Gavin from Solas had the privilege of travelling to Belfast for four days of intensive ministry with the Belfast branch of the C.S. Lewis Institute (CSLI). Most people have come across the author, CS Lewis; but the Institute which now bears his name is less well known. CSLI’s official mission statement is “In the legacy of C. S. Lewis, we develop wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ who will articulate, defend, share, and live their faith in personal and public life.” It seems especially appropriate thate of the first places in Europe in which the CSLI is taking off in is Lewis’ hometown, Belfast.
The week of partnership between Solas and CSLI came at a particularly significant week in the life of CSLI Belfast. Core to their work in Northern Ireland is their ‘Fellows Programme’ a discipleship programme which is designed to engage the heart and the mind. The Fellows do a year of Bible study, classic readings, lectures, group processing, personal spiritual mentoring and accountability — all in the context of a small group of like-minded believers and the aim is to produce fully committed disciples of Jesus Christ who will make an impact for Him in the world.
As the new cohort of Fellows were about to start, Gavin from Solas was involved in speaking at the Orientation evening for those at the beginning of their discipleship journey with CSLI Belfast. At the other end, he also lead a morning of events which culminated in the Commissioning of the Fellows who have completed the Programme.
Stuart Horner who leads the CSLI Belfast said, “The Fellows Programme is particularly significant because it give the opportunity for believers in Christ, from a variety of denominations and backgrounds, to gather for a year of spiritual growth together. Our mission is the Great Commission, becoming better disciples of Jesus and intentional disciplemakers, wherever God has placed us. We believer this multiplication model of ministry is key to sustainable and genuine growth. ”
At the Orientation evening for new Fellows at The Stormont Hotel, Gavin spoke about the ‘Fatherhood of God’ as the basis for discipleship. He looked at various models of human fatherhood and how they impact children; and compared and contrasted them with the picture of God we see in scripture. The emphasis there is that He is both perfect, and calls is into serious discipleship; but is also incredibly gracious and forgiving. He’s the God to whom we can run when we fail, and so we thought about Peter’s restoration after his denial of Christ.
“The Orientation evening is an important part of our programme” said Stuart, “and marks the start of this pilgrimage into deeper discipleship and answer to call to “Come further up and furth in” as Aslan says in the Last Battle.”
The T-3 conference centre in Lisburn was the next stop in the week. CSLI Belfast holds public lectures as well as it’s Fellows programme and at this one, Gavin was asked to address the difficult
topic of “God and Question of Suffering”. He suggested that the question, “If God is good, why is there suffering” might be the hardest question which we face as Christians. In his talk, he compared the ways in which different worldviews and ideologies try and face up to this issue. He suggested that the Christian and biblical idea that Christ enters our world of pain and offers redemption from within it; is the most hope-filled response to the problem. In the second half of the evening he looked at the story of Job, and some personal experiences of navigating the path of pain. The Q&A session was profound and raised a whole series of difficult issues – not least the difficult matter of Jesus’ teaching about forgiveness.
Looking back on the evening, Stuart Horner said, “Gavin was able to both give a robust philosophical and biblical response to this perennial problem and at the same time bring a pastors heart and personal perspective to this Problem of Pain. Like Lewis, Gavin did not give any trite or soundbite responses but instead dealt with this issue in a meaningful and sensitive way, which was well appreciated by those in attendance”
The Riddell Hall at Queen’s University in Belfast is glorious venue to meet in – and that’s where CSLI Belfast had booked for a whole morning for the Commissioning of the Fellows of the 2024/25 year.
Gavin presented a talk entitled “5 Steps for Answering Any Tough Question”, which looked at how we can make gospel-centred responses to hard questions. All the Fellows, were seated around tables in the hall and each table was given a difficult question to respond to using the 5 steps.
At the end of the morning, each table gave a presentation based on their discussion. Stuart Horner from CSLI Belfast was appointed as judge and jury and prizes were awarded for the table who had most helpfully answered their question. The issues thrown at the groups included the problem of pain, Old Testament violence, sexuality, science and faith and the hiddenness of God.
Everyone there was impressed with the responses from the groups. Not only did they engage really well with the 5-steps outlined in the talk as a structure for answering their question; but it was evident that they were able to draw on a huge amount they had learnt during their year on the Fellows programme.
Stuart Horner recalls the morning, “Gathering for the final time as a year group in the wonderful surroundings of Riddell Hall at QUB was both celebratory and reflective. We were able to look back with joy on a year where God had been working
in the lives of our Fellows and also equipping them to defend and commend the Faith in which they had been enriched after a year of readings, Bible Study, mentoring, group discussions and lectures from brilliant bible teachers. Gavin did a great job of equipping us further on Commending the Faith – Conversational Apologetics as well as providing an opportunity to put what had been learnt over the year into practice. ”
At the end of the morning he also Commissioned the Fellows and called them to take all they had read, all their spiritual development and everything invested in them during their year as CS Lewis Institute Fellows and to go forward and serve God. For one or two folks that meant some kind of church-based ministry, but for most it meant becoming more active and visible for Christ in their daily work in banking, building, or farming etc.
The final meeting of the Solas-CLSI Belfast week together took place in Royal Hillsborough right in shadow of the famous Hillsborough Castle. A group of CSLI Fellows gathered in a house there and Gavin presented a version of his talk on God and the Problem of Suffering, “The Great Objection”. While in Lisburn that had lead into a time of discussion and Q&A, in Hillsborough after some profound responses from folks in the room who had suffered much; it naturally led into time of prayer for those we know who are in the middle of it now.
Looking back, Gavin Matthews from Solas said,
“It was wonderful to spend a week with Stuart, the CSLI Belfast team, and all the Fellows. Not only did I get to see more of Northern Ireland, but met some wonderful people too. CSLI Belfast is doing a really great work there in developing the kind of community of biblical relationships we see for example between Paul and Timothy. That consisted of intentional discipleship, mentoring, teaching and training which leads to spiritual growth, and ministry effectiveness which produces real fruit for God’s kingdom.
It was a privilege to be able to contribute a little to this significant work. I especially appreciated the opportunity to speak about God and suffering as that has been so much at the forefront of my mind over the last year or so. The CSLI Fellows Programme is really worth investigating if you are in Northern Ireland, and it’s also encouraging to see it being launched in Scotland too with a new Satellite Programme launched in Edinburgh under the leadership of Joy Hadden, a ministry intern at Carrubbers Christian Centre in Edinburgh city centre!”
Stuart Horner from CSLI Belfast concluded: “Having Gavin with us was the perfect way to end our year together. His personal warmth and Christian character was evident as he spent time with our Fellows and Mentors. His ability as a public speaker and teacher was evident for all to see and we pray that the Lord continues to use him as he serves Solas in Scotland and beyond. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Solas. With Andy Bannister visiting several of our North American CSLI sites in 2025, Gavin visiting Belfast in the summer of 2025 and their associate Gareth Black being a regular speaker at CSLI Belfast, we are blessed to be serving in mutually beneficial ministry together. “
