Jack McKee Launches “39+1” Outreach in Belfast

Samuel was born into the nation of Israel at a time when the word of the LORD was rare and there were not many visions (1 Sam.3.1). Later King Solomon spoke of a situation “Where there is no vision” and of the consequences of such a situation for the people and for the nation (Prov.29.18).

It was during a Missions Conference in October 2013 in Alaska, where Jack McKee, founder and pastor of New Life City Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland, spoke about a ministry project that he had participated in called “One Nation One Day” in Honduras. At that moment, and from that phrase, “One Nation One Day”, the Lord planted the seed of an idea into Jack’s heart based on two simple numbers: 39 + 1. That seed grew into a vision and that vision is now being brought to fruition with the 39 +1 Outreach soon to take place in Belfast under Jack’s leadership.

It became clear to Jack that the 39 represented 39 Days of spiritual and practical renewal with activities to facilitate and encourage hearts and lives changed by Jesus. The 39 days would culminate on 1 Special Day when the changed lives would be solidified and celebrated. Good Friday, April 18, 2014 has now been set apart as that special day. The 39 are the 39 Days leading up to Good Friday. The Challenge is to “bring change in a Day”; on that One Specific Day, but to also work towards that One Day during the preceding 39 Days by encouraging change in self, change in the church; and change in the community, city and nation.

The 39 + 1 outreach will start on Monday, March 10, 2014 and conclude on Good Friday April 18. During the 39+1 days there will be Cross Walks, Cross Vigils at conflict locations, a Prayer Tent between the Dividing Gates, and much more. On Good Friday churches and individual Christians will be challenged to raise crosses throughout the city of Belfast at street corners, on building tops, and other visible locations. A 200 square foot cross made of white material will be spread out on Black Mountain overlooking the city of Belfast, reminding the city of the One Special Day that changed the world 2,000 years ago.

At the same time a new cross will be raised between the Dividing Gates in Belfast that separate conflicting Protestant and Catholic communities. The cross will be metallic and will be called “The Cross of crosses.” It will be made up of several crosses representing the years of conflict in Northern Ireland when over 3,700 lost their lives. Formed together into one large cross, this cross will represent the fact that one person, the only begotten Son of God, died for all of us, regardless of religious, cultural or ethnic background.

At the very end of 39+1 there will be a Worship Event, including 40 hours of uninterrupted worship starting at 8 PM on Good Friday and ending at 12 noon on Easter Sunday morning.

Please pray for this amazing vision to bring change to Northern Ireland in One Day, Good Friday, through the 39+1 outreach. For any who wish to support the financial costs of this city-wide effort to change the people and culture of Belfast, gifts can to given on the HBI website or sent by check to PO Box 5465, Charlottesville, VA 22905. Write “39 + 1” on the memo line to designate the gift properly.

For more information you can follow Jack and 39+1 on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/jack.mckee.5

https://www.facebook.com/thritynineplusone?ref=hl

Cycle CROSS America is coming to a close!

Our riders have done extremely well. The guys cycled all across America from Los Angeles to Jacksonville FL. On the way we have done “Cross Walks” in eight states that we traveled through.

What have we achieved spiritually? We exceeded our expectations! We blessed, challenged and encouraged many individual believers; we challenged churches to refocus on the cross; we lifted the cross above the many divisions, whether racial, religious, or political; we led several to personal faith in Jesus Christ and prayed for many others in churches and on the streets.

In New Orleans, for example, we did a Cross Walk through part of the French Quarter including Bourbon Street. We were well received as we handed out cards and got to chatting with several people along the way. After an amazing meal with some local believers, we went back into the French Quarter at night to share our faith with those who would listen. Once again we were well received. We spoke to lots of people and prayed with several, but praise God we also led two people to personal faith in Jesus Christ.

We talked with Palmists and Tarot card readers etc. I felt one young man was about to get off his chair and follow us. I KNOW we touched his life. Another young man approached me and tried the same scam that another had tried on me in San Francisco, but within 10 minutes I leading him in a prayer of surrender to Christ as we stood in the middle of Bourbon Street.

Financially we are happy to say that we have covered our expenses, but we would love to make sure that we contribute something to our ministry back in Belfast. You can help by making a donation on line right now by going to the Hope Builders International Contribute page.

Many thanks to those who have contributed as individuals or as churches. Thanks also to everyone who gave us water to drink and a place to stay. If you have done this to us, you have also done it unto Christ.

God bless,

Jack McKee

Northern Irish Catholics and Protestants Cycle across America to show the love of Christ

Dear Friends,

Next Saturday our ministry partner Jack Mckee and his team from New Life City Church in Northern Ireland will launch out on a 6 week journey across the US called Cycle CROSS America. They start in Santa Monica, CA, on September 22 and end in Jacksonville, FL. on October 24. Dan Wooding, well known founder of Assist News Services, provided us with the following information.

New Life City Church is often referred to as “The Church on the Wall” as it is located on the main Dividing Wall in Belfast; it’s a church that not only reaches out to both sides of the wall, but to the entire City of Belfast and beyond. And now Jack McKee, the senior pastor of the church, is planning an extraordinary marathon cycling and cross-carrying peace trip across America, to show how Catholics and Protestants can work together under the shadow of the cross of Christ.
 

“New Life City Church is a large warehouse that literally straddles the 20 foot concrete dividing wall in Belfast, with half the building on one side and half on the other side,” McKee explained. “We have people coming to church from both sides.

“My life has been threatened several times and I’ve been shot at numerous times. I’ve even had my car bombed and destroyed. Our home has been attacked at 3.30 in the morning while my wife and I were in bed.”

