Appreciating Edward Donnelly

The arrival of the Banner of Truth magazine month by month is always a blessing. Whether it be stimulating contemporary articles, reprint and abstracts from Puritan and Reformed literature, or simply the News and Comment, or Book Reviews, there is always something helpful and heartwarming to be encountered.

This month's edition has a moving appreciation of Rev. Edward Donnelly of Trinity Reformed Presbyterian in Newtownabbey. The Rev. Donnelly has recently retired and Iain H. Murray looks back over his influence at the Banner conference during many years. Murray states that 'Often have been the times when we have gathered, half-dispirited by one problem or another, only to be raised to fresh vision and the consciousness that 'now are we the sons of God'. I believe that not a few, but hundreds of pastors would say 'Amen' to that statement'.

This short blog post is simply to add one such amen. I've only ever been able to attend one Banner conference (2006) and Edward Donnelly's ministry was for me the highlight. He spoke from Jeremiah over the course of three evenings, and his Tuesday night exposition of the trials the prophet faced in serving God still lives warmly in my memory. Few are the moments when one finds oneself literally speechless and full of emotion following a sermon, but this was one such occasion. So personal, pastoral and helpful was this message that at its conclusion there was an awesome silence across a room of around 300 pastors as the weight and depth of what had been shared sank in. Above and beyond the components of the message was a clear sense of God, and His sweet consolation to the hearts of many of those gathered. It was an experience that I will never forget and to this day I find snatches of the sermon come to mind, and as I read through Jeremiah year by year resonances remain of that captivating and God-honouring message. The Master, not the man, is to be glorified, but how I praise God for the privilege of being allowed to listen to such a message.