Call of the Wild West!

Greetings from here in Co. Mayo in the Wild West of Ireland!

In Acts 16 we read of the Apostle Paul and his entourage seeking to enter Bithynia but being forbidden by the Holy Spirit. Finally they reached Troas where Paul has a vision of a man pleading with him: ‘Come over to Macedonia to help us’. This call changed history by changing the direction of the gospel from moving north into Asia, to moving west into Europe.

This article is a call to believers everywhere to look again to the west and to come over and help us here in the West of Ireland, or more specifically County Mayo!

One county

Mayo is the Irish Republic’s third largest county and is well known for its beautiful scenery, rolling hills and rugged coastline. The county is home to both Ireland’s ‘Holy Mountain’ and premier Marian shrine. The mountain lies just outside Westport and, according to tradition, Saint Patrick spent 40 days and nights fasting there before setting about evangelising the region. It is also said that it was from here that he cast out all the snakes from Ireland! The sleepy village of Knock swiftly rose to fame when in 1879 14 people claimed to have witnessed an apparition of the Virgin Mary on the gable of the local church wall. Today Knock is something of a Catholic Mecca with its own international airport!

In recent days, Mayo, like the rest of Ireland, has undergone significant changes. Largely due to both the Celtic tiger and the endless reports of abuse within the established church, gone are the days of Irish poverty and Roman Catholic control of the state. For the first time in history the Irish people have been able to think outside the box and choose their own moral and spiritual direction. In this equation there have been definite gains for the gospel but the losses have also been considerable. Ireland is now recognised as a post Catholic country with most people following some form of a la carte, pick-and-mix religion while still doggedly claiming to be Catholic. For many, religion has become something of complete indifference with anything savouring of Christianity being blamed for the woes of the past. These two positions represent two different Irelands, which are now living side by side; the old Ireland and the new Ireland.

One team

Regardless of the obstacles, it has pleased the Lord to work mightily in Ireland with the happy result that there are now churches where it was only a dream 50 years ago. However, most of the gospel work has gone into the east of the country, with about 84% of full time workers labouring in this region (54% in the Dublin area alone!). This leaves about 9% for the five counties which make up the region of Connaught.

Calvary Mission was set up in 1994 by Paudge Mulvihill in an effort to redress this imbalance. The goal of the Mission is fourfold: evangelise, disciple new converts, train church leaderships and plant self-governing churches.

One vision

Calvary Mission, which is a part of Aontas (the association of Irish evangelical churches) and partnered with Unevangelised Fields Mission Worldwide, is made up of eight people, three couples and two single ladies, from different evangelical churches and backgrounds who are dedicated to seeing the Lord glorified through the establishment of his Church. To this end we are all involved in different ministries, such as door-to-door visitation, children’s clubs, schools work, special interest meetings, street evangelism, the running of a bookshop, and just about anything else that we can think of to get the gospel out! However, Mayo is a big place and one of our greatest needs is for more people to live in the main centres of population. Wanted! Long-term workers who know Christ and who want to make him known. Come over and help us!

Small work

To date we have had the pleasure of seeing one church established in Westport with its own leadership and membership. In many ways this is a small work, but we take this as a token of much more to come! We see this work of God as being especially significant as there was a time when there were four gospel preaching fellowships in the town. Now there is only Calvary Church. One of our burdens at present is to house the church in suitable premises. After much thought and prayer, we feel that this is an important step, as a building would give a platform for evangelism as well as making the church more visible in the community. Until recently this seemed an impossible goal, but the Lord has wonderfully answered prayer and we received a generous gift of money from a trust fund. There is still a long way to go, but this is a great start! We look to the Lord for more financial help.

In another town, Claremorris, we have a weekly Bible study up and running. Like just about everything else we do, this is a fragile work but we do trust that in time this may become a church plant too. Our heart’s desire is to see churches established all over Mayo (and beyond); churches that will have the same passion to reach out and that are led by local men. What Mayo needs more than anything is a people of God filled with God’s Spirit and soundly grounded on the glorious gospel truths of Scripture. This is what Calvary Mission is labouring to see happen.

Many churches

If this dream is to become reality we desperately need prayer warriors who will stand with us in the battle. The work is hard and slow moving and every step forward almost seems to necessitate two steps backwards. Consider the following:

A young woman comes to faith, she is discipled and encouraged in the faith. We have the unspeakable joy of baptising her. Her mother is furious at her decision and douses her with holy water; her big brother has a quiet chat with her about her first allegiance being to her family. The result is that she is never seen again in the fellowship.

We take part in a cultural street festival in a town, providing a London double decker bus for the entertainment of the people. However, we are stopped from presenting the gospel, being told that there is only one heritage in the town and that is the Catholic heritage.

More examples could be given. We desperately need fellow believers to stand with us in the work. Wanted: believers who will faithfully and regularly battle with us in prayer. Come over and help us!

If you would like to be a part of the ministry of Calvary Mission, then we warmly invite you to contact us for information and to receive our regular prayer letter.

Please write to Paudge Mulvihill, 72 Rowan Drive, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland; or email us at aiec@ eircom.net; or, alternatively, contact our partner organisation UFM Worldwide, 145 Faringdon Road, Swindon SN1 5DL.

One county

One team

One vision

Small work

Many churches

James McMaster

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