I have been back in Ireland for nearly six months, and I am grateful for the work I get to do on behalf of our church and the wider Kingdom of God. As most of you know, I was in the U.S. for six months in 2025, where I got to spend lots of time with my family and friends, as well as travel to visit partnering churches. We also unexpectedly lost my dad while I was in California. He was a strong presence in our family’s life and a pillar of his church community. We continue to grieve the loss of our dad and grandpa. Thank you for your prayers for me and my family during that time of loss and grief.
I am writing to you from the warmth of my office in our church building at the Church of the Nazarene in Greystones, where I am blessed to serve as administrative pastor. As soon as I arrived back in Ireland, I was warmly welcomed by my church family here in Greystones. It has been such a blessing to have a strong support system here at “the Naz.” The holidays are typically a challenging time for me to be away from my family, especially considering how much time I was able to spend with them that year. We were blessed as a staff to have a Thanksgiving lunch made for us by a church member. We invited some other Americans you might recognize in the photo. I am honored to be on this pastoral staff and to serve alongside such gifted and talented leaders. Please pray with me and my colleagues as we lead our congregation in the New Year.
At the end of January, our congregation hosted an “All Island Gathering” of all the Nazarene churches on the island of Ireland. Currently, our congregation is the only Nazarene church in the Republic of Ireland, but there are twelve churches in Northern Ireland. Almost 150 people from those Northern churches traveled to Greystones at the end of January to join us as one unified body of believers in Ireland. It was an amazing time of fellowship, eating together and praising God for what He has done and will continue to do on the island of Ireland. Our church in Greystones was able to share our vision for a new building development that will further God’s mission in the Republic of Ireland alongside the churches in the North. We ended with a time of prayer over our Greystones church board and pastoral staff, led by the leadership of the churches from the North. It was a very sacred time. Please pray with all the churches on the island of Ireland as we continue to build His Kingdom here.
Just before Christmas, my family put my dad’s house in Corona, California, on the market. My brother, Mark, and sister-in-law, Nina, managed all the details, with a big assist from my sister, Amy. I am grateful for the strong bond my siblings and I share during this challenging time as we settle my dad’s affairs. We were able to secure a buyer for the house right before Christmas, and the keys were handed over by the middle of January 2026. It is a strange feeling to think that I will never go back to my dad’s house when I visit California. That house was a central physical touchstone for our family, and now we have moved on from it. Please pray with my family and me as we continue to navigate grief.
Please Pray…
- For myself as I continue to navigate grief thousands of miles away from my family that is also grieving. My dad’s death has awoken more grief about my mom’s death thirteen years ago. Pray that I can have grace with myself.
- For our church in Greystones as we are trying to raise the necessary funds to begin re-developing our building. Pray for the congregation to catch the vision and for God to provide.
- For favor with the Irish government as I endeavor to renew my visa.
There are four ways to partner with me financially:
- Online. Visit https://friendsmission.givevirtuous.org/donate/morton. You’ll be given the opportunity to indicate whether you are making a recurring or one-time gift.
- Credit Card. This may be given online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office (303-421-8100) to give your information to a live person.
- Automatic Bank Transfer. Download the form here and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
- Check. Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Make sure to mark your check “Morton Support” and note if you will be giving on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Pay to the order of “EFM”.
English (United States) 
Spanish