Pastor Steve set to bid fond farewell

He will give his last sermon to the Mourne Road congregation on June 20.

And yet it could have been very different after he originally turned the post down.

"I love Lurgan, I really do," said Steve. "It's just the right time for us to leave and for someone to come in and take the church on to the next level."

Steve came to the church from Edinburgh following a spell in Switzerland. He has not lived in his native New Jersey, in America, for over 22 years.

When offered the job in the church Steve turned it down at first, he said, "I didn't think I would fit the mould of what was expected of a Northern Ireland pastor.

"Through the music ministries I had actually visited Lurgan in the 1980s and my friend Tommy Goodwin encouraged me to take up the position.

"After a lot of thought, prayer and consideration we decided to take the position and move to the town. And it has been an enjoyable time, for the past 11 years.

"We are not leaving because we have to, but rather that it just feels like the right time."

Steve said he will always have fond memories of his time in Lurgan, "Its a great church and has a fantastic potential for whoever takes over.

"There is a great sense of unity between the churches in the area and a sense of camaraderie among pastors and ministers.

"I was chairman of the Church Fellowship - a group of the main churches in the area - and that is something I am immensely proud of. We were like a band of brothers.”

He went on: "The people of Mourneview are good people and I have enjoyed being part of the community.

"With me being American it may have been a barrier to some people, but almost from the get-go I have been accepted and welcomed."

Pastor Steve's time has been full of challenges, he went on: "The church and society have changed dramatically in the past decade - and I have changed too.

"Any community can be fed-up with the church one of the challenges has been to show its relevance and deliver the message of God.

"The youths ministries, holiday clubs and outreach schemes have helped to bring the community and our church together.

"And it's not without God's wisdom and strength that I have gotten through it."

Steve, wife Connie and daughters 19-year-old Shannon and Bethany (17) are not sure where their next home will be as yet.

He continued: "I'm like Abraham in Hebrews 11:8, knowing not where I'll end up, but just going - obeying the call.

"We think we may end up on the east coast of America, hopefully Jersey or close to it, God has His plan for us.

"That will present a whole new set of challenges, I have never worked in America and not lived there for 22 years, but we are all looking forward to it."

He concluded: "Lurgan will always be my home and I will follow the work of the church with great interest.

"And the Lurgan Mail will always be my home paper," he joked.