24 Sep 2026, 21:43Deborah Lessa
Coleraine Church Reopens After Period of Restoration
My journey to Coleraine began early on Friday morning, 28 August. Travelling from County Clare by car and train, it would take me almost ten hours to reach Northern Ireland. It was a long journey, but for a special reason: Coleraine Seventh-day Adventist Church was reopening its doors after a long period of repair and restoration.
It was my first time attending a service at one of our Seventh-day Adventist churches in Northern Ireland. As I entered the church on that cloudy Sabbath morning, 29 August, one of the first things I heard was the beautiful sound of the organ being played by one of the Coleraine members.
People were arriving, conversations filled the building, and members and visitors from different churches had come together for the occasion. For a small congregation that had spent many months without its church building, simply being together again was something very special.
But to understand why that Sabbath was so significant, you have to go back to late 2024.
An unexpected discovery
Woodworm had been discovered in the church building. What initially seemed like a problem that could be dealt with relatively quickly became a much larger project. Cupboards had to be removed, the sanctuary flooring lifted, specialists brought in to treat the floorboards, and all the church chairs had to be disposed of. The church eventually closed in December 2024.
“We initially thought in six months we would be open again,” recalled long-time member Raymond Doherty. “It’s been a long journey. It’s to God’s glory that we have this building here today.”
For Raymond and his wife, Yvonne, the church has been part of their lives for decades. Raymond was born into the church, while Yvonne began attending Coleraine after meeting him during a youth weekend there more than 40 years ago.
The months without a church home were difficult. “It was very depressing,” Yvonne recalled. Although she could watch sermons online, it could not replace being together. “You need the fellowship”, she emphasised.
Gertrude Mwakidilo experienced something similar. Living in Ballycastle and not driving made attending other Adventist churches difficult. Members remained connected through an online group, but, as she explained, “It’s not the same as coming together in person, where you are seeing each other, worshipping together.” What they had expected to be a relatively short interruption stretched into months. Eventually, Gertrude's children began asking: “Are we going to church anymore?” It was a simple question, but one that captured just how much the congregation missed being together.
Part of a bigger family
As they realised how much work was needed, the Irish Mission shared Coleraine’s situation with churches across the Mission, providing an opportunity for members to support the project financially and through prayer.
For Tome Naskov, who joined the Irish Mission in 2025 to pastor Coleraine, Derry/Londonderry, and Letterkenny congregations, seeing the church full again after the long renovation process was particularly special. “It was so nice to see this church full of people and to see the rewards of this long, frustrating process of renovation,” he said. He also highlighted how meaningful it was for the members to experience being “part of a bigger family.”
That bigger family was clearly visible on the reopening Sabbath, with people from churches across Northern Ireland and beyond coming to Coleraine.
Irish Mission President Pastor Adam Keough thanked everyone who had contributed their time, financial support and prayers. But he also reminded the congregation that the restoration was about much more than just a building. “This building serves the mission; the mission doesn’t serve the building,” he said. “The building is ultimately there for mission, to reach out and for the service of others.”
A church full of voices again
For those with a long connection to Coleraine, seeing the building full again brought particular joy. Nicola Doherty, who grew up in the church, recalled attending Sabbath School there as a child. One of her favourite things, she said, is hearing a full church singing together.
What if it could be like that every Sabbath? I asked. “I’d love it,” she said. “Maybe one day. Let’s keep praying about it.” Raymond expressed a similar hope. If one Sabbath the car park was full and there were not enough chairs for everyone, he said, “I’d love to have that problem here.”
During the reopening service, Raymond stepped outside into the car park and could hear the sound of the congregation coming from inside the church. “The whole neighbourhood must have been able to hear it”, he remarked. He could not remember the last time that had happened.
A story that goes back generations
The reopening was also the latest chapter in a story that goes back many years.
In fact, Coleraine’s Adventist story goes all the way back to the 1800s. Representatives from Coleraine were present when the first Seventh-day Adventist church on the island of Ireland was organised in Banbridge in 1891. The Adventist presence in Coleraine continued to grow over the years, and by the 1970s the congregation was building the church that stands there today.
Since then, the church has been a place for worship, outreach and bringing people together. And this isn’t the first time the building has been renovated. In 2004, Messenger reported that members celebrated the church building’s 30th anniversary after a year of renovation work.
Now, 22 years later, the church has once again been restored, ready for a new chapter in the life of the Coleraine congragation.
The next chapter
The reopening service reflected both gratitude for the past and hope for the future. It included congregational memories, a slideshow of the church's history and renovation, recognition of those who had supported the project, dedicatory prayers and a commissioning.
The doors of Coleraine Seventh-day Adventist Church have reopened. The organ is playing again. Songs can once more be heard from the sanctuary. A small congregation has its church home back. For Yvonne, after the long wait, it was almost difficult to believe. “It just seemed to take a lifetime. Now it’s here and I can hardly believe it. It’s absolutely brilliant.”
But reopening the doors is not the end of the story. As Pastor Adam reminded the congregation, “God restores us so that He can lead us to the future.” Another chapter has now begun for Coleraine Seventh-day Adventist Church.
