Omagh Methodist Men’s Breakfast
John Buchanan [left] with Mr Mark McAleer
Before inviting Mr McAleer to take the floor, John Buchanan shared that after 18 years he and John Stewart were retiring as the organisers of the Breakfast Fellowship. He noted that since 2008 there had been over 70 speakers drawn from all walks of life who had left a lasting impression on those who had attended the breakfast regularly. The contribution of Barbara and Gordon Moore was celebrated by a vote of thanks and a gift in recognition of their contribution to the success of the venture.
On taking the floor Mr McAleer introduced himself as a Pentecostal Evangelist. A native of Omagh he had been born and raised as a Roman Catholic before being born again into a life of praise and preaching. He illustrated his relationship with the Lord by producing a model quadcopter [drone] and flying it in the Peter Good Hall. Intriguingly the drone was controlled by hand signals; it retreated as Mark pushed back and came close when his open hands were raised in supplication.
A defining moment in his journey of faith came when he was introduced to a Christian pastor from India who had dedicated his life to supporting some 2000 orphans in his native country. The need for financial support was so compelling that Mark and his wife determined to do something to raise money for the project. This took the form of opening a Spar shop on the Derry Road in Omagh and giving generously to the mission in India. Mark did not play down the challenges he faced along the way, but he has been blessed and rewarded by the fact that the lives so many disadvantaged persons have been changed forever by his actions.
In closing the meeting John Buchanan expressed the hope that this might be seen as “a pause” and that opportunity would be taken up by others to to have a Men’s Breakfast or Men’s Fellowship in one of the local churches providing opportunity for men of the area to have Christian Fellowship.
Gordon and Barbara Moore with John Buchanan