Within Biblica Europe, we are delighted to work with a range of partner ministries and publishers across the UK, Europe and further afield. We regularly receive sample bibles from these ministries which we keep for archive purposes. But from time to time we are delighted to be able to pass on some of these to other ministries working in the UK and beyond. This is the second story about a ministry who are doing fantastic work getting the Word of God into the hands of those who need it. This time we catch up with Sharon Wilson from the Shankill Community Fellowship in Belfast.
Shankill Community Fellowship is a Gospel outreach project sponsored by Baptist Missions Ireland. The Shankill Road in Belfast and the surrounding areas were some of the most deeply affected by the violence of “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland. It is recognised as one of the most deprived areas in Europe.
Working in the heart of this community, the Fellowship has been serving the local people since 2009 to help make the Bible apply to people living in this part of Belfast.
Sharon Wilson is part of a small leadership team of three in the Fellowship, working as an Associate Volunteer Missionary.
Speaking about the Bibles they received from Biblica, Sharon said “Each Bible is prayerfully given out. They are an invaluable resource to us, as a Bible wouldn’t be at the top of the list of things for people to buy. It is an absolute privilege to be able to give out God’s Word in this way.”
One of the ways that Shankill Community Fellowship (SCF) serve the local community is by regularly having a table outside of their premises which has clothes, and other essentials, that people are able to stop at and take whatever they need. Very often people will have conversations with Sharon and others, which results in the offer of a Bible, which more often than not is accepted.
One particular story stands out in Sharon’s mind “A lady had been coming to SCF for a while, and we got into conversation one day. I asked her if she had a Bible and she said no. I sensitively explained to her about the NIrV and she said she would accept one. A week or two later, she arrived back, and in her words said…’That’s the first time I’ve understood the Bible’. She had started learning the books of the Bible, so we made her some cards with the books of the Bible on them and numbered them on the back in case she dropped them. There’s much, much more to the story……The change in this lady is remarkable!”
Sharon says that she counts it an absolute privilege to be a small part of the work God is doing on the Shankill.
In Biblica Europe we count it a privilege to be able to support Sharon and Shankill Community Fellowship in their work in this community.
