FORMED in 1867 in the Regent Street area of Carrick Hill, Antrim Road Baptist Church opened in 1897- – a site then surrounded by green fields.
For 118 years, the church was strong before change was needed as membership dwindled and the church was dissolved in June 2015.
It was rebranded as North Belfast Christian Fellowship in July 2015 with the task in hand of developing and repairing the redundant church building to a facility that would meet future needs. That full refurb was completed in December 2020 and North Belfast Christian Fellowship continues to grow from strength to strength.
Current Pastor Albert McDonald commenced his role in April 2013 and has overseen the church and says God’s love remains as the ethos of everything at North Belfast Christian Fellowship.
“The ethos of the church is to show God’s love to the community,” he explained. “We try to build relationships and friendships to ensure we have a meaningful connection with people.
“At the heart of everything we do, Jesus Christ is at the centre.”
Like so many, North Belfast Christian Fellowship was hit hard by the Covid pandemic. The weekly Sunday worship services were cancelled amongst other goings on at the Antrim Road building during the week.
One thing that did remain open was the Friday afternoon food bank, which continues to grow to this day.
“Covid closed everything down, including the church services. The only thing we kept going was the food bank,” added Albert.
“People were not allowed in the building so we delivered everything to their door.
“There was a big demand for it. We delivered as far as Saintfield to those who needed it.
“The demand for the food bank continues to grow. We have around 56 families who come every Friday afternoon to collect a range of food products and then once a month for toiletries.
HARD WORK: The volunteers who help out with the weekly food bank on a Friday afternoon
“We have a mix of clients from our own local community as well as refugees and asylum seekers from countries like Eritrea and Syria.”
As well as the weekly Sunday worship, North Belfast Christian Fellowship host a range of other programmes for the local community.
On Monday, there is a Parent and Toddlers Group, a Haven on Wednesday (1pm) for those with addictions, English classes on a Thursday (10.30am) and the Food Bank on a Friday (1-3.30pm.)
“We are a church and we will do all the other different things as well. As for the future, the church continues to grow,” added Albert.
“We have a very mixed congregation. There is no name on the door to say we are this or that.
“We are followers of Jesus Christ – end of story. It has allowed us to reach into different communities and backgrounds. Everyone is welcome.”
North Belfast Christian Fellowship
246 Antrim Road
Belfast
BT15 2AR
