Noel relishing Cuningham role

The 41-year-old former teacher is already well known to everyone in the congregation having served three summer assistantships there and worked in the fellowship on a part time basis throughout his last year in college.

Originally from Maghera, Noel is a former pupil of Rainey Endowed Grammar School who later studied French and Business Administration at Queens.

call

He was brought up to go to Church but realised that this on it’s own wasn’t enough when he was about 11.

It was as a nineteen-year-old university student that Noel repented of his sins and trusted in Christ – 28 November 1988 was the day the Lord graciously ‘saved’ him.

In terms of the ministry, Noel believes that God began to ‘call’ him in his mid-twenties.

However, he admits to ‘doing a Jonah’ for a number of years, being happy to teach and get involved in youth work and other church activities at the weekends.

It was not until he moved to Castledawson Presbyterian Church following his marriage to Nicola that Noel really put this call to the test.

challenge

Taking up the story, he said: “Within a year I started to be asked to speak at a few other Presbyterian Churches and I just began to feel ‘yeah this is really where I should be.’ That inner voice kept calling and I applied for the ministry almost as a challenge. I said: ‘ok Lord if this is your will open the door if not close it’ because I had a good job, lovely home, I didn’t need that upset and turmoil but I needed peace of mind about what God wanted me to do.”

With the help of his Minister at Castledawson, Rev. Ken Patterson and his session, Noel subsequently applied for the ministry, was accepted and began training in October 2007.

Going back to full-time study after 15 years away was by no means an easy task and Noel is particularly grateful to his wife, Nicola for the way she has ‘held the fort’ over the last couple of years.

With his MDiv virtually done and dusted, Noel is now looking forward to getting more involved in the work and witness of Cuningham Memorial.

He said: “I find Rev David Murphy is a very genuine and sincere fellow, who is easy to work alongside. He is my boss but I would almost regard him as my friend now. He has great confidence and trust in me and just tells me what needs to be done and we get on with it. We work well together as a team. I also like the people. I have got to know some of them over the last while and I have now managed to conquer the accent although mine is not very refined either! I find them very warm, receptive and very good listeners.”

hopes

Looking further ahead, Noel says that he has two main hopes for his future ministry – the first of which being that souls would be won for Christ.

He adds: “From day to day, I visit good people who attend their Church Sunday by Sunday but who are still outside of Christ. My heart’s desire is that the Spirit of God through the preaching of the word will speak to them and will call them to himself.”

“Secondly, the other aim in Ministry is to build up and edify those who are already saved – to nurture them in their faith, encourage them when they are down and keep them focused on pressing on towards the goal.”

Outside church, Noel is passionate about football and spending time with Nicola and their two young daughters, Zara and Ella.