OUTREACH
"HOME OF THE PORTADOWN YOUTH RALLY, THE LIFELINE BUS MINISTRY & THE ANNUAL GOSPEL TENT MISSION"
You may not be aware of this but we are also heavily involved in a number of outreach events!
This all started with an event called the ‘Portadown Youth Rally’. From a small monthly meeting run under the banner of 'Witness NI' in Co. Fermanagh, Ian Morrow & Stephen Andrews saw the need for a Monthly Gospel Meeting for young people in the wider Portadown area.
In 2011, numbers started of small, but now have been blessed with over 300 young people coming along each month. We also hold an Annual BBQ & Fun Night every year for those who attend the meetings.
In 2020, Season 9 of Portadown Youth Rally was forced to go online due to Covid-19 restrictions. While this had been a challenging time for the Youth Rally it opened our eyes to the opportunities that such digital methods could bring, being able to reach a much wider audience with God's word.
In 2021, as the Youth Rally moved into it's 10th Season we were delighted to have been able to return in a physical format. With on-going capacity issues with Portadown Town Hall, the rally was temporarily relocated to the CET Tent outside Gilford which was kindly granted by The Doake Family.
In 2023, the Youth Rally then returned to it's original location in Portadown Town Hall, it's good to be back! The rally is now into it's 12th Season and numbers have continued to grow month on month for which we are so thankful for.
The ‘Lifeline Bus Ministry’ was also a real answer to prayer. God granted us with a situation where we were able to take on this ministry and we grabbed it with both hands! The first bus was old Ulsterbus, the Portstewart direct we believe, that was converted into a sort of mobile meeting room with new kitchen installed at the back.
The bus has been taken to a number of events all over the island including The National Ploughing Championships, NorthWest 200, and Various Orange/Black Parades etc, all with the sole objective of spreading the good news of The Gospel.
This ministry has now progressed with the purchase of a second bus however. This service has touched lives on both sides of the border and you can find more about this ministry by clicking the link below!
The Annual Gospel Tent Mission was our newest venture. From 31st August until the 4th September 2016 we held our very first Tent Mission! Each night we had a range of testmonies, speakers and singers as you can see from the flyer below! Colin Tinsley also ran a children’s club each evening before the meetings!
The event was a really huge success with over 300 people gathered in each night. It was greatly encouraging to see a number of people commit their lives to the Lord, including a 7 year old lad who came along to the Kids Club!
The Gospel Tent Mission then continued in 2017, 2018 & 2019, touching many lives in the locality. You can see the line-up for each year on the flyers below. The mission sadly was not able to go ahead in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions.
While Covid-19 continued to prevent us from having a 'Tent' Mission in 2021, we were delighted to have the oppurtunity to have a 'Drive-In' Mission instead! The event took place at Turkingstons Yard, Portadown between 5th - 10th September, with a great line-up taking part each night.
In 2022 & 2023, the mission returned to it's traditional format, back in the tent on Armagh Road, Portadown. We are so looking forward to 2024's mission!
