Castlebar Christian Fellowship

In In You I Trust , Pastor Cathal Duffy shares from Psalm 25 , a prayer of David that speaks into the realities of everyday life - our need for trust, guidance, forgiveness, hope and a close relationship with God. David faces uncertainty and trouble, yet begins with a declaration: ‘In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.’ Cathal explores the difference between simply believing in God and actively tru...

In Tell Them , guest speaker Stephen Mawhinney shares from Acts 16:1 - 5 and the story of Timothy, whose faith was shaped from childhood by his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. Despite Timothy's father not sharing their faith, these women faithfully taught him the Scriptures and pointed him towards the Lord. Stephen's encouragement is simple: keep telling them about Jesus . Whether it is our ch...

In The Bread of Life , we were delighted to welcome Mark Horgan from Amazing Grace Church, Westport to Castlebar Christian Fellowship. Preaching from John 6 , Mark explores one of Jesus’ great ‘I Am’ declarations: ‘I am the bread of life.’ After feeding the five thousand, Jesus points beyond the physical bread that satisfies temporarily to Himself - the true Bread from Heaven who gives eternal lif...

In Seasons of Life , we were delighted to welcome guest speaker Trevor Hill from River of Life, Athlone to Castlebar Christian Fellowship. Drawing on his own experience of transition after handing over the leadership of River of Life following 28 years, Trevor reminds us that life brings many different seasons - and different does not necessarily mean better or worse; sometimes it is simply differ...

Preaching from James 1:18–27 , Pastor Cathal Duffy explores the transformative power of Scripture as "The Mirror of Truth". Rather than treating Bible study as merely an intellectual exercise or an outward checklist, James warns against the deception of glancing into the mirror, seeing our true condition, and immediately walking away without change. Pastor Cathal unpacks how human anger, unbridled...

Visiting from sister church Westport, Mark Horgan delivers a challenging message contrasting Old Testament cries for justice and imprecatory psalms with Christ’s revolutionary command to love our enemies. Focusing on Luke 6 and Romans 12 , the sermon addresses the natural human impulse for retaliation and replaces it with the supernatural, counter-cultural call to bless, pray for, and actively do...

Preaching from the vivid eyewitness account in Acts 27, Pastor Cathal Duffy explores the dramatic voyage and shipwreck of the Apostle Paul en route to Rome. Despite adverse winds, poor human choices by ship authorities, and the violent hurricane-force "Northeaster," God’s sovereign purpose remained entirely unbroken. When darkness persisted and all human hope was abandoned, Paul stood up with cour...

Exploring the lived experience of prayer in Luke 11, this message unpacks the disciples' request, "Lord, teach us to pray". It highlights how Jesus modeled intentional prayer by withdrawing to quiet places, providing a clear pattern that emphasizes relationship over empty ritual. Through practical structures like the ACTS model (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) and the parable of...

In this powerful message on John 10, Pastor Cathal Duffy explores Jesus’ declaration as the Good Shepherd and the Gate for the sheep. Following the healing of the blind man in John 9, Pastor Cathal contrasts the self-serving, spiritually blind leaders with Jesus – the true Shepherd who seeks out the lost, marginalised, and excommunicated to bring them into safety and fellowship. Drawing on cultura...

In this inspiring Youth Sunday message, John Burke dives into John 15 to examine what it truly means to abide in Christ and bear fruit that lasts. Drawing from local connections – like the Mayo motto Críost Linn ("Christ with us") and the flags we raise to represent our identity – John illustrates how our lives are meant to wave as banners showing that King Jesus resides within our hearts. Through...

In this gripping message, PJ Sexton unpacks "Part Two" of the Tola Worm story, diving into the strange and intricate cleansing rituals of Leviticus 14 to reveal the relentless heart of our great High Priest. PJ bridges the gap between ancient law and the finished work of the cross, illustrating how the physical reality of leprosy perfectly mirrors the spiritual numbness of sin – and how Jesus step...

In this deeply encouraging message on Luke 15 , Jim Duffy unpacks the three famous parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son to reveal the true heart of God toward those who are hurting and disconnected. Jim reminds us that whether someone is lost through outward rebellion like the younger brother, or lost right inside the church through cold self-righteousness like the older...

