Bloomfield.

The work of the Belfast City Mission Bloomfield was initiated from the beginnings of Bloomfield Presbyterian Church. Around 1894 Sunday services were held in the local National School. Eventually the Church was to move to its present meeting house in December 1898. The Church requested that meetings should continue in the school and a member of the then congregation was asked to conduct these. After a period of time services were held in houses in Steens Row, Bloomfield Street and East Bread Street, these took the form of cottage meetings. The Kirk Session of Bloomfield Presbyterian realised the importance of these meetings that they approached the Belfast City Mission to ask that they would appoint a Missionary to the district. Mr Edwin Logan was the first Missionary. The house in Bloomfield Street where the meetings were held proved to be too small to accommodate the growth in the work. So the work was transferred to East Bread Street in 1922 and a hall was opened in August 1923. Mr Logan retired from the Mission in May 1959 after almost 49 years service in the East Bread Street district. Mr Robert J Jess took up duties in 1959. Mr Jess was subsequently transferred to the work in the Kimberley Street district in 1961 and was replaced by Mr J Desmond Ayre. Mr Ayre served the district for 7 years before resigning from the Mission in 1968 to take up studies for the Presbyterian ministry. Mr Ernest Shooter was then appointed to East Bread Street district on 29th October 1968. Mr Shooter was transferred to a new work in the Ballybeen Estate in 1975 and Mr W J Montgomery was transferred to fill the vacancy in East Bread Street. After almost 37 years of service in the Mission Mr Montgomery retired on 30th September 1986. He had served for 10 years in the East Bread Street district. Mr David Surgenor who had been a Missionary in training from January 1986 was appointed to the district on 9th October 1986. During this period the area was going through major re-development. The name of the street where the Mission hall was situated had changed from East Bread Street to Bloomfield Drive. Subsequently on Saturday 5th September 1992 a new building was opened by the Belfast City Mission and was then known as Bloomfield Drive.  In September 1999 Mr Surgenor was then appointed to the  Clarawood housing estate with a view to developing a new work. Mr Harry Creighton took on the work in Bloomfield Drive for a short time until 2001. Mr Frank Lee was then appointed to the work on 6th September 2001 until August 2003 when he resigned due to health reasons. Mr Philip McCullough joined the staff in October 2003 and served in Bloomfield Drive for 1 year before entering study for ministry for the Presbyterian Church. Mr John Martin joined the Mission in September 2004 and was appointed to the work in Bloomfield Drive. Mr Martin was transferred to the work in Ballybeen in January 2010 and was replaced by Mr David Bisset. Mr Bisset was then also transferred to Ballybeen in 2014 to fill a vacancy.  The present Missionary Mr Tom Marshall then took up duties after serving in Kimberley Street, Lord Street, Derg Street/Highfield and Mayo Street respectively. Tom will have completed 25 years of service with the Mission in May 2018.

As ever after almost 125 years the aim of the Belfast City Mission Bloomfield Drive is to build bridges with the community, make friends and develop relationships, but above all this  is to win the lost for the Saviour in the district of Bloomfield Drive.

Tom Marshall

Contact Mobile : 07709422273