Dear St. Lukers,
As you read this, our team of high school students and adult leaders are in the middle of an unforgettable week in Belfast, Northern Ireland. But this isn’t just a mission trip. It’s the final chapter in a three-year journey that has shaped our students into advocates, peacemakers, and bold leaders of faith.
In 2023, we traveled through Alabama and Georgia on a Civil Rights Pilgrimage, standing where history was made and walking in the footsteps of prophets and ordinary people who believed in justice enough to risk everything. In 2024, we took those lessons to Washington, D.C., where our students learned how to speak truth to power, met with lawmakers, and discovered that their voices truly matter. And now, in 2025, we’ve brought those experiences together here in Belfast—a place still healing from decades of violence and division, and a powerful classroom for what real reconciliation can look like.
So far, our week has been full of rich learning and deep reflection. On our first full day, we were led by Dr. Gary Mason, founder of Rethinking Conflict, in a seminar exploring the roots of sectarianism and religious nationalism. We then toured the city with Rev. David Campton, who gave us a glimpse of Belfast through the eyes of someone faithfully committed to peace and justice within the Methodist Church in Ireland.
We walked the Shankill and Newtownards Roads with Rev. Brian Anderson of the East Belfast Mission at Skainos, learning how reconciliation isn’t just a theory. It’s a daily practice that takes presence, humility, and hope. We stood inside Crumlin Road Gaol, where political prisoners were once held, and reflected on the deep cost of violence and division.
Later in the week, we explored the breathtaking Northern Coast, taking in the ruins of Dunluce Castle and hiking the cliffs above Giant’s Causeway. It was a moment to pause, to breathe, and to let creation speak peace in its own quiet way.
Throughout it all, we’ve gathered daily for worship, journaling, and small group conversations. Together we’re asking: What does it mean to be people of peace not only here, but also at home? How do we build bridges instead of walls? How do we respond to injustice with a love that is bold, not passive?
One of our students, Cameron Lach, who has been part of all three trips, shared this reflection:
“In Montgomery, I stood in front of the names of people who were lynched, and I remember thinking—this isn’t just history, this is pain people still carry. In D.C., sitting across from a senator and sharing my story, I realized I have a voice, and it matters. And now in Belfast, hearing from people who used to be enemies and are now working together for peace—it’s made me believe that change is actually possible. These trips didn’t just teach me facts. They taught me how to feel, how to speak up, and how to keep going when healing feels hard. I won’t ever forget it.”
This trip was never about sightseeing. It’s about soul-seeing—training our hearts to recognize God’s image in people across lines of difference. It’s about preparing these students not just to talk about love and justice, but to live it—in their schools, their families, their churches, and even here, in a city like Belfast.
As we prepare for our final Celtic culture tour and our closing Salt Commissioning Service, we are filled with gratitude. Thank you, St. Luke’s, for supporting this journey. Your prayers and encouragement have helped shape a generation of young leaders who are ready to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.
– St. Luke’s Youth Ministries Belfast Team
