New Year Message: Rev Leah McKibben
On Wednesday 10th January members welcomed Rev Leah McKibben from the Omagh and Fintona circuit of the Methodist Church. Leah’s superintendent minister on the circuit is Rev Eleanor Hayden and together they have charge of five churches in the area – Omagh, Mayne, Fintona, Drumquin and Togherdoo.
Rev Leah began by talking about her childhood fascination with maps and atlases, which led her to take a degree in Geography at Queen’s University in Belfast. Uncertain what she wanted to do after graduation, she spent a year with “Team on Mission”, an outreach arm of the Methodist Church, before finding employment with the Bible Society, an international organisation dedicated to the printing and distribution of Bibles in local languages. This presented an opportunity for travel and Leah spoke movingly of the people she had met in India, Africa and Europe. Her sense of adventure and desire for travel also took her to Base Camp Everest in 2019.
Rev Leah’s reflection on her journey of faith began with a reading from St Matthew’s Gospel Chapter 2 v 1-12 which tells the story of the visit of the magi to Bethlehem, a journey undertaken in faith in response to a call from God. Throughout her life Leah has felt the guiding hand of God and urged those present to be open to what the Holy Spirit would have them do in 2024. You can never be sure where it will lead, but at the end of the day it will surely lead you home.