God Is Not
Finished Yet
"Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord, and work. For I am with you, declares the Lord Almighty."
On Wednesday 30 September 2026, St Paul's and St Barnabas gathered at 11:30am for a special 175th Anniversary Holy Communion service. This date carries extraordinary significance for this congregation: it marks not only the founding of the church in 1851, but also the day in 1934 when the building was reconsecrated after a devastating fire destroyed the organ and gutted much of the interior. Two moments of beginning, one day apart by 83 years, and now 92 more years on, a people looking back in gratitude and forward in faith. Rev Ross Mungovan, Rector of St Elizabeth's Dundonald in the Diocese of Down and Dromore, brought the word from Haggai chapter 2, preaching on the theme: God is not finished yet.
The Context
A Building and a Moment
The original church building was erected in 1851. It was extended in 1870 as the congregation grew. In 1934, fire swept through and devastated it. The date of reconsecration after that restoration: 30 September 1934. And so this anniversary binds together two acts of beginning, two moments when the people of God in this place started again, trusting that the Lord who called them was the Lord who would sustain them.
In the service, it was noted with delight that the next 175 years takes this congregation to the year 2201. Nobody in the room will see that day. But the God who has kept this church through 175 years of North Belfast's history will be the same God in 2201 as he is today. That is the whole point.
We're not the first to lament lost glory
Haggai's community looked at the ruins of Solomon's Temple and wept. The old men who remembered the former glory wept openly. The feeling of "this is not what it was" is not unique to our time. God meets us there.
Be strong and work, for I am with you
Three times in Haggai 2:4, God says "be strong." The command is not to feel strong, but to act in obedience. The ground of that obedience is not human resolve but divine presence: "I am with you declares the Lord Almighty."
God gives growth in impossible places
Haggai 2:6-9 speaks of God shaking the nations and filling his house with glory. The silver is his and the gold is his. He is not dependent on our resources, our reputation, or our strength. The impossible is exactly where he works.
"The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord Almighty."
Ross Mungovan drew attention to the remarkable claim of Haggai 2:8. When the returning exiles looked at their resources and wondered how the Temple could ever be rebuilt, God's answer was not a funding strategy but a declaration of ownership. He was not asking them to find what he already possessed. Everything required to complete his purposes belongs to him. That remains as true for St Paul's and St Barnabas in 2026 as it was for Zerubbabel in Jerusalem in 520 BC.
A Story from the Archive
Joseph Marshall and the Bomb
Among the richest moments of the service was the account of Sexton Joseph Marshall. During the Second World War, an incendiary bomb fell through the roof of the church. Rather than let it destroy the building, Joseph Marshall carried it out on his own, at considerable personal risk, and saved the church. His memorial plaque is still on the wall.
It is the kind of story that speaks volumes about the character of a congregation. Not passive acceptance of what comes, but active, courageous stewardship of what God has entrusted. Joseph Marshall did not think "this is too dangerous." He thought "this matters, and I can do something." That spirit has shaped St Paul's and St Barnabas across 175 years.
The DNA of the Church
A Missionary Congregation from the Start
One of the threads woven throughout the anniversary reflections was the missionary character of this congregation. St Paul's and St Barnabas has, across its history, not simply maintained itself but planted and supported other churches. That outward orientation is part of what it means to be this church. "Come and see" was offered as the simplest and most effective form of evangelism available to every member of the congregation. Not a programme, not a campaign, just an invitation born of genuine conviction that what happens here is worth sharing.
Rev Mungovan also touched on his own congregation's Covenanter heritage, noting that the principles of faithful endurance and trust in God's sovereignty across generations are not abstract. They are written into family trees and church registers. The same faith that sustained believers in 1851 is the same faith available in 2026. It does not wear out. It does not run dry.
Looking Forward
God Is Not Finished Yet
The sermon closed with a challenge as much as a comfort. Haggai's word to a discouraged people was not "remember how good it used to be." It was "be strong and work, because I am with you." The past is a foundation, not a destination. The 175 years of God's faithfulness to this congregation are not a monument to be admired but fuel for the next season.
As the congregation marked 175 years together, the question posed was not "can we survive?" but "what does God want to do next?" He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His purposes for this corner of North Belfast are not exhausted. The story is not over. God is not finished yet.
Listen Again
Catch the Full Service
You can listen to the full sermon and service from Wednesday 30 September on our podcast. Search St Paul's & St Barnabas on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
Join Us on Sunday
We would love to welcome you to St Paul's & St Barnabas. Our Sunday services are at 10:30am and 7:00pm. Come and see what God is doing in this community.
FIND OUT MORESt Paul's & St Barnabas is a Church of Ireland congregation in Belfast, committed to making Jesus known in our city and beyond. Across 175 years, he has been faithful. We trust him for everything that comes next.
www.spbbelfast.church
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