Rev David Rock comes to Ballymena Methodist Church to take up the ministry there in succession to Rev. Maureen Hassard. Maureen recently took up a new appointment on the South Belfast circuit which you can read about here.
David, (52), is originally from Larne, having spent the first 20 years of his life there, but his parents are from Cullybackey and Cloughmills.
His testimony is a very simple one. David gave his life to the Lord as a child while sitting with his mother in the front room of their family home.
Before entering the pulpit, David worked for two years in the Health Service as a clerk in Larne. Subsequently, he went on to the year team programme (Youth Evangelism Team) that the Methodist Youth Department operated.
Next, he worked as a Circuit Evangelist (Lay Pastoral assistant) in Brookeborough in Fermanagh for a year before going into college to train for the ordained ministry.
The incoming Minister said: “The last church I served at as an ordained minister was Whiteabbey Methodist, finishing there in June 2001. For the last 15 years I have headed up The Youth and Children’s Department of the Church, attending Newtownabbey Methodist Mission and involved in some preaching and children’s ministry there.”
Rev David Rock comes to Ballymena Methodist as their new minister. He told The Church Page he is excited for the ‘vision that the people of Ballymena Methodist Church have for the town of Ballymena.’
David also explained that: “Methodist ministers are not called but sent and trust that in the process those making the decisions discern the leading of God. I believe that I am being sent to Ballymena to work with rest of the people of God in that place to bring the wonderful news of a God who loves them to those who do not know him, yet! What excites me most is the vision that the people of Ballymena Methodist Church have for the town of Ballymena.”
When asked about his hopes for his time in Ballymena, David’s reply was again simple and heartfelt. “I hope that together we will see lives won for Christ, nothing else really matters.”
Finally, David told The Church Page about his interests outside Church, saying, “I love spending time with my family first of all. I also enjoy football, watching and still playing occasionally. I enjoy cycling and have participated in 4 sponsored Bike Ride challenges for EMMS International, one in Israel, one in the Sinai desert and two in Malawi.”
You can find out more about the Ballymoney Road church here. The Church Page team wish him God’s blessing as Rev David Rock comes to Ballymena Methodist to take up this new chapter in his ministry.
