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YOUTHWORK

Ministering on the edge

Young people in the Shankill Road area of Belfast live with a legacy of violence, but one pastor is helping to change all that, as LORRAINE WYLIE discovers

On call 24 hours a day, Jackie McKee’s responsibilities extend far beyond the pulpit. In fact his experiences read more like a script from some American gangland movie than a pastor’s diary.

On quiet days he can be found at his office engaged in the mundane necessities of administrative paperwork and endless phone calls. But the times, especially at night or in the early hours, when some young victim of the paramilitaries needs his mediation skills are far from rare. A family, numbed by the shock of learning their child has suffered a punishment beating, needs to be driven to hospital. Then there are the grief-stricken relatives who crave comfort when a loved one suffers the ultimate price for some alleged wrongdoing.

As pastor of New Life Fellowship, Jackie McKee is under no illusion about what serving God in the community means. There’s nothing clean and sanitised about young, broken and bloodied bodies or lives destroyed by drugs. No Sunday school parties and garden fetes for these youngsters. Their law is that of the gun and poverty the crusher of dreams. Jackie has a clear vision of his role as ambassador for Christ.

Yet, he could have chosen to remain pastor in a rural community where the only threat to his health was a neighbour’s elderly goose. But in 1982 Jackie McKee and his wife Kathleen returned to Belfast for a pastorate where army helicopters instead of cockerels heralded the dawn.

Situated at the top of Belfast’s Shankill Road, Ballysillan Elim served a community fractured by violence and grief. Little did the young pastor realise that 22 years later he would still be serving God in an area where hearts as well as bodies are broken on a daily basis.

“We can’t be content to live in a comfort zone when others are suffering,” says Jackie. “We determine to be a life-giving force, infused and energised by the Spirit of the living and life-giving God. Not only did Jesus preach the Word of God, he fed those who were hungry and gave water to the thirsty. It’s essential to care for people’s physical as well as spiritual needs in order that Christ can be fully seen in us.”

He fulfilled his pastoral responsibilities at Ballysillan Elim but at the same time laid a foundation of trust and respect in the community – tools that were to stand him in good stead. As time passed and politicians failed to find a solution, paramilitary activity continued to grow. Feuds erupted causing ferocious and bloody backlashes within the community.

Already suffering some of Northern Ireland’s worst housing and social problems, morale was low and many people lost hope. Young people were particularly affected. Disillusioned and vulnerable, they often fell victim to drugs or became the fodder to swell paramilitary ranks. These youngsters needed help. They had to know about God’s love and find hope for their future. But the church pulpit looked out over empty pews. It was the street corners and drinking clubs that held their attention.

“I felt I was being called to take a slightly different direction,” says Jackie. “The Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart the fact that there was a world beyond the church building that remained untouched by God’s message.

“I searched the Scriptures and found what I was seeking. Matthew 28:18 commands the Church to go into the entire world and preach the Gospel. This guidance ultimately led to the outreach ministry that exists today amongst the Shankill’s unchurched community.”

After much prayer, God provided a means that exceeded all expectations. When a local cinema came on the market, Jackie felt a spark of excitement. Although an unlikely venue, its size and central location were perfect for outreach projects. There were just a couple of problems: paramilitary interest in the building and Jackie’s limited funds.

“As a boy I was a regular visitor to the cinema. I never thought that one day I’d buy the place, I had enough trouble raising the money to get a seat!”

But like Jericho’s walls, these obstacles fell to make way for God’s work. Not only did the vendors accept Jackie’s £40,000 – less than half his competitor’s offer – he also got a total of £32,000 in grant aid. The work that began in September 1989 at the Stadium Youth and Community Centre has continued to grow and develop. Today, people benefit from various schemes such as the Hobby Horse Playgroup, youth clubs and training programmes for the long-term unemployed.

However, perhaps the most ambitious project to date is The Higher Force Challenge. Launched in 1993, it aims to help some of Belfast’s most socially disadvantaged kids. Through a series of well-structured programmes, Higher Force introduces the concepts of education achievement, health and well-being, community safety and access to employment training. As well as caring for their physical needs, Higher Force also provides for spiritual welfare.

“The core staff are committed Christians, coming from the same community as their young charges. They can identify with the kids,” Jackie explains. “The project is church-based and firmly embedded in the Elim Pentecostal Church. It works in close partnership with New Life Fellowship. Our hope is to bridge the gap between the ‘church’ and the present generation of young people.”

A divided community can produce a distorted view of “the other side”. The Higher Force’s cross-community outreach work will go a long way to redressing a balance. While the media has, by and large, turned its spotlight away from The Troubles, there are areas like the Shankill Road where young people continue to suffer a legacy of violence. Yet, the tireless efforts of people like Jackie McKee prove that God has not forgotten these kids.

It’s been 22 years since his run-in with a neighbour’s goose. The intervening decades have thrown Jackie into far more dangerous circumstances. But despite personal tragedies, there has also been a great sense of reward.

Author of two books Through Terror And Adversity and The Cross And The Gun, he has also known a fair measure of success. Asked if he ever considers leaving the area for a quieter life, he says: “The best place to be; the safest place to be and the most exciting place to be is right in the centre of where God wants you to be – whether it’s the Bronx, Bolton or Belfast.”