My journey to Coleraine began early on Friday morning, 28 August. Travelling from County Clare by car and train, it would take me almost ten hours to reach Northern Ireland. It was a long journey, but for a special reason: Coleraine Seventh-day Adventist Church was reopening its doors after a long period of repair and restoration.
It was my first time attending a service at one of our Seventh-day Adventist churches in Northern Ireland. As I entered the church on that cloudy Sabbath morning, 29 August, one of the first things I heard was the beautiful sound of the organ being played by one of the Coleraine members.
People were arriving, conversations filled the building, and members and visitors from different churches had come together for the occasion. For a small congregation that had spent many months without its church building, simply being together again was something very special.
But to understand why that Sabbath was so significant, you have to go back to late 2024.
An unexpected discovery
Woodworm had been discovered in the church building. What initially seemed like a problem that could be dealt with relatively quickly became a much larger project. Cupboards had to be removed, the sanctuary flooring lifted, specialists brought in to treat the floorboards, and all the church chairs had to be disposed of. The church eventually closed in December 2024.
“We initially thought in six months we would be open again,” recalled long-time member Raymond Doherty. “It’s been a long journey. It’s to God’s glory that we have this building here today.”
For Raymond and his wife, Yvonne, the church has been part of their lives for decades. Raymond was born into the church, while Yvonne began attending Coleraine after meeting him during a youth weekend there more than 40 years ago.
The months without a church home were difficult. “It was very depressing,” Yvonne recalled. Although she could watch sermons online, it could not replace being together. “You need the fellowship”, she emphasised.
Gertrude Mwakidilo experienced something similar. Living in Ballycastle and not driving made attending other Adventist churches difficult. Members remained connected through an online group, but, as she explained, “It’s not the same as coming together in person, where you are seeing each other, worshipping together.” What they had expected to be a relatively short interruption stretched into months. Eventually, Gertrude's children began asking: “Are we going to church anymore?” It was a simple question, but one that captured just how much the congregation missed being together.
Part of a bigger family
As they realised how much work was needed, the Irish Mission shared Coleraine’s situation with churches across the Mission, providing an opportunity for members to support the project financially and through prayer.
For Tome Naskov, who joined the Irish Mission in 2025 to pastor Coleraine, Derry/Londonderry, and Letterkenny congregations, seeing the church full again after the long renovation process was particularly special. “It was so nice to see this church full of people and to see the rewards of this long, frustrating process of renovation,” he said. He also highlighted how meaningful it was for the members to experience being “part of a bigger family.”
That bigger family was clearly visible on the reopening Sabbath, with people from churches across Northern Ireland and beyond coming to Coleraine.
Irish Mission President Pastor Adam Keough thanked everyone who had contributed their time, financial support and prayers. But he also reminded the congregation that the restoration was about much more than just a building. “This building serves the mission; the mission doesn’t serve the building,” he said. “The building is ultimately there for mission, to reach out and for the service of others.”
A church full of voices again
For those with a long connection to Coleraine, seeing the building full again brought particular joy. Nicola Doherty, who grew up in the church, recalled attending Sabbath School there as a child. One of her favourite things, she said, is hearing a full church singing together.
What if it could be like that every Sabbath? I asked. “I’d love it,” she said. “Maybe one day. Let’s keep praying about it.” Raymond expressed a similar hope. If one Sabbath the car park was full and there were not enough chairs for everyone, he said, “I’d love to have that problem here.”
During the reopening service, Raymond stepped outside into the car park and could hear the sound of the congregation coming from inside the church. “The whole neighbourhood must have been able to hear it”, he remarked. He could not remember the last time that had happened.
A story that goes back generations
The reopening was also the latest chapter in a story that goes back many years.
In fact, Coleraine’s Adventist story goes all the way back to the 1800s. Representatives from Coleraine were present when the first Seventh-day Adventist church on the island of Ireland was organised in Banbridge in 1891. The Adventist presence in Coleraine continued to grow over the years, and by the 1970s the congregation was building the church that stands there today.
Since then, the church has been a place for worship, outreach and bringing people together. And this isn’t the first time the building has been renovated. In 2004, Messenger reported that members celebrated the church building’s 30th anniversary after a year of renovation work.
Now, 22 years later, the church has once again been restored, ready for a new chapter in the life of the Coleraine congragation.
The next chapter
The reopening service reflected both gratitude for the past and hope for the future. It included congregational memories, a slideshow of the church's history and renovation, recognition of those who had supported the project, dedicatory prayers and a commissioning.
The doors of Coleraine Seventh-day Adventist Church have reopened. The organ is playing again. Songs can once more be heard from the sanctuary. A small congregation has its church home back. For Yvonne, after the long wait, it was almost difficult to believe. “It just seemed to take a lifetime. Now it’s here and I can hardly believe it. It’s absolutely brilliant.”
But reopening the doors is not the end of the story. As Pastor Adam reminded the congregation, “God restores us so that He can lead us to the future.” Another chapter has now begun for Coleraine Seventh-day Adventist Church.
