Encounter some amazing stories of how God changes many lives

A SERIES of evening meetings entitled ‘Encounter’ will take place in First Ballyeaston Presbyterian Church next week, from March 11 - 15.

The guest speaker at the meetings, which will take place from 8pm to 9pm each evening, will be Billy Patterson.

Originally a plumber from Lisburn, Billy became a Christian shortly after a young boy had been shot dead in the area - a tragedy that left him with a lot of soul-searching questions.

Working for the Presbyterian Church, Billy teamed up with Rev John Woodside and has worked in Kilkenny and Drogheda where he has helped small, struggling churches to grow beyond recognition.

Billy was invited to lead Encounter because of his genuine love for people and his desire to see them deepen their faith in Jesus.

The Encounter series also has an excellent line-up of support speakers, who will talk about the difference God has made in their lives.

• Monday, March 11: Stuart Elliott (pictured) - Capped 39 times for Northern Ireland, Stuart has enjoyed a successful career with Hull City, Motherwell and Doncaster Rovers and is currently playing with local side, Glentoran.

• Tuesday, March 12: Elaine Price - a care assistant working in Newcastle, Elaine grew up in East Belfast where she was largely left to look after herself, leading to trouble with the police. However, her life changed after one of her friends became a Christian.

• Wednesday, March 13: Norman Scott - After many years of absence from church, Norman, a dairy farmer from Crumlin, became a Christian and is now involved with rehabilitation work at the Haven Christian Centre outside Templepatrick.

• Thursday, March 14: Rodney Beacom from Omagh was injured in an IRA attack in 1994, and is now an assistant minister in Fermanagh. He and his wife Laura will share how God has worked in their lives.

• Friday, March 15: Keith Mitchell aka Mitch - An ex-firefighter, author, columnist, sports chaplain and co-founder of Crown Jesus Ministries. Energy, wit, honesty and passion allow Mitch to communicate in a relevant way to today’s society.

The Encounter week will also feature a Youth Fun Night with ‘The Street’ in First Ballyeaston on Saturday, March 9 at 8pm and special services in the church on Sunday 10 and Sunday 17 at 11.30am.