Yet despite all of this, Pastor McKee, who has many times risked his life as a peacemaker during the “troubles” in Northern Ireland that claimed so many lives from both sides of the divide, is bringing four cyclists to the US; two from the Catholic side of the wall and two from the Protestant side. The event goes from Santa Monica, CA, to Jacksonville, FL, ending with an event called CU @ the CROSS in Washington DC on Thursday October 25, 2012. Jack will be bringing a 7 foot cross with him that he carried for 40 Days and at other times around the Dividing Wall in Belfast.

Jack went on to say, “Northern Ireland has experienced serious conflict since 1969 during which time over 3,700 people lost their lives, while tens of thousands were seriously injured and maimed. Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, has been a divided city with many concrete walls across the city keeping communities apart. There are genuine aspirations for these walls to come down, but much work still needs to be done.

“Cycle CROSS America will highlight the need for these walls to come down and will encourage Americans to support our efforts in building good neighbor relations that will lead to the pulling down of these walls.”

As part of Cycle CROSS America, and using the same cross he has carried before, Jack will do a “Cross Walk” in several cities across America. These will include Los Angeles, along the length of Sunset Blvd, and then possibly Phoenix, AZ; Las Cruces, NM; San Antonio, TX; Alto, TX; New Orleans, LA; Jacksonville, FL, and the Nation’s Capital, Washington, DC (other places will be added).

In Washington, DC, McKee and the entire Cycle Team will be escorted by “Rushing Wind Motorcycle Ministry” through Washington DC to an event called CU@ the CROSS (www.cuatthecross.com) when Jack McKee will do a final Cross Walk close to the White House (exact spot to be confirmed).

To contact Pastor McKee, you can e-mail him at: pastorjack@btinternet.com and more details about the trip can be found at:www.cyclecrossamerica.com. Hope Builders International is handling contributions for the trip and for Jack’s work in Northern Ireland. Gifts can be given on our website or by check to Hope Builders International, PO Box 5465, Charlottesville, VA 22905.

Hope in Northern Ireland

Breaking Down Decade of Division in Northern Ireland

Pastor Jack McKee is Director of New Life Ministries in Ireland . Jack grew up experiencing the horror of the sectarian violence that wracked Northern Ireland. He served in the military wing of the Ulster Defense Regiment in Northern Ireland for five years during which time a number of his friends were tragically murdered by terrorists and he himself narrowly averted death.

Since 1982, Jack has been ministering into the heart of inner city Belfast. Based in his home community known as “The Shankill, “ his ministry not only impacts lives in his immediate area but reaches across the sectarian divide of Northern Ireland’s conflict, touching both Protestants and Catholics alike. The Shankill Road is 100% Protestant and its immediate neighbor the Falls Road is 100% Catholic. However a concrete wall that stands over 20 feet high in places separates them. Both of these communities have suffered much, often at each other’s hands during 30 years of civil unrest and paramilitary (terrorist) activity.

In 1993 Jack pioneered New Life Fellowship as a direct response to the spiritual needs of young converts. The church continues to grow reaching the unchurched. Today the church is located in a warehouse that straddles the very line of division between the Catholic and Protestant communities. New Life City Church is actively and effectively working on both sides of the dividing wall, uniting people by personal faith in Jesus Christ.
Due to the nature of his ministry Jack has often come under criticism both from the religious community and local paramilitary /terrorist groups who don’t like his verbal and public condemnation of their violent activities. These groups have tried to take Jack’s life on several occasions. His car has been fire bombed, his home attacked and contracts have been issued for his murder. Still, he fights on for the sake of the gospel and his community. Given the seriousness of the threats against him and his family Jack is often asked why he stays in Northern Ireland. His reply: “There is no more exciting place to be, and no safer place to be, than in the center of God’s will.” For Jack, that place is the Shankill Road.

Lifting up the Cross

In the summer of 1971, renowned American evangelist Arthur Blessit began a walk across Europe carrying a large cross and sharing the gospel with everyone he could. As a young boy Jack watched enthralled as Arthur walked through his home town of Belfast.

Forty years later, Jack and Arthur teamed up with city churches to bring the message of the cross once again to the strife torn neighborhoods of Belfast. From the four corners of the city different groups walked the streets of Belfast each carrying a cross and converged to form one massive body. The result was stirring.

Hundreds of believer’s walked the streets and thousands were witnessed to across the city in both Protestant and Catholic communities. One young man who was begging in downtown Belfast prayed to receive Christ after Arthur explained the gospel to him. Another young lady fully committed her life to Christ. The most amazing part was when the crosses came together. on the very street where Jack saw Arthur walk with his cross in 1971. Now, Jack walked alongside him as they both carried a cross. The marchers rejoiced and prayed together. The day concluded with an evening event at New Life City Church with several hundred in attendance and where six more people committed their lives to Christ. By supporting Jack McKee and New Life Ministries in their work you help make such events possible. Its time to re-energize Northern Ireland with the gospel. We invite you to join with us in that effort.

Supporting New Life

New Life Ministries offers a way for believers in the US to make a huge difference in the lives of troubled youth in Belfast. Supporting NLM makes it possible for Jack and his team to bring the truth of God’s love to young people who are targeted by paramilitary organizations to become both drug users and drug runners. Once the young people move into that sphere of influence their lives become a living hell. Funds are needed to help equip the new warehouse with furniture and equipment to run the needed programs. Regular contributions also help buy air time for New Life broadcasts and run training programs for those rescued from a life of drugs, crime and paramilitary activities.