In this powerful message on Psalm 84 , guest speaker Mark Horgan reveals how a single day spent in the presence of God carries the power to deliver, restore, and completely revolutionise your life. Exploring the journey of the sons of Korah, Mark reminds us that while our earthly pilgrimage will inevitably take us through difficult terrains like the Valley of Weeping, God is a specialist in turnin...

In this message from Romans 5:1–11 , Pastor Cathal Duffy shares a powerful illustration from the American War of Independence involving a preacher named Peter Miller, who walked 60 miles to secure an execution pardon from George Washington for his "worst living enemy"—a local man who bitterly hated and persecuted him. While a noble act of mercy, Pastor Cathal shows it is only a faint shadow of wha...

In this Father's Day message from Romans 4 , Pastor Cathal Duffy uses a humorous rhyme about a frog paddling out of a bowl of milk to dismantle the deeply flawed idea that we can somehow rescue ourselves or earn our way to heaven through hard work and performance. Unpacking the accountancy term "credited," Cathal explains that biblical justification means God takes the flawless righteousness of Je...

Preaching from Psalm 33 , Cathal Duffy delivers an encouraging message titled The Solid Rock , focusing on God's sovereign rule over a chaotic and shaky world. Drawing a parallel to the uncontainable excitement seen in football stadium crowds, Cathal highlights that a redeemed and forgiven church has the ultimate reason to fill God's house with vibrant, joyful, and fresh praise. The sermon breaks...

Guest speaker David Stevenson brings an incredibly liberating and encouraging word from Matthew 16:13–20 , unpacking what it truly means to be used by God. Set against the highly superstitious, pagan backdrop of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus presents His disciples with the ultimate question: “Who do you say I am?” . David unpacks Peter’s landmark confession— "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living...

Continuing the series in Ephesians , Cathal Duffy delivers a realistic and encouraging message on the spiritual battles embedded in ordinary, everyday Christian living. Cathal addresses two common extremes – being completely obsessed with the enemy or dismissing spiritual warfare entirely – and calls believers to take the biblical reality seriously. Using the historical framework of World War II,...

In a world plagued by division and conflict, guest speaker Mark Horgan walks through Psalm 46 to show how believers can stay grounded. He breaks down the passage into three sections: the global and personal "earthquakes" that cause us to panic; the Holy Spirit’s internal "river" that provides supernatural peace regardless of our circumstances; and God's final justice over a rebellious world. Mark...

In this missionary message, Alan Cousins takes the congregation on a journey through Mark 4 and 5, zeroing in on Jesus' unusual command to His disciples: "Let us go across to the other side". Alan explains that "the other side" meant the Decapolis – a pagan, historically hostile region that lay completely outside the comfort zone of a traditional Jewish rabbi. There, Jesus' absolute authority easi...

In this moving message, PJ Sexton explores the prophetic depths of Psalm 22, specifically the "Tola" worm—a creature that fastens itself to a tree to give life to its young. PJ beautifully connects this biology to the spiritual reality of abiding. Just as the baby worms find total safety and sustenance by remaining underneath their mother, PJ teaches that we find our true security when we "abide u...

In this moving study of Psalm 63 , Peter Burrows addresses the dissatisfaction and "emptiness" often felt in our modern materialistic society. Drawing from David’s experience fleeing into the wilderness from his son Absalom, Peter illustrates that God often does His best work in our lives during times of scarcity and deprivation. The sermon highlights three vital responses to a "wilderness" season...

In this sobering yet inspiring message, Alan Cousins of SAT-7 shares firsthand accounts of the explosive growth and intense suffering of the church in the MENA region. Drawing from Psalm 27 , Alan explores how believers in North Africa and the Middle East prepare for imprisonment by memorising the promise: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?". Alan contrasts the "spirit of f...

In this powerful message from Ezekiel 47 , Pastor Cathal Duffy explores the vision of the amazing, life-giving river that flows from God’s temple. Building on last week’s call to be filled with the Spirit, Cathal illustrates how God often starts with a "trickle" – a small beginning – before enlarging it beyond our expectations into a river deep enough to swim in. The sermon highlights the dual nat...

In this inspiring message from Ephesians 5 , Pastor Cathal Duffy challenges us to move from simply knowing our identity in Christ to actively living it out. The sermon focuses on the believer's "walk"—an intentional, purposeful manner of life that chooses wisdom over foolishness and the Spirit's control over the world's influences. Pastor Cathal explains that "redeeming the time" means buying up e...