear Mission Hall.

Bottear Mission Hall, Moira, opened in 1989.

Lurganville Road, Moira.
Leaders: Kenny Patterson, Margaret Patterson, Benny Lyness and George Megarry.
Telephone: Kenny and Margaret Patterson - 9268 2402

Services:
Gospel Meeting: 2nd Sunday in month at 7.00pm
Sunday Club: Sunday at 3.00pm
Youth Fellowship: Sunday at 8.30pm

HISTORY

In the 1920’s, God spoke to the late Tommy Wilson in a dream saying, “You are a Christian and ready for heaven, but, what about your neighbours?” As a result of this, Mr. Tommy Wilson, Mr. Sammy Gilliland and Mr. Edmund McBride started to hold Gospel Meetings in Mr James Dillon’s barn, near the existing hall and in about 1929 a wooden Mission Hall was erected. Having served the area well for 60 years, the old wooden building was replaced by the present Bottear Mission Hall. The hall was opened by Mrs. M. Lyness (sen.) and dedicated to the work and glory of God by the Rev. K. Finlay on 4th November 1989.

Edintrillick Mission Hall, Hillsborough.
 

Edentrillick Mission Hall, Hillsborough, where Gospel Meetings have been held since the early 1900s.

 

Pictured above are some of the people that lead the worship each month at Edentrillick Mission Hall.  L to R: (front) Robert Gamble, Miss Sadie Dawson and Miss May Dawson. (back row) Maurice Dawson, Stephanie Gamble - Organist and Stephen Gamble.	The interior of Edentrillick Mission Hall, Hillsborough.

Edentrillick Road, Hillsborough.

Leader: Robert Gamble
Telephone: 9265 2859

Sunday Service: 8.00pm
2nd and 4th Sunday of each month.

HISTORY

Originally a Nation School, evangelistic meetings have been held continuously at Edentrillick Mission Hall since the early 1900’s.

Electricity was installed in the late 1970’s but the original gaslights and fittings are still in place. The Mission Hall, which was renovated in the mid 1980’s, is equipped with a gas heating system and is a most comfortable and pleasant meetinghouse.

Ballydonaghy Mission Hall, Dundrod

Unfortunately the leaders of Ballydonaghy Mission Hall did not wish any further detail to be included in this directory of Lisburn’s Churches.

Magheraknock Mission Hall
 

Magheraknock Mission Hall leaders Ronnie Douglas (left) and Sam Sommerville (right). Also included in the picture is one of the pianists- Ethne Douglas.	The new Magheraknock Mission Hall, opened in November 2006

2 Laurel Road, Magheraknock.
Leaders: Sam Sommerville (9756 3228)
and Ronnie Douglas (9756 1063)

Services:
Gospel Meeting: 3.30pm (Sundays)
Prayer Union Meetings: 8.00pm (Fridays)
 

The Magheraknock Mill, now a beautifully restored private dwelling.

HISTORY