Describe the congregation’s History.

In the late 1800s, Grosvenor Road RPC (1832-1972) was looking to plant a church, having already extended the building; its ~600 seats were consistently full. In 1890, it planted Shaftesbury, then known as “Dublin Road Reformed Presbyterian”.”

For a long time, Shaftesbury was known as a more upper-class congregation, with many working professionals amongst the membership. The congregation often called professors of the nearby RP College to shepherd the flock, a stark difference from the denomination's primarily rural composition.

In 1972, the Grosvenor Road building was indirectly damaged by an IRA bomb and, being just a mile apart, the decision was made to amalgamate the two Belfast congregations (Trinity Street RPC having moved to Newtownabbey). The resulting congregation was renamed to “Shaftesbury Square Reformed Presbyterian”.

In recent years, Shaftesbury has had a number of paid workers, having seen the congregation's need and potential: Philip McCollum as an associate minister, Paul Wright as an outreach worker, and Aaron Bell, Matthew Magee, and Campbell Quigley as short-term service workers.

Describe the Congregation.

Like much of the denomination, Shaftesbury is ageing. Due to the troubles many residents of Belfast left, especially during their university years, not all returned. This left Shaftesbury with a missing generation and lacking in men for eldership. More recently, a few children have been born, bringing some much-loved young life.

Mornings would see 25-30 people out, and evenings 10-15, often with visitors of young people from Renwick.

Describe the Session.

The session of elders is composed of 4 men. David McKay has been a minister in Shaftesbury for 17 of its 40 years in the ministry and is, unfortunately, approaching retirement.

Like some other churches, Shaftesbury doesn’t have Deacons. However, there is a committee that oversees the care of the building. (Although there were deacons in the past, I don't know when this change was made.)

Describe the Building.

Shaftesbury is one of the more fancy RP buildings. Built by H & J Martin, the builders of many of Belfast’s most attractive buildings include the Elmwood Hall, Grand Opera House, and, of course, the city hall itself. One man, James Rea, gave nearly £170,000 (adjusted for inflation) to the construction work. In just 3 years, the building was paid for. All in, it was around £360,000 (adjusted for inflation).

In 2017, work was done to add a ramp and convert the pews under the balcony into a lobby, among other alterations, leaving Shaftesbury with a modern and welcoming first impression. An on-site hall and a few smaller rooms mean Shaftesbury is able to fill most needs that could arise.

The building has been kept well and needs very few repairs. Our only real problem is parking. Being in an older part of the town and having no parking spaces owned by the church can make finding a space nearby difficult, as with parking anywhere in the city.

Describe the Area.

Shaftesbury is situated halfway between Queen's University and the city centre. Hemmed in on both sides by pubs and nightclubs, the area is dark to the gospel.

Most of the time, when you walk on the Dublin road, you will find someone begging for money or coming to the church to do the same. Great wisdom is needed regarding this, as addiction is rampant, and abuse of people’s generosity is common.

Describe an average Sabbath.

Sabbath worship is at 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. After the morning service, there is tea/coffee and some above-average biscuits.

Describe an average Week.

There are biweekly prayer meetings and bible studies, both held over Zoom.

During term time, Shaftesbury Fellowship is held biweekly. It is a form of CY, with dinner and a video talk or, occasionally, some kind of special event.

Describe the congregation’s Evangelism.

Shaftesbury does not regularly do in-person evangelism; however, it has recently hired CAVE to produce short videos from its weekly sermons for building up and evangelistic uses online.

Describe the congregation’s Online Presence.

Shaftesbury has a Website, Facebook page, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube channel where services are streamed and short videos uploaded. All are kept in good order and updated regularly.

Describe the congregation’s recent Challenges.

We struggle with an ageing congregation and little growth from outside our denomination. Fewer workers make this difficult physically, but it also causes intangible emotional difficulty for those who have spent their lives in the congregation and see it decline.

Describe the congregation’s recent Encouragement.

The attendance of some younger people and the healthy birth of some children has been very exciting. We hope that, in time, this could lead to some form of kids' work with the surrounding neighbourhood.

How could others emulate the congregation?

Even through lower attendance, Shaftesbury has remained open for evening worship each week, knowing it's better to have a few meetings than none at all.

What can we Pray for?

• Give thanks that we remain open each morning and evening with faithful gospel preaching.

• Give thanks for over 100 years of Christian witness.

• Pray for continued and renewed spirit to go and reach the needy and the lost.

• Pray for wisdom on how to direct limited time and resources.