Revd Craig Cooney is introduced at Hope Community Church
Revd Craig Cooney and his wife Becky were given an enthusiastic welcome as Craig was introduced as Minister–in–Charge of Hope Community Church Craigavon on 24 October.
Archdeacon David McClay preached a visionary message from Ezekiel, encouraging the church to believe for significant growth as it reaches out to the Craigavon community.
His exhortation was echoed as Bishop Harold and the church gathered round to pray for Craig and Becky.
Commenting on his appointment as Minister–in–Charge, Craig said:
“I am genuinely thrilled to lead Hope Community Church into this next stage of its journey. Having had the joy of preaching there on a number of occasions during the past two years, Becky and I have always loved the warmth of welcome, informality, vibrant worship and openness to the Holy Spirit. There is also a strong desire among the congregation to engage the local community in Craigavon with the good news of Jesus in real and creative ways.”
“In the months ahead our priority will be becoming inwardly strong and outwardly focused, building on the great foundations laid by my predecessor Revd Alan Kilpatrick.”
Meet Craig
Craig, originally from Portadown, is married to Becky, a Speech and Language Therapist. They have an energetic 5 year old boy, Elijah.
After studying Communication, Advertising and Marketing at University of Ulster, Craig spent 5 years working in marketing, including 2 years in the US.
He was ordained in 2006 and served for 5 years as Curate–Assistant in Shankill Parish in Lurgan. Craig and Becky then moved to inner–city Dublin where he served as Minister–in–Charge of CORE (later renamed St. Catherine’s) for 5 years.
Under Craig’s leadership, St. Catherine’s (CORE) experienced significant growth through reaching out to the local community, with people from more than 25 different nations becoming part of the congregation.
Following their time in Dublin, during a season of sabbatical, Craig, Becky and Elijah spent a year at the Causeway Coast Vineyard where Craig served as Teaching Pastor and Becky was employed as Pastoral Associate. It was during this time that they began to sense God’s calling to Hope Community Church, located only a few miles from where Craig had spent his childhood.
Craig is passionate about communicating the Bible in an engaging and life–impacting way. In his spare time he enjoys going to the gym, watching Netflix, reading and eating cake.