We talk about the Kingdom ‘in us, through us and around us...’

By caring for homeless people and families in need, Ulster Temple is living out its vision – “in Belfast as in Heaven”. As the church celebrates its centenary this month, pastor Alistair Ritchie speaks to Chris Rolfe

If you walk through Belfast early on a Saturday morning you might spot a team carrying sleeping bags, coats and blankets.

The volunteers are part of Compassion Belfast, Ulster Temple’s community outreach.

“We talk about the Kingdom ‘in us, through us and around us’,” says the church’s pastor Alistair Ritchie, who grew up there alongside his wife Alison and returned to lead the church in September 2023.

“We’re carriers of the Kingdom. We want to see it impacting schools, businesses and every part of Belfast.”

Compassion Belfast, he explains, is one of the ways the church is actively sharing God’s goodness in the community.

“We realised other homeless charities were helping people during the week, so we try to spend time with them at the weekend instead.

“On Saturdays, the team go out with sleeping bags, hygiene packs for men and women, handwarmers, vouchers for Greggs and things like that. Some team members are medically trained and can signpost people to further support.”

The Living Room

Compassion Belfast also has a charity shop as well as an independent foodbank which receives referrals from primary schools, politicians and other community groups.

“We call it ‘The Living Room’ because we want people to feel they can relax there,” Alistair says.

Caring for the community also means caring for its own people. So when anti-immigration riots swept the city in June, church members were quick to offer pastoral care.

“We are one of the most diverse churches in Northern Ireland and many different ethnicities see us as home,” Alistair says.

“There were churches more directly impacted by the riots than us, but some of our members were affected.

“One lady was surrounded by masked men and the police had to escort her home.

“We made sure everyone knew they were loved, supported and welcome.”

The church has also seen encouraging growth, with several people recently coming to faith. As a result, they are hoping to expand activities like their Alpha course and Big Sunday evangelistic services.

The youth group is thriving too.

“Over the past three years we’ve gone from five young people to around 40. Under the leadership of Max, our MiT and youth pastor, it’s gathered momentum.”

Alistair is now hoping that a building project to replace the roof and refurbish the main auditorium will ready them to launch further activities.

Ready for Christmas

Back to Compassion Belfast and the team are gearing up for a popular annual event – Project Christmas Box.

Working in partnership with three primary schools and a special needs school, the team will gather nominations for families in need at Christmas.

“We don’t just provide for the one child who’s nominated, but for their siblings as well,” says Alistair. “We’ll give a hamper of presents plus a food package to help them over Christmas.”

Around 200 children from up to 90 families are lovingly treated to generous gifts each year.

“People are flabbergasted by what they’re given. Last year, one lady who was not long in the country expected to collect her bag and walk home with it, but we ended up arranging transport for her because it was too much for her to carry.”

For Alistair, every sleeping bag given out and every Christmas present shared points back to one simple goal: becoming more like Jesus and helping others discover his love.

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.