The congregation at East Belfast Mission gathered after worship to dedicate the new church building in Skainos on Sunday 8 January. The short service was delivered by the Methodist President Rev Ian Henderson and the group that gathered included people who had been present at the last dedication of a new church in 1952.

It is a unique feature of the history of this congregation, whether as Ballymacarrett Methodist, or Newtownards Road Methodist or East Belfast Mission, that it has always been willing to re-shape itself for ministry and mission. This is most clearly demonstrated in the fact this is the fifth church to be built on this site. Three of the previous buildings were demolished voluntarily in response to changing needs. Only once was the church building brought down through no choice of the congregation. It happened in the Belfast blitz in 1941, when bombers trying to hit the shipyard managed to destroy large parts of the Newtownards Road.

But this past Sunday represents a significant milestone on this new journey for the congregation after 12 years of dreaming, hoping, planning and hard work.