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✝️ Report on the Children’s Meeting at Carryduff Primary School
Thursday 19 February 2026 – “Gospel Lessons from the Little Ships”
(Final evening at Carryduff Primary School – marking 50 Years of the Killynure Road Children’s Meetings)
💒 Introduction
The final meeting of the special anniversary week at Carryduff Primary School ended in a spirit of joy and thanksgiving. Many former workers and families gathered to celebrate fifty years since the Lord first blessed the Killynure Road Children’s Meetings in the old Killynure Schoolhouse back in 1976.
Rev. David McLaughlin, who chaired the meeting, welcomed everyone warmly and gave thanks for the Lord’s faithfulness over the decades, emphasising that the same gospel message is still changing lives today.
🎶 Hymns and Singing
The meeting opened with Hymn No. 4 – “Blessed Assurance”, sung heartily by young and old alike – a fitting expression of confidence in Christ, “born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.”
Cheerful choruses followed: “Let’s Talk About Jesus” and “The Bible”, both sung with joy and clear voices by the children. The familiar theme chorus “Rolled Away” once again reminded everyone that sin can be taken away completely by the Lord Jesus.
📖 Memory Verse – Psalm 100:5
“For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.”
Rev. McLaughlin reminded the children that this verse shows the unchanging character of God. The Lord was good to their parents and grandparents who attended the early children’s meetings, and He remains good and merciful today.
💬 Testimony – Alan Irvine
Mr. Alan Irvine then shared a personal and powerful testimony. As a teenager, he had been a drummer in a rock band, living only for excitement and music. Although he appeared happy, he felt an emptiness that the world could not fill.
When the Lord spoke to his heart about sin and forgiveness, Alan realised that peace could only be found in Christ. He trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour and experienced the true joy of salvation. Later, he prayed specifically for a Christian wife, and in the Lord’s perfect timing, that prayer was graciously answered.
His testimony reminded everyone that no one is beyond God’s reach and that the Lord both saves and provides for those who trust Him.
🪶 Killynure Schoolhouse Heritage Display
As part of the 50th anniversary series, Rev. McLaughlin presented the four historical items connected to the original Killynure Schoolhouse, treasured reminders of the humble beginnings of the children’s work:
1️⃣ A slate portrait of the building
2️⃣ The hand bell that once called children to class
3️⃣ A stone recovered from the schoolhouse walls
4️⃣ A traditional spindle‑back Irish wooden chair in mahogany
Children listened carefully — and excitedly — knowing a prize awaited anyone who could correctly recall all four!
📘 Bible Reading – Mark McMullan
Mark McMullan read first from Psalm 104:26:
“There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom Thou hast made to play therein.”
He then turned to Mark 4:35‑41, telling of the storm on the Sea of Galilee and the small yet significant phrase,
“And there were also with Him other little ships.”
Both readings prepared the way for the evening’s message.
🛶 Message – “Gospel Lessons from the Little Ships”
Preacher: Rev. David McLaughlin
Rev. McLaughlin spoke with clarity and warmth, painting vivid gospel scenes from Mark 4 and Psalm 104. He compared the “little ships” on Galilee to our own lives sailing on the sea of time.
He grouped his message under three headings – The Picture of the Ships, Their Progress and Purpose, and Their Perils – closing with a reminder of Christ’s safe arrival in Mark 5.
⚓ 1️⃣ The Picture of the Ships
Taking the words “There go the ships” (Psalm 104:26), Rev. McLaughlin said every ship carries certain features — a captain, a name, a crew, and an anchor.
- The Captain represents Christ, who must steer our lives.
- The Name reminds us that believers bear the title Christian.
- The Crew symbolises God’s people serving together.
- The Anchor pictures our hope in Christ that holds firm even in the fiercest storm.
“Without Christ as Captain and without the anchor of salvation,” he told the children, “your little ship will drift and be lost.”
🌊 2️⃣ The Progress of the Ships – ‘There Go the Ships’
Ships are built to move, not sit idle. They leave harbour; they make progress. Rev. McLaughlin explained that the Christian life must also go forward as we follow the Captain’s commands.
“If your boat’s not moving forward for God, it’s drifting backward with the current.”
🚢 3️⃣ The Purpose of the Ships
Ships have a reason to exist — to carry cargo, food, passengers, and messages. In the same way, Christians carry the most vital message of all: the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He encouraged the children to be little carriers of good news — inviting friends to Sunday School, sharing verses, and showing kindness so that others can see Jesus in them.
🌪️ 4️⃣ The Perils of the Ships
Life’s sea is not always calm. The preacher reminded everyone that, like the Sea of Galilee, storms can come without warning—trials, temptations, and fears. Those who sail without the Lord face danger alone, but those with Christ on board have peace even in the storm.
“Only those who have Jesus in their boat will make it safely through,” he said.
✝️ 5️⃣ Christ’s Ship and the Other Little Ships
Closing with Mark 5:1, Rev. McLaughlin highlighted the comfort of knowing that Christ reached the shore — and the other little ships came safely too.
“The Saviour’s ship will never sink; all who travel with Him arrive at the heavenly shore.”
He urged both children and adults to make sure Christ was the Captain of their lives before facing eternity’s sea.
🎵 Closing Hymn and Prayer
The congregation ended the evening with Hymn No. 11 – “Come to the Saviour.”
Mr. Grahame Stronge followed in prayer, thanking the Lord for all who had taken part, for every chorus learned and every verse hidden in young hearts, and for fifty years of divine faithfulness to the children of Carryduff and Killynure.
🌟 Summary
The final night at Carryduff Primary was filled with gratitude, gospel truth, and a clear call to faith in Christ. Through Alan Irvine’s touching testimony and Rev. McLaughlin’s message on the Little Ships, everyone present was reminded that each life has:
- a Captain to follow,
- a purpose to fulfil, and
- a harbour to reach in Jesus Christ.
⚓ “There go the ships… and there were also with Him other little ships.” (Psalm 104:26 & Mark 4:36)
Keep Christ as your Captain, and your little ship will safely reach the shore.
