Meet Trevor and Maggie Ramsey
(From the October - December 2021 issue of VOX)
“We have a lot of energy and experience. What am I supposed to do with all that? Preach to my roses?” Instead of moving towards retirement, Baptist pastor Trevor Ramsey and his wife Maggie are taking up a new challenge.
Tell us about yourselves
Trevor: I’m from North Belfast and became a Christian at the age of 17. I studied economics and accountancy but then the Lord called me into the ministry. I studied at Belfast Bible College. My intention, together with my wife Sheila was to be missionaries somewhere in Western Europe but the Lord changed our minds and brought us to Limerick where I served for nine years at Limerick Baptist Church. In 1994, I returned to Northern Ireland and got involved in establishing the church in Greenisland. It started with just seven people. It was during that time that Sheila was diagnosed with cancer. It was 15 minutes in a doctor’s surgery that changed our lives forever. It was a tough time. The Lord took her to Himself in 2007.
Maggie: I was brought up in the country as one of six and neither of my parents were Christians. We were sent to Sunday School but I decided to take my own path. I left home at 19, went to London and became homeless. The choices I made took me into some dark places but I was always searching. I knew there was more to life. My brother became a Christian and that really influenced my decision to follow Jesus in 1997 when I was in my mid 30s. I went to various churches and settled in an evangelical church for 10 years.
How did you meet?
Maggie: After I moved house, I wanted somewhere more local. It was probably a year after Sheila’s death that my friend invited me along to the Greenisland Baptist. I had never met Sheila but I was aware that the pastor’s wife had had cancer. We had been praying for her. I found wonderful fellowship and practical Bible teaching at the church. One of the ladies did Christianity Explored with me. I think God was preparing my heart and Trevor’s heart. Trevor was in the throes of grief and not noticing anyone but after some time, I had a work issue I wanted to discuss with Trevor. We decided to meet to talk about that.
Trevor: Sheila and I had been married for 27 years. One of the small benefits of cancer is that it gives you time to talk. When Sheila was dying, she encouraged me to get married again. Maggie and I sensed the Lord was bringing us together. We were courting for a year and then we got married. When we came back from honeymoon, I was appointed Senior Pastor of Newtownbreda Baptist church [the largest Baptist church in Ireland with a Sunday attendance of 800 people]. Maggie went from being single to being married, the wife of a senior pastor, a stepmother and grandmother. Yet, we have been blessed beyond measure. God has been so gracious to us.
What brought about your change in direction?
Trevor: About two years ago, I sensed my time as Senior Pastor was coming to the end. I told the elders, I would be stepping down in 2021. In February 2020 (just before the pandemic hit) we booked a weekend away in Spain. It was so freezing cold, we decided to jump on a Ryanair plane. We went to Benidorm and on Sunday morning, we found ourselves sitting in this little English-speaking church. Benidorm is called “sin city”. It is home to 70,000 people with over a million visitors each year. At one stage, around a thousand people a week were emigrating there. People go for health reasons or because they running away.
The church was established in the 1980s. The need was for an ex-pat church with solid teaching but that could also reach out into the community. When we found out the pastor was retiring and that the church was looking for a new pastor, I felt I would never be satisfied until we pursued this opening. I sent off an email to enquire about the role. In many ways, we hoped that they would come back and say “no thank you”. But I could not shake it off.
Maggie: At first, when Trevor had this calling for Benidorm, I wasn’t on the same page. My first thoughts were about my job, my parents and the heat. I was already in a job and could still be working for quite a few more years. I have two parents in their late 80s and I’m not into beaches. Trevor said we both had to be in agreement. And in a short space of time, it was settled in my heart that we really should go. I realised God created this world, He can look after our children and our parents. That takes a whole weight of concern off my shoulders. I became excited by it.
Trevor: I was appointed to be the pastor of the English church starting at the beginning of September 2021. We have been sent out as missionaries. It is strange that, after all those years when I was interested in those countries, we get a chance to go. But it has been a weird year leading up to our move. I had been appointed as president of the Association of Baptist churches in Ireland (with 117 Baptist churches) for 2020 and then one of our associate pastors was offered a role in Dallas Theological Seminary. I never imagined ending up in a pandemic. I found myself on my own being president and leading the church through Covid-19.
Tell us more about the work in Benidorm
“There are opportunities for witness by our very presence in “sin city”. Why should the devil have the run of these places?”
Trevor: There is a God-shaped void and our hearts are eternally restless until they find their rest in Him. There are opportunities for witness by our very presence in “sin city”. Why should the devil have the run of these places? We will look after the little Christian congregation but we will also have a springboard for mission. When English speakers emigrate, they are often running away from something. When they get there, they are still not happy. Often they run into crises; we anticipate phone calls from people looking for help and these often serve as bridges for the gospel.
Maggie: I’ll be working alongside Trevor. He will be the pastor and leader. My involvement will be pastoral care, drawing alongside people in the church and hopefully forming prayer groups and maybe a woman’s Bible study. I’ll also be involved in outreach into the community. Some people do not make the wisest choices and may end up in trouble. My background is in working with victim support and I’m excited that we will be able to show the love of Jesus to people.
After the year we’ve all had, how do you feel about using your retirement to begin mission work?
Trevor: We’ve been surprised by the number of people who have asked us about it. We don’t see ourselves as role models. We just know that we are not our own, we have been bought with a price. It is for Him to decide how we spend our retirement and we trust Him to look after us. It is not in me to sit back. God hasn’t wired me that way. We’d rather be like Caleb than tending the garden. There is only so much golf you can play. We have a lot of energy and experience. What am I supposed to do with all that? Preach to my roses? In Benidorm you need to have experience. It is not a job for a novice. At the end of the day, we just want to make a difference.
Maggie: Like Trevor, I could not imagine having an extended holiday for 30 years. We are always on the go. God has done so much for us; we do this out of gratitude for Him. It won’t be easy. We are already anticipating the challenges but God knows all about that.
What does Jesus mean to you as you begin this new adventure?
Maggie: I’m trying to not to use clichés but for me Jesus is the truth. I know my quest before I came to faith was to find truth in an untruthful world. That journey ended when I found Jesus. John 8: 32 says, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” The person I am today is because of Him. We are all failed human beings but through His grace, we are mighty conquerors.
Trevor: He is the lily of the valley, the bright morning star. He provides me with salvation, security, protection and hope. The old hymn says none but Christ can satisfy. He is my all in all. People have said, “Are you not worried about living with no salary?” Why would I worry? He can provide for us.
