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Nenagh: Gateway to Lough Derg

The new location of a strategic church-planting partnership in Ireland between ABWE and Baptist Missions

Matt Tuttlebee, Baptist Missions Ireland

Welcome to Nenagh, County Tipperary. Tipperary is known as the “Premier County”—a place of lavish historic countryside, exquisite coffee shops, sporting heroes, and a slower pace of life. Nenagh, one of the main county towns, has a population of almost 7,500 people. It is situated some 25 miles from Limerick, 97 miles from Dublin and just over 200 miles from Belfast. It is the eastern gateway to Lough Derg.

Things are starting to happen

Dean and Julia Langley,
ABWE missionaries in Ireland.

Nenagh is the location of a new and, we believe, strategic mission partnership between the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) and Baptist Missions. In April 2007, a mature missionary couple, Dean and Julia Langley (from the USA) joined Baptist Missions workers Matt and Jules Tuttlebee. Since then, they have been working together to build up a work in the town. A Sunday service is now held in Nenagh Town Hall, twice each month. This has been reasonably well attended, with between 12 to 25 people coming each week. Although we lost some people over the summer because they moved away, the weekly Bible study group is growing with up to 11 people attending. We held our first Christmas carol service last December. Forty-six people attended, some of them local families.

Community Engagement

Links with the townsfolk of Nenagh have been fostered in a number of different ways. Jules is heavily involved in running the Nenagh parents and toddlers’ group, and Julia also helps out with this every Wednesday morning. Matt plays for a local football club and enjoys helping out on their committee. This has led to all sorts of fascinating conversations. He also continues to enjoy writing occasional articles for the local paper, the Nenagh Guardian. The aim is to encourage people to think about God’s Word. Each summer we have also distributed thought-provoking articles to every house in the town. Dean and Julia have both completed a literacy training course, which we trust will open up other opportunities to engage with people.

Challenges Ahead

There are, however, a couple of key challenges. The first is how to engage apathetic, disinterested friends with the message of life—to keep believing that God can bring change and to allow God to provide strength in our weaknesses.

There are many local people who find it too intimidating to come to our services. It is a huge cultural step. One family arrived at the Christmas carol service but lost their nerve at the last minute and left before it started! With this in mind, rather than increasing the frequency of services, we are planning to maximize our engagement with the community. We know many people who need the Lord and believe that a church will be established to demonstrate care rather than cause fear.

Way Forward

We believe that there are three interweaving aspects that should define ministry of the church: helping people connect with God, demonstrating the love of God to others, and encouraging people to see the grandeur of God. Various ministry ideas are being considered. Please pray for God’s guidance as we seek to flesh out these ideas. Some strong relational groundwork has been accomplished, but we feel greater visibility is the next step forward. One option that the core group is seriously considering is renting a shop front in the town, which we can use as a springboard into the local community. Please pray for funding, faith, and guidance. Our ultimate prayer is for God to stir the people of Nenagh to experience, practice, and discover the presence of God.

Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland
Insight Magazine (March-April issue)
Used with permission

www.negaghbaptistgroup.ie

www.ibaptistmissions.org