CHW26: Transformations
The risen Christ and the going-before Spirit
This year at Castlewellan Holiday Week we gathered around the theme Transformations: the risen Christ and the going-before Spirit. We were glad to welcome Rev Dr Martyn Atkins as our adult speaker, a former Principal of Cliff College and a former General Secretary of the Methodist Church in Britain, who has written widely on mission, evangelism and preaching.
Martyn's morning Bible studies explored the appearances of the risen Lord Jesus to his disciples, and the role of the Holy Spirit in leading and enabling the early church, as the Spirit who goes before God's people and sends them out in mission.
The talks sat inside a week full of everything else that makes CHW what it is: all-age worship each morning, small groups over coffee, prayer ministry, and a lively Open Day on Wednesday. Café Cupcake showed off the talents of the CHW family, and Late Night Worship in the Underground finished the week. Meanwhile the children explored stories of transformation in "Be Transformed!", and the youth team with Benji and Lauren O'Neill carried the same theme into their own programme.
Our chair, Laurence Graham, prayed at the start of the week that we would meet the Holy Spirit and go home "focused on Christ and sharing Him with others."
If you were with us, we hope the recordings help you revisit what you heard. If you weren't, we hope they give you a taste of the week.
Listen back on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or on this page.
Next year's Holiday Week is 31 July - 7 August 2027. We'd love to see you there.
CHW25: Forty
Seeking His face before His hand
In 2025 Castlewellan Holiday Week turned forty. The first week was in 1985, so this year's theme, Forty: Seeking His Face Before His Hand, was a good fit for both the milestone and the heart of the week. Our chair, Laurence Graham, described the idea as putting our walk and relationship with God first, ahead of what we do for him or ask of him.
Our adult speaker was Charlotte Curran, site pastor of CFC East Belfast who is known for her love of scripture and the church. Josh Russell, Youth Pastor at Causeway Coast Vineyard, led the youth programme. He spent the week looking at moments in the Bible where "forty" mattered, through people like Noah, Elijah, Moses and Jesus.
Around the talks, the week was full of the usual CHW life: all-age worship each morning, coffee breaks and small groups, and the prayer ministry team at the back of the main sessions. The new Tepee Tent Social Space gave everyone a place to gather, the children explored the theme "Celebration," and Café Cupcake showed off the talents of the CHW family. On Wednesday we marked our 40th with an Open Day and a special celebration service, and the week finished with a sponsored lap of the lake in aid of World Development & Relief and a Closing Celebration.
If you were with us, we hope the recordings help you revisit what you heard. If you weren't, we hope they give you a taste of the week.
Listen back on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or on this page.