Tuesday, October 5th, we gathered once again with MLAs, church leaders and members of the community to pray for the government of the United Kingdom, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Church and a world in need. It was another time of unity in the Body of Christ, regardless of church affiliation as we came together under the banner of the Lordship of Christ.

Stephen Shaw QC was our special guest speaker. He spoke convincingly of¬†the duty we have to our Creator to live worthy of our callings and to live with the evidence of Biblical character in our lives. He particularly pointed out that¬†those who hold the¬†responsibility of public office, entrusted with the great¬†priviledge¬†of representing others, and who do so before God as those who must give account, should indeed possess and exhibit character. It was truly a challenging sober exhortation, but as usual was laced with Stephen’s quick-witted humour which made it all the more enjoyable.

Beautiful singing was provided by Tricia Ashworth from Grace Fellowship in Dundalk. Tricia has been with us many times and it was our great priviledge to hear her once again. She sang a wonderful version of “My Redeemer Lives!”, thank you very much Tricia.

We also¬†welcome two new MLAs with us this time, Chris Little MLA and Pual Givan MLA, both having taken up their positions in the Assembly after former members of the Assembly Christian Fellowship Naomi Long MP and the Rt Hon Jeffrey Donaldson MP became exclusively members of¬†Parliament¬†in Westminster. “Welcome”.

One of our highly esteemed colleagues, a trustee for the Assembly Christian Fellowship and beloved friend has found rest in the arms of Jesus this past month after a battle with illness. Lawrence Walker passed away on November 9th, 2010. He is survived by his devoted and loving family, Barbara his wife, his sons Graham and Clive and his daughter Aimee.

Lawrence was one of the founders of the Assembly Christian Fellowship. Lawrence and I, met at the 2003 National Prayer Breakfast at Westminster in London. We both attended a talk on how to start a prayer breakfast in your area. After meeting and realising God had placed upon both of our hearts to start a prayer breakfast in Northern Ireland, we met for coffee. As we prayed about our next step, both of us felt to arrange a meeting with Jeffrey Donaldson MP who had chaired the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship in London. We met with Jeffrey and the rest is history.

Lawrence was one of the most consciencious, most dedicated and most honorable men I have ever met. He will be sorely missed. My consolation is that he is that I know in whom he trusted, I know upon whom he relied, the Lord was his saviour. He didn’t just talk his christianity, he lived it. Those who worked with him knew the caliber of man he was, his integrity, his character, his devotion to his family and the uncompromising principles by which he lived. There wasn’t anything which would make him compromise those principles which had their grounding in his understanding of God’s Word.

At the Assembly he was a political adviser to the DUP, a member of the District Policing Partnership,¬†an active member of the East Belfast¬†Westminster Association and a member of Castlereagh Borough Council where he served as Lord Mayor between 2009-10. He was as solid a man as you might come by and truly served others with his gifts and talents.¬†¬†¬†As Councillor Vivienne McCoy said at a memorial service held¬†in Lawrence’s honour: ‚ÄúLawrence was a true gentleman and champion of the people and Castlereagh has lost one of its leading lights…”

Please remember Lawrence’s family in prayer… Barbara, Graham, Clive and Aimee.

In a democratic society, we have unprecedented privileges. Although democracy was birthed among the Greeks, “we the people” have unrivaled ability to choose those who represent us, to shape policy debates and to affect the outcome of the legislation and laws that govern us. We have never been so priviledged historically, either in Britain or in¬†Western¬†society generally. This recognition contrasts greatly with the percieved frustration of many that their voice isn’t being heard and their views are not being represented.¬† Why?

The problem often lies in the fact that few people actually take advantage of and use the privileges of contributing to the debates and policy formation within our democratic institutions. The doors are open. Our voices can and usually are heard, but when we act collectively, each person valuing the contribution which they can make, that’s when our democratic privileges take on their amazing luster. How do we act? By phoning, writing or emailing your local representatives or by arranging to meet with them at their constituency offices.

The internet has made it exponentially easier to do this. You can find out which MLAs represent you locally, visit the websites for their constituency offices, contact them via email at the official Assembly website at www.niassembly.gov.uk or go to www.writetothem.com or www.theyworkforyou.com .

Allowing your voice to be heard does not end there. You can contact your Ministers over different departments within the Assembly, MPs, MEPs, local councils, Ofcom, the Advertising Standards Authority, the BBC… any number of different ombudsmen. The fact is, if enough of us use these avenues of expression, the policies and laws that affect our everyday lives might be¬†considerably different than they are today. Talk to your politicians, and pray for wise and well-informed decisions to be made on your behalf!