They prayed to reach the world and God sent the world to them. Just 15 years ago, in Ireland’s capital city of Dublin, Seventh-day Adventists had 1 church and fewer than 25 members. The Ranelagh (ran-eh-lah) Adventist church was dying--they needed divine intervention.

“God, help us to reach the world for you,” prayed this congregation. In a surprising manner, God answered their sincere prayer with an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. God began doing wonderful things in Dublin, things that they once only dreamed about. Dublin now has 5 Adventist congregations. On Sabbath, the Ranelagh church cannot hold all who come to worship, so members meet in hotels, schools and rented facilities.

This vibrant immigrant community reaches out to the native Irish, who are warming up to spirituality through real friendships. Today, these 5 Adventist congregations have an approximate membership of 500 people. Yet, this is only a fraction of the more than 5 million people who live in Dublin.

IMAGES of DUBLIN

Welcome to Cuisle (COO-shleh), an urban center of influence in Ranelagh. This is a prestigious area of Dublin where a Seventh-day Adventist Church is conveniently located near the Luas (lew-iss) metro. Cuisle is Irish for “pulse”. This urban center aims to be the healthy pulse in their dynamic community.

As thousands of people pass in front of this building daily, they see signs offering free health checks. Some of the other services include health assessments, massage therapy, personal counselling, vegetarian cooking classes and more. People of all walks of life and in a variety of situations come inside--curious to see what’s happening here.

“When I first happen to be walking past, I was drunk at the time. So I decided just to walk in, sat down and started chatting with the people who were working there. They were very nice and I had a bit of a laugh and they invited me back. This was on a Thursday and they invited me back the following Saturday. At the time, they didn’t think I’d make it because I was under the weather as they say, but I did remember and I came back the following Saturday. And I have been coming to the center at least once a week ever since and now I am coming even more often.”

Lloyd isn’t a Seventh-day Adventist--he doesn’t even believe in the name of Jesus yet. But in this urban center and this church community, he has found a group of people who are warm and positive. He first came to this place for assistance, and now he serves as a volunteer to help other visitors.

“And recently, I have joined the choir which is great fun and I really enjoy doing that. I just started that and that’s fantastic.”

“It helped me greatly to become a happier person which is about all I was trying to do.”

Lloyd now sings about a loving Saviour even before he understands the love that has been offered him.

Please pray for the Adventist immigrants as they continue to bring their Irish friends to the feet of Jesus. Pray also for the needs of this growing community of believers who need a church building to worship in!

And thank you for your support of Adventist Mission!