Revd Stu Armstrong is ordained presbyter
Congratulations to Revd Stu Armstrong who has been ordained presbyter for the curacy of Craigavon. Stu has just completed his deacon year in the Parish of Magherally and Annaclone.
Bishop David ordained Stu along with Timothy Eldon, Cosmin Pascu and Claire Pearson at a service in Down Cathedral on Sunday 27 August. The preacher was the Revd Greg Downes who is the director of Kingfisher Ministries and Theologian & Missioner of St Mary’s Cogges near Oxford. Greg is also the speaker at this year’s Bible Week.
Stu reflects on his deacon year
Serving as deacon in Magherally and Annaclone was both a challenge and a privilege. Traditional rural churches were a new ministry context for me – and very much outside my comfort zone – but the warmth and welcome of the people made me feel at home from day one.
The opportunity to be mentored by Karen was incredible. I learned so much from her approach to ministry leadership – Jesus–centred, sensitive to the Spirit, servant–hearted, strong yet gentle, highly pastoral, and intentionally missional.
The year was full of new challenges and incredible opportunities to see Jesus move in people’s lives. One particular challenge was trying to learn how to do rural mission. We couldn’t do prayer on the streets, games in the park, or get to know the regulars at our local coffee shop because there were no streets, parks, or coffee shops – and door–to–door evangelism doesn’t work quite the same when you’ve worked up your daily step count by the third house. I have so much respect for those who do rural mission well, because I couldn’t figure it out – but I was reminded again about the importance of invitation and hospitality, of developing creative and contextually appropriate ways of fostering and blessing community, and of simply slowing down, being a missional presence, and seizing every God–given opportunity to faithfully share the Gospel of Jesus.
I absolutely loved being part of the contemporary worship and youth ministries, of helping Karen with Alpha, and of learning from her incredible gift of pastoral care. Funerals and bereavement care were mostly new to me, and I was just always taken aback by the amazing privilege it is to walk with people in those most precious and vulnerable moments. But the highlight of the whole year for me were the Monday mornings I would meet someone to simply sit around the kitchen table with a glass of orange juice and open God’s Word.
Thank you to Karen and everyone at Magherally and Annaclone. I’ve learned so much from you and I’m excited for what God is going to do in and through you in this next season.
Stu
