Day Sixteen: County Galway

Saturday 16 May

The annual VOX magazine Finding Faith Tour looks very different this year. Instead of a 7-day road trip around the island, this year VOX editor Ruth Garvey-Williams brings you highlights from all 32 counties (one per day plus one for each of the 31 days in May). Contact Ruth if you have a story to share.

Day 16: Slow Down. Take Time. Enjoy the Sunset.

Sunset over Galway

For Peter Burrows, Pastor of Galway Christian Fellowship, this time of enforced rest has been an important opportunity to think and reflect and that was the theme of our conversation during my “visit” to Galway.

“People’s lives have become so busy.  There have been great demands on families. People are on the go and do not get time to do those things that are important in the home.  Relationships have suffered through the lack of time. But for some, the lockdown has been a time of enforced sabbath,” Peter said.

“My sense, is that God is stirring us as believers to get rid of the clutter in our lives. Jesus invites us to come and He will give us rest.  We find peace with God and then He says, ‘Learn of me and you will find rest for your souls.’ God wants to bring His people to a place of rest based on relationship and to operate out of this place of rest in our various ministries. 

“During the lockdown, people are becoming quieter and re-evaluating what is important in life.  I believe that is what God wants us to do. To be real before Him. To be honest and to get rid of pretence.”

“Revival starts with us. Will God’s people allow Him to restore our souls?”

For Peter and his wife Sandy, their journey from South Africa to Ireland was about “coming home”. It is an inspiring story that we will share in VOX later this summer! For now, their determination is to come out of this time better than when we all entered it. “As a church, we want to be more filled with the Lord and more determined to share the good news.”

“The question is, ‘Where do we go from here when things start to open up again?’”