Through Terror And Adversity and The Cross And The Gun by Jackie McKee are available from New Life Fellowship Church, Shankill Road, Belfast 13, N Ireland
Lorraine Wylie is a freelance journalist based in France

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		YOUTHWORK Ministering on the edge Young people in the Shankill Road area of Belfast live with a legacy of violence, but one pastor is helping to change all that, as LORRAINE WYLIE discovers On call 24 hours a day, Jackie McKee’s responsibilities extend far beyond the pulpit. In fact his experiences read more like a script from some American gangland movie than a pastor’s diary. On quiet days he can be found at his office engaged in the mundane necessities of administrative paperwork and endless phone calls. But the times, especially at night or in the early hours, when some young victim of the paramilitaries needs his mediation skills are far from rare. A family, numbed by the shock of learning their child has suffered a punishment beating, needs to be driven to hospital. Then there are the grief-stricken relatives who crave comfort when a loved one suffers the ultimate price for some alleged wrongdoing. As pastor of New Life Fellowship, Jackie McKee is under no illusion about what serving God in the community means. There’s nothing clean and sanitised about young, broken and bloodied bodies or lives destroyed by drugs. No Sunday school parties and garden fetes for these youngsters. Their law is that of the gun and poverty the crusher of dreams. Jackie has a clear vision of his role as ambassador for Christ. Yet, he could have chosen to remain pastor in a rural community where the only threat to his health was a neighbour’s elderly goose. But in 1982 Jackie McKee and his wife Kathleen returned to Belfast for a pastorate where army helicopters instead of cockerels heralded the dawn. Situated at the top of Belfast’s Shankill Road, Ballysillan Elim served a community fractured by violence and grief. Little did the young pastor realise that 22 years later he would still be serving God in an area where hearts as well as bodies are broken on a daily basis. “We can’t be content to live in a comfort zone when others are suffering,” says Jackie. “We determine to be a life-giving force, infused and energised by the Spirit of the living and life-giving God. Not only did Jesus preach the Word of God, he fed those who were hungry and gave water to the thirsty. It’s essential to care for people’s physical as well as spiritual needs in order that Christ can be fully seen in us.” He fulfilled his pastoral responsibilities at Ballysillan Elim but at the same time laid a foundation of trust and respect in the community – tools that were to stand him in good stead. As time passed and politicians failed to find a solution, paramilitary activity continued to grow. Feuds erupted causing ferocious and bloody backlashes within the community. Already suffering some of Northern Ireland’s worst housing and social problems, morale was low and many people lost hope. Young people were particularly affected. Disillusioned and vulnerable, they often fell victim to drugs or became the fodder to swell paramilitary ranks. These youngsters needed help. They had to know about God’s love and find hope for their future. But the church pulpit looked out over empty pews. It was the street corners and drinking clubs that held their attention. “I felt I was being called to take a slightly different direction,” says Jackie. “The Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart the fact that there was a world beyond the church building that remained untouched by God’s message. “I searched the Scriptures and found what I was seeking. Matthew 28:18 commands the Church to go into the entire world and preach the Gospel. This guidance ultimately led to the outreach ministry that exists today amongst the Shankill’s unchurched community.” After much prayer, God provided a means that exceeded all expectations. When a local cinema came on the market, Jackie felt a spark of excitement. Although an unlikely venue, its size and central location were perfect for outreach projects. There were just a couple of problems: paramilitary interest in the building and Jackie’s limited funds. “As a boy I was a regular visitor to the cinema. I never thought that one day I’d buy the place, I had enough trouble raising the money to get a seat!” But like Jericho’s walls, these obstacles fell to make way for God’s work. Not only did the vendors accept Jackie’s £40,000 – less than half his competitor’s offer – he also got a total of £32,000 in grant aid. The work that began in September 1989 at the Stadium Youth and Community Centre has continued to grow and develop. Today, people benefit from various schemes such as the Hobby Horse Playgroup, youth clubs and training programmes for the long-term unemployed. However, perhaps the most ambitious project to date is The Higher Force Challenge. Launched in 1993, it aims to help some of Belfast’s most socially disadvantaged kids. Through a series of well-structured programmes, Higher Force introduces the concepts of education achievement, health and well-being, community safety and access to employment training. As well as caring for their physical needs, Higher Force also provides for spiritual welfare. “The core staff are committed Christians, coming from the same community as their young charges. They can identify with the kids,” Jackie explains. “The project is church-based and firmly embedded in the Elim Pentecostal Church. It works in close partnership with New Life Fellowship. Our hope is to bridge the gap between the ‘church’ and the present generation of young people.” A divided community can produce a distorted view of “the other side”. The Higher Force’s cross-community outreach work will go a long way to redressing a balance. While the media has, by and large, turned its spotlight away from The Troubles, there are areas like the Shankill Road where young people continue to suffer a legacy of violence. Yet, the tireless efforts of people like Jackie McKee prove that God has not forgotten these kids. It’s been 22 years since his run-in with a neighbour’s goose. The intervening decades have thrown Jackie into far more dangerous circumstances. But despite personal tragedies, there has also been a great sense of reward. Author of two books Through Terror And Adversity and The Cross And The Gun, he has also known a fair measure of success. Asked if he ever considers leaving the area for a quieter life, he says: “The best place to be; the safest place to be and the most exciting place to be is right in the centre of where God wants you to be – whether it’s the Bronx, Bolton or Belfast.” Through Terror And Adversity and The Cross And The Gun by Jackie McKee are available from New Life Fellowship Church, Shankill Road, Belfast 13, N Ireland Lorraine Wylie is a freelance journalist based in France © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.